Key facts about Twitter, one decade on

WASHINGTON: Twitter, which turns 10 years old Monday, has grown into one of the leading global social networks. Here are some key facts about the messaging platform:
– History –
Twitter came to life on March 21, 2006, when co-founder Jack Dorsey sent out the first tweet: “just setting up my twttr.” Dorsey followed up with the first “human-generated” tweet: “inviting coworkers.”
The company was incorporated in April 2007 after it stole the show at the influential South by Southwest technology and music festival in Austin, Texas. It was co-founded by Biz Stone, Evan Williams and Dorsey — @biz, @ev and @jack.
According to the Real-Time Statistics Project, some 500 million tweets are sent out each day, adding up to some 200 billion per year.
– User base –
The key figure used to measure Twitter’s success is the number of its monthly active users, which has remained at 320 million for the past two quarters. Twitter says the vast majority of these — 254 million — are outside the United States.
But chief executive Dorsey says another 500 million people use Twitter without logging in, and the company has launched an effort to draw more ad revenues from those visitors.
Twitter also says one billion people each month view sites with embedded tweets, which further expands the reach of the platform.
– Stars on Twitter… –
The reigning queen of Twitter for some time has been singer Katy Perry, whose followers now number more than 84 million.
Justin Bieber ranks second with 77 million, and Taylor Swift third at 72 million. The @BarackObama account, which is run by the US president’s entourage, holds the number four spot with 71 million.
Among official public figures, the most popular after Obama is Queen Rania of Jordan with 4.6 million followers, the British prime minister’s office with 4.3 million and… the late president Hugo Chavez of Venezuela at 4.2 million, even though his account has been inactive since he died in 2013.
Among the current White House contenders, Republican Donald Trump has some seven million followers to just 944,000 for rival Ted Cruz. In the Democratic camp, Hillary Clinton has amassed 5.7 million followers to 1.7 million for rival Bernie Sanders.
– … and scientists too –
Twitter is not just for journalists, activists and celebrities but has been a tool for a variety of scientific research.
Researchers have found that analyzing tweet patterns can offer insights into political leanings as well as the spread of disease.
A recent study showed that tweet patterns revealed the extent of damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, making it “a viable platform for preliminary rapid damage assessment in the chaotic time immediately after a disaster.”
Another study showed how Twitter data captured in the early stage of the Ebola outbreak in Africa could serve as a real-time tool for monitoring the spread of the disease, demonstrating “the usefulness of Twitter mining to inform public health education.”
– Rivals –
By some measures, Twitter is the number three social network behind Facebook (1.5 billion) and Facebook-owned Instagram (400 million).
Using a broader definition of social platforms, it is also dwarfed by Google-owned video sharing service YouTube with one billion users; other messaging platforms with a large user base include WhatsApp (900 million), China-based QQ (860 million), Facebook Messenger (800 million) and Chinese app WeChat (650 million), according to the website Statista.
China’s blogging platform QZone has an estimated 653 million users and Yahoo-owned Tumblr 555 million, according to Statista. Google+ claims more than 400 million users but the platform is seen as having far less engagement than rivals.
LinkedIn, the professional social network, has some 414 million registered members, and the bulletin-board style network Pinterest has 100 million.
Snapchat, known for its disappearing messages and its appeal to young audiences, is seen as a rising threat in the sector, claiming 100 million users daily and a growing list of media partnerships.
– Finances –
In 2015, Twitter boosted its revenue to $2.2 billion, mostly from advertising, compared with $1.4 billion in 2014.
But the company has never turned a profit, losing $521 million last year, a bit less than the $577 million in 2014.
Twitter has launched a variety of new ad products but still appears far from profitability.
Its share price on Wall Street reflects skepticism. Its initial public offering in 2013 priced shares at $26, and the stock leapt briefly to as high as $69 that year, but has been on a downward trend ever since.

In recent months, Twitter shares have moved up slightly from all time lows, and hovered around $14 to $17, which gives it a market value of around $11 billion.

3D Touch Is Apple’s New Secret Weapon

I’m here to praise Apple again. Sorry. I have to do it. It’s not in my contract nor am I paid to do it – imagine if we were! We’d be rich! – but after manhandling the iPhone 6S Plus it’s abundantly clear that Apple has discovered another breakthrough. And they are surprisingly nonchalant about it.
Apple’s first interface breakthrough happened when it unleashed real multitouch on the world. Until the original iPhone, screens reacted to one single point and often required a stylus to operate. There were exceptions, but even after the iPhone launched competitors couldn’t keep up and had to release resistive screen phones until they could join in the multi-touch game.
This next interface trick is far more subtle. By sensing pressure applied on the surface of the Apple Watch, the new MacBook trackpad, and the new iPhones, Apple has added a new layer to the touchscreen experience. In short, they have gone deep, allowing us to move past surfaces and into more dynamic menu systems and even UI tactics. As it stands 3D touch is pretty boring right now but imagine 3D touching into an MRI scan or anatomy textbook. Imagine 3D touching through the cosmos. Imagine 3D touching in games where you focus with a little pressure. There is a clear reason Apple abandoned the moniker of “Force Touch:” what their experience offers has less to do with force and a lot more to do with a three dimensional experience.
3D Touch isn’t an incremental update. It is a real tool and you can be sure that, by CES time, manufacturers from Samsung to Xaomi will be offering stuff called Push Touch, Deep Finger, and Insert UI for their phones. It is inevitable. And Apple had it first.
This is not to say I don’t appreciate what competitors have brought to the table. Samsung’s Edge series is one of the most compelling and amazing screen technologies to reach the market in a long time and many manufacturers are doing things with materials and design that is to be commended. But none of them have released anything that intrinsically changes how we, as humans, interact with the slabs of glass and metal we hold in our pockets at all times. That’s a unique thing.

I’m not saying Force Touch has changed the world. What it has done is tweak the world in a very meaningful way. Apple’s products are starting to hit more senses. Thanks to haptics the iPhone and the Apple Watch are able to tap into our nervous system. In that case, Apple nuzzles us, offering a feather flick of interaction. Interestingly, I’m already feeling “phantom taps” even when I wear a mechanical watch, a sign that old Pavlov was right.
With 3D Touch, The Apple devices ask us to touch them with a little more intent, to move past the glass and into something deeper behind the surface. This is an important change in how we use our phones and one sure to be successful. Of all of the other improvements in these new phones, 3D Touch is the most compelling and it is the one so subtle that Apple itself didn’t really talk it up during the keynote or briefings. “By the way,” they seemed to say. “You can now stick your finger through the phone. No big deal.”
Apple hasn’t dented the universe in a while but they have tapped it with lots of force. They’ll ding it eventually, but until then we can all enjoy the odd ‘Tick’ of this latest feature.

Facebook CEO enjoys smoggy Beijing run ahead of forum

BEIJING (CNews) - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a mask-free jog through Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Friday, smiling through thick smog as he seeks greater access for his company to China, where its service is banned.
The social media executive was in the capital ahead of an economic forum that gives some of the world’s top business and finance leaders the opportunity to hobnob with senior Chinese politicians.
In a picture posted to his Facebook account, Zuckerberg said it was "great to be back in Beijing", adding that he had jogged through Tiananmen and to the Temple of Heaven.
The photo showed him running with a small group past the iconic image of Mao Zedong that hangs on the entrance to the Forbidden City.
Neither Zuckerberg nor anyone in his party wore a mask, despite thick smog -- also well-known by tourists to the city.
Levels of PM2.5 -- the smallest, most dangerous particulates -- were above 300 micrograms per cubic metre in Beijing throughout the morning before the photo was posted, according to data from the US Embassy in the city.
At that level -- 12 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended maximum -- the US embassy’s advice is: "Everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion."
Zuckerberg often posts pictures of his running while travelling, but the photo was greeted with derision by some Chinese Internet users who are not allowed access to his company’s service.
Facebook has been banned in China for years, but is pushing to get back into the country, even as Communist leadership tightens censorship controls.
Zuckerberg been criticised both in China and abroad for his apparently deferential treatment of the country’s leaders.
In 2014, he hosted China’s top Internet regulator Lu Wei at his Silicon Valley office, telling the man in charge of cracking down on online expression that he was studying the speeches of President Xi Jinping and had purchased copies of a book collecting them for several of his colleagues.
He has also been studying Chinese and delivered a speech in passable Mandarin during a 2015 appearance at Tsinghua University.
Many Chinese users saw Friday’s Facebook posting as tone-deaf.
"He’s the world’s most expensive vacuum cleaner", said one user on China micro-blogging site Weibo.
Facebook users, too, were not convinced by the wisdom of the excursion.
"You have a total number of 6 people in the running team," went one tongue-in-cheek comment from a Chinese expatriate in Australia. "Did you apply for the authorisation to run on the street? If not, this is illegal in China."
She added: "Please respect the local law when you are in a foreign country."

Lahore-based start-up launches app to replace car keys

Two young entrepreneurs in Lahore have teamed up to create an app that lets you control your car from your smartphone.
Aptly named Car Chabi, the app lets you do away with your car keys. You can lock, unlock, start, and stop your car from your phone. It also lets you secure the car and turn the AC and heater on/off from a distance of about 50 – 80 feet.
Hammad Yasir and Muhammad Ali Rashid, both only 23 years of age, are the brains behind the business venture which was initially only intended as a do-it-yourself project. “The idea originated after we graduated from FAST-NU. We discussed what could be the smallest thing that could be installed in a car which could help people in their everyday lives. The answer was Car Chabi,” Yasir said while speaking to Express Tribune.
Pakistan’s top start-ups for 2015 and 2016
Soon after graduation, the two electrical engineers took up regular nine-to-five jobs, but encouragement from friends and family drove them to take their idea to the next level.
“For us, a 9-5 job was a drag; it was like repeating the same thing over and over again. I felt that both of us were wasting ourselves and we could do better than what we were doing. Somehow, we were like the two pieces of a puzzle,” Yasir, who worked as a maintenance engineer for the Metro Bus project in Lahore, said.
“We had our doubts with this, but we had no clue that this would spread as much as it has now,” he added.

Hammad Yasir and Muhammad Ali Rashid PHOTO: Hammad Yasir

Self-funding their way, Yasir says they saved up a huge chunk of their pay to invest in their business venture. “When we started working on Car Chabi we had to use most of our pay for the app because making a product and then making it flawless takes a lot of time and money. And we have come this far by boot strapping.”
As far as security issues are concerned, the duo say the device is quite secure as Bluetooth has a two layer protection, MiTM protection and an Alphanumeric pin.
UAE Sheikh invests $5.4 million in Pakistan-based start-up
The two, who began selling the device in November last year, have big plans for the venture. Yasir explains that they are working on increasing the number of items that could be controlled by phone. “We intend to replace the redundant security system and remote starting systems. The world is advancing at a very rapid pace and Internet of Things (IoT) is the next big thing and Car Chabi is just the first drop of rain. We aim to revolutionise Pakistani market and give exposure to the people of Pakistan with IoT.”
“Car Chabi is going to be the pioneer, by revolutionizing the auto mobile industry and giving people complete control of the car via smartphone, because people deserve more,” he added.
The 23-year-old insists Pakistan is the best place for start-ups. “This country is the best place to start something of your own because there are lots of things which need improvement. Therefore, people need to look for shortcomings around them and try to improve them by using their talent.”
He encourages the youth to think out of the box. “You just don’t become an engineer to be part of some firm and copy/paste the codes and circuits from the internet. You need to stop complaining about the problems people are facing and start working to solve them.”
Startup sells Pakistani handcrafted women’s shoes to the world
In March 2016, the two got incubated in the seventh cycle of Plan9- PITB’s Tech incubator, which is an incubation center formed by the Government of Punjab to support young entrepreneurs.
The Car Chabi kit costs Rs6000 and the installation charges are Rs1500. It offers free delivery all over Pakistan, with the company even having sent kits to Dubai and Abu Dhabi as well.
Here’s a demo of how Car Chabi actually works:

PlayStation virtual reality gear to launch in October

SAN FRANCISCO: Sony said it plans to make virtual reality mainstream with the October release of PlayStation VR headgear priced at $399.
“Virtual reality represents a new frontier for gaming; one that will forever change the way users interact with games,” Sony Computer Entertainment chief executive Andrew House said during a press event here.
“PlayStation will be leading the charge…and is best placed to bring virtual reality to the mainstream.”
Sony chose October for the launch of PlayStation VR to allow time for making enough units to meet anticipated demand and to let developers get games ready for the headsets, according to House.
The virtual reality headsets are designed to plug into PlayStation 4 (PS4) consoles.
Sony touted PS4 as its fastest selling console ever, with more than 36 million of them bought since they hit the market in late 2013.
Facebook-owned virtual reality start Oculus is set to begin shipping its Rift headsets later this month.
Oculus has been talking orders for Rift at a price of $599 and has worked with computer makers to certify machines as powerful enough to handle the technology.
Pre-orders have also been taken on bundles combining Rift with compatible gaming computers starting about $1,500.
Buying a PS 4 and PlayStation VR would add up to about half that price.

“We are proud of the price point we have been able to achieve,” House said of PlayStation VR.

Nike unwraps new self-tying shoe

NEW YORK: US sporting goods giant Nike unveiled Wednesday its first shoe that ties itself, the HyperAdapt 1.0, which will go on sale at the end of 2016.
Sensors at the heel level activate the lacing when a foot slips into the shoe. Two buttons on the side of the shoe can be pressed to loosen or tighten the lacing.
Nike calls the feature “adaptive lacing.” Nike’s star designer Tinker Hatfield said at the New York presentation that the company is working on other innovations that will provide automatic adjustments.
Nike launched in 2015 a limited-edition shoe with so-called “power laces” that adapt to the wearer’s motion, the Nike Mag, inspired by the film “Back to the Future, Part II”.
It will only be available via auction this year, with all proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, a nonprofit launched by the actor who played Marty McFly in the movie.

Domino’s to try robots for pizza delivery

WELLINGTON: Fast food giant Domino’s is to trial pizza delivery robots in New Zealand, it said Friday, describing the hi-tech, driverless units as a world first.
In a move enthusiastically backed by the New Zealand government, Domino’s said it was working with authorities on plans to roll out its DRU (Domino’s Robotic Unit).
The four-wheeler, developed in Australia, is just under a metre (three foot) high and contains a heated compartment that can hold up to 10 pizzas.

It is battery powered and uses on-board sensors to avoid obstacles, with Domino’s saying it can deliver pizzas within a 20 kilometre (12.5 mile) radius of a store before returning to recharge.
Customers are given a code when they order, which they enter onto a keypad to unlock the compartment containing their pizza.
“DRU is cheeky and endearing and we are confident that one day he will become an integral part of the Domino’s family,” the chain’s New Zealand general manager Scott Bush said.
“He’s a road to the future and one that we are very excited about exploring further.”
While a date for the trial is yet to be finalised, Transport Minister Simon Bridges said the government working with Domino’s on the project and was keen for it to proceed.
“This is an exciting opportunity for New Zealand… over the last 12 months I’ve been actively and aggressively promoting New Zealand as a test bed for new transport technology trials,” he said.

New Zealand is still working on regulations relating to driverless vehicles such as the DRU, which is designed to operate on both roads and footpaths

Spotify reaches royalty deal with music publishers

NEW YORK: Spotify, the leader in the booming streaming industry, on Thursday reached a settlement to improve royalty payments to US music publishers as the company hopes to avoid potentially costly lawsuits.
The National Music Publishers’ Association, which advocates on behalf of the US houses that hold songwriters’ copyright, announced the deal which relates to songs whose authors have been difficult to identify.
Amid the rapid growth of streaming, which allows unlimited on-demand music, Spotify has faced charges that it paid little attention to ensuring proper payment of royalties, which go both to performers and the often more anonymous songwriters.
Although songwriter credit on modern commercial music is easily obtained, the details are often missing or incorrect on the digital files for obscure or older songs.
Under the agreement, the Swedish company said it would put forward to publishers a pool of money it has stored for previous unmatched royalties and add to it a “large bonus compensation fund.”
A joint statement did not specify the amount. A person familiar with the deal said on condition of anonymity that Spotify’s existing pool was $16 million and that it was adding another $5 million.
Spotify and the music publishers committed to building a database to match streamed songs to their writers more consistently.
“As we have said many times, we have always been committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny,” Spotify spokesman Jonathan Prince said in the statement.
David Israelite, the president of the publishers’ association, pledged to keep pushing “digital services to properly pay for the musical works that fuel their businesses.
“After much work together, we have found a way for Spotify to quickly get royalties to the right people,” he said.
– Major lawsuits loom –
David Lowery, best known for leading the alternative rock bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, filed a $150 million lawsuit in December alleging that Spotify has systematically infringed on copyright in its rush to upload a vast music library.
He wants a US judge to declare a class action lawsuit in which all aggrieved artists could claim royalties from Spotify.
Lowery’s lawyer Mona Hanna criticized Thursday’s agreement as an attempt by Spotify to limit its liability “in secret, without court oversight” and questioned the deal’s enforceability.
“Thousands of songwriters have been harmed by Spotify, and a class action is the best way to protect their songs and their livelihood,” said Hanna, a managing partner at firm Michelman & Robinson.
Songwriter Melissa Ferrick in January also filed a $200 million class action lawsuit against Spotify on slightly different legal grounds.
Individual publishers, which range from major players to small artist-run imprints, will have to choose whether to enter the deal or back one of the lawsuits.
Under the agreement, Spotify will send a royalty check for all songs it cannot match back to the group of publishers — but only those that take part in the deal.
The joint statement did not specify how the money would be divided among the publishers.
Spotify will keep paying normal royalties to publishers regardless of whether they agree to the settlement.
The private company, which is estimated to be worth more than $8 billion, says it has paid back more than $3 billion in royalties since its launch in 2008.
Critics, notably pop superstar Taylor Swift, disapprove of Spotify’s advertising-backed free tier through which three-quarters of its more than 75 million users listen without paying.

Spotify and the publishers’ group voiced confidence that the deal would benefit the entire industry as identification problems are not unique to Spotify.