Google changing their approach in terms of the sales of Nexus One

Google announced that it would soon change the focus of its Nexus One store, moving from selling to showcasing.


Unlike Apple (AAPL), Google does not have a physical store to sell its products, so mail order was their only option. Apple currently sells iPhones and iPads at its many domestic retail stores.

Google is changing the focus of the "store" to advertising and viewing as it does in Europe. They list the following changes:



More retail availability. As we make Nexus One available in more countries we'll follow the same model we've adopted in Europe, where we're working with partners to offer Nexus One to consumers through existing retail channels. We'll shift to a similar model globally.

From retail to viewing. Once we have increased the availability of Nexus One devices in stores, we'll stop selling handsets via the web store, and will instead use it as an online store window to showcase a variety of Android phones available globally.


Hmmm... This is interesting. What are the advantages of having your own store? Rather than selling your products through the stores of other retailers? To have your own brand, your own store. Just look at the Apple's epicenter, it's practically like a small mini white lab.


The only thing I have to complain about it is that it's not prestigious enough. It's not classy enough. It does not showcase the awesome products they own. The layout of the shops are good but not great.


Perhaps, Google will like to work on this?

 
Credits -apple, -pcadvisor

We got Married

Go watch this show on Youtube if you haven't already done so.


Go type We Got Married Episode 1 on youtube to start the ball rolling.

It's really addictive. You see various types of couples in there and you will be able to understand the many misunderstandings that are caused as a result of miscommunication.


They do care about each other but many a times, they do not know how to express it.

One of the mean guy said something rather meaningful.


He said that if a guy is too perfect, the girl will soon get bored and feel suffocated. Conversely, if the guy is bad, the girl will find a lot of satisfaction as she slowly tries to turn him into a better person.


Is that why girls like bad boys?



Credits -koala41, -sookyeong

Gold ATM, store them

The gold rally revved up again Friday, nearly hitting a record $1,250 an ounce, before slipping later in the day in volatile trade. Stock market jitters and Europe's debt troubles have sent investors flocking to the precious metal, but why?


Gold is experiencing strong demand from Europeans lately, as investors there worry the region's debt problems will persist and devalue the euro, said Adam Klopfenstein, senior market strategist at commodities brokerage firm Lind-Waldock.

"Gold is the market that Europeans want to own. Their money is going into gold because at some point, people who have already been burned by their own currency want to own something tangible," he said.


I'm sure that there is no surprises when we hear that individuals are backing off from the forex market for fear of its volatility and fluctuations. However, they are not alone.

Countries, unions are all backing off in the currency market as well. They are extremely timorous now. They fear that the stock markets will crash once again and then recession will start to hit everyone.


Therefore, many countries, including the super powerhouses like China and India, along with the United States of America are already storing up their gold reserves to strengthen their countries' reserves and also to reduce their vulnerability in today's volatile market.


It is de facto synonymous to bonds. They are very stable and a worthy buy.


Credits -cnn, -ibtimes, -solarnavigator

Presenting to you, Resort World Sentosa

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Japan's Immunity Idol

Japan isn't completely immune to the debt concerns surrounding Europe but recent economic data may support the argument that the nation's a bit more resilient than others in Asia.

"It is correct that Japanese exports are quite well at the moment, mainly due to the fact that Japan's main export destination is China and China's economy is the strongest in the world," said Martin Hennecke, an associate director at Tyche Group Ltd. in Hong Kong.


Yes, this sounds like a sustainable result for Japan however the truth is far from that.

The key rebutting arguement is that Japan holds the largest amount of National Debt as a percentage of its GDP in the entire world.


For a country to be moving forward sustainably, it has to has not just the lowest debt but preferably the lowest debt as a percentage of its GDP. Then, it will be able to use the remaining of its GDP for investments and reserves. Countries with a huge load of reserves along with a gargantuan sum of Foreign Direct Investments will be recognised as a sustainable country that is extremely stable.


Also, the thing about exports is that it is not stable. It is de facto fluctuating and volatile. Once your currency's strength increases, the export market will be heavily impacted. You will almost see an immediate effect on the export surplus. It will plummet!

Well, of course, we should be more optimistic. Afterall, Japan has been through the various vissicitudes of life. They have been in debts for more than two decades. They have more than enough knowledge when it comes to dealing with debts. It is a matter of how you fine-tune your economy and its priorities. Whether to focus on exports or reserves or investments.


I'm pretty sure that the new government will be able to make a sagacious decision that is apposite for its economy.



Credits -marketwatch, -newpeopleworld, -artlex, -tectonic uplift

Google, stick to your knitting please

Google like other major companies, is now veering off to many other tracks. Google, as a major powerhouse is now not as focused as they were in the past. It is now trying to get their hands on as many businesses as possible.


Not that diversification is bad. But I feel that Google might be getting a little too complacent. We all know that Google is the sine qua non of the advertising market and that it has entrenched its foothold on that territory, but the point now is that Google is losing sight of what's important.

The reason why Google is dominating 65% of the Internet Search Engine market is that it has spent lots of effort to grow that industry. In the past, when we talk about Google, we immediately zoom in on how impeccable their search engine is. Google has consistently been developing its search engine.


Some of the advancements includes zooming in on your needs. For instance, if you search for a particular topic an hour ago, you might actually see advertisements pertaining to your search an hour ago. The point is, the advertisements shown are now targetted towards you. They are no longer random advertisements that does not interest you at all. Right now, you can actually relate to the advertisements you see and you will not feel like a stranger to those ads anymore.


But how long did Google take to arrive at where they are now? Decades, and lots of effort and focus.


Conversely, they are entering all sorts of markets, careening into them if I may say. They no longer have a vision, a clear sight of what they want to achieve. They merely want to have a share in as many markets as they possibly can.

Right now they are entering the mobile market, the phone market, the operating system market, and even the television market. I'm afraid that they might end up becoming jack of all traits and master of none.


I mean Google TV? Seriously? It doesn't make sense at all. We all witnessed the immediate downfall of Google as they try to create the Google buzz. Now they are trying Google TV? It seems like Google is playing the hit or miss game now, which is not suppose to be the case. In the past, Google used to churn out products that they are extremely confident in. But now, it seem like a totally different story. I'm already getting all sardonic and stuff.

When that happens, their potential competitors will grasp the opportunity to shine in their respective niche markets and then kick Google out of all the respective markets altogether.


The king of the phone market might focus all their energy on the phone market.
The queen of the television market might spent all their time in developing the media market.
The kings and queens of the remaining market will do the same.


At the end of the day, Google might lose out to all of their competitors because of a lack of focus and this can easily cause them to fall flat onto the ground.


They have already lost their foothold in the China market after Baidu regained full dominance in the search engine market in China.


Google is now getting delusional. They think that if they are the best at one thing, they can easily be the best at everything. If Google continues to be complacent and diversify like no one's business, it could mean the demise of the company in no time.


Also, being the best now doesn't mean that Google can be the best forever. If it gets overly-infatuated with the other markets, they might just miss out on the surreptitious moves made by its competitors.


Beware, Google, nothing is impossible, including your oblieration.


Credits -marketwatch, -cartoonstock, -carl0z, -putyourmlm