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Recently, we’ve heard some questions about the difference between eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions) and RPM (revenue per thousand impressions), as the older AdSense interface references eCPM and the newer version shows RPM. We’d like to clarify and let you know that the terms are referring to the same thing: both eCPM and RPM represent your estimated earnings for every 1000 impressions. To calculate this figure, divide your estimated earnings by the number of page views, impressions or queries that you received, then multiply by 1000. For example, if you earned an estimated $0.20 from 50 page views, then your page eCPM or RPM would equal ($0.20 / 50) * 1000 or $4.00.

Formula:
eCPM or RPM = (Estimated earnings / Number of page views) * 1000

To avoid confusion in the future, we’ll work to use only one term (RPM). RPM is a commonly used metric in advertising programs, and you may find it helpful for comparing revenue across different channels. You can learn a lot more about using RPM in our two part blog series (part 1 and part 2).

The last week of February saw Motorola XOOM went live and Android hackers being an ever ready lot did what so many expected of them – rooted the first Honeycomb powered Tablet. Last week, a rumor surfaced which suggested that Motorola will not upgrade the unlocked/rooted XOOM Tablets to make it 4G ready. Motorola has made it clear that this is not the case and they will be upgrading the rooted Tablets as well.

Here’s the official statement from the makers of the Tablet which faces some serious competition from the iPad 2:

All Motorola XOOM tablets on the Verizon Wireless network are eligible to receive an upgrade to support 4G LTE. This includes those that have been unlocked; however, those units must be submitted for upgrade with the original factory software reinstalled and the device relocked in order to receive the upgrade.

For devices that are returned unlocked, Motorola will attempt to complete the upgrade, but may be unable to update the software. In these cases, the device will be returned to the consumer with just the 4G LTE modem installed.

To sum it all up, the rooted Motorola XOOM has to be relocked and returned with factory settings which will make sure that the device gets a complete upgrade. Devices that are returned rooted may not get the complete upgrade.

1. Google Chrome Backup Extension

Google Chrome backup add-on creates, backups, restores and manages Chrome profiles. All history, bookmarks and related stuff are maintained very easily with this add-on. So in case there is a system crash or accidental deletion, you can easily restore or get back the lost settings in Google Chrome.

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The much rumored, exceedingly hyped and anxiously awaited Mac App Store has just went live, and is now accessible through Mac OS X machines, particularly through version 10.6.6 of Snow Leopard, this launch finally brings the iOS similar application market and puts it in the hands of millions of Mac OS X users worldwide.

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The digital rights management (DRM) security used by Microsoft to protect apps in its Windows Phone 7 Marketplace has been cracked, enthusiast blog WPCentral reports. Though the technology needed to do so is not yet in the hands of the general public, the DRM protecting paid applications can now easily be stripped off of apps. If details of the vulnerability used to achieve the DRM crack are made available to the public, unscrupulous programers could use the exploit to develop software that allows users to steal applications and deploy them to Windows Phone 7 devices. Microsoft has not publicly responded to the security hole, though WPCentral claims the company has been made aware of the issue. Hit the break to see Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Marketplace security being manhandled in a proof-of-concept video demonstration.

Google has launched its long-awaited e-bookstore, Google E-books, bringing more than 3 million books — many of them free — to any device with a web browser in the U.S.

The initiative, previously known as Google Editions, offers an alternative sales model from the dominant players in the space, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple.

Instead of purchasing e-books through a single online store to read only on compatible software (i.e. books bought from the Kindle Store can only be read on Kindle apps), GoogleGoogleGoogle lets consumers buy books either from its store or any other online vendor that sells books in EPUB and PDF formats, and read them on any device with a web browser.

This allows independent booksellers with loyal customer bases to advertise and sell Google e-books via their own venues and take an (as of yet undisclosed) cut of the revenue, an opportunity previously denied to them. It also allows consumers to choose whom to purchase their books from on Google’s platform, just as consumers can choose between third-party sellers on Amazon. Google E-books is also launching with an affiliates program in place.

It’s a smart move on Google’s end, as the company will have potentially thousands of booksellers and affiliates marketing on behalf of its service.

In addition to a Google Web Reader application, users will be able to read Google e-books on apps for AndroidAndroidAndroid, iPhone and iPad devices. Reading content will automatically sync across devices, so if you begin reading in the morning in the iPad, you’ll be able to pick up where you left off on your iPhone or Android device on the subway, and again on your office computer during your lunch break.

Nearly 4,000 publishers will be providing content through Google E-books at launch, including all of the major players: Random House, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, etc.

It’s a brand new ecosystem, which makes retailers and affiliates, as well as publishers, participants in the e-book selling process for the first time.

The very first Android phone hit the market in November 2008. Just over two years later, Android’s vision of openness has spurred the development of more than 100 different Android devices. Today, more than 200,000 Android devices are activated daily worldwide. The volume and variety of Android devices continues to surpass our wildest expectations—but we’re not slowing down.

Today, we’re pleased to introduce the latest version of the Android platform, Gingerbread, and unveil the next Android device from the Nexus line of mobile products—Nexus S. And for developers, the Gingerbread SDK/NDK is now available as well.

* 1 GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor
* 16GB of built-in iNAND flash memory
* 4-inch Super AMOLED Contour Display curved glass screen
* 5 megapixel rear camera and front-facing VGA camera
* Near Field Communication (NFC)
* Assisted GPS (A-GPS)

Nexus S is the lead device for the Gingerbread/Android 2.3 release; it’s the first Android device to ship with the new version of the Android platform. We co-developed this product with Samsung—ensuring tight integration of hardware and software to highlight the latest advancements of the Android platform. As part of the Nexus brand, Nexus S delivers what we call a “pure Google” experience: unlocked, unfiltered access to the best Google mobile services and the latest and greatest Android releases and updates.

Take a look at our backstory video for more on the vision behind this product and to understand why we think “a thousand heads are better than one”:

Nexus S is the first smartphone to feature a 4” Contour Display designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand and along the side of your face. It also features a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, front and rear facing cameras, 16GB of internal memory, and NFC (near field communication) hardware that lets you read information from NFC tags. NFC is a fast, versatile short-range wireless technology that can be embedded in all kinds of everyday objects like movie posters, stickers and t-shirts.

Gingerbread is the fastest version of Android yet, and it delivers a number of improvements, such as user interface refinements, NFC support, a new keyboard and text selection tool, Internet (VoIP/SIP) calling, improved copy/paste functionality and gyroscope sensor support.

Google’s attempt to purchase Groupon by offering them a handsome amount of money has gone in vain. Mind you this is not the official statement coming out of Google or Groupon. Instead this news comes your way via a couple of sources familiar with the matter which is normally what happens in these cases.

It seems that the daily deal offering startup wasn’t attracted by the 5 – 6 billion dollar acquisition offer put up by the search engine giants. There are chances that Groupon may go forward with the initial public offering but will presumably go public no earlier than 2011.

Google was reached out for comments to which they gave a typical reply – Google doesn’t comment on rumors or speculations. The so called rumor or speculation may enter the reality zone come Monday as Groupon is expected to register their reply.

When a small company (in comparison to Google that is) rejects an acquisition offer from a one of the IT giants, one just wonders what gives. Well here is the thing, Groupon is an international organization with 3000 employees operating in 35 countries. Most important of all, the company is expected to get an impressive revenue of $500 million for the current year.

[via ChicagoBreakingBusiness]

Watch and control your home TV and DVR on your iPad!

When connected over 3G or Wi-Fi to a Slingbox SOLO or PRO-HD (Slingboxes* sold separately), you can play anything you can see on your home TV on your iPad. View and control video sources such as:

-Cable set-top box and DVR
-Satellite set-top box and DVR
-Telco / IPTV set-top box and DVR
-Basic Cable
-Digital Over-the-Air broadcasts (Slingbox Pro-HD only)
-Tivo
-Apple TV
-Home security cameras

You already pay for great content at home. Why settle for other iPad TV applications that only offer a limited selection of content when you can enjoy everything that’s on real TV?

*A Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD is required. The Slingbox PRO, AV, Tuner and Classic will not work at all with SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad.

FarmVillage is going to be available on Mixi, which is the top Japanese social network. But it will only be available for mobile ‘feature-phones’ — there’s no web-based version, at least for now, which could impact adoption. Update: Actually, most people access Mixi via their mobile phones, so this may not matter as much. The release is the first from Zynga Japan, the social gaming company’s joint venture with Softbank that was announced over the summer (in addition to a Softbank investment of $150 million).

However, there is a downside to this, as currently, no web version of FarmVillage is present. The game will be available through Mixi, which happens to be a Japanese social network. The games will be accessible through mobile feature-phones, which is not surprising as majority of Mixi users, access the social network through their mobile phones rather than a proper computer.

FarmVillage is the first release by Zynga Japan, which happens to be a joint venture between the social gaming company and Softbank, which had provided considerable investment. This launch is the latest update of the international expansion that Zynga is doing, as the company has previously launched Texas Poker in traditional Chinese this summer, and plans on launching CityVille in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish languages altogether.

The FarmVillage launch is actually the first time Zynga has internationally launched a game’s initial release. Would this game be able to dominate the way FarmVille has done? Let us know in your comments below.

Via TechCrunch