Google Inc. (GOOG) said it’s acquiring satellite company Skybox Imaging Inc. for $500 million as it works to bolster its mapping services and improve Internet access. The all-cash deal is subject to adjustments, the Mountain View, California-based company said on its website yesterday. Skybox has designed satellites to capture images and deliver them to customers with details down to less than a meter. “Skybox’s satellites will help keep Google Maps accurate with up-to-date imagery,” Google said on its site. “Over time, we also hope that Skybox’s team and technology will be able to help improve Internet access and disaster relief — areas Google has long been interested in.” Google is scouring the technology universe for deals that push into new markets and bolster its traditional services, including mapping and search. The company is also looking for new ways to offer online services to users through Project Loon, which it unveiled last year to help connect people in rural or remote areas to the Web using balloons and other machinery. In April, Google said it bought Titan Aerospace, a maker of high-altitude, solar-powered drones that provide access to data services around the world. “They’re just growing the number of eyeballs and clicks potentially by billions,” said Scott Hubbard, a consulting professor at Stanford University in aeronautics and astronautics. “That has to be good for them.” Facebook Counters The acquisitions follows moves by rival Facebook Inc. (FB) to get more people on the Internet through an effort called Connectivity Lab. In March, the company acquired Ascenta, a U.K.-based aerospace company, which will transmit data using infrared […]

For many, smartphones and tablets have become so integral to everyday life that “mobile” is no longer considered a separate entity from the rest of one’s marketing strategy. In this vein, mobile and marketing have become nearly synonymous, with it being impossible to think strategically about marketing while ignoring mobile altogether. To help businesses gain a firmer grasp on the mobile landscape, we’ll go over 10 mobile-related statistics that every marketer should be aware of, along with some key takeaways to consider as you fine tune your mobile strategy. Monetizing on Mobile 82% of mobile shoppers use search to influence their purchasing decisions. (Google) 52% of mobile shoppers realize that they buy more with cross-channel personalization. (MyBuys) 79% of smartphone owners also use their devices to shop. (Google) Key Takeaways: Today’s mobile users are also mobile shoppers, turning to their devices to inform purchase decisions and complete purchases. Aside from having a mobile presence, e-commerce companies should also leverage first party data to personalize shopping experiences and encourage future purchases. Mobile Usage Nearly half of American smartphone owners used shopping apps in June 2012. (MarketingPilgrim) Smartphone use most often occurs during travel (72%), in restaurants (64%) and in stores (63%). (Vocus) 62% of emails are opened on mobile. (Econsultancy) Tablet users access search 73.9 percent of the time, more than any other activity. (eMarketer) Key Takeaways: Mobile users are shopping, reading emails, and searching for information on their devices, among other activities. By understanding how consumers are interacting with their devices, businesses […]

Coaching has achieved buzzword status in business circles. As with many ideas that acquire this near-mythical standing, there’s a core of effectiveness behind their elevated reputation. But to get there, you’ve got to cut through a lot of hype. Feel Free To Dabble Coaching isn’t a magic bullet that turns poor performance around on its own. But, as Henry Ford reportedly said: If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. Coaching can give you some tools to do something different. Without wanting to do myself out of a job, there are plenty of tools you can apply yourself. I wouldn’t suggest you take your medical care into your own hands after reading an article on the Internet, but thankfully, the worst that can happen with coaching is that there’s no improvement. But the best you can hope for is transformational change. Why Bother? Coaching works: A 2006 study by the Open University saw researchers study two groups: those managed using coaching methods and a control group, which was left to carry on as usual. Not only did the group who used coaching tools see better outcomes, they also saw more confidence in their own abilities to set goals and get the job done. Coaching is the gift that keeps on giving: Once you start using it, others start to use it on themselves. It creates a kind of perpetual-motion machine of improvement and delivery—a business holy grail. Build On A Framework When you’re starting out, it helps to have a framework on which you can hang the process. The OSCAR model, developed […]

Eager to promote its privacy credentials, Microsoft has revealed that it’s successfully seen off the FBI in court over a request for customer information. Documents released this week show that the company received a National Security Letter (NSL) last year asking for “several categories of information” relating to a single user account for one of its enterprise customers. As an NSL, the application is subject to a gagging order, meaning that Microsoft wasn’t able to reveal its existence to the customer – the focus of its complaint. Microsoft has strong policies on guarding customer data, winning it top marks in the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Who Has Your Back report last week. “EFF believes that National Security Letters (NSLs) – secretive FBI orders for user data accompanied by a gag provision – are a violation of the Constitution,” says the EFF. “We think it is vital that companies are as forthcoming as legally allowable about these national security requests to help shed light on government abuses of contested surveillance powers.” Late last year, Microsoft pledged to notify business and enterprise customers – though not, it’s worth noting, private customers – when it receives a legal order relating to their data. This is a promise it’s been able to deliver on in the past, either by managing to persuade the government to get the information another way, or by gaining permission from the customer to provide the data. “We concluded that the nondisclosure provision was unlawful and violated our Constitutional right to free expression,” says Brad […]

Amazon.com’s founder, Jeff Bezos, keeps saying that he wants to revolutionize package delivery by using drones. Skeptics snicker, but Bezos won’t back down. Does he realize how much controversy may lie ahead? It sure looks like it, based on a peek at Amazon’s latest job listings. I’ve been covering Amazon since 1998, and I’ve learned that when the company is being coy about how it plans to bring a new initiative to life, the best place to look for insights is on the Careers tab of Amazon’s website. After all, outsiders can be kept in the dark, but job candidates need to know what skills are needed and how they might be used. This time, as usual, the job listings don’t disappoint. There are some interesting details to glean from the engineering postings, such as the fact that the drone development team will be based in San Francisco (not in Amazon’s Seattle headquarters), or that Amazon right now is more concerned about building out its expertise in software, rather than hardware. For the fullest glimpses of what project leaders Gur Kimchi and Daniel Buchmueller have in mind, though, turn to the non-technical listings. What caught my eye are notices for  full-time communications manager and a full-time patent lawyer to help get this project off the ground. The jaunty tone of those listings underscore Bezos’s willingness to charge ahead, no matter what everyone else is saying. Let’s start by dissecting the communications manager listing. The sunny news first:  Amazon defines this as a “high-visibility position where you’ll work directly with Amazon senior executives. . . . You move […]

T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) added more subscribers in the first quarter than AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) combined, heightening the carrier’s allure as Sprint Corp. (S) pursues a merger. Promotions and cheaper plans helped T-Mobile add 1.3 million new monthly subscribers in the period, topping the 998,000 projected by analysts and the 1.16 million customers that AT&T and Verizon added combined. The subscriber growth came at a cost: T-Mobile’s fourth quarterly loss in a row. Sprint plans to push forward with a bid for T-Mobile after meeting with banks to make debt arrangements for that offer, Bloomberg News reported yesterday, citing people with knowledge of the situation. T-Mobile Chief Executive Officer John Legere is delivering on a promise to shake up the U.S. wireless industry. The fourth-largest U.S. carrier has been on a campaign to lure customers away from larger rivals by providing financing for phones, cheap international rates and as much as $650 to people who switch service. “T-Mobile’s current subscriber momentum is undeniable,” Craig Moffett, founder of research firm MoffettNathanson LLC, said in a note today. “Competitively, the change is mind-boggling.” Shares of T-Mobile rose 7.1 percent to $31.36 at 1:13 p.m. New York time. Earlier, the stock climbed as much as 10 percent, the biggest intraday gain in more than four months, after the earnings release and report about Sprint’s plans for a bid. ‘Arrogant’ Industry T-Mobile now expects to add 2.8 million to 3.3 million branded contract customers by the end of the year, the Bellevue, Washington-based company said today in a […]