Win £50 of Asda vouchers with Parcel2Go

ASDAThe bank holiday is just around the corner and if the weather shapes up, thousands of people up and down the UK will be rolling out their barbecues.

But inviting the family around can be hard on the pocket so Pacel2Go is offering you the chance to win a £50 Asda gift card to make the weekend that little bit easier.

The gift card can be spent in the grocery aisles, but they don’t have to be. The winner could treat themselves to some wine or use them to something gorgeous from George.

We recommend you make the most of that extra day with the family. Go on, get some burgers and have a barbecue!

To get your hands on this great prize on Facebook, comment below and tell us your plan for the bank holiday. If you’re on Twitter, reply and let us know that way. Good luck.

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Nokia splinter group to enter smartphone market

wide_Jolla_devices

A splinter group of former Nokia employees has introduced the first glimpse of its new smartphone – Jolla, pronounced Yo-La.

The device will run on an operating system called Salifish, which was adapted from the leftovers of MeeGo – a platform abandoned by Nokia when it decided to pursue adapting Windows Phone for its handsets.

Jolla is due to be released by the end of the year but will only be sold online. Some have questioned whether an already saturated market is in need of another smartphone operating system. Antti Saarnio, chairman and co-founder of Jolla was quick to counter these claims.

“For a couple of years we haven’t had anything really interesting in the mobile phone market,” he said. “This creates opportunities for newcomers to come in. It’s different, but it’s purposefully different.”

Saarnio and a number of other employees left Nokia in 2011 after working on an operating system to rival Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. Only one handset was released using the MeeGo software – the N9-00 – leaving Mr Saanio believing it was not given enough of a chance to succeed.

“The team really felt that this was one of the best phones in the market, even though it was quite under-marketed,” he said. “Everybody felt so strongly that they wanted to continue.”

“We are actually quite open – we are offering this operating system for other smartphone makers to use… Let’s wait and see and we will just do our best in our business.”

The Jolla will support 4G, has a 4.5 inch screen, an eight megapixel camera and will be compatible with apps made for Google’s Android.

Although coy on exactly how it will work, the company are calling another of the handset’s features ‘The Other Half’ – the phone’s interchangeable coloured back.

Saarnio says the operating system will change depending on what type of cover you have – his example being a cover with the colours of a local football team.

“You connect it to the phone, and the user interface reflects the players and colours of the team… It’s an interesting way to show you ‘belong’ with something.”

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Google Maps gets a makeover

Google Maps 2013-05-17 at 1.41.58 PM

Google’s maps facility is in line for a major overhaul and is about to get a whole lot more personal.

At the media giant’s developer conference in San Francisco last week, it was announced that Google Maps has been rebuilt to pull in information about users from all of Google’s services – including search and Google+.

The idea is that maps will now be tailored to suit different user’s preferences. Favourite places will be stored and the map will be able to make recommendations based on parameters such as search history in order to find places and businesses with greater ease.

“A perfect map of the world is foundational to delivering exactly what you want, when you want, and where you want it,” said senior vice president Amit Singhal.

Many improvements to the mobile app revolve around social aspects. Google has revamped the rating system on points of interest with a new five-point score scale to be shared across all devices, be that a browser or on a mobile. In addition to the user reviews of the past, reviews from users’ friends on Google+ will also be brought in.

Google is also more tightly integrating Maps with its other services like Google Offers – in this instance, locations offering some sort of deal will be marked with a special badge. One example used in last week’s conference was Starbucks offering half price on a new range of drinks.

Those who want to have a sneak preview of the new Google Maps service can do so here.

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Ten of the internet’s finest 404 errors

Whenever you type in a dodgy website address or follow a dead link, the page you are greeted with is most usually a 404 error. They were once all usually dull and drab, the internet’s equivalent of television static or test card.

Technically, it is a client-side error, implying that the error is your mistake – either because you typed the URL incorrectly or the page has been moved. Though in an ideal world, companies never want you to see these.

But we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in a world where companies are happy to make light of these errors. A better world, you might say.

Some people design their 404 error pages to be works of beauty. The now well-known ninja page from the Huwshimi blog (below) is a classic, instructing the user that they must “return when the moon has friends and the fox is borrowed”.

The list below needs little more explanation than these are some of the best and most imaginative. If you like them, there a whole host of similar 404 pages at 404notfound.fr.

Facebook
Facebook
Huwshimi
Huwshimi
Lego
Lego
Limpfish
Limpfish
Peugeot
Peugeot
Rolling Stones
Rolling Stones
Worrydream
Worrydream
Big Bite Creative
bigbitecreativedotcom
Campbell’s
Campbells
Dilbert
Dilbert

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eBay and clothing manufacturer spread green partnership to the UK

eBay has teamed up with outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia to help UK customers buy into sustainable consumption.

Based in the US, Patagonia has its own storefront on the auction site to sell its clothing. But to get more second hand items back into circulation, the storefront is being opened up to independent sellers of used Patagonia goods.

Beforehand, sellers must take the ‘Common Threads Partnership pledge’, under which the company commits to making long lasting clothes, respecting the environment and repairing goods sent back to them. In turn, Patagonia asks its customers to “exhibit the same behaviour”.

It is the first multi-seller branded shop to appear on the UK version of the site but has been in existence in the US since 2011. In the past year the Common Threads Partnership has resulted in more than 38,000 items being resold.

The aim of the unique store is to encourage customers to go into their wardrobes, find the Patagonia garments they don’t currently need, and list them on eBay to continue their useful life.

“As a global enabler of commerce, we are acutely aware that consumption and environmental responsibility have often stood at odds with one another,” said Alan Marks, senior vice president of global communications for eBay Inc.

“We are thrilled to partner with forward-thinking brands like Patagonia to innovate around product life-cycle and after-market trade and enable the kind of commerce that is critical to the long-term sustainability of our planet.”

The UK wing of Patagonia’s Common Threads store is the latest example of eBay’s commitment to enabling greener commerce. It is also an original model for consumption in the apparel industry – one that eBay and Patagonia say emphasizes product durability, reuse, and tapping the full useful life of clothing.

Mr Marks added: “Through the US programme more than 53,000 Patagonia items are now in circulation, where otherwise they may have been in a closet or ended up in a landfill.”

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Introducing the Amazon Coin

coins

Digital retailer Amazon has launched its brand new online currency – to US customers only.

The online retail giant is not quite printing its own money – one Amazon Coin equals one cent, or less than one penny – but customers can now use the ‘currency’ to buy apps, games and in-app items from the Amazon Appstore.

To mark the launch, all Kindle Fire owners in America were given 500 coins (around $5 worth). Amazon has not yet confirmed when the scheme will be launched outside of the US, or if it will be available to non-Kindle users.

On Monday, Mike George, vice president of apps and games at Amazon said: “Today we are giving Kindle Fire owners $5 worth of Coins to spend on new apps and games, or to purchase in-app items, such as recipes in iCookbook, song collections in SongPop or mighty falcon bundles in Angry Birds Star Wars. And with discounts of up to 10% when you buy coins, this is a great way for customers to save money when they buy apps, games and in-app items.

“We will continue to add more ways to earn and spend coins on a wider range of content and activities – today is day one for coins.”

Some have questioned the usefulness of the move, as tax is still payable on items purchased with the new coins. But officials at Amazon have described the currency as “an easy way to purchase apps and in-app items” and well as a tool to drive traffic on their site.

In a number of fan reviews already posted online, those in favour of the coins have noted its use when trying to budget online purchases.

At the other end of the scale, the coins have been described as “nonsense”, a “gimmick” and a “waste of time”.

Amazon Coins can be bought in batches of 1000, 2500, 5000 and 10,000.  As you buy more, the discount gets bigger – Amazon fans in the US can expect to pay $90 for 10,000 coins. These customers will also get a 10% discount on items bought.

Amazon isn’t the first company to introduce its own currency; Facebook, Microsoft Xbox and Windows Live customers have all launched similar points systems to pay for social media games, upgrades and bonus levels.

Another online currency that has been in the news recently is Bitcoin, which can be transferred without the use of a bank or institution. Although initial interest came from mostly tech-minded people with distrust in regulated banking institutions, it has grown in certain areas since.

Like other currencies it is used to buy goods and services. Companies selling anything from software to pizza are accepting it as payment. That said, a lot of its use is expected to exist on the black market, thanks in no small part to its relative anonymity.

Although cited by many as a currency, it is perhaps simpler to think on one Bitcoin as an online token.

Bitcoin is often referred to as a new kind of currency which have value because enough people believe they do.

Each of the 11 million Bitcoins currently in existence is represented by a unique registration number, created through a process called mining – a computer solving a difficult mathematical problem with a 64-digit solution. Each problem solved rewards the computer’s owner with 25 Bitcoins. The difficulty of the puzzles is adjusted to ensure a steady stream of about 3,600 new Bitcoins a day.

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Enter our competition and get ready for summer

5921-Think-Pink-Open

Despite a few stutters in the weather, summer is well on its way – so now is the time to start thinking about how you’re going to look your best.

Luckily, Parcel2Go might have a solution. The latest in our long line of competitions is offering the chance to win a Lush pamper set and get on your way to feeling summery. The Think Pink deluxe set is worth more than £50 and contains everything from hand and foot cream to a selection of best-selling pink bath treats.

There’s something for every occasion including Fair Trade Foot Lotion for swollen ankles and a great mix of floral and sweet smells.

To get your hands on this great prize on Facebook, comment below and tag a friend who you’d like to share it with. If you’re on Twitter, reply and @ mention who you’d like to share with. Good luck.

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Google calculator tracks the efforts of mobile advertising

Google Calc Capture

It does not take much technical knowhow to notice that the popularity of smartphones and tablets is rapidly increasing. Almost two-thirds of the UK population owns a smartphone – something that has a massive effect on the advertising market.

The use of mobile devices to perform online searches and interact with businesses is on the up. Last year, a huge surge in the use of apps meant mobile advertising almost tripled – growing a massive 148 per cent year-on-year in 2012 to £526m, up from £203m in 2011.

It is staggering that in 2009 mobiles accounted for just 1 per cent of the total UK digital advertising market. Today it accounts for around 10 per cent.

According to research by Google in the US, almost 30 per cent of mobile searches result in consumers visiting a store, calling a business or making an online purchase. Understandably, these are figures that businesses want to keep track of and Google may have come up with the answer.

A new tool launched last month, aims to help users estimate the value of mobile advertising (in sites, apps and more) through simple equations and benchmarks. The ‘Full Value of Mobile Calculator’ is a tool with which companies can gauge what advertising is working and what isn’t – then make adjustments accordingly.

“Mobility has forever changed the way consumers live and shop, giving rise to these new customer paths as the lines between digital and physical experiences blur,” said Johanna Werther, Google’s head of mobile ads marketing, in a company blog post.

“Understanding what each of these mobile pathways means for your business is a critical piece of the larger attribution challenge that every marketer needs to meet head-on.”

By inputting information such as in-store sales and internet sales, business owners can get started with the calculator in about 30 minutes. User-review site Yelp also released a calculator this week that helps track exactly how many leads are sent to a business from Yelp each month.

Check out the Google calculator for yourself here.

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Seven things To Check When Starting An Online Business

According to statistics released last year, internet business contributes to more than 8 per cent of the UK’s economy – a larger share than any other country in the G20.

Online businesses are continually emerging in Britain and are collectively worth around £121bn – that’s more than £2,000 per person according to researchers at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The UK also carries out far more retail online than any other major economy – accounting for around 13.5 per cent of all sales.

If you are starting out, you would expect the time is right to do it online. But making your first steps as an internet business is no easy task and there are certain things you should remember before heading into e-commerce for yourself.

Identify your market

If you have an idea, that is all well and good, but you should establish who you will be trying to sell it to. This should give you some basic ideas about the feel and look of your website, such as the localisations and designs you will be using. Take the time to research your competitors and make sure you are not offering the same thing as another, more established business.

Domain name

You can do a lot of damage by changing your domain name at a later date. Make sure the one you choose fits your brand, is easy to spell and avoids using complicated words or formatting. If you want your domain name to match your company exactly, it may be worth waiting until you see what’s available.

Some registrars offer apparently free domains as part of a hosting package. Not all of these are dodgy, but make sure you confirm the domain is registered in your name.

A lot of the time web hosts will offer domain registration and it is often easier to have both in the same place.

Find a host

Much like a landlord, a web host will rent you the space on their server to host your website. You should evaluate all the features you are being offered, which includes things like storage capacity and security.

Design

It sounds simple, but you can either design a site yourself or get someone else to do it for you. If doing it yourself, WordPress is a popular free tool. Once you go beyond this, if you have little experience in the field it can quickly become complicated.

Online payment

Paper money does not exist online; electronic payment is the cornerstone of internet business. For one, it allows clients to act on impulse and you should assess with payment service will work best for you – PayPal, for example, is quite widespread.

Get visitors

If you want to make money, you’ll need people to visit your site. Firstly, make sure you use your URL in all marketing materials – whether it be letterheads, business cards or emails. You might also want to look at SEO (search engine optimisation) – techniques designed to improve how easy your site is to find.

This includes optimising your site to perform well for specific keywords. Doing this right from the start is essential to long-term visibility.

Social media

Social media presence is vital; Facebook and Twitter especially are important tools for online business.

They, along with the likes of Google+, allow you to engage with your target audience and attract new customers. It is important you establish and secure your brand name early to ensure you dominate the first page of search results.

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Should your online business be paying tax?

Around eight million people in the UK run an online business – but many are still unaware they should be paying tax on their earnings.

Last year, HM Revenue and Customs sent out more than 30,000 letters as part of a campaign targeting traders and those selling goods online. Websites including eBay and Amazon were also contacted and asked to provide members’ details. Although the HMRC drive principally looked at those who sell goods as a business, rather than people who occasionally trade small amounts of personal items, it has so far raised more than £650,000 for the tax office.

The new personal tax income threshold is £9,440 and research by Direct Line for Business states a “significant” number of people selling online are not aware they qualify as a business and therefore need to pay tax on income generated. This tax should be paid regardless of whether or not online selling is supplementary income.

According to the research, eight million home businesses equates to about one in six people. Of those, 5.2 million are buying items to sell at a profit and 2.8m are selling homemade wares such as cards and candles. It also states the top five per cent of people with businesses on eBay and Amazon earn an average of approximately £18,000 every year.

Jazz Gakhal, head of Direct Line for Business, said: “A large proportion of people clearly don’t view themselves as running a business, despite generating a sizeable turnover selling goods online to be dispatched from their home. People should check with HMRC if there activities online mean they qualify as running a business.

“We urge people looking to make or sell items from home on a regular basis to organise home business insurance from the start.”

For more information on voluntary disclosure you can call the HMRC helpline on 0845 601 5041.

Previous HMRC campaigns have targeted doctors, coaches and tutors, electricians, plumbers and those with offshore bank accounts. All the campaigns launched so far have raised £547m from voluntary disclosures, and nearly £140m from further investigations.

According to the Office of National Statistics, a total of 367,000 have become their own boss in the past five years, taking the total to 4.2m. More than 300,000 of those were also over 50. There are also now 345,000 people working for themselves in the over-65s age bracket.

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