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Caffeine. It fuels the Prompt offices, and now it seems it's to fuel the world of search too. If reports are to be believed, Google is about to roll out the latest version of its search engine, codenamed Caffeine. Dave takes a look below.
It's not only Google that's turning the dial to 11. Dr Dre and HP have teamed up to revolutionise the world of music. Or so they claim - not everyone is convinced. James reveals why.
Also this week: Vicki reports on a Dell's rumoured new smartphone, and Becky takes a look at what kids really get up to online.
I hope you enjoy the issue. If you do, why not visit our blog? Oh - and make sure you follow the US office and the UK office on Twitter @PromptLondon and @PromptBoston.
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Google to give searchers a caffeine rush
Not content with its utter domination of the global search market (an estimated 87 percent market share here in the UK, for example), Google is giving its ubiquitous engine another huge shot in the arm, this time with 'Caffeine'.
News 'leaked' across the web this week that the updated version of the Google search engine, codenamed 'Caffeine' in its early testing phase, will be the fastest, most accurate and most comprehensive search tool to date, effectively eclipsing any hope Microsoft had of grabbing a slice of the action with Bing.
The BBC quoted Martin McNulty from search engine marketing specialist Trafficbroker who claimed: "Bing was launched with a massive media budget. Trouble is, Bing presents itself as an alternative to something that users are - for now - happy with."
It's been an unusually busy year for the search engine market. As well as Microsoft and Yahoo launching Bing, Ask.com was relaunched with Jeeves in tow once more, and Wolfram Alpha arrived on the scene amid talk of computational knowledge.
Caffeine will seamlessly replace Google once it is ready. And undoubtedly continue to dominate.
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Dell takes its first mobile phone to China
It seems that multinational computer corporation Dell will be making its first foray into the mobile phone industry. According to recent reports, Dell, known as a maker of personal computers and computer-related products, is rumored to be releasing a new smartphone in China, possibly within the next few days.
Initial details about the phone were vague and mixed, but now MobileCrunch is reporting that the phone, dubbed "mini3i," is the first in a line of devices. The phones, branded 'Ophone', are to be released through the world's largest mobile carrier, China Mobile. The phone will be powered by Google's Android operating system and resemble Apple's iPhone in that it has a touch screen with no physical keyboard.
Another rumored mini3i feature, again resembling Apple's iPhone, is an applications store from China Mobile called 'MobileMarket.'
Anyone looking to snag one of the devices should bear in mind that the phone will support the Chinese equivalent of 3G. This will make it difficult to use for anyone outside China.
Of the many questions regarding Dell's new smartphone, two seem to stand out. Firstly, why China? Dell has yet to confirm the phone's release and there are no updates on its Chinese website, so people are naturally starting to speculate as to Dell's reasoning for ignoring the American market. People are also wondering if the phone will be GSM (Global System for Mobile), allowing for an easier transition into other countries. It looks like another case of wait and see.
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HP bets that Dr. Dre will cure music's chronic problems
Dr. Dre and HP have announced that they are working together to increase the quality of digital music. MP3s came into existence in 1991, while Dr. Dre was hard at work on his iconic album, The Chronic. As Dre grew to be one of the most popular icons in the music industry, the MP3 became the dominant medium for music.
However, technology has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Hard drives have much larger capacities these days, so there is no longer a need for lossy compression. Dr. Dre and HP are looking to popularize a new music format that would provide listeners with better quality, and then offer a line of products around it with the 'Beats by Dre' brand name. Laptops, earphones, headsets and software will all be released with Dre's stamp of approval.
IDC cautioned that the market for companies offering higher sound quality might be limited to a small niche of audiophiles. HP is looking to leverage the image of Dr. Dre to influence its younger target market. Dr. Dre is an interesting choice to launch the campaign with, because he hasn't had a solo hit in several years. HP is gambling that the people it wants to reach will be interested in a product with his name on it. It's another example of the music and technology industries becoming more intertwined, and with Dr. Dre, HP is looking to pump up to the volume on the collaboration.
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Kids are still searching for adult content
Honestly, we can't say we're surprised. A new study investigating the most searched for terms on the internet by children found that children were looking up things that tend to be for 18 year olds and over only. The study was carried out through security firm Symantec's OnlineFamily.Norton which is a web monitoring service for parents.
Other favourites on the top ten list included video website YouTube, Google and Yahoo, and networking sites Facebook and MySpace. Also appearing in the top 10 were Michael Jackson and auction site eBay. The study delved into 3.5 million searches from February 2008 and July 2009. A list of the full top children's search terms are: 1.YouTube; 2.Google; 3.Facebook; 4.Sex; 5.MySpace; 6.Porn; 7.Yahoo; 8.Michael Jackson; 9.Fred; 10.eBay.
The most unexpected search term on the list is 'Fred', the name of a young performer whose YouTube videos are a hit among the younger generation.
The results haven't provoked any real shocks, we're all aware of what kids can get up to online - searching for Fred of course.
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14th August 2009
Google to give searchers a caffeine rush
Dell takes its first mobile phone to China
HP bets that Dr. Dre will cure music's chronic problems
Kids are still searching for porn
US
UK
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Prompt will help you build and sustain rapport with prospects, customers, staff or analysts, whether you want to write daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Call us on 0208 996 1650 or email to find out more.
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Smartphone sales jumped 27% in Q2 of this year. Here’s some more numbers:
41 million: smartphones were sold
18.4 million: Nokia smartphones
5.4 million: Apple iPhones sold
205,000: Palm Pres sold
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 US
Ben Stein, remembered by most for his performance as an economics teacher in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' and his Comedy Central show 'Win Ben Stein's Money', has been fired from his job as a NY Times columnist for his appearance in a commercial for credit score provider FreeScore.com.
WSJ.com, the website of the Wall Street Journal, has introduced a new column. The Choice is written by James Citrin and Erin White, and focuses on issues relating to corporate management.
MyTekLife is a new consumer magazine that focuses on how technology impacts people's lives, gadget news and analysis, and interesting stories relating to the technologies it covers.
Bloomberg Television has hired Emily Stanitz as a news producer in its Washington bureau. She previously worked as a producer for Koppel on Discovery at the Discovery Channel.
Ayse Ferlier, a business reporter for Dow Jones Newswires, has left the organization. Based in Athens, Greece, she had been covering markets, equities and topics related to the economy.
Wall Street Journal reporter Vanessa Fuhrmans, will be moving to Berlin to cover news relating to German corporations. Joining her in Germany is Dow Jones reporter Brian Blackstone, who will be covering the European Central Bank and European economy.
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 UK
Sunday Express political editor Jason Groves has left after a year in the role to become a political correspondent for the Daily Mail. Groves was on the political staff of the Richard Desmond owned title for nearly three years.
Baptiste Aboulian has been appointed associate editor of Financial Times Ignites Europe. Aboulian previously worked as a reported for Ignites Europe since June 2008.
Simon Mowbray has left his post at Richmond Towers Communications to go freelance. His experience has covered both consumer and business media and he will aim to continue working on both. He previously worked for the Birmingham Post for five years.
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....I say billions
In a recent conversation with UK colleagues about Firefox downloads reaching one billion (as detailed in last month's newsletter), I discovered that a 'billion' can mean different amounts to someone you're talking to in the US versus the UK.
In the US, a billion always means 1,000,000,000. It's hard for me to even write that number out without just referring to it as "a billion." In the UK, however, some consider it one thousand times greater (1,000,000,000,000).
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The confusion comes from using different numerical systems called long and short scales. In the short scale, which is uniformly used in the US, every term after one million refers to one thousand times the previous term (i.e. a billion is a thousand millions). However, in the long scale, every term after one million refers to one million times the previous term (i.e. a billion is a million millions). Up until 1974, when its government changed to short scale, the UK used the long scale. Official recognition is one thing and popular usage is another, and so there is still a degree of confusion in the UK over what exactly a billion is. That surely can’t be helped by being in close proximity to mainland Europe, which almost exclusively uses the long scale.
So just remember, a billion to you might not be a billion to someone else.
patattah@prompt-communications.com or even potato@prompt-communications.com
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With Dave Wilby
If you live in a rural area or near a park in a city, and were lucky enough to be on your back gazing at a cloudless sky on Tuesday or Wednesday night this week, you would have witnessed a truly awesome site - the Perseid Meteor Shower.
The Perseids are a dazzling annual show caused by debris associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle on its 130-year orbit. Over 80 swooshing meteorites an hour could be seen this time, streaking across the heavens as thousand year old dust from the comet tail flashed in Earth's atmosphere.
If you missed it, you can always try again next year, around the middle of August. Or you can visit the National Geographic Science & Space pages which will be updated with the best still shots and video footage submitted by stargazers across the northern hemisphere.
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We hope you find the Prompt Communications newsletter an interesting read. For any feedback on our newsletter, or to discuss how we can help you with your PR, marketing, social media/blogging initiatives, copywriting or surveys, please contact us using the details below. We are always delighted to hear from you.
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