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Facebook pledges $200 million to support Black-owned businesses
Facebook plans to spend $200 million to support Black-owned businesses and organizations.
China goes from zero to 200 million 3G users in only three years
Considering that China 3G network trials only started in anger in 2009, and that the figure stood at 100 million users just last year, a new report from Sina Tech that the number now stands at 202.6 million is fairly mind boggling. The launch was delayed to begin with, as operators used an alphabet soup of different wireless technology and early results were mixed at best. But the popularity of certain devices along with the advent of microblogging sites like Weibo helped the service quickly gain traction after that, and now more people there use cellphones to surf the web than computers. We'll have to wait and see if 4G goes as well -- after some early waffling, the government seems to have some newfound enthusiasm for it. [Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Habbo Hotel touts 200 million registrations
If you haven't heard of Habbo Hotel, you might just be in the minority. Sulake, the Finnish maker of the teen-focused virtual community and social game, has just announced that the title has surpassed 200 million registrations as of January 2011. If you're curious, one registration equals one character in the long-running virtual world, but the total number of unique registered users is unclear. Habbo Hotel celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, and since its founding in 2000, it has expanded to more than 150 countries across the globe. The year 2010 represented the virtual world's most successful to date, with 42 million new registrations and over 400 million play hours logged. "The fast, continuous development of Habbo Hotel has enabled us to make quick changes and create new features according to our users' needs," said Sulake CEO Timo Soininen via press release.
TiVo's $200m damages award against DISH is headed back to the appeals court, future
Remember that $200 million contempt of court judgment TiVo won in September, and had affirmed in March against DISH Network & Echostar? We wouldn't blame you if you didn't, as the various steps in this never ending legal saga have become increasingly difficult to separate, but as we predicted, it's been appealed and now the appeals court will rehear the case with all active judges participating. Given the sharp drop in TiVo shares after the decision was announced, this is obviously a big deal for investors but those of us holding the remotes won't notice any difference at all. TiVo's response (Update: and Dish / Echostar's) is after the break.
Nokia's 1100 handset: over 200 million served
Sales records typically don't stand for too long without being overtaken by the next best thing, but somehow, Nokia's el cheapo 1100 handset has reportedly racked up "over 200 million sales" since it launched in 2003. You heard right, this low-end candybar has put the 100 million iPods, 50 million RAZRs, 10 million Chocolates, and 115 million PlayStation 2 consoles to shame in terms of sheer units moved. Interestingly enough, the design team that conjured up this cash cow originally dubbed it "Penny," and the stripped down, dust-proof mobile purportedly entered the market at precisely the right time to catch the booming overseas growth as folks worldwide began snapping up their own cellphone. Of course, such a basic, uninspiring phone isn't for everyone, but considering the 200 million strong that owned one sometime during their life, we'd say Nokia found a winner.[Via Celularis, thanks Mariano]
Nintendo Wii marketing to exceed $200 million
You better bring it! After taking a pounding in the last console generation, along with pre-E3 cries Nintendo would become a third party developer like Sega, Bloomberg reports Nintendo will spend in excess of $200 million marketing the Wii to make sure they don't come in last again.The $200 million will be spent over the next year and is the largest advertising campaign in Nintendo's history. You can expect to see Wii commercials starting this week. The message will focus on Wii being family-friendly and easy to use, but the main demographic being targeted is adults. 80 percent of the budget will be spent convincing adults to purchase the system and shaking off Nintendo's traditional consumer perception of being for children and teens.Hardcore gamers can debate which system is greater till pigs fly, the cow come home and hell freezes over. $200 million is a lot of money to spend on an advertising campaign. Nintendo is pushing for the masses with an affordable gaming console. 2007 is going to be a very interesting year.
