Okay with NSA surveillance?

Are you okay with surveillance of web and mobile traffic and phone records by the NSA?

Yes. If it means stopping terrorism, I am fine with it.

No. I value my privacy, and I do not want to give it up despite the possibility that means that I am less safe.

Well, supposedly more than half of you agree with the first option. Does that describe you? We would like to know.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57588691-83/more-than-half-polled-ok-with-nsa-tracking-to-catch-terrorists/

One third of adults now own a tablet

Like with cable and the telephone, the saturation point appears to be 85-90%. So market saturation will probably be a marketplace 2x or 2.5x what it is now. Then, consumers will replace them either because they no longer are capable of doing what they need to do, break, or the consumer just wants the latest or greatest. Large number, but it is not even close to being a plateauing market.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420197,00.asp

iOS 7: Does it matter?

iOS 7 appears to be a mostly incremental upgrade. Many of the features (wallpapers, flat icons) either borrow from competitors or maintain parity with existing competition. What is lost in the debate over whether or not iOS 7 is ugly, unnecessary, beautiful simplicity, or a performance improvement is that it might not even matter. Apple has the best ecosystem to date. Developers know that Apple customers are more predisposed to purchase apps versus accept a free version full of ads. Many consumers have also invested a lot of money in media, such as music, apps, movies, and books. Neither one of these parties will outright reject the platform and ecosystem over a few icons looking too flat. Long term though, this may signal that Apple is not the innovator it was. It may also mean the end of the mystique that inspired such loyalty from the customer base. Is Apple still the gold standard for mobile? Only time will tell.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420161,00.asp

What is your opinion? Do social networks really respect privacy more than banks or retailers?

A. Yes. Many of the networks have control panels that can enable or disable access to personal information.

B. Yes. I can choose to remain mostly private or public on most social networks.

C. Yes. I can control access to my profile.

D. No. Too much information is readily accessible via search engines.

E. No. Ads are targeted using analytics. I am not sure what information 3rd parties have.

F. No. Most apps require access to information without disclosing what they do with that information.

Social Networks respect privacy and afford more consumer protection than banks and retailers?

When considering how financial institutions make money and conduct themselves, there are a number of reasons they may not be perceived as trustworthy stewards of private information.

When making decisions about credit-worthiness, some financial institutions have been rumored to hold impulse purchase decisions against their customers. For example, if you use your credit card to buy gas, snacks at a gas station, or other small miscellaneous purchases, this could be viewed as being stressed financially. Banks could then use this knowledge as reason to not approve an APR on a credit card or an interest rate on a loan that otherwise would be justified. You may be deemed unable to make the qualifying payments.

However, the murkiest factor in determining whether banks and retailers rank less than social networks is how they share information with 3rd parties. Many retailers have rewards programs written in legalese that does not clearly state that information will be shared with 3rd parties. Others may share and not even divulge this information to their customers.

It is important to keep in mind though that this does not mean that your institution is not respecting your privacy or behaving in a manner that is antagonistic to the consumer. Read documents carefully and be vigilant.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2041278/social-sites-beat-retailers-and-banks-for-consumer-protection-and-privacy.html

What does iRadio mean to you?

A. It will revolutionize my music listening habits! (It is Apple for crying out loud)

B. Not sure. There are a lot of music streaming services.

C. I am already a fairly loyal user of a specific service (ex. Pandora, Spotify,etc.). It would have to be that much better to get me to switch.

D. Competition is good. Power to music lovers!

One app over any other

What is the one app you really can’t go without?

What does it say about you?

We want to know if it is something like messaging or email (Outlook or GMAIL), games (Angry Birds, Temple Run, etc.), or social (Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, etc.).

Why? When choosing to develop applications, it is important to know where the demand is. Otherwise, you are spending resources that would be better spent on other projects. So, as a business, it would be really great to get some feedback and see what really matters to users out there.

Most adults now own a smartphone: Now is the time to get your app out there businesses!

If your business does not have a mobile strategy, now is the time to reevaluate what you are or are not doing. Can you risk your competitor getting ahead of you because they have a mobile optimized web site or a business branded app that allows your competitor to better engage their customers (or steal users)?

http://www.techhive.com/article/2040924/the-majority-of-american-adults-are-now-smartphone-owners.html