eBay Testing New Search Features
February 20, 2010
eBay said this week it is launching a new offering called "Garden by eBay," an area on the site that will allow members to test new features and provide feedback for improvements and changes.
Garden by eBay is an opt-in initiative with a concept that is similar to Google Labs where users can test and experiment with different features before they are officially released.
eBay says that Garden members' feedback will be provided directly to the teams that manage new, proposed or existing features. The goal is to bring buyers and sellers into the process and help the company introduce, test and roll out features faster.
The first major feature to be introduced is a new "streamlined search" aimed at making it easier to browse and view search results. Streamlined search offers a cleaner view of inventory, and better ways for buyers to browse items. Users can compare auction and Buy It Now listings side-by-side, refine their searches with fewer clicks, get an at-a-glance view of an item's name, price and format and view same-screen pop-up windows for item detail.
"The new Garden by eBay represents a new collaborative conversation with the eBay community-a chance to listen to their thoughts on upcoming features, and to bring them closer to our own innovation process," said Christopher Payne, eBay vice president of search.
"And by seeding the Garden with streamlined search, we're asking for the community's input on improving one of the most important areas of eBay.com."
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3D Printer Can Make You Anything
February 11, 2010
When WebProNews hit Vegas for the CES 2010 conference, we came across a number of new and interesting gadgets.
The MakerBot's CupCake CNC is a 3D printer/fabricator that can make just about anything you want. As long as the object you desire can be made out of ABS plastic and stays in a size range of 4″x4″x6".
Once the design is input using 3D modeling software or by visiting Thingiverse for a pre-made template, MakerBot turns the creation into reality. The machine begins 'printing' and soon after, a 3D model of the design requested materializes right before your eyes.
These 3D fabricators are priced between $750-$950 and have qualities that even attracted major companies like Google. The MakerBot representatives stated Google has invested in multiple CupCake CNCs. For what? We can only wonder....
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Facebook Mobile Count Hits, Passes 100 Million
February 11, 2010
Facebook recently updated its official "Statistics" page to reflect the fact that it attracts about 400 million users on a monthly basis. Today, Facebook announced another interesting piece of data: over 100 million folks can be counted upon to access the site from their mobile phones in the same timeframe.
Chamath Palihapitiya, Facebook's vice president of user growth, disclosed this detail by posting it on the Facebook Blog, and also wrote, "This usage happens on almost every carrier in the world and comes less than six months after we announced 65 million people on Facebook Mobile."
Impressive, right? To put those figures in perspective, the population of the Philippines is in the neighborhood of 100 million, and so is the population of Mexico.
Also, the number of people who just started using Facebook mobile in the last five months (35 million) is about equal to the number of people who make their home in Algeria, and greater than the number of people who inhabit Canada.
More growth seems likely to occur, too. Palihapitiya concluded his post by stating, "No matter which mobile device you own, you can always stay connected through Facebook using our mobile applications, sites or SMS."
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> How Over 400 Million People Use Facebook
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Google to Enhance Broadband for Some Communities
February 11, 2010
Google announced today that is planning to build and test "ultra high-speed" broadband networks in a small number of trial locations around the U.S. This means Google will deliver Internet speeds of 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to now, according to the company.
Google says it has the following things in mind:
- Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.
- New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks, and to help inform and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.
- Openness and choice: We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent way.
"Like our WiFi network in Mountain View, the purpose of this project is to experiment and learn," says the company says. "Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done. We don't think we have all the answers – but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone."
Google is putting out a request for information to help identify communities that are interested. They're taking responses until March 26. Then they'll announce the chosen communities. We're awaiting response from Google on the criteria for how communities will be chosen.
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> White Spaces Officially Cleared For Wireless Broadband
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