:00:05. > :00:11.fighters opened fire. Now on BBC News it is time for
:00:11. > :00:21.Click. Wanted, as many friends as possible
:00:21. > :00:31.
:00:31. > :00:35.helping to move into our new house. This week on Click, could Facebook
:00:35. > :00:40.friends and Twitter chatter now be influential in up to tip the race
:00:40. > :00:44.for the White House? We are in Kenya where we catch up with some
:00:44. > :00:50.particularly African start ups, and in Asia, to discuss the hi-tech
:00:50. > :00:57.hotel controlled by your phone. We will also showcase and app that
:00:57. > :01:04.brings all your conversations together in Webscape.
:01:04. > :01:07.Welcome to Click. Next week, there is the small matter of electing the
:01:07. > :01:12.President of the United States. We wondered whether this time around,
:01:12. > :01:17.the use of social networks could actually swing the race. It is very
:01:17. > :01:22.tight. 2008 was the first big political outing for Twitter and
:01:22. > :01:29.Facebook. Many felt that President Obama out tweeted his opponent,
:01:29. > :01:39.John McCain. But four years on, both parties have mastered the art
:01:39. > :01:41.
:01:41. > :01:45.of the 140 Character campaign message, and a whole lot more.
:01:45. > :01:49.For decades, television has been the central battleground for
:01:49. > :01:53.presidential races, now social media campaigning has caught up.
:01:54. > :02:01.Millions of dollars spent by candidates Barack Obama and Mitt
:02:01. > :02:04.Romney have ensured a saturated cyber presence. Campaigning may
:02:04. > :02:07.have been officially paused after Superstorm Sandy hit America's
:02:07. > :02:15.eastern seaboard, but the chat rooms and message boards never go
:02:15. > :02:24.silent. Lee Byrne Rubinstein is now political art which director at
:02:24. > :02:29.Tumblr, that and the last election, she worked at MySpace. I was
:02:29. > :02:38.working directly with all the campaigns. I can attest to the fact
:02:38. > :02:42.that Obama invested far more than anyone else in that category. This
:02:42. > :02:50.year, social media, it is assumed that candidates will engage in that
:02:50. > :02:54.way. The political consulting universe that has sprung up around,
:02:54. > :02:59.servicing the needs of the candidates, is really staggering.
:02:59. > :03:07.Compared to four years ago, the amount of personal information that
:03:07. > :03:12.is available online and off-line to die set has exploded. The biggest
:03:12. > :03:17.being in the 2012 race is the use of big data. It is the merging of
:03:17. > :03:21.different sources together. They have been able to target them on a
:03:21. > :03:30.very precise level. You take marketing data, from consumer
:03:30. > :03:35.databases, you have files that political parties keep, and finally,
:03:35. > :03:39.what they do online, and their social networking activities.
:03:39. > :03:45.political parties can also identify a possible circle of friends, and
:03:45. > :03:49.use that group to spread ideas. You are more likely to pay attention to
:03:49. > :03:53.messages from your friends than your politicians. Presidential
:03:53. > :03:59.campaigns are a useful reminder of just how fast a technology moves.
:03:59. > :04:04.In 2008, there simply were not any iPads, cellphones were a little
:04:04. > :04:08.smaller, lower resolution, more difficult to read information from,
:04:08. > :04:13.and if you jump forward to today, laptops are lighter and longer
:04:13. > :04:18.lasting, battery wise, and so the average voter is far more likely to
:04:18. > :04:22.be watching the election through multiple screens. While they are
:04:22. > :04:27.watching television, they had a second screen, and they are
:04:27. > :04:35.commenting in real time on Twitter. There is a second conversation
:04:35. > :04:43.going on. You have the debate and then the chattering masses. Also
:04:43. > :04:51.some good fact-checking as well. way is that more evident than at a
:04:51. > :04:56.debate watching party in college. It is the second presidential
:04:56. > :04:59.debate, and many students at Boston University are constantly typing
:04:59. > :05:04.all looking at messages on Facebook, Twitter, and new favourite
:05:04. > :05:09.Instagram. But it is not clear whether this parallel streams of
:05:09. > :05:13.information and insight are always helpful, especially when one of the
:05:13. > :05:19.candidates says something that is a little unexpected. Mitt Romney
:05:19. > :05:23.talked about the funding PBS, and about Big Bird, myself, along with
:05:23. > :05:29.a lot of people, could not focus on what anyone else was saying for the
:05:29. > :05:38.rest of the debate, because we were thinking, what did he say? The
:05:38. > :05:44.twitters stream reflected that. At times, a social media can be a
:05:44. > :05:50.distraction from the real issues. They brought us binders full of
:05:50. > :05:54.women. Many of the stand-up phrases in this year's race, including,
:05:54. > :05:59.binders full of women, horses and bayonets, had been captured on
:05:59. > :06:08.Tumblr, which is one of the social sides credited with the rebirth of
:06:08. > :06:14.the animated gif. It helped to boost its total number of users to
:06:14. > :06:20.41 million. A gift plays when you look at it, whether you like it or
:06:20. > :06:29.not, and if you catch it in the debate, it catches body language
:06:29. > :06:36.and facial expressions. You can try to describe it in words but it will
:06:36. > :06:41.not fit in 140 words. In a visual orientated quarter, this is
:06:41. > :06:48.important. We Twitter recording 40 million tweets during the
:06:48. > :06:52.conventions a lion, this has 360,000 in 2008, it is obvious that
:06:52. > :06:55.social media is having more of an impact four years on, despite
:06:55. > :06:59.claims that the fate of followers and friends can be bought for
:06:59. > :07:07.pennies each. The irony is that as soon as the election is over, the
:07:07. > :07:17.White House of Winnie -- winner will shed as many social media
:07:17. > :07:19.
:07:19. > :07:25.towns as possible. A look at some of the big
:07:25. > :07:30.technology stories. It was not just campaigning that was disrupted by
:07:30. > :07:34.the weather on America's East Coast. Superstorm Sandy briefly managed to
:07:34. > :07:40.take dime several high-profile websites, including Gizmodo and the
:07:40. > :07:46.Huffington Post, which ran a low- tech version of its site. Many site
:07:46. > :07:50.outages were blamed on battery failure. Emergency site such as
:07:50. > :07:54.Hurricane Hattie has emerged, with information like maps of places
:07:54. > :07:58.that need sandbagging, and ways for people to sign up and raise
:07:58. > :08:04.donations. Apple has changed the way his voice activated search
:08:04. > :08:11.service works, after it emerged it was directing users do it sites
:08:11. > :08:19.that are illegal. It comes amid a management shake-up. The executive
:08:19. > :08:24.which over short the criticised maps app is to leave her. Mobile
:08:24. > :08:29.phone users in 11 British cities willing to pay a premium now had
:08:29. > :08:34.access to a super high-speed mobile broadband, the 4G network from EE
:08:34. > :08:38.offers speeds up to five times faster than 3G, which means that a
:08:38. > :08:43.high-definition movie could be downloaded in minutes. So far only
:08:43. > :08:48.a handful of devices support 4G, and the new service is being
:08:48. > :08:51.criticised for the more expensive than other data at Harris. The man
:08:52. > :08:56.behind Star Wars, George Lucas, is selling the franchise and the
:08:56. > :09:00.company which made the movie is to Disney. The $4 billion deal will
:09:00. > :09:06.see Disney produced the final three episodes of the original Star Wars
:09:06. > :09:16.series, starting with number seven, due to be released in 2015. Once
:09:16. > :09:20.finished, Disney has promised a brand-new Star Wars every few years.
:09:20. > :09:24.You will remember a few weeks ago we visited Kenya. It was a long
:09:24. > :09:27.road trip and we were there may need to look at the simple
:09:27. > :09:35.technologies which were designed to solve problems that he will only
:09:35. > :09:41.find in the developing world. They are simple solutions. While we were
:09:41. > :09:51.there, we also popped into a place which has more hi-tech aspirations.
:09:51. > :10:09.
:10:09. > :10:15.But it still has a distinctly An exclusive live set from two of
:10:16. > :10:20.Kenya's up and coming gospel stars. They enjoy at least a little fame
:10:21. > :10:25.in Kenya, but that does not mean that they make much money. Much of
:10:25. > :10:35.the music is pirated online, and that is why these two artists have
:10:35. > :10:37.
:10:37. > :10:40.signed up for an idea that was born in this very room. By day, this
:10:41. > :10:50.glass-fronted top four of a Nairobi office block is an open-plan office
:10:51. > :10:53.
:10:53. > :10:59.space. It is named 88kph. It is in a reference to the speed needed to
:10:59. > :11:03.achieve time-travel in back to the future. It is one of several start
:11:03. > :11:08.up incubators in the City, which offers support, guidance and
:11:08. > :11:13.possibly investment. The start-ups to which they have lent their name
:11:13. > :11:16.to, it is a new way of selling music downloads. In Kenya, this is
:11:17. > :11:24.mostly done through feature of bone from the website, which only pay
:11:24. > :11:31.the artist a small percentage. This hip-hop star is also helping to
:11:31. > :11:34.push this new idea. It is a scratch card bought from newsagents, which
:11:34. > :11:39.will cut out the network operators and pay more of the money to those
:11:39. > :11:45.who create the music. It is also hoped that is more convenient way
:11:45. > :11:55.would mean that fewer people will attend to download pirated copies.
:11:55. > :12:00.-- will attend. The projects do mostly target owners of simple
:12:00. > :12:05.phones, there is a service for schools, which was sent messages
:12:05. > :12:09.and take some results. -- test. This is the pilot for a local
:12:09. > :12:14.newspaper published online and on mobile websites. Its stories are
:12:14. > :12:16.sourced and written by budding local reporters in the area,
:12:16. > :12:24.delivered by the Mao and that checked by essential sub editing
:12:24. > :12:29.teams. -- by email. But can such ideas, aimed at so many people who
:12:29. > :12:37.live close to the poverty line, really yield profits that were
:12:37. > :12:42.tracked big investors? -- that will attract. There are certain times
:12:42. > :12:52.that such opportunities come along. Right now, there is the opportunity
:12:52. > :12:56.in Africa. There is an explosion in mobile phone users. It is a
:12:56. > :13:04.continent of almost 1 billion people. The English-speaking
:13:04. > :13:10.population in Africa is larger than in the US.
:13:10. > :13:15.Whether the challenge is uniquely African or one faced the world over,
:13:15. > :13:19.such as music piracy, the solutions are out there, they just need a
:13:19. > :13:29.little bit of buying from investors, and more importantly, from their
:13:29. > :13:37.
:13:37. > :13:40.target audience. If, like us, you travel a lot on
:13:40. > :13:46.business, then you may also have come across a mid-range hotels that
:13:46. > :13:52.aim to provide something a little bit extra. So-called hi-tech hotels
:13:52. > :13:57.might offer automated mood settings, or gadgets with interactive bits,
:13:57. > :14:03.but rarely do these flashy extras come together in a single, neat
:14:03. > :14:08.concept, that also saves you money. One hotel that we came across on a
:14:08. > :14:12.recent trip to Thailand aims to do exactly that, using one of bees. We
:14:12. > :14:22.cannot resist popping along to see if it could deliver a five-star
:14:22. > :14:22.
:14:22. > :14:27.Bangkok has always been a city that is just as home -- just as at home
:14:27. > :14:32.with the old as the new. But this hotel may be leading the way we
:14:32. > :14:37.stay when we travel in the future. Although there is not much that is
:14:37. > :14:47.futuristic from the outside. Things start to change as soon as you get
:14:47. > :14:47.
:14:47. > :14:53.to the reception desk. A run for Dan Simmons's please. Instead of a
:14:53. > :15:01.key card, I have been given a mobile phone. Useful because to get
:15:01. > :15:05.to my room, I will need to use the lives. They are activated by an NFC
:15:05. > :15:10.chip inside by newly acquired Hann said. The door to my new home
:15:10. > :15:15.operate in the same way, recognising it is me. -- handset.
:15:15. > :15:21.And it gets better. Once in the room, you can control pretty much
:15:21. > :15:25.anything from this phone. From the bedside lights to maybe the
:15:25. > :15:31.curtains, making sure you are not disturbed during that movie you
:15:31. > :15:37.might want to watch. Of course, give a boy a toy and he will play
:15:37. > :15:43.with it. I gave the lights a good workout for at least 15 minutes. On,
:15:43. > :15:47.off, on... Once the novelty faded, I found the pre- programmed mood
:15:47. > :15:52.settings came into their own. One touch and several things happened
:15:52. > :15:58.at once. The remarkable thing about the set-up is that hardly any of
:15:58. > :16:03.that uses new technology. The smartphone is an old Samsung Galaxy
:16:03. > :16:07.phone. The television and lights are controlled through Bluetooth
:16:07. > :16:13.all Wi-Fi. Each room has a wireless receiver tucked in behind the wall,
:16:13. > :16:18.and even staff do not know rarities. That in turn controls whatever it
:16:18. > :16:25.is you need to control. -- where it is. The key is that it brings it
:16:25. > :16:29.all together from concierge to mood music. -- is that this app. It is
:16:29. > :16:33.not just smartphones. The hotel found an innovative way to use
:16:33. > :16:39.tablets. In the lobby, they offer local information and in the
:16:39. > :16:44.restaurant you can use at iPod de que roos order a bottle of wine --
:16:44. > :16:48.bottle of wine. Just make sure you get the right table! And the
:16:48. > :16:54.concept of technology making will stay easy and pleasant extends to
:16:54. > :16:59.when you are out and about. Because the handset comes with a local SIM
:16:59. > :17:03.card that has an all-you-can-eat data planned, you can access Life
:17:03. > :17:10.naps, so if websites and make local calls without paying a penny. You
:17:10. > :17:13.can even set up a Wi-Fi hot spot to connect your own devices. You can
:17:13. > :17:22.also call internationally using your connection for a fraction of
:17:22. > :17:27.the usual roaming price. While free calls may be welcome to travellers,
:17:27. > :17:31.this phone will not have your contacts on it. And if you lose
:17:31. > :17:36.this phone, do will have to pay the entire replacement cost to the
:17:36. > :17:41.hotel which will be expensive. And then there is the issue of security.
:17:41. > :17:45.All of those numbers you have been using an internet pages are stored
:17:45. > :17:50.on a SIM card that is not yours. And on a handset that you are
:17:50. > :17:55.leaving with the hotel. Back at base, the hotel manager assures me
:17:55. > :18:00.my privacy is being carefully guarded. Renewed checkout, another
:18:00. > :18:05.important part is the privacy and data. It automatically a raises the
:18:05. > :18:09.data. The number you have been issued is a bank of 1,000 numbers
:18:09. > :18:14.so it gets to the back of the queue. It will not be re-used for many
:18:14. > :18:18.months. You will not get the phone calls from people. The smartphone
:18:18. > :18:23.idea can be applied to any hotel with a few modifications. The
:18:23. > :18:29.company behind it says the next step is to make it work with any
:18:29. > :18:33.smartphone. Currently, we used, as you have seen, at app on the phone
:18:33. > :18:37.that we distribute to guests. In the future, it will be downloadable
:18:37. > :18:41.and that app will go into the individual's device. That will make
:18:41. > :18:46.a difference. Everybody wants to use their own devices as they are
:18:46. > :18:50.more comfortable with that. In the meantime, guests are politely
:18:50. > :18:55.requested to take good care of the handsets. Four free calling,
:18:55. > :19:03.internet access, considered and for controlling everything in the room.
:19:03. > :19:10.I have no idea where it is! And the television is off. Dan Simmons,
:19:10. > :19:14.traumatised without his mobile phone or any television. And if you
:19:14. > :19:19.have been in that kind of a situation, wanting to keep in touch
:19:19. > :19:25.with friends abroad, not tearing up your hotel room, Kate Russell has a
:19:25. > :19:32.clever app in Webscape which should mean you never miss a text, Tweed,
:19:32. > :19:36.post, status update, e-mail message...
:19:36. > :19:41.A recent UK study found we are now more likely to send a text message
:19:41. > :19:46.than pick up the phone. But with contacts scattered across so many
:19:46. > :19:51.social and chat platforms, you are in danger of tying your apps in a
:19:51. > :19:57.not trying to talk to everybody. Not with this chat applicator that
:19:57. > :20:07.connects with all of the Instant Messager platforms including MSN, I
:20:07. > :20:14.
:20:14. > :20:18.am, Facebook and Skype. -- IM. You don't often think of Facebook as an
:20:18. > :20:22.instant messenger client but with so many using it, there is a good
:20:22. > :20:25.chance the person you want to talk to it is using Facebook. The next
:20:25. > :20:29.time you want to swap it out with somebody on holiday, instead of
:20:29. > :20:34.giving them your mobile telephone number, why not swap Facebook
:20:34. > :20:37.account details? Then you can speak to them on things done it --
:20:37. > :20:43.Instant Messenger, the cost is negligible or free and if they turn
:20:43. > :20:47.into a nightmare when you get home, just block their account. You can
:20:47. > :20:57.connect with people through the bowser application for with one of
:20:57. > :21:01.the free smartphone apps. Sometimes, you need more than a
:21:01. > :21:06.text message. Meetupcall is a conference service that is easy to
:21:06. > :21:10.use, you might never have a face to face meeting again. Just invite
:21:10. > :21:14.pasta defence by e-mail, clearly stating time and date, and it
:21:14. > :21:17.include meetupcall on the invitation list. Now, the service
:21:17. > :21:22.takes over, keeping everyone informed about the meeting and who
:21:22. > :21:28.is attending, even extracting and including link the touts and
:21:28. > :21:33.photographs so you know who you are talking to it on the call. -- link
:21:34. > :21:38.details. The free account shares the cost of the conference call
:21:38. > :21:42.between all the participants, so everybody picks up their own
:21:42. > :21:45.charges, dialling in from 10 different global locations. There
:21:45. > :21:50.are premium that never ships, upgrades if you want more
:21:50. > :21:54.participants or more dialing locations, and the pay as you go
:21:54. > :21:58.account lets you pick up the cost of your participants calls, only
:21:58. > :22:03.paying for the minutes you use. Once the call is finished, there
:22:03. > :22:07.will be a recording in your Inbox if you ever need to check what was
:22:07. > :22:14.said. If you prefer to communicate
:22:14. > :22:19.through music, don't worry, I will not sing again, but I have a funky
:22:19. > :22:25.collection of free Windows Phone 7 they should get your beads mixing.
:22:25. > :22:32.RaveIT is an awesome simple drum machine that lets you build from
:22:32. > :22:38.pre-loaded percussion sounds. Human Beatbox, as the name would suggest,
:22:38. > :22:42.draws on recordings made by you to fill up the sample grid. You can't
:22:43. > :22:47.record a new plight you can with a drum machine app, which is a shame,
:22:47. > :22:52.but it is loads of fun going around and picking up samples by recording
:22:52. > :22:57.people's voices or sounds around you and then capping it out with
:22:57. > :23:03.your fingers. In the time honoured tradition of TV, here is one I
:23:03. > :23:13.prepared earlier. Sequencer it's a more grown-up app.
:23:13. > :23:13.
:23:13. > :23:18.But it is still simple to master. But if you prefer to go plain daft,
:23:18. > :23:28.checkout this gimmick from a pop band but it really is quite fun.
:23:28. > :23:29.
:23:29. > :23:35.And it is very silly. Remember, remember, this month is November.
:23:35. > :23:39.So get your moustache on to raise awareness for men's health issues,
:23:39. > :23:44.particularly prostate and testicular cancer. Find out more at
:23:44. > :23:48.the roadside or two it -- or download the free apps.
:23:48. > :23:53.-- the website. And step aside Siri, Google has
:23:53. > :24:00.added a voice assistance to its revamped surge up that looks to set
:24:00. > :24:06.over disgruntled Apple owners, with lightning-fast recognition. What is
:24:06. > :24:13.the weather like in Tokyo? And accurate results.
:24:13. > :24:19.Kate Russell with Webscape. All of those links are at our website.