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Orbitz profiles Mac users with pricier hotels, here's how to block
Let's try a little Gedankenexperiment here. Imagine that you sell widgets of all kinds; some are drab and functional but cheap, while others are shiny and a bit more expensive. You're looking to improve the sales of your shiny, high-margin widgets by getting them in front of the type of consumers who are likely to be interested. What simple directive would be a handy, measurable shorthand for the target demographic; a group of people who like nice things and are willing to pay a bit more than absolutely necessary to get them? If you are trying to predict future buying behavior, the best way to do that is to look at what they've bought in the past. If someone owns an Apple product that they paid for themselves, chances are they will be receptive to an upsell (or, to put it more charitably, they'll be less price-sensitive) when you bring them a range of options. Yes, the "Apple tax" of years past has largely faded into legend when you compare products side by side today (especially with the iPad, which makes life difficult for other tablet makers), but Apple chooses not to offer computers in the $300 desktop or $700 laptop range where PC manufacturers are at home. Mac buyers are still choosing to spend discretionary dollars on a better computer, and that's a key insight into their shopping styles. This intuitive insight is all well and good (and something I've been saying for a few years now), but there's no substitute for data. Yesterday the Wall Street Journal's Dana Mattioli reported (paywall) that the travel site Orbitz has been experimenting with rejiggered hotel search results based on, among other things, the user's computer platform. Last year, Orbitz's data analytics team confirmed that Mac users are 40% more likely than PC users to book premium hotels (four or five-star rated properties) and that the average Mac-browsing shopper spends $20 to $30 more, per night, on a hotel room. What Orbitz is doing with this statistical segmentation is interesting and a little bit off-putting. The company's hotel searches already incorporate a lot of different factors (including past booking history, location and of course availability) but now there is a "finger on the scale" that pushes higher-priced and higher-quality results towards the top of the search list for Mac users. The effect can be subtle; the WSJ didn't see any difference for searches in some cities, but did see different Mac results for higher priced hotels (11%–13% more on average) in searches for Baton Rouge and Miami Beach. Orbitz executives took pains to make it clear to the WSJ that Mac users are not getting charged more on an identical room basis; the only difference is in the mix of search results they see. For the same exact room, they will pay the same price as a PC user; this detail has gotten lost in some headlines claiming "Mac users charged more for hotels" or similar, which is not true (Cnet's story is a prime example of getting it turned around). In fact, Orbitz searches can be sorted by price instead of by "best result," so both Mac and PC users can always see the cheapest property. Nobody's being deprived of a bargain; given the realities and habits of online shopping, however, having more expensive results on the first page of the search means that those properties are going to get a closer look. Is this fair to Mac users, or appropriate? Keep in mind that the trends Orbitz observed were already present in the market, discovered and developed organically; one could argue that the company is simply trying to serve customers more efficiently by prioritizing hotels that they will like over ones that they won't. A Mac user on a tight travel budget, however, might see it differently -- and might choose another online agency, a straight-up travel search tool or a deal aggregator, when it comes time to hunt for the best online deal. But who's to say those other companies aren't doing the same platform profiling, just a little more quietly? And what about the platform-specific filtering and profiling that other online retailers do every day? Amazon, Facebook, Google and Target already know loads about you, and they aren't shy about using every bit of that intelligence to put the right products in front of you at the right time. Right now, some of you are furiously deleting Orbitz from your bookmarks, or maybe even thinking about using the PC next door for the summer vacation hotel searches. Understandable, but not necessary. It's simple to change your web browser's "squawk" code, the user agent string, so that it masquerades as a Windows-specific version instead. You can do this easily on a window-by-window basis for Safari, Chrome or Firefox, or set up a custom single-site browser for Orbitz. You can even adjust the user agent setting on your iPad, with a little help from a third-party browser. Here's the process for Safari: Start off by going to the Safari menu and choosing Preferences..., then click on the Advanced icon. Look for the checkbox at the bottom that says "Show Develop menu in menu bar" -- make sure it is checked. The Develop menu should be showing up at this point (if not, quit Safari and relaunch). The second option down is the User Agent menu; just select a Windows browser and get shopping. Note that this setting only applies to a single Safari window and is not persistent. Another option is to use Fluid, the single-site browser tool, to make yourself an Orbitz-specific applet. TJ covered this approach back in February. Fluid lets you set the user agent once and forget it; each time you launch the app, you'll be masquerading as a Windows user and headed straight for Orbitz. On the iPad, you can run the free User Agent Switcher app, or a third-party browser like Atomic, iCab or Slepnir to change your string. There are also straightforward options for switching Chrome's user agent and a handy extension for Firefox. All of these approaches give you an excellent chance of showing up as something other than a Mac user when you visit Orbitz; if you try them out there or on other travel/shopping sites, do let us know if you see anything different vs. your Mac-and-proud searches. Interesting historical note: In the Hacker News thread discussing this phenomenon, one user recalled that the Travelmall.com site experimented with a similar search/price filtering approach for Mac users back in 2001. Although there was clear evidence that the upsell worked, the total population of Mac users visiting the site was too small in those days to make it worth the effort to distinguish them.
LG C729 Android phone for T-Mobile clears the FCC, packs a low-res display
Oftentimes, when phones hit the FCC, they raise more questions than they answer. Case in point: the LG C729, a handset that just cleared the Commission, revealing little more than the fact that it will run on T-Mobile's 1700MHz spectrum. Other than the cellular / PCS, GSM / GPRS / EDGE, and AWS WCDMA / HSPA connectivity, we know it has Bluetooth and WLAN radios. And that's all you can squeeze out of the report, since LG asked the FCC to keep the test manual and any photos under wraps, as companies with their trade secrets are wont to do. But, as PocketNow reports, the user agent profile tells a fuller story, with nods to a some version of Android as the OS, and a low-resolution 320 x 480 display. So far, word on the street is that LG will launch two Android handsets on T-Mobile this fall, including the Maxx and the Maxx Q, which will have a QWERTY keyboard. So what say you, readers? Just what is this thing?
Epic 4G user agent string suggests Gingerbread is on the way?
Samsung's Epic 4G just recently got Froyo, but it might not be too long before the handset bites into another toothsome treat -- a user agent profile at Sprint's own website lists a newer software based on Android 2.3. We can't say definitively whether this ED12 build will actually make it to retail phones anytime soon, mind you -- our own Epic 4G is presently on EC05 right now -- but it seems very likely that Europeans won't be the only Galaxy S owners to snarf down gumdrop buttons this year.
Safari tip: Force HTML5 video to open instead of Flash
As more people get fed up with the poor performance and security flaws of Adobe's Flash Player, they are uninstalling the Flash plug-in from their computers. The problem is that even if a site offers up HTML5 video as an alternative to Flash, trying to get to it from Safari on a Mac will pop up the little blue LEGO block. Mac users can now take advantage of the fact that Mobile Safari in iOS doesn't support Flash in any way, by changing the desktop user agent. A browser feature that was first widely used to get websites to serve up non-standard HTML optimized for Internet Explorer, Mac Safari 5 users can change their user agent settings by enabling the Developer menu through Preferences > Advanced. From the Developer menu, the user agent can be changed so that the browser looks like Mobile Safari 3.2.2 on the iPad, which will force sites to feed HTML5 video streams if they are available. There are, of course, some caveats. Unlike some other browsers, changing the Safari user agent only persists for the current browser window instance. Additional browser windows or restarting the browser gets you back to the original agent. John Gruber of Daring Fireball, who originally figured all of this out, provides a Terminal command that will permanently change the user agent, but since that can break other functionality, the temporary route is recommended. For sites that only serve Flash video, users can still go Flash-free in Safari by opening the site in Google Chrome, which features its own built-in Flash player. [via Mac OS X Hints]
Playing Hulu on Google TV is as easy as changing one setting
We know Google mentioned it would be a "good citizen" and allow Hulu to block its browser ID, but that doesn't mean you have to be one too. By default, accessing the website from a Google TV device yields a prompt hoping you'll wait for the two to work out some kind of agreement on Hulu Plus access, but with a Flash enabled browser at the ready, we're sure all you want to do is press play. The fine folks over at GadgetWhore first discovered that by digging deep into the advanced settings of the Chrome browser app and changing the browser ID to "Generic" or any custom string one may prefer, Hulu streams immediately start playing with no problem (users may want to change back to default afterwards to make sure other pages render properly.) That's one benefit of having a "run-of-the-mill" desktop browser integrated into your set-top box, so w while early adopters may only be moments away from discovering the dark side of Google TV, it seems like a few easy browser tweaks may take care of most issues -- let us know if you've run into any others.
How to re-enable Netflix in Safari 5 (updated)
We're getting a ton of tips about Netflix being broken in Safari 5, and while we're pretty sure Reed Hastings and crew will have things patched up in the morning, we thought we'd share the quick fix with you now, since it's so simple. The problem isn't actually Safari 5, it's the browser agent string -- Netflix doesn't recognize it as a supported browser, so all you have to do is turn on the developer menu and change Safari's user agent back to 4.1. Ready? It's just a couple steps: Open Preferences > Advanced and click "Show Develop menu in menu bar". In the Develop menu, select User Agent and hit "Safari 4.1". Watch some Netflix! Of course, you'll have to switch it back to use any Safari 5-optimized sites that check for the latest version of Apple's browser, but that's not too hard -- and like we said, we're guessing the Netflix crew will have this sorted in no time, so you shouldn't need to worry about this in the future. Update: Told you they'd get it fixed soon enough -- reader Colin tells us things are working fine with Safari 5 as of this morning.
HTC 'Vision' finally bringing high-end QWERTY to Android?
For a company with as rich of a reputation for landscape QWERTY sliders as HTC has, you'd think they'd be tripping over themselves to release a truly high-end Android phone with a keyboard, but not so much -- the closest they've come so far would be the midrange myTouch 3G Slide, and that puppy ain't even out yet. We broke the news last night about three seemingly new names for upcoming HTC devices -- Vision, LED, and Glacier -- and Dutch site Tweakers.net is now reporting on a user agent profile for the Vision that lists the device featuring that mythical holy trinity: WVGA display, QWERTY, and Android. Furthermore, they've got the director of HTC Benelux on record saying that they're planning more Android phones with keyboards -- so that's a Good Thing to hear at a time when huge slates seem to be stealing the show in every segment of the market. With the Nexus One, Desire, Droid Incredible, and EVO 4G all alive and well, we think these guys would be well-served to play with other form factors for a minute or two, yeah?
HTC Magic's user agent profile says it has a QWERTY keyboard, possible myTouch Slide for T-Mobile?
We'd just heard the other day some hot rumors that HTC's aging Magic would see a new version on T-Mobile this Spring with a physical keyboard added into the mix, and now we've got some corroborating evidence: an official user agent profile for the Sapphire (HTC's original codename for the phone) that proudly boasts of its QWERTY capability. You might think that this doesn't mean much since even Android phones without physical keyboard still have access to QWERTY through software, but actually, the "prf:Keyboard" line in these bundles of XML typically reads "No" if there isn't an actual keyboard in tow. Ironically, the original myTouch just got reworked with a 3.5mm headphone jack, but who knows -- maybe T-Mobile's evil plan is to let the old one soldier on for another handful of months and offer a new model just above it with a whole bunch of extra keys?
Motorola 'Ruth' specs outed, likely company's least interesting Android phone yet
Don't look for it to replace your Droid -- or even your CLIQ -- but Motorola's got another Android phone coming up here that's likely targeting a decidedly different market. The so-called "Ruth" -- model number MB511 -- has been unearthed via Motorola's own user agent profile database, revealing a decidedly HTC Tattoo-like QVGA display, GSM / WCDMA radio of some sort, and Qualcomm MSM7200a processor. What's more, we're seeing a mention of Android 1.5 in the browser specs section of the profile -- so whatever this is, whatever GSM carriers around the world pick it up, let's hope there's already an Eclair-flavored update in the pipe.
Hulu still silent on PS3, Windows Mobile blocking - but there's a free solution
A few days after blocking PlayStation 3 users, Hulu has yet to respond to questions concerning the change which has only helped to fuel rumors it is related to the Microsoft ad campaign currently featured on the site, but that seems less likely now that we've confirmed it also began blocking the Flash-enabled Skyfire browser on Windows Mobile devices at the same time. Whatever the cause is, if you prefer a homegrown hack over something like PlayOn or TVersity, Eric over at ypass.net has put together a simple enough walkthrough for creating an "unblockable" workaround by setting up a locally connected PC running Linux or Windows with the freely available Squid proxy server software that will make your PS3 look like appear as a PC running a Firefox (or whatever you prefer) browser to any website that asks. Of course, just like the other solutions your computer will need to stay running to keep you connected, but we figure it's a small price to pay for enjoying relatively low res Flash video running on an HDTV.Read - Got a PS3? Want Hulu Back? Easy enough...Read - Squid-setup for Windows NT /2k /X
Firefox 3 and MobileMe not working? It might be Ubiquity plugin
While this might not be news for everyone, reader Brad and I seemed to be having the same problem: Using Firefox 3, we would see the "unsupported browser" message pictured while trying to use me.com. Obviously, Firefox 3 is a supported browser for MobileMe. A TUAW colleague gave it a try and found everything to work fine. Brad and I compared notes about what plugins we have in common, and found that Ubiquity was causing the problem. It turned out to be related to the user-agent string: MobileMe uses the user-agent string to determine what browser you're using, and Ubiquity tacks on an extra bit at the end. For example, without Ubiquity installed, it shows Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.0.5) Gecko/2008120121 Firefox/3.0.5. With Ubiquity installed, it said Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.0.5) Gecko/2008120121 Firefox/3.0.5 Ubiquity/0.1.5. (Emphasis mine.) Since MobileMe doesn't know what to do with the extra Ubiquity text at the end, it thinks you have an unsupported browser, and shows you that error. The good news is that you can fix this, thanks to a simple technique from Tim Jarrett, and still use both Ubiquity and MobileMe. Read on to find out how. Thanks, Brad!
How to nab free T-Mobile WiFi lovin' without running Vista
So, you're not quite ready to spring for a copy of Vista, or maybe your system can't handle it, or perhaps you're running Mac OS or (gasp) Linux. Why should you be left out of those three months of free T-Mobile WiFi just because you don't kowtow to The Man? Never fear, it turns out it isn't all that hard to get tricksy on those T-Mobile Hotspots, since they're only verifying your OS based on the user agent string your browser spits out. Luckily for you, a simple bit of googling will quickly reveal methods for swapping the user agent on most major browsers, and once you enter the string "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0)" you should be all good to go. Then all you'll need to do is train your browser to http://hotspot.t-mobile.com/vista/ and start browsing those internets. Tell 'em Engadget sent ya', they'll understand.
