Category: Tech news

If you have bought an AT&T iPhone 5 without a contract over the past few days, chances are that you want to unlock it to use it on another carrier. The traditional process involves filling out an online form on AT&T’s website, sending a fax (yes, a fax) to AT&T, waiting 5 to 7 days and restoring your phone. It turns out that it is much easier than that: just restore the phone in iTunes and it will be unlocked.

We have confirmed the process with AT&T’s technical support and successfully tried it with a T-Mobile SIM card. After restoring the device in iTunes, the user is prompted with the usual unlocking message: “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

This message wasn’t enough for me though. I need more proof that I could use the iPhone on every carrier and abroad.

After receiving the notification my new iPhone was unlocked, I cut a micro-SIM card into the shape of a nano-SIM by using the AT&T SIM card that was already in the iPhone 5 as a guide. The most difficult part was to make it narrower so that you can close the tiny nano-SIM tray, though some have reported that this step may be optional.

In a couple of seconds, the iPhone was able to pick up the T-Mobile network, and calls and EDGE data connectvity worked as expected. Some reports, including on AT&T forum, confirm this.

When you buy an iPhone, the device is added to Apple’s big iPhone database thanks to the IMEI, which is used as a unique identifier. Full price and subsidized iPhone 5 models apparently don’t have the same status in the database as it is flagged as “ready to be unlocked” when purchased without a contract.

The iPhone 5 we tested was bought in an Apple retail store, but we couldn’t confirm this with another, pre-ordered iPhone 5 — even though the device was purchased at full price, it was tied to an existing AT&T account during the pre-order process. The carrier clearly states on its website that you have to be either a former customer or a customer without contract obligations to be eligible to go through the entire process, fax included. It could be problematic as well if you bought your iPhone 5 directly from AT&T.

Chris Velazco contributed reporting.

Google just added a nifty new feature to Google Takeout, the company’s “data liberation” service for downloading your personal data from Google’s various services. Starting today, you will also be able to easily download the videos you previously uploaded to YouTube. That in itself isn’t really new, as you could already download your transcoded videos from YouTube. What’s interesting here is that the files you download from Takeout are exactly the same files you previously uploaded. These files will feature none of the transcoding or transformations that YouTube generally applies to your videos before they go live on YouTube. “Your videos in. Your videos out,” as YouTube engineer Brian Hawkins describes it in the announcement today.

It’s worth noting that you can’t download individual YouTube videos with this tool. Instead, Google will happily build a zip file for you with all of your files and let you download it. Given the nature of video files, these downloads can quickly become very large, of course.

Since Takeout launched last June, Google has continuously added support for more services to the tool. Originally, the focus was on Buzz (remember that?), your Gmail and Google+ contacts and circles, your Picasa photos, and your profile. Since then, Google added support for downloading your data from Google Voice, for example, as well as your +1′s, 3D Warehouse uploads, and articles you may have written in Knol, the company’s ill-fated Wikipedia competitor (though very few people ever did that…).

High-end Danish speaker company Libratone makes some quirky clothed speakers, and the latest, the Zipp, is no different. But like most things, appearances don’t always tell the whole story.

The Zipp, it turns out, is different than anything else available for a number of reasons. Sure, it has an interchangeable collection of Italian wool sweaters and a unique 360-degree array of ribbon-based tweeters, but how you connect to the speaker is the most interesting part about it. Not only is the Zipp AirPlay-compatible, but you can connect your iOS device or computer (Mac, PC) to it via a direct Wi-Fi connection — not over your existing Wi-Fi network. That direct connection is unique to the Zipp and allows for more data to be transferred, Soren Pedersen, chairman and CEO of Libratone told me.

Setting up your device to the Zipp is simple and quick and no different from connecting to any other Wi-Fi network. You can also jack in any device via the 3.5mm port located in the back. There wasn’t any noticeable lag when streaming music through the iPhone’s music app but there was noticeable lag when changing tracks through MOG’s app. Sound quality appeared to be quite good, but for the sake of others in the office, we didn’t crank the volume up very high. (We’ll have a review sometime next month.)

Another notable feature of the Zipp is the ability to adjust and optimize sound quality based on the speaker’s location (distance off the ground, from a wall, etc.) through the company’s existing iOS app. It’s a feature that’s been available for the other speakers in the lineup but new to me.

Pedersen also told me that it took the company quite some time to find the right material that wouldn’t hinder audio quality, and that they ultimately settled on the wool from a purveyor in Florence.

The Zipp will be available starting next month at all Apple Stores in an array of colors starting at $399. Exclusive to Apple will be red- (non-Product Red related) and grey-only versions for $399. There will also be two three-pack versions to choose from, as well. The “Classic Color Collection” includes a black, blue and red wool zip-up, while the “Funky Color Collection” includes black, pink and yellow. Both kits will sell for $449. All colors will be available a la carte for $50 a pop.

Andreessen Horowitz is announcing this afternoon that Adrian Fenty, the 41-year-old political star best for his work as the Mayor of Washington, D.C. from 2007 to 2011, will be joining the venture capital firm in the role of “special advisor.”

This is the second person to join Andreessen Horowitz as a special advisor: Last year, former Harvard president and U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers entered the venture capital world in the same role. The special advisor role is one that has worked so well with Summers and now Fenty, Wennmachers said, that the firm is “absolutely going to consider adding more” going forward.

In a phone interview today, Andreessen Horowitz partner Margit Wennmachers and Fenty said that the role will be a part-time position, with Fenty splitting his time between D.C. and Silicon Valley. To start, Fenty will be utilized mostly in helping to vet potential investments in companies that focus on his areas of expertise. He will also work on advising companies within Andreessen Horowitz’s existing portfolio.

Fenty is well-known for making major changes to the D.C. public education system during his tenure as mayor, so he will be working a lot with the education technology startups in Andreessen Horowitz’s portfolio, Wennmachers said:

“He’s a disruptive thinker and he’s got a track record to prove it. We don’t shy away from controversy, and we like that this guy knows how to shake up the status quo.”

Fenty personally met Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen over a year ago through their work with CollegeTrack, an educational non-profit aimed at helping kids from under-resourced high schools get on track to earn college degrees. In addition to ed-tech, Fenty said he’s also looking forward to working with startups addressing other big industries such as transportation and healthcare.

And although the worlds of venture capital and electoral politics don’t always overlap, Fenty said that there are certainly parallels between his old job and his new appointment.

“As a mayor you have a lot of districts you work with, and every day is different,” Fenty said, noting that the same could be said for VCs who work with different startups. However, the pace will likely be a bit quicker in this space than it is in the political realm. “I believe that change should happen fast and in big ways, and that’s the tech industry,” he said. “Some of these entrepreneurs and CEOs, their energy and ability to come up with new ideas is infectious.”

Some Facebook business Pages lost tens of thousands of fans today, but they shouldn’t fret. Facebook has confirmed with me that it’s currently purging fake accounts and Page Likes as it implements site integrity improvements announced last month. You can see the evidence on Pages like Zynga’s Texas HoldEm Poker whose fan count dropped by 96,000 today after steady after long steady growth.

Illegitimately created accounts are being deleted, and Likes gained from malware, compromised accounts, or deceived users are being removed. So no, everyone doesn’t just hate your Page’s last status update.

Facebook said “On average, less than 1% of Likes on any given Page will be removed” if they’ve abided by its terms and haven’t shadily been buying Likes from hackers. That matches decreases seen on the PageData tracking service from what I’m calling “Operation Unlike”.

Zynga’s Texas HoldEm Poker, one of the longest standing Pages on Facebook and the third most popular, lost 96,000 of its 63 million fans today, though that’s just 0.15%. Other Pages such as South Park, Justin Bieber, and Leo Messi all had five-digit dips but that only accounted for around a 0.03% total loss.

One business owner told us he saw a Page go from 7100 Likes to 5800 in a day, an 18% drop. That’s an extreme, though, and that Page may have been buying spam Likes or tricking users into becoming fans.

Lower but more accurate Like counts actually help Pages. Admins might not be able to tout their Pages’ size the same way, but they’ll be better able to assess what content is resonating with their audiences.

Think of it this way. If a Page had 10,000 fans but 4,000 were fake and it published an update that got 2,500 Likes, it might think only a quarter of its fans were interested in that content. But with an accurate fan count of 6,000, the admin would know nearly half the fans enjoyed that post and that they should post more with a similar vibe.

Meanwhile on the user side of things, the purge of fake accounts means fewer spam friend requests and comments, and a reduced risk of being scammed. Investors will also get a better idea of Facebook’s growth because numbers won’t be inflated by fakes.

Facebook is strapped with a tough problem. Its current sign-up process is quick and easy. That’s great for onboarding real people, but it also makes it simple to set up fake accounts. It could be hard deterring spammers without putting up hurdles for everyone else.

It’s a pressing issue, though, as Facebook is increasingly trying to convince businesses to buy ads that score them Likes. If businesses worry those Likes are fake and won’t result in real views and clicks of their news feed posts and purchases of their product, they might forego a Facebook fan base.

Still, Facebook has come a long way on fighting spam. In made a huge push in 2010 and reduced spam by 95%. Some of that was through smart detection and containment algorithms. However, I’ve also heard there was some awesome counterterrorism powered by humans, where employees tricked bad guys into revealing their best Facebook spamming techniques. Those vulnerabilities were promptly fixed.

The iPhone 5. Photo by Alex Washburn/Wired

When we review a product, we’re usually given a sample by the manufacturer that’s been hand-picked just for us to test. The hardware has been examined for defects, every feature has been fully vetted and scrutinized, and the software has been triple-checked.

For most every high-profile iPhone 5 review you’ve read so far, this was the process — in particular, the dozen or so reviews that landed last week, before iOS 6 launched and before the phone was made available to everyone.

But we’re bringing you the real deal. I stayed up past midnight to pre-order my iPhone 5 right when it went on sale. I chose a black 32GB iPhone 5 on AT&T. I spent my own money. My phone arrived via UPS the same day the iPhone went on sale at retail locations. My review unit didn’t go through any extra inspection processes. It wasn’t pampered or given any special treatment. I’ve tested exactly the same hardware you would get, straight out of the box.

And let me tell you, it’s a gem. For all the talk of the new iPhone being boring, iterative, or lacking that trademark Apple flavor of cutting-edge innovation, it is undoubtedly the best handset you can buy. The iPhone 4S was also a fantastic phone, and it still is. But the subtle faults of the iPhone 4S have now been rendered visible by their absence on the more refined iPhone 5.

If you’re considering an upgrade, I’d recommend one, especially if you skipped the last release. If you’re just now jumping into the iPhone ecosystem, this is a device that’s sure to make a killer first impression.

The look of the thing — especially the matte-black anodized aluminum rear plate — is slick, and sort of sinister. It wouldn’t look out of place in Batman’s tool belt. The Apple logo has been rendered in black, too. I miss the reflective silver Apple logo of the iPhone 4 and 4S, which I used as a mirror, but the new black logo better matches the black glass panels above and below the metal plate. (On the white version, the Apple logo is still silver.)

One of my favorite design features of the iPhone 5 is the chamfer at the edge of the front and rear faces. On the iPhone 4 and 4S, the edges of the bezel were harder, more like stair steps. On the 5, the edge has more of a jewel-like diagonal slice. This simultaneously gives the phone a smoother hand-feel and a more sophisticated, less-clunky look.

Also Read Our iOS 6 Review

When I held the iPhone 5 for the first time, however, the most dramatic change I noticed was the weight. It’s 20 percent lighter than the 4S — 3.95 ounces (112 grams) compared to 4.9 ounces (140 grams) for the previous model.

After a few days of using it, though, I forgot about the extra heft my old phone had. In fact, when I pick up my old phone now, it feels too heavy. Why is it so heavy? Apple shaved off one pane of glass in the display using in-cell technology to get the weight down, and the new aluminum back that replaced the crack-prone glass eliminates some bulk.

Unfortunately, this attractive design feature may earn the distinction of becoming this iPhone’s Achilles’ heel when it comes to damage — particularly on the black model. Just a few days in, there are already numerous reports from users complaining that the anodized aluminum back is getting scratched and scuffed. (The white model, which uses a silver aluminum and keeps the silver Apple logo, is less susceptible to noticeable scratches.) Sure enough, after a few days of sliding my phone, caseless, in and out of the zippered pockets on my leather jacket, I’ve already developed a couple of small scratches.

Maps is one of the much-discussed weak points in iOS 6, but it illustrates Apple’s intent to retool its mobile OS without any help from its rivals. Photo by Alex Washburn/Wired

When iOS first arrived in 2007, Apple’s fledgling mobile operating system had a whole lot of Google in it. Several of the iPhone’s key features — maps, web search and a native YouTube app — were born of this corporate partnership. It was the dawn of a new mobile era, and things were rosy.

A few years in, the atmosphere between Apple and Google had become strained. And today, with Android having evolved into an industry powerhouse, relations between the two titans have grown positively icy.

With version 6 of iOS, released last week, Apple has finally gathered Google’s belongings and deposited them on the curb. Gone are the Google-powered maps, replaced by an application of Apple’s design. The YouTube player is history. And Apple has rolled out Passbook, its own system for storing tickets and loyalty cards that looks like it will eventually grow to compete directly with Google Wallet.

Even the general systemwide refinements in iOS 6 — and there are over 200 to savor — have the whiff of battle. Siri’s voice-command system is improved, as expected with Google Now hot on its tail. iCloud integration across the OS is smoother, showing Apple intends to make cloud-based services as integral a part of its business as possible to compete with Android’s seamless syncing abilities.

All these changes point to a stronger, fully home-grown iOS in the future — and importantly for Apple, one unencumbered by legacy apps from a former ally. But for now, the wounds of separation remain raw.

Also Read Our iPhone 5 Review

The greenest part in iOS 6: Maps. Apple’s first stab at its own mapping app has some showy features, like turn-by-turn navigation and 3-D flyovers, which are particularly slick on the iPhone 5‘s speedy A6 processor. But the gloss is off Maps thanks to the sheer number of reported quirks, bugs, and inaccuracies in its location and directions.

Built on top of Tom Tom’s less-robust mapping data, searches for one address or destination can take you somewhere else entirely. In my own tests, a search for a familiar street landed me three blocks over. Labels are sometimes off — since when does San Francisco have a French Quarter? Or a neighborhood just called “Bay Area?” Those realistic 3-D renderings in the app’s “Flyover” mode, which were shown off to applause during Apple’s public demos, sometimes fall flat. No, really: The Eiffel Tower literally lies flat across Paris.

3-D mode seems like a novelty, but it could come in handy for preparing you for what a destination looks like before you arrive (now that Google’s street views are gone). However, the two-finger gestures for rotating and adjusting the angle of the 3-D renderings is tough to master.

Turn-by-turn navigation, something Android and Windows Phone have had for a while, is a big addition. It allows you to sit back and drive while Siri’s robotic voice talks you through your journey, accompanied by visual cues on your lock screen. (Those with Apple devices lacking dual-core processors, like iPhone 4 and 3GS, don’t get to enjoy the voice dictation feature or the 3-D maps.)

Aware of the possibility I’d wind up somewhere I didn’t intended, I tested the turn-by-turn directions in San Francisco. They were accurate enough to get me around without getting lost. Other searches and directions queries in metro areas across the U.S. were mostly, if not entirely, accurate. With all the chatter in recent days about how horrible Apple’s maps were, my experiences gave me some hope. And if you do find an inaccuracy, you can tap “Report a Problem” to give Apple feedback on your specific finding. Apple says it will be crowdsourcing these corrections to improve its Maps in the future.

There’s a big sticking point, however — the new Maps does not provide public transit directions. Tap the bus icon at the top, and the app prompts you to download one of a number of “Routing Apps,” like The Transit App or Embark, to fulfill those needs. Some would call this an elegant work-around, but as somebody who takes the bus a lot, I call it a pain in the ass.

There’s one feature in Maps I really liked. For information about businesses and restaurants, it uses Yelp, showing the name, the rating, and the number of reviews a place has when you tap its placeholder on a map. (There are different icons for restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, and medical facilities.) Up pops a card showing basic info, three reviews, and a subtly animated set of photographs. You can also check in with Yelp without leaving Maps. Places of interest, like San Francisco’s Ferry Building, lack Yelp data, but the number of places that do have a useful amount of Yelp feedback makes the integration entirely worthwhile — except when the place information is out of date.

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Three months ago, Wired was invited to take a spin in the Tesla Model S. It was the first time anyone outside the California-based company was allowed to drive the all-electric sedan.

That test drive was brief. Too brief. Like everyone in attendance, my time behind the wheel was limited to a few ticks over ten minutes, making it impossible to fully judge the legitimacy of the new vehicle. Although I came away impressed with the Model S’s potential, I questioned whether Tesla had cloaked the real-world functionality of its innovative new sport sedan in an elaborately choreographed press event, complete with a presidential-candidate-style cameo by the automaker’s rockstar co-founder and CEO, Elon Musk.

So after publishing my initial impressions, I rang up Tesla and made a simple request: Give us a Model S for a multi-day loan. Let us drive it the way we want to drive it, bereft of brand-minders and corporate lackeys. Let us see if the S can really hack it — through traffic, on the highway, over backroads and beyond.

Tesla agreed, and loaned us a Model S for the better part of four days. But it wasn’t just any specimen off the lot — it was Musk’s personal car.

This means two things. First, it’s outfitted with a revised “Version 2″ air suspension, along with half-inch-wider rear wheels, revised suspension bushings and end links, and Michelin PS2 sport tires. This could be offered as a “Performance Plus” upgrade for the standard Performance Model S, and is based on feedback from both Musk and his engineers. Second, Musk’s sedan was assuredly shaken down with the finest of fine-tooth combs before landing in the Wired parking lot, ensuring that every single panel, trim piece, software function and drivetrain component met his exacting specifications. Is this an accurate representation of what every Model S buyer will drive off the lot? We were personally assured by Mr. Musk that it is, sans suspensions tweaks.

As for the stats, specs and pricing, check out my original first-drive report for the details. This Model S — a Signature Series (the title of “Founder” is etched into the aluminum rear trim) with the Performance package — carries a base price of $87,900, but Musk’s model is spec’d well over the $100k mark.

For that kind of coin, you get a high-performance drive inverter that outputs 416 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which is available from zero RPM. And because there’s no gearbox, no pistons, no valves, or differentials to churn through before the power reaches the ground, you’re left with just pure, unadulterated acceleration.

The quoted zero to 60 mph time of 4.4 seconds (3.9 if you go by Motor Trend‘s testing methodology) is almost irrelevant. It’s the point-and-squirt acceleration at nearly any speed that shocks and delights while devouring the road ahead. Nail the throttle at 40 mph and you’re up to 60, then 70 then 90 in less time than it takes to read this sentence. I don’t care how fast you read.

That level of performance wouldn’t be uncharacteristic for something twice as costly, with half as many doors and weighing far less than the Telsa’s claimed curb weight of over 4,600 pounds. It is — for all intents and purposes — pure energy being laid to the ground with a rapidity that’s more roller-coaster freefall than four-wheeled family transport. And it’s more exhilarating than anything I’ve driven out of Sant’Agata, Stuttgart or even Maranello.

More impressive than the sheer speed of a sedan this size is its level of grip and handling. This is largely attributable to the fact that the massive, four-inch-tall, 85-kWh battery pack is housed mere inches from the ground — it makes the Tesla not just a competent handler, but an architectural marvel that’s sure to cause furrowed brows and OCD-level head-scratching among German engineers. Even with only the rear wheels driven, the Model S has enough tarmac-biting traction to give all-wheel-drive sports sedans pause and concern, and when trundling along on the freeway or around town, the ride is connected and composed, yet hugely comfortable.

If there’s any demerit in the driving department, it’s a subtle disconnect and pause in the steering movement — even when set to “Sport” — as the weight shifts at the polar moment of inertia. Not even an oh-so-low center of gravity combined with the bespoke battery pack acting as an integrated stress member are enough to counter a curb weight this high. But props to the Tesla team for getting the S this dialed in right out of the box. Well, after said suspension update….

SimpliVity has raised $25 million in a Series B round for its “data center in a box,” technology. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) led the round with existing investors Accel Partners and Charles River Ventures also participating. The funding brings SimpliVity’s total to $43 million. The company came out of stealth last month just before VMworld.

SimpliVity’s value derives from what analysts say is its capability to simplify an ever complex IT environment while simultaneously providing a high degree of functionality that addresses the underlying issues with existing data architectures. OmniCube is the company’s flagship product. Analysts say it’s the technology’s capability to consolidate multiple products within one infrastructure that makes it formidable. Currently, companies may have mainframes from IBM, servers from HP, networking gear from Cisco and storage drives from EMC. SimpliVity’s scalable pool of shared resources means it can simplify a complex data center down to one or two boxes.

Nutanix, IBM PureSystems , EMC and NetApp Flexpod figure to serve as some of SimpliVity’s competitors. The competition stems from an IT market undergoing significant change. A new generation of providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) now welcome a growing number of enterprise customers who want to shed the ever expensive data centers that they have managed for the past 20 to 30 years. Further, they have run out of room to store servers that keep mission critical apps running.

CEO Dorom Kempel says SimpliVity is the corollary to AWS. Services such as AWS operate on networks that scale out across tens of thousands of servers. The topology, as Kempel explains in a blog post, is fully integrated and open. He makes the claim that SimpliVity is the corollary topology – integrated and open – that an end-user can deploy on-site.

SimpliVity is another disruptor in the fast growing market for converging technologies that integrate compute, storage and networking. Nutanix has already had tremendous success of its own.  The company raised $33 million in a Series C funding round this summer. The round gives Nutanix a total of $71 million in funding and positions the company for a potential IPO.

Kempel says SimpliVity has technology integrated that Nutanix relies on third parties to provide. For instance, he says Nutanix does not have de-duplication and compression. He says that alone will give SimpliVity a chance to differentiate in a market with plenty of competition.

Modelled after its New York-counterpart, London is to get its own FinTech Innovation Lab. Supported by the Mayor of London, the City of London Corporation and the Technology Strategy Board, and backed by Accenture, leading banks and VCs, the new programme is designed to help financial tech startups “test and fine-tune their innovations” under the mentorship of executives from some of the major financial institutions who have a presence here in London, as well as the wider local investment community.

Anything that the Big Apple can do, London can do too.

It’s an interesting development when you consider that New York and London compete as major financial centres of the world — and the UK government’s ‘Tech City’ project to promote London as a leading technology hub. The startup scene here and the City of London financial sector have a rather uncomfortable relationship in the sense that the higher wages paid in the City’s banking sector for engineer talent has often been a factor in holding back London’s startups. Why would you want to work for a fledgling tech company when you can earn twice as much in the City, with added job security too. That changed slightly after the global financial meltdown (in which London was particularly exposed), giving rise to the recruitment fair Silicon Milkroundabout, which attempts to make the case for startup life over working for one of the city’s large financial institutions.

In a canned statement, The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, says: “London is the world’s number one financial centre and a global leader in technology innovation, which is why the FinTech quest for entrepreneurs is such an exciting proposition. The project has huge potential to help spur jobs and growth and I’m sure will attract some very bright minds whose inventions could help to revolutionise the financial services of this great city.”

Additional partners for FinTech Innovation Lab London, include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Business Growth Fund, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Euclid Opportunities, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, RBS, UBS, UK Business Angels Association, and VocaLink, the UK national payments infrastructure provider.

Meanwhile, the way the accelerator programme will work is described as follows:

• The FinTech Innovation Lab London is open to early- and growth-stage companies that are developing cutting-edge technologies for the financial services sector – particularly in the areas of mobile, data management, analytics, security, and social media.
• Chief technology officers and senior technology executives from the financial institutions will select six entrepreneurs to participate in the Lab through a competitive process.
• To be accepted, applicants must have at least a beta version of their technology available, and demonstrate that access to senior-level executives at financial services firms would have a meaningful impact on the company’s growth prospects.
• Lab participants from outside London are required to relocate to the city during the programme and are provided workspace.
• The Lab consists of a twelve-week programme, in which participants are partnered with senior-level bank executives and successful technology entrepreneurs who will help them fine-tune and develop their technologies and business strategies through a series of workshops, panel discussions, user-group sessions, networking opportunities, one-on-one meetings and presentations.
• It culminates with an Investor Day presentation by all six participants in front of an audience of venture capitalists and financial industry executives.

Interested financial tech startups have until November 1st to apply.

PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is offering to sponsor software that lets students poke around the innards of frogs — without actually, you know, poking around the innards of frogs. The offer is being made to schools and colleges in India that agree to give students a choice of cutting into real or virtual frog flesh — or indeed replacing traditional dissection with other “humane” alternatives.

The software in question — Frog Dissection — is made by Emantras, the company PETA is tying up with for the Indian initiative, and is priced at between $2.99 and $4.99 in the U.S. but will be offered free to classrooms in India that agree to offer non-animal dissection alternatives.

PETA says it’s targeting India for the free software as a follow up to recommendations by the country’s University Grants Commission (UGC) that animal dissection and experimentation should be phased out of labs over the long term. The UGC also recommends software alternatives to dissection should be developed.

“Countless frogs and other animals are killed for dissection, even though non-animal methods for teaching biology are far superior,” noted PETA India Science Policy Adviser, Dr Chaitanya Koduri, in a statement. “PETA India is eager to help universities and schools take the lead in teaching biology using humane, modern methods.”

Emantras’ software is available for PCs, Macs, iPads and interactive whiteboards. Key features are said to include “vivid” 3D imaging”, step-by-step dissection instructions, detailed info on frogs’ organs and “accurate simulation of the wet lab dissection procedure”.

The German online tutoring platform, Sofatutor.com, has raised a new round led by Acton Capital Partners, with participation from existing investors J.C.M.B. Beteiligungs GmbH and “VC Fonds Kreativwirtschaft Berlin” (managed by IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft). The size of this new round isn’t being fully disclosed but is said to be in the “mid single-digit million Euro” range*

Sofatutor says it will use the additional capital to “tap new market segments and regions”, including expanding the age-range of the students it targets by covering the elementary school curriculum, meaning that it now spans the entire school curriculum in Germany. It also plans to break into other European markets, outside its native Germany.

Founded in 2008, Berlin-based Sofatutor offers learning content through more than 7,700 videos. It claims 30,000 users — pupils and students throughout Germany — who use the site to help them with their homework and prepare for exams. This is delivered via interactive tests on the contents of each video combined with a live chatroom where professional teachers are available to answer students’ questions. It charges a subscription for its tutoring service which, depending on requirements, ranges from three to twelve months, starting from 14.95 euros per month.

Talking up the investment, Christoph Braun, Managing Partner at Acton, says in a statement: “In the next few years, the education market will become one of the key markets and, to date, it has hardly been digitized. Sofatutor.com has established itself on the German tutoring market as a leading provider. Our investment will allow us to support the sofatutor.com team in making their range of offers more attractive to users by adding new products and in successfully breaking into other European markets.”

* I understand the desire for startups not to disclose the size of a funding round, in the belief that it helps them compete. But things are getting a tad ridiculous when we start describing an investment as “mid single-digit” millions. Or maybe it’s just me.

Samsung has begun rolling out Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) to its Galaxy S III smartphone in Europe — which could mean the handset is the first non-Nexus Android phone to get updated to Android 4.1.

Galaxy S III owners in Poland are first in the queue for the Jelly Bean update which began rolling out there today. Samsung confirmed the update in a statement, adding that it will be “gradually introduced to other markets” — with no further details on specific markets and timeframes.

“The availability and schedule of the software upgrade will vary by market and wireless carriers’ requirements,” the statement adds — a stock warning to expect some carrier foot-dragging.  The Google-branded Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus S were due Jelly Bean updates in mid-July, along with the Motorola Xoom and Nexus 7 tablets — although that mid-July timeframe hasn’t always been stuck to. For instance Engadget just reported it took until two days ago for the Verizon-branded Galaxy Nexus to finally get its payload of Jelly Beans.

The Android 4.1 update brings a raft of improvements and new features to the S III, including real-time reminders and recommendations from Google Now, plus speed and responsiveness boosts thanks to OS additions such as triple buffering in the graphics pipeline, and enforced consistent frame-rate for all drawing and animations. Android 4.1 also makes educated guesses about where your fingers are heading as you swipe and flick the screen to improve responsiveness.

In addition to the changes wrought by Android 4.1, Samsung is updating some of its software on the S III — including adding the ability to resize the Pop Up Play video window. Here’s the full list of new Samsung software features:

• With the Easy Mode, users can find 5 large Easy widgets on the home screen which allow quick and easy access to the frequently used applications. The Easy widgets include both 4×2 and 4×4 arrangements of Favorite contacts, Favorite apps, Favorite settings, and Clock and Alarm.
• Blocking Mode adds extra convenience, enabling users to block incoming calls, notifications, alarms and LED indicators for a designated period of time.
• A pause function is added to the camera, so users can record a continuous video while only capturing the moments they want; just like on a video camera, the recording can easily be stopped and resumed.
• Users now can place the upgraded ‘Pop up play’ to watch a video anywhere on the phone’s screen while running other apps, and can change the size of the player window.

Samsung is already lining up a new Android 4.1 device coming to Europe in October, and the U.S. in November — the Galaxy Note II — so it makes sense for the company to get Jelly Bean onto its other flagship handset, the S III, without serious delay. The Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update to Samsung’s 2011 flagship phone, the Galaxy S II, took months to arrive so it’s also likely Samsung is keen for the update process to run more smoothly this time around.

Samsung also confirmed Jelly Bean will be coming to additional devices “soon” — here’s the full list:

Following soon will be Jelly Bean upgrades for GALAXY Tab 2 7.0 & 10.1, GALAXY Note 10.1, GALAXY SII, GALAXY Note, GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus, GALAXY S Advance, GALAXY SII LTE, GALAXY Music, GALAXY Chat, GALAXY Ace 2, GALAXY Beam, GALAXY Ace Plus, GALAXY mini II and GALAXY S DUOS.

Another step ahead for Facebook’s strategy to make more money out of its mobile business: the company is accepting mobile payments for its mobile web service via carrier billing in the U.S., UK and Germany and it has now been confirmed that it is Bango powering the service. The option of letting users bill services like virtual gifts and game credits to their mobile phone operators was first announced in February 2012, and means that users do not need to use premium SMS or credit cards in order to buy these: it’s a one-click system. Bango also provides similar services for BlackBerry’s App World, Opera’s Mobile Store and Google Play. It is also working with Amazon on a similar service. Bango says it will be rolling Facebook carrier billing out to further countries later in the year.

Bango made the announcement today in a regulatory filing (below) confirming that it is the company powering the service. It claims that its carrier-billing, one-click system results in much higher conversion rates among users, of up to 77%, compared to 40% for other mobile-based billing services. Facebook began to roll out mobile carrier billing in June, integrating Facebook Payments with the carrier billing option.

When Facebook went public in May this year, the company had not rolled out much in the way of services to monetize its mobile user base, but its an increasingly important part of the company’s business. In its last quarterly earnings, in July, Facebook reported 543 million monthly active users on mobile, with 955 million on desktop. But mobile is growing much faster right now: Desktop MAUs grew by 29% over the year before, while mobile MAUs grew by 67%. Furthermore, some 102 million people in that quarter accessed Facebook only from mobile devices, up 23% from the previous quarter.

Since then, one of the main ways that Facebook has been monetizing mobile has been through ad units. The most recent movement in this department has been the launching of its own mobile ad network. Facebook also offers social and non-social mobile ad units. Early numbers for mobile ads have been encouraging: compared to the equivalent ads on desktop Facebook, they get over 13 times the click-through rates and earn 11.2 times the money per impression.

But today’s announcement reminds us that when it comes to making revenues, Facebook sees mobile as more than just an advertising vehicle.

Facebook has been gradually updating the functionality of its mobile services — putting a lot of effort into its HTML5 work; relaunching native apps with better responsiveness; achieving parity between the mobile and desktop experience with access to apps and other features with photos and more; and helping to create ways of accessing Facebook on mobile when you don’t have a fancy smartphone. Some of these features, such as the camera functionality, are unique to mobile.

Bango’s announcement is another example in this latter vein, and opens the door to Facebook creating a much richer experience (and one more monetizable) on the handset. For now the payment service seems specifically geared to transactions that users make on Facebook itself. But getting users accustomed to using their mobile handsets for transactions on the Facebook platform is something that could also prove useful as Facebook continues to extend its commercial activities further. Last week’s announcement of adding barcodes to its Facebook Offers scheme, for example, points to a time when Facebook may also good to get in on wider, physical mobile payment activities.

Release below.

BANGO PLC

(“Bango” or “the Company”)

Facebook Update

Bango plc (AIM:BGO), the mobile web payments and analytics company, today announces that its integration with Facebook is now live. Bango is providing Facebook mobile web carrier billing in Germany, the UK & USA, and the service is being expanded to other countries during the remainder of 2012.
Following an initial announcement of the partnership in February 2012, Bango now provides Facebook mobile web carrier billing, as part of an improved mobile payments flow. This enables Facebook’s mobile web users to easily purchase digital content without the use of premium SMS messages or the limitations of credit cards. Instead, users enjoy frictionless operator billing, paying on their phone, without the need to register personal details.

Bango is one of the world’s leading mobile payments and analytics companies. App stores, publishers and content providers use Bango to collect payment from mobile users for online content and services. Bango’s pervasive presence across app stores, publishers and mobile operators creates a platform effect for its partners, leading to more identified mobile users and maximizing the number of single-click payments. The result is significantly higher rates of collection. This is the experience that Facebook is now using for its smartphone payments service on the mobile web.

Bango has become the payments platform of choice for many of the world’s leading app stores. In addition to Facebook, Bango’s existing app store connections include Blackberry App World, Opera Mobile Store and operator-led connections to Google Play. Bango has also announced an agreement to provide payment services to Amazon and has become a technology partner for MasterCard’s PayPass mobile wallet.

Conventional operator billing is expected to achieve around a 40% conversion rate. Put simply, most mobile commerce customers who click ‘buy’ do not successfully buy. Billing with the Bango payment platform delivers an average conversion rate of 77%. Most users who click ‘buy’, do buy.

Commenting on the announcement, Bango CEO Ray Anderson said “We are delighted to bring Bango’s payment experience to Facebook. As the mobile web experience has matured and improved, consumers are increasingly keen to purchase digital goods on mobile devices. By ensuring a frictionless payment experience, Bango technology is unlocking the business potential of the mobile web.”

Last week online commerce and design powerhouse Fab was admitting, with some irony, that the design of its user experience had not been great, given that it required users to log-in before viewing items. With that requirement dumped, the stage is set for its next move: a full blown assault on the European market following its acquisition this year of Germany player Casacanda and most recently Llustre in the UK. The new ‘Fab Europe’ site opens today.

Thus, through acquisition and slicing off existing members in the region, Fab now claims it has 2 million members in Europe, who will now be able to browse a fully-targeted European site. The Europe team is also now on pace, says the company, to represent 30% of around $150M total. It also boasts almost 200 staff. In Germany at least, they will be up against the Samwer/Rocket Internet clone Westwing.de.

Perhaps most interestingly, Fab has moved its entire European operations to Berlin, including its former London staff.

CEO and cofounder Jason Goldberg told us that overall the site grew from 5 million to 7.5 million in the past 2.5 months. He also said they had membership 50% since July 1 this year.

With its Casacanda acquisition, Fab Europe started in February in German-language only, and only serving the German and Austrian markets. However, that was operating on the platform of its acquired entities. The new European site is fully on Fab’s Social Commerce Platform which is built around social sharing, targeting 26 countries in North America and the EU. Fab Europe will be brought onto Fab’s mobile apps in the next 2 weeks.

The company earlier this summer raised $105 million in funding at a reported $700 million valuation, bringing the total raised to $156 million.