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I’ve had a few discussions with people now about how to upgrade to Magento 1.4 in the best fashion.  Here is my approach, which works well, and I believe provides the cleanest solution.

   1. Backup everything!
   2. Create a sub-directory called /new on your server
   3. Copy 1.4 release to /new
   4. Take a copy of the existing 1.3.* Magento database, rename it and upload to MySql
   5. Change urls in core_config_data to point to /new
   6. Run magento installation process on /new, referring to the copied Magento database created in step 4 above
   7. Copy media data from base Magento directory into /new

After the installation has completed attempt to login to the magento installation at /new – what you should find is that you still retain all your catalog/customer/settings from 1.3.  If you look in the database you will see that this has been updated to a 1.4 database. As far as I can see there are no downsides to following this approach, Magento copes well with upgrading the database.

From here you need to re-install your extensions and create/install your theme. Because the 1.4 release is so signficant I think you will find that you will need to get a new theme, and possibly new extensions. I certainly wouldnt recommend installing a 1.3 theme on 1.4 – it’s not going to work.
 

Thanks to Karen @ matrixrate, for an excellent tip and a great extension.

Mobile app downloads will hit 6bn this year, more than double the 2.4bn that were downloaded in 2009, according to ABI Research. The market is being driven by increasing smartphone take-up alongside a growing number of mobile app stores, which are heightening competition in the space and stimulating demand. However, ABI claims both app downloads and revenues from app sales will decline by 2012 as more developers offer their apps for free or on an ad-supported basis in order to stay popular

Rates for mobile search ads will exceed those for PC search ads thanks to the growing popularity of smartphones. Speaking in an analyst briefing, Google's engineering VP Vic Gundotra said the number of Google searches via mobile has increased fivefold over the past two years. Although he declined to predict when the crossover will take place, Gundotra says mobile ad rates have already risen "dramatically".

"Google has bet big on mobile," says Gundotra. "We hope and believe that there's a chance that cost per click of mobile ads could exceed desktop in the future.”

His comments echo those of CEO Eric Schmidt, who said last month that Google is now a "mobile first" company. The firm has stepped up its mobile efforts in recent months, acquiring mobile ad network AdMob and launching its first mobile hardware, the Nexus One smartphone. Gundotra says Google is optimising its full range of services, not just search, for mobile devices. He claims more than 50m people are now using Google Maps from their mobiles.

Google Facts & Figures past and present. Excellent Time line showing Googles earnings and figures, past & present.

Including other Google apps, Google Search and of course the $ money !

Compiled by Pingdom, "Mission : to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. " I should add, whilst making a small fortune along the way "

Magento

According to a regulatory filing, LA-based Magento Commerce, which develops an open source e-commerce software suite, has recently received a $22.5 million capital injection in an equity funding round.

Magento was originally a product developed and marketed by Varien, a 9-year old company that also delivers e-commerce business consulting and other services, but has now effectively been incorporated as a stand-alone venture. It’s unclear whether the financing of Magento comes from Varien, or if the latter company’s existing and / or other investors have stepped in to provide funding. Either way, the company says it concerns ‘fresh’ cash.

Social networking, also referred to as social media, encompasses many Internet-based tools that make it easier for people to listen, interact, engage and collaborate with each other. Social networking platforms such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, message boards, Wikipedia and countless others are catching on like wildfire.
People use social networking to share recipes, photos, ideas and to keep friends updated on our lives. In many cases, you can use social networking tools from mobile devices, such as Blackberries and iPhones, as easily as from a PC or Mac. By its very nature, social networking is interactive.

You can tell anyone (that you want to talk to, and that wants to listen to you) anything about your opinions and experiences—and vice versa--through blogs, Facebook pages, videos and even 140 character messages called tweets.

You can also build communities based on common interests, causes and concerns. While we don’t have room to discuss all of the social networking sites, here’s a sampler to help you get your head around today’s most popular social networking tools:

Social media is growing increasingly important in online advertising campaigns, with 72% of marketers planning to invest in the sector this year, according to a survey from the Marketing Executives Networking Group.

For the first time, mobile marketing and social media have made it into the top 10 most-important marketing concepts. However, despite the sector’s importance, 'social media',

'Twitter' and 'social networking' are the top three buzzwords marketing execs are most tired of hearing.