A research partnership between Massive Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., and researcher comScore will allow advertisers to know how in-game ads motivate gamers to visit Web sites, conduct brand-related search queries, and engage in other online actions. 

Ad Effx Action Lift for Gaming measures effectiveness of in-game advertising on online consumer behavior.

“We know from 80-plus independently verified post-campaign studies that in-game advertising increases brand engagement,” said JJ Richards, general manager of Massive Inc.

Ad Effx Action Lift for Gaming matches in-game console ad serving data from Massive with comScore’s third-party, post-campaign panel data to track and measure in-game advertising effectiveness.

It combines Microsoft’s proprietary, non-personally identifying Anonymous ID data, which is common across Xbox LIVE and Microsoft Web properties (known as Windows Live IDs), with user data from comScore’s panel of two million Internet users worldwide, says comScore.

Then comScore can determine if panelists who saw in-game advertising subsequently visited a brand’s Web site, searched brand-related terms, or engaged in other online behaviors important to advertisers.

The methodology, according to comScore, is similar to the ad tracking and measurement standards currently accepted for other forms of digital advertising, and maintains consumer privacy and anonymity in the process.

Preliminary research conducted by comScore using the new methodology on recent Massive in-game campaigns showed that people exposed to in-game ads demonstrated the following online behaviors when compared to a control group of people who were not exposed to the ads:

• 280% increase in visits to a TV channel’s Web site; 
• 125% increase in search queries for a movie rental brand and 57% spike in visits to its Web site; and 
• 17% increase in visits to entertainment sites after seeing ads for a particular movie. 

“We believe Ad Effx Action Lift for Gaming puts in-game advertising campaign measurement on a level playing field with comparable digital media,” said Mike Hurt, senior vice president, comScore.

Massive and comScore have submitted this new methodology to the Advertising Research Foundation for validation.

The announcement coincides with the second annual Microsoft Advertising Gaming Upfront event in New York City. The event showcases new video game titles from leading game publishers to enable advertisers to connect and engage audiences on the Massive in-game advertising network.

A survey, which canvassed nearly 1,900 senior executives in more than 60 countries, shows that 75% of respondents are concerned with the possible reprisal from employees who have left their organizations.

The 12th annual Ernst & Young Global Information Security Survey also reveals that lack of adequate security budgets and resources are becoming major concerns for senior IT professionals.

The survey finds that 42% of respondents are already trying to understand the potential risks related to this issue and 26% are already taking steps to mitigate them.

It says allocating adequate budget to information security continues to be a challenge in 2009, with 50% of respondents ranking this as a high or significant challenge — a notable increase of 17 percentage points over 2008. 

Despite this level of concern, the survey says, less than half (40%) of respondents plan to increase their annual investment in information security as a percentage of total expenditures, while 52% plan to maintain the same level of spending.

The survey also reveals that regulatory compliance is a top priority for information security leaders and continues to be an important driver of information security improvements.

When the survey asked how much their companies were spending on compliance efforts, 55% of respondents indicate that regulatory compliance costs account for moderate to significant increases in their overall information security costs. 

Only five percent of respondents plan on spending less over the next 12 months on regulatory compliance.

Due to a heightening occurrence of data breaches, data protection is at the forefront of many information security leaders’ minds. Implementing or improving Data Leakage Prevention (DLP) technologies — the combination of tools and processes for identifying, monitoring, and protecting sensitive data or information — is the second-highest security priority in the coming 12 months.

Forty percent of respondents rank this as one of their top three priorities.   

According to the survey, one of the most startling findings is how few companies encrypt their laptops. Only 41% of respondents currently encrypt them, with 17% planning to do so in the next year.

This is surprising, says the survey, given the number of breaches that have occurred due to loss or theft of laptops, that encryption technology is readily available and affordable and that the impact to users during deployment is relatively low.

The survey fieldwork was conducted between June and August 2009 and findings were revealed Tuesday, Nov. 10. The results were primarily collected through interviews held with executives from organizations across major industries.

Apple TV 3.0 software featuring a redesigned main menu will make navigating your favorite content simpler and faster. Recently rented or purchased movies, as well as other content including TV shows, music, podcasts, photos, and YouTube, are accessible directly from the new main menu.

The new Apple TV software is available immediately free of charge to existing Apple TV owners, and Apple TV with 160GB capacity is available for just $229.

“The new software for Apple TV features a simpler and faster interface that gives you instant access to your favorite content,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services.

“HD movies and HD TV shows from iTunes have been a huge hit with Apple TV customers, and with Apple TV 3.0 they get great new features including iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes and Internet radio.”

Now Apple TV users can enjoy Genius Mixes through their home theater system and listen to up to 12 endless mixes of songs, automatically generated from their iTunes library. 

Users can also enjoy Internet radio, allowing them to browse and listen to thousands of Internet radio stations, as well as tag favorite stations to listen to later. 

Apple TV’s support of HD photos is enhanced with iPhoto Events, which simplifies finding your favorite photos on Apple TV, as well as iPhoto Faces, which gives access to photos organized by people identified in iPhoto.

Further, Apple TV users have direct access to a catalog of over 8,000 Hollywood films on iTunes including over 2,000 in HD video available for rent or purchase, says Apple.

Users can also choose from a selection of 11 million songs, 10,000 music videos, and over 50,000 TV episodes to purchase directly from their Apple TV or browse and enjoy the iTunes Store podcast directory of over 175,000 free video and audio podcasts. 

Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user’s computer for using on their Mac or PC or all current generation iPods or iPhones. iPod touch or iPhone users can download the free Remote app from the App Store to control their Apple TV with a simple tap or flick of the finger.

Apple TV requires an 802.11b/g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection, and a high definition widescreen TV. Video availability, according to Apple, varies by country.

The company also informs that Apple TV connects to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports.

Moreover, using high-speed Wi-Fi, Apple TV automatically plays your iTunes content without setup or management.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) and Netflix, Inc. today (Oct. 26) announced that they are joining forces to make movies and TV episodes from Netflix available to be streamed to TVs via the PlayStation 3 (PS3) gaming system.

Netflix plans to begin streaming via PS3 next month at no additional cost to Netflix members in the United States who have a PS3 system.

According to Netflix, the PS3 installed base has reached nearly 9 million units in the U.S. And Netflix recently reported 11.1 million U.S. subscribers as of September 30.

The partnership will enable consumers to play high-definition games, watch Blu-ray movies, listen to music, view photos, browse the Internet, and download content from PlayStation Network.

For $8.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed to their TVs and computers via Netflix ready devices such as the PS3 system and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered to their homes.

Initially, watching movies instantly streamed from Netflix via the PS3 system will be enabled by a free, instant streaming Blu-ray disc that is being made available to all Netflix members.

The free instant streaming disc leverages Blu-ray’s BD-Live technology to access the Internet and activate the Netflix user interface on the PS3 system, which must be online via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Netflix members simply slide the disc into their PS3 systems to reveal movies and TV episodes that can be watched instantly. These titles are organized into categories based on members’ personal preferences, popular genres, new arrivals and members’ individual instant Queues.

Members can use the Netflix Web site or navigate directly on their PS3 systems to add movies and TV shows to their Queues. With the PS3 system’s Wireless Controller, members can choose a movie to watch from their instant Queues or play directly from any of the lists.

They also have the ability to read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video stream via the Wireless Controller.

Netflix members and PS3 system owners can now reserve a free instant streaming disc for PS3 systems by going to www.netflix.com/ps3. Upon availability, the instant streaming disc will be delivered for free by mail, generally one business day after members request it.

HTC Corporation, a global smartphone maker, today (Oct. 26) unveiled a global advertising campaign that is based on its new “Quietly Brilliant” brand positioning. As HTC’s first global advertising campaign, the YOU campaign is being rolled out across 20 countries in the coming weeks and features the tagline, “You don’t need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.”

With this message, the company wants to focus on people, their needs and how they work and live to say that HTC devices suit them.

“‘Quietly Brilliant’ is doing great things in a humble way, with the belief that the best things in life can only be experienced, not explained,” said John Wang, chief marketing officer, HTC Corporation. “The YOU campaign is the perfect embodiment of ‘Quietly Brilliant’ and is core to HTC as a company, innovator, and partner.”

HTC worked with Los Angeles-based advertising agency, Deutsch LA Inc. to create the YOU campaign that will employ an integrated-media approach to reach consumers via television, print, outdoor, and online.

HTC’s design features will be communicated through the campaign, with commercial spots highlighting the functionality of HTC smartphones.

HTC worked with London-based creative consultancy, FigTree to create the “Quietly Brilliant” brand positioning. The “Quietly Brilliant” positioning will be rolled out in all forms of communication and brand touch points across the company, says HTC.

“Some of life’s most brilliant ideas started with a simple doodle on the back of a napkin,” said Simon Myers, CEO of Figtree. “HTC’s new look uses this visual language of doodles to explain all the quietly brilliant features and benefits of HTC devices in a simple and human way.”

According to video games researcher DFC Intelligence, the worldwide market for portable and mobile games is expected to grow to $11.7 billion by 2014. The main growth drivers will be Apple iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

By 2014, DFC says, sales for games on the iPhone/iPod Touch are expected to account for about 24% of total portable game software sales.

“The dedicated portable game systems from companies like Nintendo and Sony are still expected to lead the market, but it appears growth for these devices has peaked. The platforms from Apple are expected to be responsible for the bulk of market growth over the next few years,” says DFC analyst David Cole.

DFC also released some results from a study on the mobile game habits of over 8,000 game players in North America and Europe. 54% of respondents in North America and 69% of respondents in Europe had played a game on their mobile phone in the past year.

Also, 45% of respondents in North America and 36% in Europe had paid to purchase an application for their mobile phone. Among respondents, the App Store was already the most popular service for making purchases.

Across both North America and Europe about 15% of respondents already owned an iPhone or iPod Touch, compared with 29% that owned a Nintendo DS.

DFC Intelligence is a market research firm focused on video games, PC games, online games, and interactive entertainment.

Thanks to researchers from IBM, Nokia, and VTT, avatars and people will come together for virtual meetings in physical spaces. The new technology will allow voices, head and hand gestures, and movements to change in concert with the behavior of participants.

With support from IBM Research and Nokia Research Center, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland created an experimental system that enables people in multiple locations to interact and collaborate with avatars and objects in a single, virtual meeting.

Objects and avatars are located in a “virtual” space that mirrors the corresponding physical room.

Sensors, cameras and microphones located on both ends of the conversation allow voices, head and hand gestures and movements to change in concert with the behavior of participants.

This enables them to sense the vital visual cues of body language. In this proof-of-concept, participants in physical rooms wear video see-through glasses that depict three-dimensional images of their online counterparts as they stand, walk, talk or demonstrate and manipulate virtual objects shared between the spaces.

The system, called ACME (Augmented Collaboration in Mixed Environments), was assembled using an open-source viewer from Linden Lab’s Second Life virtual world, as well as from open source ARToolkit and OpenCV libraries. 

The technology aims to provide an affordable and eco-friendly alternative to physical meetings. According to IBM, it is also more interactive than telephone conferences, video conferences – and even on-screen meetings held exclusively in virtual spaces.

Prototypes of ACME will be installed at IBM Research – Austin and Nokia Research Center – Tampere/Finland for internal use and further testing and development.

You can watch ACME in action, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNB0_c-5TSk.

Baidu, Inc., a leading Chinese language Internet search provider, has announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited to provide wireless search for China Unicom’s 3G mobile subscribers.

Under the agreement, Baidu’s wireless search service will be embedded in China Unicom’s 3G mobile phone modules. China Unicom’s mobile subscribers will be able to use preinstalled applications to access Baidu products including web search, Baidu Knows, Baidu Post Bar, image search, news search, MP3 search and other services.

Baidu will also provide search functions within China Unicom’s wireless Internet sites to service the carrier’s users.

Click here for full article.

Spending time online reduces depression by 20% for senior citizens, the Phoenix Center reports in a new Policy Paper released Oct. 15. In addition to the quality of life benefits, it says reducing the incidence of depression by Internet use among older Americans could trim the nation’s health care bill.

The Policy Paper, Internet Use and Depression Among the Elderly, examines survey responses of 7,000 retired Americans 55 years or older.

The data was provided by the Health and Retirement Study of the University of Michigan and screened to exclude respondents who were still working and also those living in nursing homes in order to limit possible variations that might skew the findings. 

The implications of the findings, says Phoenix Center, are significant because depression affects millions Americans age 55 or older and costs the United States about $100 million annually in direct medical costs, suicide and mortality, and workplace costs. 

The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that only about 42% of Americans aged 65 or more use the Internet, far below the adoption rate of other age groups.

Given the relatively low adoption rates by seniors, the study concludes that the opportunity for better health outcomes from expanded Internet adoption is substantial.

Further, with billions spent annually on depression-related health care costs, the potential economic savings also are impressive. 

“Efforts to expand broadband use in the U.S. must eventually tackle the problem of low adoption in the elderly population,” says study Phoenix Center chief economist and study co-author Dr. George S. Ford. “The positive mental health consequences of Internet demonstrate, in part, the value of demand stimulus programs aimed at older Americans.”

The Phoenix Center is a non-profit organization that studies broad public-policy issues related to governance, social and economic conditions, with emphasis on the law and economics of telecommunications and high-tech industries.

Monsoon Multimedia is offering HAVA mobile player application for iPhone and iPod Touch users. The app allows HAVA buyers to view and control their home television service, including cable, satellite, and TiVo, from anywhere in the world on their iPhone.

According to the company, the player for iPhone was designed for seamless integration with Apple’s smartphone, allowing viewers to control their home television service (whether it’s cable or satellite, receiver or DVR, standard or high definition) via the touch screen interface.

“Monsoon’s HAVA line of video streaming, place- and time-shifting devices give consumers more options when choosing how, when, and where they view their home video and TV content,” said Colin Stiles, executive VP of Sales and Marketing at Monsoon Multimedia.

“Our support for iPhone and iPod Touch gives HAVA customers the ability to watch any of their 300+ TV channels, their favorite football team on game day or their local news in very high quality, regardless of their location, wherever Wi-Fi is available.”

The iPhone version of the player is optimized software for the video-streaming application that Monsoon also provides for PCs, netbooks, and other mobile devices.

HAVA, says Monsoon, is a standalone device that does not require a dedicated or connected PC/Mac in the home to enable the iPhone or other portable devices when watching your TV over the Internet.

In addition to place shifting video to PC or smartphones, Monsoon’s HAVA features DVR capability that allows users to initiate a recording to their PC or attached storage, or pause, rewind, or fast forward their live TV.

The Monsoon HAVA Player for the iPhone and iPod Touch is available as a direct download at iPhone App Store for $9.99.