Showing posts with label google. Show all posts
Showing posts with label google. Show all posts
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Top Google Searches For 2013 in kenya

Google has released their annual Zeitgeist report, that indicates the search trends on it's various country specific sites.

Big stories of the year have dominated Google.co.ke search, with Westgate, Mutula Kilonzo, JKIA fire and IEBC emerging among the top 10. Lucy Kibaki, Nelson Mandela, Uhuru Kenyatta and Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker are among the most searched people in Kenya.

Tujuane and Jicho Pevu received a lot of interest from Kenyans in the TV category. Among the most searched news websites is Nairobi Wire... coming at position 6. Daily Nation, Daily Post, Standard and BBC are among the other top news sites.

Here is the full report.

Top trending queries

1. Daily post
2. IEBC
3. Westgate
4. Uhuru Kenyatta
5. OLX
6. Government Human Resource in Information System (GHRIS)
7. Mutula Kilonzo
8. NTV Live
9. KCPE results 2012
10. Standard Digital

Top trending people

1. Uhuru Kenyatta
2. Paul Walker
3. Mutula Kilonzo
4. Samantha Lewthwaite
5. Kethi Kilonzo
6. Lucy Kibaki
7. Nelson Mandela
8. Rachel Shebesh
9. Ruhila Adatia
10. Goldie Harvey

Top trending TV shows

1. Citizen TV Live
2. NTV Live
3. Jicho Pevu
4. Abyss of Passion
5. Amor Bravio
6. Shackles of Doom
7. Power of Destiny
8. Tujuane
9. Punar Vivah
10. La Fuerza del Destino

Top trending events

1. IEBC results
2. Westgate attack
3. KCSE 2012 results
4. Teachers' strike
5. KCPE 2012 results
6. JKIA fire
7. CORD petition
8. Kidero slaps Shebesh
9. Kenya presidential debate
10. Emmy Kosgei wedding

Top Searched News Sites

1. Daily Nation
2. Daily post
3. Goal.com
4. Standard Newspaper
5. The Star
6. Nairobi Wire
7. BBC News
8. Standard Digital
9. Nation.co.ke
10. Citizen TV

Top Searched TV shows

1. Jicho Pevu
2. Abyss of Passion
3. Big Brother Africa
4. Game of Thrones
5. Tujuane
6. Churchill Show
7. Suits
8. Power of Destiny (La Fuerza del Destino)
9. XYZ show
10. Soy Tu Duena

Top searched applications

1. Whatsapp
2. Google Maps
3. Skype
4. LinkedIn
5. Instagram
6. Currency Converter
7. Dropbox
8. Viber
9. Adobe Reader
10 Nimbuzz

Top searched events

1. KRA
2. IEBC results
3. Westgate
4. Safaricom Live
5. Nelson Mandela
6. Big Brother Africa
7. KCSE results
8. Premier League
9. KNEC registration
10. Teachers' Strike

Top searched people

1. Raila Odinga
2. Uhuru Kenyatta
3. Caroline Mutoko
4. William Ruto
5. Churchill
6. Sonko
7. Emmy Kosgei
8. Mutula Kilonzo
9. Rachel Shebesh
10. Evans Kidero

How to?

1. Kiss
2. Pray
3. Abort
4. Swim
5. Love
6. Hack
7. Meditate
8. Invest
9. Seduce
10. Romance

What is?

1. Love
2. Illuminati
3. Internet
4. Biology
5. Management
6. Communication
7. Development
8. Marketing
9. Research
10. Halloween

What is? (Technology)

1. Wi-Fi
2. Linkedin
3. BBM
4. Mpesa
5. Extranet
6. Faiba
7. Email
8. Android
9. Computer
10. MMS

What is? (Health/Medicine)

1. Ovulation
2. Stress
3. Nutrition
4. Hernia
5. Viagra
6. Cancer
7. HIV
8. Diabetes
9. Autism
10. Acne

What is? (Political Realm)

1. Devolution
2. Policy
3. Democracy
4. Revolution
5. Obamacare
6. Security
7. Nomination
8. BVR
9. Gubernatorial
10. County

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Google Billionaires Want to Mine Asteroids

also related: peter thiel building his own city in the ocean

Space travel sadly turned out to be something of a passing fad -- we got all worked up about the moon landing and then quickly figured out there wasn't anything there.

Let's face it: The reason America isn't full of people screaming for a manned trip to the stars is that space just doesn't seem to have anything useful. Well, if Google billionaires Larry Page and Eric Schmidt have their say (and they usually do), we're about to start plundering the living hell out of our solar system's vast trove of riches

The dynamic duo, who collectively are worth about $33 billion, teamed up with filmmaker James Cameron and X-Prize founder (and possible Watchmen villain) Peter Diamandis to fund "a venture to survey and eventually extract" valuable minerals from asteroids that pass near the Earth.

No strangers to thinking big (Page has been a driving force behind Google Glass , and Schmidt has been helping to launch Kenya, Africa, as a tech center similar to Silicon Valley), mining asteroids is just the latest in a string of interesting innovations. Why mine precious metals? It's because precious metals are used in just about every technology we enjoy, and are also important accessories to even low-level hip-hop artists.

Comets and meteors are full of these metals, as well as water, but the last time one of these space-banks paid us a visit, it added only a little bit of gold and water, and subtracted a whole lot of dinosaurs.

While no one attached to the project volunteered how much was invested, consider that they're ready to do this damn thing way sooner than NASA is. Led by Diamandis' organization, Planetary Resources, they're not only competing with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, they're beating them to the asteroids (although to NASA's credit, they did smash the ever-loving crap out of one with an aimed projectile).

Their plan is to use robots for all the mining. A good idea, although imagine how much action one would get if "asteroid miner" was a human job. Most interesting of all, this project is well along in development . It met its fundraising goal this summer and will kick off in late 2013 or early 2014, when Planetary Resources plans to launch a few Verne Troyer-size telescopes into orbit.

These satellites will survey our immediate cosmic surroundings and catalog different pieces of space rock based on potential value. The probes will ascertain the components of asteroid belt objects so we can target the most metallurgically potent specimens.

Water is equally important, as it can be turned into jet fuel upon separation of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Once extracted, this water can then be used to power other crafts, as they would be able to refuel at what would be the first ever gas station in space

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2013 tech flops: Biggest busts so far

In technology, companies are unveiling new products almost every day, touting each as if it were the one device that will truly change the world.

Rarely is that true, and for every big hit there are many misses. For whatever reason -- perhaps a steep price, lack of interest or just uselessness -- some products never catch on and turn out to be big flops. And halfway through 2013, there have already been quite a few of these cases.

1.Google Chromebook Pixel

The Chromebook Pixel is a great little computer. It has a crystal-clear screen, beautiful design, and numerous useful features, but at the steep price of $1,300, this Google laptop has failed to generate sales the way other Chromebook computers have.

2.BlackBerry Z10

BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion, was hoping to push back into the U.S. smartphone market this year with the BlackBerry Z10 as its crown jewel. But so far neither the Z10 or any of its other new devices have gained ground on Apple and Android. And now, BlackBerry has announced that it is considered selling itself.

3.HTC First (the Facebook phone)

After years of rumors of a Facebook phone, Mark Zuckerberg and crew finally delivered with the HTC First. The device ran Facebook Home, a version of Android tailored to keep you within Facebook's social network at all times. Facebook thought this would be a popular concept, but it soon learned some users did not want so much Facebook all throughout their smartphones. As a result, AT&T struggled to sell the device and quickly lowered its price from $99 to 99 cents.

4.Twitter Music

Twitter scored a major hit this year when it released Vine, but its other app release, Twitter Music, has failed to catch on completely. The service is supposed to help users discover new music, but unlike Vine which now has more than 40 million users, Twitter Music never built up any momentum.

5.Microsoft Surface RT

The Surface RT was released in late 2012 as Microsoft's response to Apple's iPad. But, despite the company's commercials that show the Surface RT outperforming the iPad thanks to some unique features, the Surface RT has had poor sales. Ultimately Microsoft had to take a $1-billion charge against its earnings because of unsold devices, and earlier this summer the company began slashing the Surface RT's price.

6.Nintendo Wii U

Similar to the Surface RT, the Nintendo Wii U has also struggled to sell. Though it is the successor to the ultra-popular Wii game system, the Wii U has sold so poorly that in July Nintendo reported a $50-million loss in net sales.

7.YouTube on Windows Phone

Twice this year Microsoft has tried to release a working version of a YouTube app for its smartphones, but twice YouTube has had issues with the product and forced Microsoft to remove the app from its app store. Bickering between the two companies has left Windows Phone users without a way to watch YouTube natively through their smartphones.

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The Biggest Flops in Tech This Year

also related: 2013 biggest tech busts

Another year in the books! (Almost). As such, we're taking a look back at the biggest flops in consumer technology for the year.

It's interesting to see which companies are getting better at reining in poor products, and which aren't. This year, Google had practically no flops. And Apple had just a few minor errors. Compared to years past, this is really good.

Google in particular seems like a much more disciplined, more focused company today than ever before. Then again, in sports there's a saying that goes, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying." The tech equivalent would be, "If you ain't failing, you ain't trying." A few flops here and there are good—it means you're trying something new. Not everything is going to work, and you can't be scared to test out new ideas.

15. Microsoft's CEO succession planning

We're not quite sure how to frame this one, but there was something weird about Steve Ballmer's retirement. He says he's leaving of his own accord, yet he put plans in place for a radical reorg of the company just a few weeks before he announced his retirement. And, Microsoft didn't have his replacement lined up, so it's been out there trying to figure out who is going to run the company next. This process has been odd, and stilted.

14. The Google Barge

Google was working on a mysterious barge in the San Francisco Bay. Initial speculation said it was going to be a floating data center. Later reports said it would be a storefront for Google Glass . Now, it looks like it might not be anything because Google failed to get the proper permits for the barge. The multi-million dollar project is now under investigation .

13. The iPhone 5C

Sales of the iPhone 5C appear to be weaker than expected. There have been multiple reports of Apple cutting 5C production in favor of the iPhone 5S. For Apple's business, this is a good thing. But, it's perplexing. We're not sure why Apple did the 5C. Maybe it becomes clearer in the future.

12. The television industry's attack on Aereo

Aereo is a new way to watch TV. It transmits broadcast channels to your tablet and phone. Big TV companies are not happy about it, so they've been trying to sue the company into oblivion. Thus far, their lawsuits have done nothing but bring attention to the company .

11. Apple's twee advertisements

Apple released very serious advertisements this year about why it does what it does. The ads were a hit with Apple employees and Apple bloggers. But for normal people, they were off- putting and cold. The ads didn't last very long.

10. Yahoo's new logo

Marissa Mayer was personally involved in the design of Yahoo's new logo. Maybe she should have stayed away.

9. Payments startup Clinkle

How does a company that has yet to launch a product land on a list of flops? By raising a massive seed round of financing, releasing a pretentious, vague promotional video , and then laying off a huge chunk of its staff. If you're an investor in Clinkle, you have to be nervous.

8. Yahoo Mail redesign

Users really don't like Yahoo's Gmail-esque redesign . Yahoo stripped away features users liked. The redesign was bad, but what's even worse is that Mail has had problems staying up, and Yahoo's response has been bad.

7. HTC One

The HTC One is a great phone. It might be the best Android phone on the market. And yet, no one is buying it. HTC, which was at one time the biggest Android phone company, is in a tailspin. The One was supposed to save it. It failed.

6. The Surface RT

Microsoft took a $900 million charge on the Surface. Not sure we need to say much more.

5. BlackBerry 10

BlackBerry 10 finally launched this year. It was a total failure. No one wanted it. As a result, the company spent the year trying to sell itself, then changing its mind about selling itself. The CEO is gone, and the company is now considered an ancient relic.

4. The Moto X

Motorola's Moto X is a good phone, but it's been a flop in the market. It's barely selling despite a massive marketing push from Google/ Motorola. We're not sure what Motorola can do about this other than keep trying to improve its product, and hope that eventually consumers come around.

3. Facebook's Poke App

Snapchat has made a mockery of Facebook this year. At the end of 2012, Facebook tried to crush Snapchat with Poke, which was a clone of Snapchat. No one used it. So, if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em, right? Snapchat rejected a $1 billion offer from Facebook. Then it reportedly rejected a $3 billion buyout offer. Not a good look for the mighty Facebook.

2. Samsung's Galaxy Gear Woof.

That's all we can say about Samsung's Galaxy Gear, a smart watch that was supposed to work with its smartphones. The Gear was a big flop, and Samsung is already working on a second version. A Samsung executive speaking at our conference likened the Gear to a not-yet ripened tomato. Kind of a bummer for anyone that paid $300 for the Gear.

1. Facebook Home

Facebook Home was supposed to be Facebook's big attempt to take over Android. It was a downloadable skin for Android that turned an Android phone into a Facebook phone. When it launched, people thought it might be so successful that Google would block it. Google didn't have anything to worry about. Home was a total bust, and no one used it. We heard Facebook is back to the drawing board, and hopes to have a better version of the product out next year.

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