Roundup: Chinese PC sales rebound, Microsoft lobbies against Google, my ad network is bigger than yours

Incentived PC sales in China climb, making Americans look like a bunch of penny-pinching sissies — Chinese customers bought 11.7 million computers in the second quarter, a 14 percent rise over last  year’s sales. The Wall Street Journal says government stimulus plans have helped by knocking 13% off some products, bringing Lenovo’s entry-level PC price to $365. Flat-panel TVs are another hot item for which government incentives are available. Flat-screen glass maker Corning has been unable to keep up with what it says will be a 15% increase in monitor and TV sales this year, despite higher prices.
[Photo: Lenovo]
Microsoft’s chief D.C. lobbyist said to be holding regular “screw Google” meetings — Beltway gossips quoted by Daily Finance say Microsoft holds weekly meetings with Law Media Group, a secretive D.C.-based PR firm, and lobbyists Glover Park Group. Frankly, I think Daily Finance should’ve named the source quoted as saying, “Law Media Group has several people who work full-time on Google-bashing. Everybody knows Microsoft is trying to throw roadblocks at Google and knock them off their game. Microsoft is trying to harm Google in the regulatory, legal, and litigation arenas because they’re having problems with Google in the competitive marketplace.” What, are you afraid LMG will come over to your house and break your knees? John M. Simpson from Consumer Watchdog stood up and put his name on this quote:  ”It’s obvious that Microsoft is engaged in some sort of organized campaign to undermine Google” by casting the search supergiant as a bad guy to the Federal government.
Who’s the biggest mobile ad network? – VentureBeat often quotes AdMob, which claims to operate the largest network of mobile ads. SiliconAngle.com founder John Furrier doesn’t believe it, and cites different rankings from Nielsen that puts AdMob at #5 behind Millennial Media, Yahoo, Google and AOL. Nobody’s list is de facto correct, but Nielsen places Millennial at 45 million and AdMob at 25 million, a non-trivial difference in size.
TheFunded launches a four-month training program for startup founders — Founder Adeo Ressi plans to conduct a program called Founder Institute in San Diego, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Paris, Boston, Seattle, Denver, Singapore, London, Berlin and of course New York. Xconomy writer Bruce Bigelow describes Ressi a hybrid that combines the benefits of an incubator and a startup training camp for very early-stage entrepreneurs.”
Facebook’s advice for nonprofits — Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Facebook founder Mark, works on nonprofit initiatives for the company. At a New York conference held my Mashable, Randi advised non-profits to avoid these mistakes which the Wall Street Journal helpfully typed up for everyone: Relying on groups instead of fan pages. Including too many apps on pages. Sending donors to sites away from Facebook, which Zuckerberg said keeps them from forming a chatty, engaged fan base on Facebook.
[Photo: Flickr/Jim Fruchterman]
Onstage proposal charms Twitterati — Mashable COO Adam Hirsch proposed to his lady, Mashable Managing Editor Sharon Feder, in front of the entire audience at the Social Good conference in New York City. Besides getting a yes from Feder, Hirsch’s public plea spawned 165 tweets and an entry on Valleywag. Wow, that’s more coverage than my last divorce got.