Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Lady Gaga Shows Off New Polaroid Glasses and Printer [VIDEO]” |
- Lady Gaga Shows Off New Polaroid Glasses and Printer [VIDEO]
- Watch Google Docs Videos Directly in Your Browser
- The Numbers Behind Groupon’s Meteoric Rise [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Mashable Awards 2010: Announcing The Winners
- Nike Unveils GPS Sportswatch for the Data-Happy Runner
- 10 Must-Have Apps in the Mac App Store [SCREENSHOTS]
- Watch the 2010 Mashable Awards Show [LIVE]
- Startup Turns Artificial Intelligence into Serendipity Engine for Mobile
- New Digital Mailbox Will Let You Receive, Pay & Archive Multiple Bills
- Polaroid & Lady Gaga Launch New Line at CES [PICS]
- HANDS ON: SmartCradle Boosts GPS, Charges iPhone [PICS]
- Verizon Showcases 4G LTE Devices & Software
- How the Mac App Store Changes Everything
- Twitter Is Abuzz With CES-Related Chatter
- “Mafia Wars” Tie-in Builds Buzz for “The Green Hornet”
- HOW TO: Make Sure Your Smartphone Payments Are Secure
- Citing Facebook Effect, Salesforce.com Buys Dimdim
- “Jersey Shore”-Themed Badge Hits Foursquare
- Sneak Peek: Tesla Model S Electric Sedan [PICS]
- Music Subscription Services MOG & Rdio Coming to More Devices
- HANDS ON: Motorola Atrix 4G [PICS]
- New Year’s Tweets Set New Record
- Why Quora Will Never Be as Big as Twitter
- PepsiCo Snafu Illustrates Dangers of Crowd Sourcing
- Slacker Radio Unveils New iPad App & On-Demand Streaming Plan
- Golden-Voiced Homeless Man Voicing Commercial for Kraft
- Intel Shows Tiny PCs With Surprising Graphics Power [PICS]
- Skype Acquires Qik for $100 Million [CONFIRMED]
- HOW TO: Fix “Error 100″ in the Mac App Store
- Fans’ YouTube Videos Wind Up in NFL Promos
| Lady Gaga Shows Off New Polaroid Glasses and Printer [VIDEO] Posted: 07 Jan 2011 02:50 AM PST      If you’re a corporation with a long history in imaging like Polaroid, and you want an injection of creativity, one thing you can do is hire one of the most infamously creative (especially when it comes to visual image) artists around – Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga has been the creative director at Polaroid for exactly one year now, and, judging by its new line of products, the partnership definitely helped Polaroid establish a new direction for the company. This year at CES Lady Gaga helped the company unveil a new line of products, including the GL20 picture-taking sunglasses, and GL10, a mobile, wireless printer that can be used to print photos directly from your mobile phone. Despite her reputation for being wild and unpredictable, Lady Gaga did the job quite professionally, save a little trouble with her dark sunglasses which she refuses to take off. Check out the video of the presentation below. More About: glasses, Lady Gaga, Polariod, printer For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Watch Google Docs Videos Directly in Your Browser Posted: 07 Jan 2011 01:57 AM PST   Google has launched a new feature in Google Docs that enables you to watch videos you’ve uploaded to your documents directly in the browser. To watch a video, just click on it and press play. Google warns that the videos must be in a supported format, and that it takes some time to process newly uploaded videos (as well as some videos uploaded earlier last year), so they might not be immediately available for viewing. [Thanks Adam Kochanowicz for the tip] More About: browser, embedded, Google, google docs, video For more Tech coverage:
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| The Numbers Behind Groupon’s Meteoric Rise [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 10:58 PM PST   Without question, 2010 was Groupon’s year to rise and shine. While it might not have reached Facebook-like ubiquity or become a household name in middle America, this startup certainly made huge waves in the past 12 months. As competition in the daily deals space became more intense, Groupon blew its competitors out of the water, garnering the startup a massive, $6 billion acquisition offer from Google — an offer that Groupon quickly rejected. And just a week ago, the company announced a huge round of funding — a $950 million Series G that put the company’s post-money valuation in the $6.4 billion to $7.8 billion neighborhood. Here’s a tidy little infographic that sums it all up, including some interesting stats and numbers that flesh out the story of Groupon’s rise to the top. Click to see the full-size version. More About: groupon, infographic For more Business coverage:
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| Mashable Awards 2010: Announcing The Winners Posted: 06 Jan 2011 10:03 PM PST
The Mashable Awards, our annual contest highlighting the very best of tech and the web, received a record number of votes this year. After entering the final round, we narrowed the list to the top five nominees in each category based on your votes. The winners received the most votes from readers like you, and we want to thank each of you for participating. The winners were announced Thursday at the Mashable Awards Gala, which was hosted by comedian Baratunde Thurston, The Onion’s director of digital, at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity theater at the New York New York Hotel. The gala featured a special Cirque du Soleil Zumanity performance, appearances from guests like Antoine Dodson, as well as the DJ/VJ stylings of remix masters Eclectic Method. Stay tuned for more highlights from the Mashable Awards show, but in the meantime we’d love for you to join us in celebrating this year’s winners. Congratulations to all the winners! Best Social Media Management Tool: HootSuite HootSuite is an advanced social networking dashboard aimed mainly at professionals who need to leverage sites such as Twitter and Facebook for their business needs. HootSuite relies on a freemium business model. Its free version allows you to add five networks and supports Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, MySpace, PingFm and WordPress. HootSuite is best for actively managed accounts because its design focuses on streams, which are housed in customizable tabs. You have the flexibility to organize tabs by account, network or content, making it easier to monitor a specific type of feed more closely. Most Creative Social Media Campaign: Stand Up For WWE In an effort to “set the records straight” about inaccurate media portrayals, World Wrestling Entertainment launched the Stand Up For WWE campaign, using social media and video to gather support from its fans. It also posted a list lesser known facts about WWE and inaccuracies and corrections to media portrayals from across the web with facts accompanying the claims. The campaign included videos with its superstars as well as the likes of President Barack Obama.Best Social Media Customer Service sponsored by BlackBerry: Eurail.com Eurail.com is an e-commerce site for Eurail train passes for travelers from all around the world. Eurail offers rail passes to non-European residents wanting to explore Europe.Its social media presence is focused on customer service and the company regularly updates and replies to its customers on its Twitter account, Facebook Page and more. Best Internet Meme sponsored by Dynadot: Bed IntruderThe “Bed Intruder Song” from Auto-Tune the News was the most-watched, non-major label video on YouTube this year with 47.5 million views. The auto-tuned parody of a news cast featuring Antoine Dodson inspired hundreds of others to create their own videos as a tribute. The song even hit the Billboard Hot 100 across every single genre. Best Music Discovery Service: Fizy
Best Use of an API: Qwitter Client
Must-Follow Personality: Super Junior Super Junior is a Korean pop boy band with 13 members and a strong presence on social sites like Facebook. The band, which was formed in 2007, attracts millions of views on YouTube. Best Social Media Service for Small Business: ReachCast ReachCast is a social media and web presence management tool for small businesses that specializes in search discovery, social media marketing and conversation and reputation management through a distributed presence and custom tools to reach local consumers.Currently in beta, the service offers content publishing, reports, tracking and social media integration. Entrepreneur of the Year: Doug Walker Doug Walker is one of the creators behind That Guy With the Glasses website, which showcases content for movie buffs and video gamers.The site was launched in 2008 and is home to episodic series including Walker and other contributors. Walker is best known for his series 5 Second Movies, The Nostalgia Critic and Ask That Guy with the Glasses. Before the website, Walker was a video personality on YouTube, where he created satirical video reviews of movies. Best New Gadget: iPad It’s hard to believe that it hasn’t even been a year since Apple launched the iPad, a device that has turned the tablet form factor into a must-have. Apple is expected to sell 13.3 million iPads this year, up from… well, up from zero iPads in 2009. It’s not just the fact that Apple single handedly created a new multi-billion-dollar revenue stream, but that it’s redefining all of computing. Notebook sales have dropped since the iPad’s introduction. Apple accelerated the rise of HTML5 with its tablet device at the expense of Flash. Its influence is already affecting countless web apps. Oh, and it’s redefining the meaning of “mobile.” Most Promising New Company: PSGive.org
Must-Follow Non-Profit: @TWLOHA
Best Location-Based Service: Foursquare Foursquare, the mobile location-based service, had a year of tremendous growth that paved the way for other location-based services, including Facebook Places. The service recently surpassed 5 million users, increasing its user base by a factor of 10 in just nine months. At SXSW 2010, the company announced it had more than half a million users. It also recently opened an office in the bay area. Best Online Game: “Farmerama” Farmerama is a free online game similar to FarmVille that focuses on tasks around tending a virtual farm by completing farming jobs like tilling the land, planting trees, sowing seeds, raising animals and more. The game has more than 20 million registered users. It also enables you to invite your friends to help you with growing your farm. You also compete against other farmers online and can barter and trade with them as well. The challenges largely revolve around the goal of raising the most cattle. The game of course includes plenty of social activities that enables you to communicate and converse with other players online.Best Website User Experience: Gaia Online
Breakthrough Website Design: Twitter Twitter rolled out a new version of its web interface in September. The new Twitter homepage redesign was robust, transforming the site to be more like a stand-alone application, offering support for multimedia, keyboard shortcuts, and easy access to various types of content. The new design also has different dimensions (originally based on the golden ratio). Best Web Video: Jay Park
Must-Follow Brand: AllKPop
Best Mobile Device: iPhone This year, Apple released its latest version of the iPhone, selling 1.5 million on the first day. Despite a reception issue that angered its users and poor reviews, Apple still sold millions of iPhone 4 devices and even quickly sold out internationally in countries like China. Best Mobile Game: “Angry Birds”
Best Mobile App sponsored by Mobile Future: DriveSafe.ly
Best Mobile Platform: Android Android is Google’s mobile operating system, which it bought in 2005. This year, however, the operating system became the top-selling smartphone OS. Android-powered devices also outsold the iPhone this year and the future looks even better as Android grows in popularity among users and app developers. Best Mobile User Experience: eBuddy
Most Creative Social Good Campaign: Twitchange
Most Influential Social Good Champion sponsored by Yahoo!: John Cena John Cena is a WWE personality and actor who leverages his social media presence and influence for good. He’s been heavily involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 2004, granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. He’s earned the foundation’s highest honor, the Chris Greicius Award and was later named Wish Ambassador by the organization. He uses his online presence to encourage his fans to take part in the foundation’s mission to grant wishes, and most recently he is encouraging the donation of Delta frequent flyer miles, which he’s already contributed 3 million matching miles for. Thanks to Our SponsorsMashable Awards Gala Partner:
Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to nearly 100 million spectators in 300 cities on five continents. In 2010 Cirque du Soleil, will present 21 shows simultaneously throughout the world, including seven in Las Vegas. For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com. Mashable Awards Online Partner:
The Fresh Diet is like having a Cordon Bleu chef prepare your meals in your own kitchen. There’s no cooking, cleaning, shopping – just fresh prepared delicious meals, hand delivered to your door daily! Whether you want to lose weight or just want to eat healthy, The Fresh Diet can help you meet your goals. The best news, we’re giving away a FREE week of The Fresh Diet every day on our Facebook page. Just click here to become a fan and you could be the next winner. Join now! Mashable Awards Gala Premier Partner:
Mashable Awards Partner:
Mashable Awards Category Sponsor, Gala Silver Sponsor and After Party Sponsor: Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications including the BlackBerry® wireless platform and the new BlackBerry PlayBook. For the latest on the BlackBerry PlayBook visit the Inside BlackBerry Blog. Wish you had VIP seats at the Mashable Awards Gala? Follow BlackBerry on Foursquare, check in at the BlackBerry table using #bbtweettoseat when you arrive at the Zumanity Theater and you may be eligible for an upgrade to our VIP section! There are a limited number of exclusive seats and they're going to fill up fast, so see you at the BlackBerry table on Jan. 6! Mashable Awards Category Sponsor:
Join us on Facebook to learn how to enter Dynadot's I Can Haz iPad Giveaway! Dynadot is an ICANN accredited domain name registrar and web host where you can register the perfect domain name affordably, reliably, simply and securely. Whether you are a blogger, business owner, or planning on creating the next best Internet meme you need a domain that represents you. Let Dynadot help you establish your web identity today. Mobile Future is a broad-based coalition of businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals interested in and dedicated to advocating for an environment in which innovations in wireless technology and services are enabled and encouraged. Our mission is to educate the public and key decision makers on innovations in the wireless industry that have transformed the way Americans work and play and to advocate continued investment in wireless technologies. Our "Mobile Year in Review 2010” animation provides a glimpse into the most notable breakthroughs in the wireless industry this year.
Mashable Awards Gala Silver Sponsor:
The Aro system automatically learns what's important in your life—the people, places, dates and organizations you care about most. In your communications, Aro automatically identifies people, places, events, dates,organizations and locations. From any recognized term, Aro offers quick action menus to speed up your day. The unique Aro experience is powered by advanced web services: next generation natural language processing and semantic data analytics services. Aro gives you the power to see through the clutter and focus your mobile life. Mashable Awards Gala VIP Lounge sponsor: Influxis specializes in the deployment of creative streaming solutions. Services include large scale deployment, mobile streaming, turn-key applications, and enterprise support with custom network options. With the unique combination of a worldwide network, knowledgeable developer support and nearly a decade of streaming media experience, Influxis is an essential partner to businesses, advertisers, developers, educators, and others who seek expertise in innovative streaming. Liquor Sponsor:
Known for single malt innovation, The Macallan® is one of the world's most admired and sought after Scotch whiskies. Distilled on the Easter Elchies Estate above the banks of the Spey River in the Scottish Highlands since 1824, The Macallan is produced without compromise to achieve the highest standard of quality and taste. The hallmarks of The Macallan are its natural color; flavors of dried fruits, cloves, wood and toffee; subtle sweetness and unmatched richness. Join us for a dram at The 4th Annual Mashable Awards. Please savor responsibly. Media Sponsors:
More About: mashable awards 2010, mashable awards winners, open web, social media, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| Nike Unveils GPS Sportswatch for the Data-Happy Runner Posted: 06 Jan 2011 09:43 PM PST Nike has announced the latest addition to its existing line of Nike+-integrated products, the Nike+ SportWatch GPS. The watch enables runners to track their time, pace, distance, route, heart rate and calories burned with a simple three-button interface and tap screen. Users can also view their run history with data from past runs and personal records imported from Nike+, and they can set up their watch to keep lap-by-lap pace and for interval training. It’s a great watch for those who want to take advantage of all of the features Nike+ has to offer, and access vital data while on the run, without having to carry an iPod or iPhone to do so. “It’s a great wrist-based solution for those who want to map their runs and don’t want to run with a phone,” says Michael Hailey, the user experience lead of Nike’s digital sport division. And because it includes a sensor that links to the Nike+ ecosystem, runners can still track their runs even when they don’t have access to GPS or are running on a treadmill. There are also a few fun bonus features. The watch will applaud runners for breaking personal records and finishing their runs, for instance, and even give them a little nudge to hit the pavement if they haven’t logged a run in five days. Afterwards, the watch can be plugged into a USB port on a Mac or PC to transfer their run data to nikeplus.com. Nike plans to take advantage of the influx of GPS data to help surface “cool places to run, the top routes in your area and routes your friends are running,” among other things, Hailey tells us. More About: Nike, nike plus, watch For more Tech coverage:
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| 10 Must-Have Apps in the Mac App Store [SCREENSHOTS] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 08:36 PM PST   The new Mac App Store has arrived, and with it approximately 1,000 apps available to Mac desktop and laptop owners. We’ve spent the day downloading and experimenting with various apps, some of which behave just like full-fledged, existing desktop software (such as StuffIt Expander and iPhoto), and others that function more like widgets and/or iPad apps (such as Twitter). Those who are familiar with the iTunes and App Stores will have no trouble navigating the Mac App Store. Users can peruse featured and top-selling (and grossing apps) as well as browse by category and search. Many of the apps already available in the App Store have made their way into the Mac App Store. Purchases can be made using your existing iTunes account; apps are installed within minutes and automatically appear on your dock. We were delighted to find that Apple made many of its best software products, such as iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages and Keynote, available for individual purchase in the Mac App Store; previously, one could only obtain and upgrade them by purchasing their respective software bundles. In addition, users can sync Mac App Store purchases across desktops, and all updates for these apps are delivered automatically through Mac App Store. However, many apps we hoped to see, such as iBooks (which does not yet have a desktop app), Facebook (not that we were expecting one), Pandora, iWeb, Campfire (not that we were expecting one for that, either), Instapaper and FaceTime, were missing. We hope they’ll make their way into the Store soon. In the meantime, we’ve outlined our top 10 picks below. We’ve more or less skipped those that already had a desktop application available, unless the app version was significantly discounted. Have additional apps to suggest? Please share them in the comments below. Pixelmator ($29.99) Pixelmator [iTunes link], which was previously available as a standalone software application, has transitioned its product entirely to the Mac App Store. It's a robust image editor that's much faster and cheaper than Adobe Photoshop, and thus great for the photo editing amateur/enthusiast. It doesn't have all of Photoshop's features though, so professionals and those who already have a Photoshop license will likely want to stick with their existing product. SketchBook Pro ($29.99) SketchBook Pro, one of my favorite apps for the iPad [iTunes link], has brought its full suite of features to the Mac App Store [iTunes link] for less than half the cost of its desktop application. Simply put, it's a great tool for doodling, sketching and painting on the desktop. A free version with limited features is also available. Clippy ($0.99) Clippy is a simple, but extremely useful utility app that saves your 100 most recent copies, allowing you to copy several things at a time, as well as recover items you've copied and lost by accidentally copying something else. Twitter (free) Twitter's Mac App closely resembles its iPad app. However, it's designed to take up only part of your screen, making it feel more like a widget than a desktop app. It's a basic client that will work for lightweight users, but won't replace desktop apps like Tweetdeck for more frequent users of the service. Soundcloud Music recording and sharing service SoundCloud released its first Mac desktop client [iTunes link] in the Mac App Store Thursday, enabling you to easily record and upload sounds to the cloud. You can also listen to, search, browse and organize your library of sounds into playlists and categories. MindNode (free) MindNode for Mac is a simple application that allows you to create mind maps. Multiple maps can be created on one canvas and easily tweaked and resized. A $24.99 version [iTunes link] with many additional features and functions, such as folding and images, is also available in the Mac App Store. Remote Mouse (free) Remote Mouse is a free Mac app [iTunes link] that allows you to turn their iPhone or iPod touch into a full-functioning mouse. You'll need to download the free app [iTunes link] for your mobile device, and a connection to a Wi-Fi or 3G network. Caffeine (free) Caffeine [iTunes link[ is a free, simple application that prevents your Mac from going to sleep, dimming the screen or launching screen savers -- a must-have app for anyone who enjoys watching movies on their Macs. Translator Free (free) Translator Free [iTunes link] enables you to drag and drop a selection of text or a URL and translates it on a new page within seconds Mashable We'd be remiss if we didn't include our own little app [iTunes link] in the roundup, which is currently rated #1 in the news category. Mashable's Mac App makes it easy to browse, search, read, print and share Mashable stories without opening up your browser. You can read stories offline, as well as peruse and add comments by clicking on the comments buttons in the lower right corner. Reviews: App Store, Facebook, Pandora, Twitter, instapaper, pages More About: apple, mac app store For more Tech coverage:
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| Watch the 2010 Mashable Awards Show [LIVE] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 07:49 PM PST   With more than 1.3 million nominations and votes, we bring you the Mashable Awards Gala live, where we’ll be announcing and celebrating the 2010 Mashable Awards Winners. Watch live to hear the winners first. We’re excited to have comedian Baratunde Thurston, The Onion’s director of digital, hosting the Mashable Awards Gala at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity theater at the New York New York Hotel. The gala will feature a special Cirque du Soleil Zumanity performance, appearances from guests like Antoine Dodson, as well as the DJ/VJ stylings of remix masters Eclectic Method. The Mashable Awards, our annual contest highlighting the very best of tech and the web this year, received a record number of votes this year. After entering the final round, we narrowed the list based on your votes to the top 5 nominees in each category. Join us in celebrating this year’s winners. Thanks to Our SponsorsMashable Awards Gala Partner:
Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to nearly 100 million spectators in 300 cities on five continents. In 2010 Cirque du Soleil, will present 21 shows simultaneously throughout the world, including seven in Las Vegas. For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com. Mashable Awards Online Partner:
The Fresh Diet is like having a Cordon Bleu chef prepare your meals in your own kitchen. There’s no cooking, cleaning, shopping – just fresh prepared delicious meals, hand delivered to your door daily! Whether you want to lose weight or just want to eat healthy, The Fresh Diet can help you meet your goals. The best news, we’re giving away a FREE week of The Fresh Diet every day on our Facebook page. Just click here to become a fan and you could be the next winner. Join now! Mashable Awards Gala Premier Partner:
Mashable Awards Partner:
Mashable Awards Category Sponsor, Gala Silver Sponsor and After Party Sponsor: Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications including the BlackBerry® wireless platform and the new BlackBerry PlayBook. For the latest on the BlackBerry PlayBook visit the Inside BlackBerry Blog. Wish you had VIP seats at the Mashable Awards Gala? Follow BlackBerry on Foursquare, check in at the BlackBerry table using #bbtweettoseat when you arrive at the Zumanity Theater and you may be eligible for an upgrade to our VIP section! There are a limited number of exclusive seats and they're going to fill up fast, so see you at the BlackBerry table on Jan. 6! Mashable Awards Category Sponsor:
Join us on Facebook to learn how to enter Dynadot's I Can Haz iPad Giveaway! Dynadot is an ICANN accredited domain name registrar and web host where you can register the perfect domain name affordably, reliably, simply and securely. Whether you are a blogger, business owner, or planning on creating the next best Internet meme you need a domain that represents you. Let Dynadot help you establish your web identity today. Mobile Future is a broad-based coalition of businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals interested in and dedicated to advocating for an environment in which innovations in wireless technology and services are enabled and encouraged. Our mission is to educate the public and key decision makers on innovations in the wireless industry that have transformed the way Americans work and play and to advocate continued investment in wireless technologies. Our "Mobile Year in Review 2010” animation provides a glimpse into the most notable breakthroughs in the wireless industry this year.
Mashable Awards Gala Silver Sponsor:
The Aro system automatically learns what's important in your life—the people, places, dates and organizations you care about most. In your communications, Aro automatically identifies people, places, events, dates,organizations and locations. From any recognized term, Aro offers quick action menus to speed up your day. The unique Aro experience is powered by advanced web services: next generation natural language processing and semantic data analytics services. Aro gives you the power to see through the clutter and focus your mobile life. Mashable Awards Gala VIP Lounge sponsor: Influxis specializes in the deployment of creative streaming solutions. Services include large scale deployment, mobile streaming, turn-key applications, and enterprise support with custom network options. With the unique combination of a worldwide network, knowledgeable developer support and nearly a decade of streaming media experience, Influxis is an essential partner to businesses, advertisers, developers, educators, and others who seek expertise in innovative streaming. Liquor Sponsor:
Known for single malt innovation, The Macallan® is one of the world's most admired and sought after Scotch whiskies. Distilled on the Easter Elchies Estate above the banks of the Spey River in the Scottish Highlands since 1824, The Macallan is produced without compromise to achieve the highest standard of quality and taste. The hallmarks of The Macallan are its natural color; flavors of dried fruits, cloves, wood and toffee; subtle sweetness and unmatched richness. Join us for a dram at The 4th Annual Mashable Awards. Please savor responsibly. Media Sponsors:
More About: ces2011, mashable awards, mashable awards 2010, trending For more Social Media coverage:
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| Startup Turns Artificial Intelligence into Serendipity Engine for Mobile Posted: 06 Jan 2011 07:17 PM PST    This post is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark as a new part of the Spark of Genius series that focuses on a new and innovative startup each day. Every Thursday, the program focuses on startups within the BizSpark program and what they’re doing to grow.If the name Clever Sense doesn’t ring a bell, that’s likely because the nearly three year-old Mountain View-based startup has been operating under the radar for much of its existence, bootstrapped by co-founder Babak Pahlavan. The company is applying artificial intelligence to location-based services and is readying a big release of its first product, Seymour, for iPhone and Android. It is expected toward the end of the first quarter. Clever Sense has also raised roughly $1.5 million in financing, is aggressively going after more funds, has four Ph.Ds on staff and has scored a renowned advisor in Stanford Professor Jeff Ullman, who was the Ph.D advisor to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. As such, Clever Sense is a name that you will know soon enough. So, what is it and what does it do? “Clever Sense is an artificial intelligence-based, context-aware platform for location-based services. It’s the culmination of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data learning,” explains Pahlavan. “It’s a next generation Siri.” In layman’s terms, Clever Sense has crafted technology to personalize your mobile experience. The technology will be used in company-built and third-party mobile applications that aim to harness data from your social graph and location in conjunction with place and time information to create serendipitous experiences in mobile. Seymour, Your Personal Concierge Seymour provides a first, appetite-wetting taste of how Clever Sense’s technology can be applied to real world, practical problems. Seymour recommends places based on where you are, who you’re with and what you want in the moment. It resembles Siri, but goes further to discover what is good or bad about a place through sentiment analysis of Yelp and Citysearch reviews, and saves personal “Taste Cards” for you, based on your mood and preferences. Ask Seymour for places that serve lunch or dinner and use descriptive words and phrase like “vegan,” “cheap” or “group-friendly” to narrow your query and the app will work to match your interests to nearby places. You can even further specify that you’re looking for something similar to place you know you like, say, Peet’s Coffee or The Cheesecake Factory. Seymour is designed to process natural language commands, as opposed to queries, so you can ask it something nearly identical to what you’d ask a friend. It’s meant to be conversational and friendly. Pahlavan describes the overall experience as “searchless, search.” Once Seymour recommends top places, you can teach it to better recognize your tastes by giving suggested places thumbs up or thumbs down reviews. Suggestions are revised as you rate places. Eventually, Seymour will learn from your Facebook Places and Foursquare checkins too. The beta mobile application was recently released for Windows Phone 7. Pahlavan stresses that the application was released merely to solicit feedback, but he’s been impressed with the response so far. The startup also has its eye on hotter mobile platforms: iOS and Android. More sophisticated versions of Seymour are currently in the works for each platform. The Road Ahead A company like Clever Sense, which relies on the sophistication of its technology to stand out, is only as good as the people it employs. The current team is comprised of top engineers, AI and machine learning experts and Ph.D holders. But, once Clever Sense makes its big mobile push onto iPhone and Android, the startup will need to expand its team to support growth. Finding quality talent will be Clever Sense’s greatest challenge, according to Pahlavan. There’s an ongoing talent war between Google, Facebook and Apple that makes it difficult for a lesser known startup like Clever Sense to find the best candidates and offer them a competitive-enough compensation package, he says. The startup will need to raise more funds should it wish to compete. But Pahlavan has confidence in Clever Sense’s ability to carve out a new frontier in mobile. “There’s no else in mobile doing what we’re doing,” he says. And he may be right. You may recall that Siri was acquired by Apple. Should Clever Sense’s technology be as good as Pahlavan describes, it too will have a bright future. But first it will have to find an audience. “This is just the beginning of a long story,” Pahlavan says. We hope he’s right. Image courtesy of Flickr, f-l-e-x Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
More About: artificial intelligence, bizspark, Clever Sense, Seymour, siri, startup, windows phone 7 For more Startups coverage:
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| New Digital Mailbox Will Let You Receive, Pay & Archive Multiple Bills Posted: 06 Jan 2011 06:10 PM PST   The same company that introduced the postage meter 90 years ago has announced it will launch a free digital mailbox in 2011 that will allow customers to pay multiple bills online without remembering more than one password. Pitney Bowes’s multi-platform Volly will allow consumers to receive, pay and organize all their bills with bank-like security. In addition to bill-related features like a pay calendar and reminders, customers will also have an option to opt in to catalogs and coupons from the companies of their choice. The concept could make paying bills more convenient for the 70% of households that, according to a 2009 survey by Javelin Strategy & Research, pay their bills online. According to same survey, more than 47% of those households used a combination of at least one biller’s and one bank’s bill-pay service. Volly could reduce the number of accounts they use to one, but only if Pitney Bowes can get a critical mass of billers to offer the option. As the major player in just about every technology related to snail mail, Pitney Bowes is uniquely qualified to help make it obsolete. The company already works with about 74% of high-volume mailers in the United States, and while Volly’s demo version includes companies like “Viso” and “Lordstrom,” it’s not hard to imagine that companies with customer bases as large as Nordstrom and Visa would opt in. The service is also cheaper for the sender than traditional mail and integrates easily with existing mailing processes. Like digital mail startup Zumbox, Volly’s mailbox will be attached to a street address. In other words, if a business already has a list with your street address on it, they’ll be able to find your Volly mailbox. This makes it easier for these companies to integrate Volly with their existing processes and more likely for them to offer it as an option. Broadridge, A technology solutions company that coordinates communications for businesses in the financial industry, has already partnered with Pitney Bowers to offer the option to its clients; but no other partners have been announced. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, maltero Reviews: iStockphoto More About: electronic payments, finances, online bill pay For more Tech coverage:
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| Polaroid & Lady Gaga Launch New Line at CES [PICS] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 05:12 PM PST   Today at CES, Polaroid execs, with the help of new creative director Lady Gaga, have just taken the wraps off a new line of photo-capturing gadgets; like the company’s spokesperson, the cameras are as intriguing as they are outlandish. Dubbed the Gray Label, or GL, these new products incorporate Polaroid’s Zink (short for “zero ink”) printing technology into the portable photo booth-like experience the company is known for. First up, the company unveiled (literally; the gadget was cloaked in a silver sheet) a pair of picture-taking sunglasses, the GL20. The glasses, which are huge enough to look geriatric, capture and display images and video on the lenses. The data is also sent to a USB earpiece. Images (not video) can be sent to a printer via Bluetooth. And what better printer to send the images to than Polaroid’s GL10, a paperback-sized mobile printing unit that can print pictures sent wirelessly from camera phones, camera sunglasses and what have you? It prints 3-inch by 4-inch photos in about 40 seconds, with or without the traditional white Polaroid frame. The GL10 is compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones with the exception of the iPhone. The final gadget shown off at Polaroid’s event was the GL30, a new, more traditional camera from Polaroid that takes and prints (and digitally saves) pictures using the company’s Zink technology. Upcoming versions of the camera will also allow for instant sharing of images to Twitter and Facebook — you know, kind of like you can do with your phone right now. All in all, the new gadgets are an interesting comeback attempt for the aging brand. The sunglasses might be a bit much for the average consumer, and a portable printer might be a bit too geeky; but we can see Polaroid’s signature photo booth-like paper pics, which have been imitated ad nauseum by mobile camera apps and web apps alike, becoming popular with a certain crowd. Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Polaroid and Lady Gaga at CES 2011 More About: cameras, ces2011, gadgets, Lady Gaga, mobile camera, mobile printer, polaroid, zink For more Tech coverage:
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| HANDS ON: SmartCradle Boosts GPS, Charges iPhone [PICS] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:16 PM PST   Pioneer’s SmartCradle is made specifically for the iPhone, and it might be one of the more useful accessories we’ve seen at CES. Pioneer says it can boost GPS signals, and its amplification works not only on navigation apps; it’s said to enhance the performance of any location-based app that uses the GPS function. In addition, it has an audio/video output jack; and its built-in amplified speaker and microphone make it easy to place a hands-free call. We took a close gander at this $129 cradle at CES, and it feels like a solid piece of gear. Getting its power from a car’s cigarette lighter, it rotates easily from portrait to landscape mode and locks down tight enough onto an iPhone to keep it from tumbling into your lap. We also like the way it’ll charge the iPhone while it’s in use, an important consideration considering the intense power-hungriness of every GPS app we’ve used. Look for it in April. Pioneer Smart Cradle Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Pioneer Smart Cradle Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Pioneer Smart Cradle Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Pioneer Smart Cradle Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Pioneer Smart Cradle Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Pioneer Smart Cradle More About: auto accessories, car cradle, ces2011, gps, iphone accessories, Pioneer SmartCradle For more Tech coverage:
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| Verizon Showcases 4G LTE Devices & Software Posted: 06 Jan 2011 03:30 PM PST   At CES in Las Vegas Thursday, Verizon Wireless showed off its 4G LTE network and some of the 4G LTE devices it will be carrying in the first half of 2011. Motorola announced two of its upcoming Android devices, the Droid Bionic smartphone and the Motorola Xoom tablet on Wednesday. Those two devices, plus Android-powered gear from LG, HTC and Samsung, were on display as the nation’s largest carrier outlaid its 4G LTE expansion strategy. Verizon Wireless president and CEO Dan Mead called this “the next evolution of 4G LTE for consumers.” Verizon expects to have the United States covered for 4G LTE access within the next 36 months and to double in size in the next 18 months. Throughout 2011 the company will be rolling out 4G LTE in tons of cities — large and small, urban and rural. Verizon says its goal of 5 to 12 megabits per second speed is already being achieved now and the company will be able to sustain these speeds as the network expands. Show Us the DevicesIt’s CES, so as cool as the rollout of 4G LTE might be, we really want to see the goodies. Verizon didn’t disappoint, showcasing executives from LG, Samsung and HTC on stage — plus featuring a more in-depth hands-on at a separate conference with Motorola. Each 4G LTE device on display was powered by Android. In fact, Apple was conspicuously absent from discussions or passing mentions. Rumors of a Verizon iPhone continue to fly fast and furious — but at Verizon’s CES events, it’s as if one of the world’s biggest technology companies simply doesn’t exist. Here’s a rundown of each of the devices announced by Verizon 4G LTE hardware partners: Samsung Samsung will be brining three Verizon 4G LTE devices to market in the next six months: A smartphone, a tablet and a wireless hotspot. The smartphone was simply dubbed the Samsung 4G LTE smartphone. It features:
In other words, this looks like a souped-up Nexus S with the power to support 4G LTE. Samsung also announced it will be releasing a 4G LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The specifications seem to be the same as the 3G Galaxy Tab, just with the added benefits of 4G LTE. The final device is a 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot that doubles as a five-device Wi-Fi access point, working with both Verizon 3G and 4G LTE. LG LG announced the LG Revolution, a 4G LTE smartphone running Android 2.2, featuring a 4.3-inch screen and offering support for video telephony, the ability to act as a mobile hotspot for up to eight Wi-Fi devices, and support for HD streaming, playing and recording. HTC HTC showed off the HTC ThunderBolt, HTC’s first 4G LTE device. The HTC executive dubbed the device “blazing fast.” It supports Skype mobile with video, has a 4.3-inch WVGA display, wireless DLNA support and an eight megapixel camera. Motorola Motorola revealed the details of the Droid Bionic and the Motorola Xoom on Wednesday, but as a refresher: The Droid Bionic is a dual core smartphone with 512 MB of RAM, a 4.3-inch HD quality screen, HDMI out, support for Adobe Flash and HTML5 and front and rear cameras. The Motorola Xoom is a 10.1-inch, HD 4G LTE upgradable tablet. This means that the tablet will ship with 3G support but get a 4G upgrade via software. The device has dual cameras, 1GB of RAM, can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot and of course runs Google’s Android Honeycomb. Other Products In addition to smartphones and tablets, notebooks and netbooks from HP and Compaq will feature built-in 4G LTE access. SoftwareIn addition to showcasing the hardware power of 4G LTE, Verizon also demoed some of the new software that will take advantage of the faster network. The biggest news was from Skype. Skype says it will be bringing Skype mobile with video to all 4G LTE handsets. This software will support IM, video and audio calls. Skype will be integrated into the devices and will be “always on,” which should make the process of making or receiving Skype calls much more seamless. Skype will also be fully integrated into the address book, meaning you can see a contact’s Skype status message and easily call, video or IM them directly from your dialer. Electronic Arts also demoed some of its games that will be playable and connectable across 4G LTE devices. Wrapping UpWe’ve already discussed our thoughts on the role LTE will play in the future of mobile, and Verizon’s announcements underscored its power and importance. The fact that having mobile devices that connect at broadband speeds without needing a Wi-Fi connection is just around the corner is exciting. From a purely selfish point of view, covering events like CES will be much easier when my cell phone or tablet can offer me a truly fast data connection. Verizon didn’t touch on two key issues in its 4G LTE rollout strategy: Price and data caps. Having fast access is a gift and a curse if that access is limited or if the price is exorbitantly expensive. Still, this was a good showing by Verizon and a good sign for the future of 4G. Check out our gallery of the Motorola Xoom tablet: Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Motorola Xoom Tablet at CES 2011 Photo by Curtis Joe Walker Reviews: Android, Google, Skype More About: 4G, ces2011, htc thunderbolt, LTE, motorola xoom, verizon, verizon 4G lte, xoom For more Tech coverage:
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| How the Mac App Store Changes Everything Posted: 06 Jan 2011 03:16 PM PST   The Mac App Store has arrived and with it comes access to more than 1,000 different free and paid apps. While nearly identical in design to the iTunes App Store for iOS apps, the Mac App Store represents a big shift in Mac application discovery and development. We’ve already done a walkthrough of the new store. What follows is our analysis of the overall store experience after spending the last few hours exploring the store, downloading applications, comparing the release to initial expectations and ruminating on how it will change the developer ecosystem. If you’ve yet to experience the Mac App Store, you’ll need to upgrade your Mac OS X software to version 10.6.6. Once you do, you’ll find the Mac App Store waiting for you in your Dock. We encourage you to check it out for yourself and add your thoughts on the new store in the comments section below. A Meaty Experience The Mac App Store is packed with more than 1,000 applications out of the gate. This vast collection of applications spans 21 different categories, and Apple has done an amazing job at ensuring that the store feels boundless — in the sense that there are more apps than you could ever dream of — and is full of must-own applications. That is: there’s not a lot of fluff here (yet, anyways). New, just-for-Mac apps like Angry Birds [App Store link] and Twitter [App Store link] are here. So too, are standbys from Apple (iLife) and the Omni Group, along side lightweight fare such as Caffeine [App Store link] and StuffIt Expander [App Store link]. Even Mashable [App Store link] has its own Mac app. Apple has also wisely replicated its iTunes App Store “Top Charts,” “New and Noteworthy,” “What’s Hot,” and “Staff Favorites” lists in the Mac App Store. The Mac App Store home screen features these curated app catalogs, making quick app perusal and discovery a breeze. Grab-and-Go Appeal Most retail and convenience stores stock small or inexpensive products near the register to appeal to customers waiting in line. This strategy creates a grab-and-go atmosphere where customers spend less time thinking about whether or not they actually need these products and instead make last-minute impulse buys. Apple mastered the grab-and-go idea with the iTunes App Store and they’ve done it again with the Mac App Store. It’s the ultimate model for impulse, grab-and-go shopping where consumers can forget about busting out their credit cards and stop fretting over whether app is a wise investment. The frictionless marketplace gives developers direct access to window shopping Mac users who, with just a click or two, can download their apps. It works because consumers have developed a blind faith (misguided or not) in Apple’s ability to create a marketplace of vetted applications. Gone are the days where Mac owners need to trouble themselves with going out of their way to search for apps; now the apps come to them. And while the strict application review process may trouble some developers, Apple’s seal of approval could mean the difference between an app that is relegated to obscurity and one that gets noticed. Evernote, for instance, is already a top performer among free apps. Existing Evernote users likely knew of, and already downloaded, the Mac version for their desktops. The application’s prominence in the store, however, will likely introduce a whole new audience to the startup’s note-taking and productivity platform. Today, Evernote [App Store link] is seeing an 1800% increase in Mac registrations over a normal day, according to a representation for the company. For a nearly three year-old startup, this kind of exposure could prove instrumental in expanding its user base faster and converting free users into more engaged, paid users. Plus, while it may be anecdotal, the mere structure of the store — glossy photos, user reviews, top charts etc. — inspired me to purchase apps that I was previously aware of but too trigger-shy to purchase (Zipline and Pixelmator, for instance). Yet Another App Store The Mac App Store houses applications for Mac owners to use locally on their desktops. The iTunes App Store houses applications for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Apple makes that distinction relatively clear — it’s punctuated by a standalone store outside of iTunes, but its existence does complicate things a bit. The less tech savvy user may be confused as to the difference between the apps they can find in the iTunes App Store and those they can find in the new Mac App Store. Many applications available are Mac duplicates with heftier price tags than their iOS counterparts, which only adds to the confusion. When many Mac users update their OS software to 10.6.6, they many not understand why there’s an extra icon in their Dock and why they’d want to purchase an application that resembles one they already own. Apple makes it a priority to release hardware and software designed for the average Jane/Joe. While the Mac App Store product itself meets those standards, the way it was rolled out as a separate product may not. Mac Ecosystem Evolution A marketplace that can foster impulse purchases and downloads is a marketplace that will change the entire ecosystem around Mac applications. Mac users, on average, will buy more apps; developers will get exponentially higher exposure and revenues; and Apple’s line of iMacs and Mac Books will become even more appealing to computer purchasers. As the ecosystem evolves, however, not every veteran Mac developer will appreciate the changes that are being force-fed to them. Developers will have much less control, may need to cave to Apple’s requests during the review process, will sacrifice 30% of revenue for placement and will not be allowed to charge for app upgrades. And, there’s still the outstanding question of how volume pricing will be handled. Apple’s new Mac App Store could also drive the average market price for Mac applications downward, because price point will largely factor into total downloads and, by association, whether or not apps make the top charts and get featured more prominently. We’ve already seen that race to the bottom occur with iOS applications, where the average price of apps is around $4 (less if you include games). For better or worse, things are changing. Realmac, makers of Mac apps like LittleSnapper [App Store link] (which I recommend), penned a post yesterday on some of the side effects of the Mac App Store it anticipates post launch. The software maker argues that apps will become more single purpose, upgrade pricing will never be a reality and apps will cheaper on average. On the whole, however, Realmac concludes, “We think that the Mac App Store is likely to jump-start the already lively Mac developer community, and that developers would be crazy to either remain inflexible on the App Store or forego it altogether.” It’s a conclusion that seems sound based on my initial experience with Mac App Store. More Mac App Store Coverage from Mashable:
Image courtesy of Realmac Software Reviews: Angry Birds, App Store, Evernote, LittleSnapper, Mashable, Pixelmator, Twitter More About: apple, developers, mac, mac app store, mac os x, realmac, software For more Apple coverage:
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| Twitter Is Abuzz With CES-Related Chatter Posted: 06 Jan 2011 03:03 PM PST   Online chatter about tech and gadgets has seen a definitive increase coinciding with the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, which began this week in Las Vegas. Tech manufacturers, products and the convention itself are receiving mostly positive or neutral buzz. Overall CES sentiment has been 43% positive, 14% negative and 43% neutral, according to statistics from Trendrr, which analyzed 20 CES-related terms across four data sets that included news, blogs, search and microblogs. CES is mentioned as many as 5,267 times on Twitter every hour and yesterday was mentioned more than 110,000 times in tweets. Today was set to see at least as many CES-related tweets with almost 100,000 mentions as of 4 p.m. ET. With all the technology-related news coming out of Vegas, companies like Apple, Microsoft and Android are also seeing an increase in mentions, according to Trendrr’s numbers. Interestingly, Apple, which has no presence at CES, has seen the most Twitter mentions since yesterday, compared to Microsoft and Android. Today’s launch of the Mac App Store and the public’s anticipation of the iPad 2 might have something to do with the increase chatter about Apple, though. How does buzz for the various tech giants compare? In the past 24 hours:
Data from Topsy reveals that news has been pouring out of CES — and we should know! More than 120,000 online stories have come out of the show and 45,000 posts in the past day alone. See the charts below for some infographics that break down CES-related buzz; click on the images for a larger view. And to keep up with our continuing coverage of CES, click here.  Images courtesy of Trendrr. Reviews: Android, Twitter More About: android, apple, ces2011, microsoft, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| “Mafia Wars” Tie-in Builds Buzz for “The Green Hornet” Posted: 06 Jan 2011 02:54 PM PST   In its first theatrical tie-in, Zynga’s Mafia Wars today began featuring items in the game designed to promote the Sony Pictures movie The Green Hornet. Prepping for the film’s January 14 release, Mafia Wars players can collect eight Green Hornet loot items including a mask, motorcycle, gas gun, double barrel gun, gas mask, hood gun and Hornet crest. Those who collect those seven items will be rewarded with The Black Beauty, an indestructable car that features prominently in the film. Though this is the first theatrical promotion for Mafia Wars, parent company Zynga executed a push in November for DreamWorks Animation’s Megamind with Mega-Farm, a themed landmark within the game that incorporated characters from the film. Last month, a Mafia Wars tie-in publicized the TNT show Southland’s third season. Prior to that, the social media game promoted Dr. Dre’s upcoming release “Detox” by streaming the music video for the album’s first single, “Kush,” within the action. Mafia Wars currently claims 19 million users. Meanwhile, the Mafia Wars tie-in isn’t the only digital media campaign on behalf of the film. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are giving away tickets to the movie for users who check in to the restaurants’ location-based game and use the company’s Wheel of Awesome app on Facebook. Reviews: Facebook More About: advertising, Mafia Wars, MARKETING, The Green Hornet, Zynga For more Entertainment coverage:
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| HOW TO: Make Sure Your Smartphone Payments Are Secure Posted: 06 Jan 2011 02:20 PM PST   Rick Orr is the CEO and co-founder of TabbedOut, a service that enables patrons to open, review and pay tabs from their smartphone and offers a better payment experience for customers. Consumers want mobile payments. So do the mobile carriers, device manufacturers and point-of-sale (POS) vendors. Amex, Visa, MasterCard and all of the other payment providers also have something to gain. Payment is the next frontier of mobile technology and is becoming a hot area for innovation helping to make carrying a wallet obsolete. But, recent high-profile security breaches aren’t helping us drive toward that reality. Even outside of the mobile arena, Firesheep democratized data theft for anyone inclined, and the recent challenges by PayPal via iTunes illustrate that no brand is safe or sacred. Remember back in 1998 when people were scared about buying things online? We eventually figured out how to do it, and moreover, do it right. We are now at the same crossroads with mobile. Mobile is a completely different animal however, and one that comes with a full host of new threats. We cannot simply apply our dated, web-based security best practices to the mobile domain. In fact, I'd argue that mobile security is critical to the maturation of the web itself, in 2011 and beyond. Whether you're a consumer, developer or investor delving into mobile payments technologies for personal or professional use, here's why you should care and the top factors to consider when evaluating technologies in the coming year. Security Is Not Sexy, but It Affects Your Financial HealthWe, an industry of entrepreneurs, investors and builders of great software, too often turn a blind eye to the reality of security vulnerabilities. There are exponentially more of them as the pace of technology innovation quickens. Security means directly addressing risks and the reality is we really don't like people raining on our parade. To date, security and peace-of-mind has been represented as a checkbox, not a core competence or the make-or-break software issue that it should be. Even the most well-respected brands have challenges in this regard –- as illustrated by PayPal and Bank of America's mobile payment efforts. In fact, the more and more we do on our mobile phones, the more enticing it becomes to take advantage of holes in mobile security. There is a huge opportunity to secure the mobile lifestyle and enable trustworthy payment applications. Security is something we've focused on at my company, and it's the reason we're able to work so closely and effectively with point-of-sale systems and vendors in the hospitality industry. The security of our app is not just a feature; it's the heart and soul. Continuing to ignore the gravity of mobile security threats as the web matures substantially increases the likelihood that your credit card information will be stolen while your bar tab is open, while it's being transmitted over the wireless networks, or while it's stored in massive databases. Even if a mobile payments provider or bank has the best fraud and theft protection, the odds are high that you will still need to request a new card from your bank and ensure that it doesn’t process any of the foreign charges before you can resume your life. In the worst case scenario, you have to navigate a slew of identity theft issues and dedicate unknown hours of precious time re-securing your personal data, identity and financial security — instead of living your life. Payment Methods and What “Encryption” Really Means There are many different options available to companies, services and apps when initiating a mobile transaction. These include:
These technologies will all succeed in completing a transaction, but they all rely on some type of encryption to enforce security along the way. For all intents and purposes, encryption is a process by which information is transformed so that it is unreadable to anyone except those possessing the key or the decryption process. A wide variety of encryption processes or schemes have been developed and employed to safeguard our payment data. To set your fears at bay, companies offer assurances of the "best" encryption technology, the best-guarded servers, or the standard certifications by McAfee and Symantec. The truth is that today's dominant approaches to mobile security date back to 1995 or earlier and seek to conduct mobile transactions in the same way as traditional transactions — by treating the phone like it is just another computer, adding in some extra encryption for good measure. But, mobile has very different vulnerabilities, and although encryption is an important piece of the puzzle, it isn't the whole solution. Ask About IntermediariesWhat you should look for is establishing a direct connection between your phone and the venue's point-of-sale (POS) system (e.g. a cash register or payment console). Companies that do this mitigate threats from middlemen, and the fewer intermediaries, the better. Also, you should care about whether your information is processed locally at a venue or pushed to a larger, third-party server farm somewhere else. The bottom line is that fewer steps and company touches is better. You might not always know explicitly whether this is the case, but you should get in the habit of asking. Better Understand Where Your Data Lives Above and beyond everything else, common sense dictates: If there's enough money in the bank, someone will try to steal it. 7-Eleven only carries $20 cash at night for a reason. Your payment data should solely be stored on your phone and not in someone else's database with tens of thousands of other credit card numbers. It's hard to steal from someone if there's no money in the safe. This is the only thing that truly deters hackers from going after a big score. Keeping your payment data solely in your phone is equivalent to keeping your credit card in your wallet. For consumers, you can usually find out where data is being stored by perusing a website carefully or reading well-researched articles and reviews. Journalists are doing a better and better job of ferreting out where your data lives, and how it is being passed around. For app developers and payments services, keeping the data out of their servers absolutely involves more work and clever engineering. It's hard to avoid any third parties (whether for processing or hardware), because those third parties can make things a lot easier on a startup. It's worth it to start down this path if you haven't already, since consumers will increasingly demand it. Be Confident the Data's EncryptedThe very best approaches to mobile security never send your payment information in any way that an enabled hacker in proximity could intercept your data. It should be a priority to have industry-standard encryption. Customer smartphones talk directly to the POS. Ideally vendors and companies won’t even need this extra data in the first place. Your Cheat SheetIn sum, the stakes are high when the smartphone replaces the wallet. We have to rethink where the data lives and who has access to it, convenience notwithstanding. We're all responsible for asking the hard questions to be informed consumers when we support a carrier, manufacturer, vendor network and technology. Here's your cheat sheet for owning your mobile transaction financial health. I urge you to ensure that your credit card information is:
More Mobile Resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, webphotographeer, and grybaz Reviews: Google, iStockphoto More About: gadgets, Mobile 2.0, payment, privacy, security, smartphone, tech For more Mobile coverage:
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| Citing Facebook Effect, Salesforce.com Buys Dimdim Posted: 06 Jan 2011 02:09 PM PST   Citing Facebook’s effect on the way people converse and collaborate, cloud computing firm Salesforce.com announced today that it has purchased real-time communications firm Dimdim for $31 million. With the acquisition, Salesforce.com aims to give the company’s Chatter communications platform “the same integrated collaboration and communication experience that made Facebook the world’s most popular Internet site,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO. Salesforce.com introduced Chatter in June and currently claims 60,000 users. The purchase and planned upgrade of Chatter’s features is part of what Salesforce.com sees as a switch to “Cloud 2,” the next generation of cloud computing, which will be more social, mobile and real-time. Another part of this Cloud 2 shift was Salesforce’s $212 million acquisition of Heroku, a cloud-based platform for Ruby web development. Founded in 2007 by DD Ganguly and Prakash Khot, Dimdim provides a web-based platform that lets users host or attend live online meetings, demos and webinars via their browsers. Reviews: Facebook, Internet More About: dimdim, salesforce.com For more Business coverage:
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| “Jersey Shore”-Themed Badge Hits Foursquare Posted: 06 Jan 2011 01:56 PM PST   MTV and Foursquare have teamed up once again to launch a new Jersey Shore-themed badge. The new “GTL” badge — for Gym/Tan/Laundry — is designed for those who check in to facilities offering the aforementioned services during a 7-day period. The badge has arrived just in time for the show’s third season premiere Thursday night. The “Gym/Tan/Laundry” motto was coined by one of show’s stars — Mike Sorrentino, otherwise best known as “The Situation.” The badge, pictured right, features an illustration of a fist pump, while its unlock text provides promotional information about the program:
In order to unlock the badge, Foursquare users just have to follow MTV, and then check into a gym, tanning salon or beach, and laundry location during the course of a week. This is just the next in a series of varied partnerships MTV has had with Foursquare. The network previously teamed up with the service during the 2010 Video Music Awards and a for STD testing campaign. Reviews: foursquare More About: foursquare, foursquare badges, jersey shore, mtv For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Sneak Peek: Tesla Model S Electric Sedan [PICS] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 01:23 PM PST   Tesla gave crowds at the Consumer Electronics Show a sneak preview of its upcoming “reasonably priced” electric car, the Tesla Model S. Surrounded by bruiser security types, there was no driving it today, or sitting in it, or even opening its doors. But when we peeked into its windows, we noticed its spiffy instrument panel — which we’re told is run by an NVIDIA graphics processor — actually appeared to be working. So what’s a “reasonably priced” Model S electric sedan going to cost? At least $49,000, but that’s a far cry from the $110,000+ price of the sporty two-seater, the Tesla Roadster. Gazing at this gleaming crimson carriage, we were filled with want. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait until 2012 to fulfill such a fantasy. Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Tesla S at CES Photos by Curtis Joe Walker More About: ces2011, Electric Car, Sneak Peek, Tesla Model S For more Tech coverage:
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| Music Subscription Services MOG & Rdio Coming to More Devices Posted: 06 Jan 2011 01:14 PM PST   MOG and Rdio made a pair of announcements at CES 2011 that truly demonstrate the growing ubiquity of music subscription services. Rdio will be available on Sonos Multi-Room Music System by early 2011, and MOG could soon be available across a range of consumer electronic devices and automobiles, thanks to its newly launched MOG Fusion Program. Previously, the super social Rdio was only available on desktops and via mobile apps, so the integration with music systems developer Sonos marks a pretty big move for the company, which was founded last year by the people behind Skype. Rdio is unique in that it’s based on the idea of music discovery by recommendation, allowing users to follow friends and influencers in order to find new jams. Now unlimited subscribers (in the U.S. and Canada) will be able to expand this experience, listening to on-demand, all-you-can-eat jams in any room — sans computer or smartphone. "By adding Rdio to Sonos, our subscribers can now easily extend their Rdio Unlimited experience to their homes," says Drew Larner, CEO of Rdio. "For Sonos customers, we bring a new and unique social approach to music discovery and sharing. At home, online, or on the move, the Rdio experience can now be with you everywhere you go." The whole shebang — including unlimited Sonos, web and mobile access — will cost $9.99 (minus the actual device, that is). Rdio’s entry into this space just widens choices for music lovers, who can currently listen to Last.fm via their Kinects and MOG via devices like Roku — to name a few options. (Not to mention Pandora, Rhapsody and Last.fm — all already available on Sonos.) Speaking of MOG, that subscription service is widening the playing field as well. The MOG Fusion Program — announced today — will help consumer electronics and auto manufacturers integrate MOG’s APIs (including catalog search, playlisting, favoriting, etc.) into their products. Interested parties can visit the dedicated site to learn more about the API program and how to get in on the action. MOG is introducing the program at CES by showcasing products from new partners, including Visteon Corporation, a global automotive supplier. “The future of digital music is all about increased access through the 10-foot experience, and being built into car dashboards,” says David Hyman, CEO and founder of MOG. “People want to consume music wherever they are, without any limitations, and MOG is committed to providing the best digital music listening experience to people, everywhere.” With this move, MOG joins Pandora, which recently announced that it is coming to Toyota connected cars — the service is already available in Ford cars of the same ilk. Still, MOG will be able to offer users something that Pandora lacks: the ability to actively choose what music they want to listen to. While Pandora is akin to radio, MOG is more like a seemingly endless music library. The other week, I predicted that music subscription services would be a hit with consumers due to their growing availability across a variety of devices, and now it seems as though we’re seeing this statement come to fruition. It remains to be seen if consumers will, indeed, go for services like these, and whether the services in question will be able to turn a profit and survive. Image Courtesy of Flickr, Robert Agthe Reviews: Flickr, Pandora, Rhapsody, Sonos More About: cars, ces2011, gadgets, Hardware, MOG, music streaming, rdio For more Entertainment coverage:
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| HANDS ON: Motorola Atrix 4G [PICS] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 01:02 PM PST   We got our hands on one of the hottest items at CES, the Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone. What did it feel like? Atrix’s dual-core Nvidia Tegra 1GHz processor runs its Android 2.2 (known as Froyo) operating system in an unusually sprightly way, responding to each touch with a quickness that’s beyond any cellphone we’ve used. Add to that its potentially speedy 4G connectivity and its display versatility, and you have an impressive package. Set the phone into one of its two docks, and suddenly it’s a personal computer. Its multimedia dock has an HDMI port where you can plug a monitor or HDTV. Its other dock looks just like a laptop, and there it sits like R2-D2, the brains of the outfit. That multimedia dock has three USB ports in the back, letting you plug in keyboards, mice, or many other peripherals you’ve become accustomed to using with laptops. Once you plug it into either dock, it simply feels like a computer. Someday, all PCs will be this way, and the line between smartphones and PCs will be forever blurred. Is the Motorola Atrix 4G “The World’s Most Powerful Smartphone,” as Motorola’s booth graphics shout out in bold electro-text? If it isn’t, it’s powerful enough, and its existence underscores the fact that having a versatile PC in your pocket is enormously compelling. It’s the best tech we’ve seen at CES thus far. Motorola Atrix 4G Motorola Booth Motorola Atrix 4G Motorola Atrix 4G Multimedia Dock Motorola Atrix 4G Motorola Atrix 4G Laptop Dock, Closed Motorola Atrix 4G Laptop Dock, Open Motorola Atrix 4G motorola-atrix-4g-1 Motorola Atrix 4G Back Photos by Curtis Joe Walker Reviews: Android More About: 4G, Atrix 4G, ces2011, Motorola, Motorola Atrix 4G For more Mobile coverage:
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| New Year’s Tweets Set New Record Posted: 06 Jan 2011 12:53 PM PST   Wishing family and friends a happy new year, or “Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu,” Twitter users in Japan set a new record for tweets per second — almost 7,000 — in the moments just after the country entered the year 2011. A total of 6,939 tweets per second were sent just seconds after January 1, 2011 officially began in Japan. According to Twitter, the new record is almost twice the previous record of 3,283 tweets per second, which was set last summer when Japan beat Denmark in the World Cup. Of course as the new year began in each time zone around the world, Twitter exploded with tweets. And Twitter put together this neat map visualization that shows activity spreading west, from time zone to time zone, as each new region welcomes the new year. “The circles get bigger as more Tweets are being sent at that moment, which means it’s probably midnight in that timezone. Notice that the circle over Tokyo gets so big it nearly swallows Japan,” Jenna Dawn wrote on Twitter’s blog. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mattjeacock, and Nitin Garg Reviews: Twitter, World Cup, iStockphoto For more Social Media coverage:
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| Why Quora Will Never Be as Big as Twitter Posted: 06 Jan 2011 12:18 PM PST   Despite attracting a lot of buzz in recent days and attracting a slew of new users, it’s unlikely that Quora, the social questions service, will scale bigger than Twitter. The two are far too different to be compared. And yet, they have been. Though it’s a valuable service that very often yields answers to your questions and displays insightful commentary about topics you’re interested in, the site has a focused appeal that makes it unlikely to attract mainstream users. And that’s OK, because maybe Quora isn’t trying to attract the mainstream audience. Quora has learned a lot from the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Digg, and it has provided an outlet for conversation and discussion that many other social sites have been unable to achieve. It’s a great site. But despite having done an outstanding job attracting a user base and providing a quality experience with other big competitors on its tail, its growth is likely to be more steady and organic. Though Quora will grow this coming year and attract a substantial user base, I am skeptical of the claims that it will scale to the stature of Twitter. Here’s why. Focused Appeal In some ways, Quora has a broad appeal: answering specific questions and questions you didn’t know you had but that interest you. When users go to a search engine like Google, they are looking for specific information. Quora is similar, but, instead of an algorithm, you get answers from people who are knowledgeable about the topic. It’s similar to a social search engine. But questions and answers can only take you so far. Twitter, for example, has broad appeal because it is a simple act of publishing and distribution in 140-character messages. It appealed to a broad audience after getting the attention of celebrities and notable figures like Oprah, but more importantly, it satisfied the need for simple and real-time publishing to your connections. It’s simple, and users don’t feel like they have to work to use it. Quora feels heavy, which is of course where it excels, providing in-depth commentary to questions. But that heaviness is unlikely to attract a large audience. It might be useful for focused groups — say, journalists — seeking answers or hoping to get insights on topics they are interested in. Those in the tech industry may also find it useful, but this utility may not be that attractive to an average user. Attracting a Broader AudienceThe incentive for an average user to join needs to improve. When Foursquare began growing at the beginning of last year, some also called it the “next Twitter.” But we quickly learned that only 4% of online Americans use location-based services like Foursquare. Of course, Foursquare still managed to grow to 5 million users and attract a lot of buzz, but the broad interest in sharing your location and the incentive of rewards still wasn’t enough. Despite some assertions that Quora has gained a broader audience, it seems to be heavily trafficked by technologists, those in the media industry and social media types. Though these groups are often the early adopters of other services, Quora seems to be particularly tech-heavy. That’s part of the reason why I find it useful — because there are people there who are interested and who are contributing to topics I am interested in. But what about users interested in topics outside of technology? Topics like automotive, for example, have a smaller amount of followers. If there are fewer users for you to connect with that are interested in the same topics as you, it decreases your chances of sticking around. For Quora, user retention will be a challenge. Current DesignIn its current design, Quora is most useful with a smaller community of users and connections. Before the influx of new users, each time I logged on I was presented with useful content that was relevant to me. It became an addicting experience browsing through the top questions and chiming in when appropriate. Even Irene Au, Google’s head of design, praised how successful Quora’s design is, “not only visually, but also for interaction in terms how they built in mechanics for ensuring high quality content.” Its current design is perfect for presenting quality content among a smaller community of users. As more users recently signed up and began contributing to Quora, there has been more noise and less value. Of course, some of the features on the site, such as up-voting of answers, are meant to present the best possible answers, and yet the news feed seems to be getting flooded with up-voted answers. And this tweet from The New York Times’s Patrick LaForge may not be a unique frustration.  Though Quora’s UI is great, it seems inadequate for handling a large user base and allowing people to discover relevant information amid a flood of content. As it grows in its current design, the quality of the user experience seems to decline. Lots of Competition
The big dogs also have the advantage of a large user base to which they can introduce new products. Quora is starting from the ground up. A Facebook user, for example, may be more likely to default to using Facebook’s social questions product because all of their connections are already on the platform. Competition with the mainstream also means that Quora will be competing for user attention and user acquisition. It has already set itself apart by providing a quality community and relevant information to its users, but how long will that last and will it be able to scale with big competitors in the ring? As much as I’d like it to, I think it is unlikely. What’s your take on Quora? Will it scale to the size of top social networks? Does it even need to? Let us know in the comments below. More Startup Resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Facebook, Google, Twitter, foursquare More About: facebook, Opinion, quora, Search, social media, social questions, technology, twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| PepsiCo Snafu Illustrates Dangers of Crowd Sourcing Posted: 06 Jan 2011 11:57 AM PST   In an example that showcases the downside of crowd sourcing, PepsiCo encouraged fans to make a Super Bowl ad and wound up offending some Catholics. The company got some flak for an ad that appeared on its website that some thought endorsed replacing communion wafers and wine with Pepsi Max and Doritos. The maker of the ad, a Philadelphia firm called Media Wave Productions, however, says that interpretation is way off base. The ad, which has been taken off Pepsi’s website and YouTube, features a pastor who is losing his flock, so he prays and hears the sound of crunching and soda pouring. “Got it,” he answers. The next shot shows dozens of people of various denominations at the church lined up to get Doritos and Pepsi Max. After Media Wave submitted the ad in early November, a number of Catholic groups, including one called America Needs Fatima, took issue with the ad, which the group believed mocks the Holy Eucharist. That group started an online petition to ask Pepsi to reject the ad. Pepsi eventually did. When the 10 finalists for the contest were chosen on January 3, the ad, called “Feed Your Flock,” was not among them. Pepsi rep Lindsay Anthony apologizes to anyone who had taken offense. “The video was not created by Doritos or Pepsi MAX and was one of over 5,600 entries we received,” says Anthony. “With such a significant number of submissions, you get a pretty wide range of concepts. We apologize to anyone that was upset or offended by this consumer submission.” Dave Williams, president of MediaWave, says he pulled the ad from Pepsi’s site and from YouTube. “We felt bad,” he says. “Our intention was to win, not to offend.” The Pepsi contest, now in its fifth year, dangles $1 million if one of the ads tops USA Today’s AdMeter, $600,000 for the number-two spot and $400,000 for the third spot. If the Pepsi Max and Doritos ads take the top three positions on that poll, the company will award another $1 million to each, for a total of $5 million. PepsiCo will choose six winners among the final 10 and run the six ads during the game. The top 10 spots can be viewed here. Reviews: YouTube More About: advertising, crowdsourced, MARKETING, Pepsi, Super Bowl For more Business coverage:
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| Slacker Radio Unveils New iPad App & On-Demand Streaming Plan Posted: 06 Jan 2011 11:36 AM PST   Music subscription service Slacker Radio announced a bevy of baubles at CES 2011, including on-demand streaming and a brand-new iPad app. Although Slacker showed off these innovations in Las Vegas, the app and the on-demand plan will not be available until later this month. So what are the nuts and bolts of these new offerings? 1). A new (paid) subscription tier called Slacker Premium Radio (for web, iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry) that features on-demand access to the entire Slacker library, top charts, station playlists, etc., 2). A brand-new iPad app, as well as apps for Nokia smartphones and Verizon 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network-based smartphones, 3). Unlimited free Slacker Radio for Canadian listeners. By offering on-demand listening, Slacker gives itself a leg-up on competitor Pandora (although we were fans of the less-buzzed-about service before due to its offline streaming option) and joins the likes of MOG and Rdio, who already offered this option. The Slacker app is also sure to be an interesting development. When Pandora’s app came about several months ago, we noted that it was a tool for the lean-in listener, those who like to engage with their music rather than just passively listen to it. Well, with artist bios, album reviews, artist images and full-size album art — and the ability to listen to any song you want on-command — that lean-in experience is sure to be amplified with Slacker’s app. Slacker sent us a few screenshots of the new app, which we’ll review in full once it’s released. Check it out and let us know what you think. Home Page Station Songs Artist Albums Reviews: Android, Pandora More About: ces2011, ipad, Mobile 2.0, music, Slacker-Radio For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Golden-Voiced Homeless Man Voicing Commercial for Kraft Posted: 06 Jan 2011 11:02 AM PST Stand by: We’re waiting for an official video to replace the one pulled from YouTube. Ted Williams, the Brooklyn native and Ohio (sans residence) resident, who recently became famous for his powerful pipes, is slated to be the new voice of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Recently, Columbus Dispatch videographer Doral Chenoweth III filmed a brief interview with Williams, who until this week panhandled on the corner of a highway. The video — which was quickly posted to YouTube — went viral a few days ago (with help from the Reddit community), and Williams started scoring TV appearances and job offers, including a position with the Cleveland Cavaliers doing voiceovers for their arena. Although he has told some news outlets he has accepted the positon, according to AdAge, Quicken Loans (who works with the Cavs) tells us Williams has yet to confirm. Kraft, along with the 12 million people who have seen the vid on YouTube, also fell for Williams. Spokeswoman Lynne Galia told us, “Like many others, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and our ad agency was moved by Ted Williams's story. His amazing voice is perfectly suited to our campaign. We were in the middle of making our TV spots and in a unique position to help Ted use his great voice to gain employment. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese has a tradition of bringing families together and helping those in need and we're thrilled to help Ted on his journey to re-establish himself.” The ad, which Williams apparently filmed after an appearance on the Today Show (Williams flew to New York the other day), will premiere on ESPN on Sunday night during the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco, the culmination of Kraft’s Huddle To Fight Hunger Campaign. Williams isn’t the first YouTube celeb to become a spokesperson — “Double Rainbow Guy” Paul Vasquez appeared in a commercial for Windows Live Photo Gallery, Antoine Dodson of “Bed Intruder” fame was the spokesman for a sex offender tracker app, and all manner of YouTube stars teamed up to promote a new version of Trivial Pursuit. Ben Huh recently told audiences at the Web 2.0 conference that the luminaries of viral culture are the "rock stars of tomorrow” — well, it seems that that role is more and more coming to include assuming the mantle of spokesperson. Granted, Williams is a special case — in that he is homeless and needs a job — but much like Dodson et. al, part of what is attracting advertisers to him is his story. Brands want that story associated with their products, as well as his talent. It remains to be seen whether the opportunities will endure once the glamor of the tale wears off. Still, given Williams’s great talent, we’re guessing that they will. Reviews: AdAge, YouTube, trivial pursuit More About: business, Kraft, MARKETING, ted-williams, trending, video For more Business coverage:
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| Intel Shows Tiny PCs With Surprising Graphics Power [PICS] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 10:51 AM PST   We just visited the Intel booth at CES and saw some laptops and tablets that are packing a serious punch. Stroll around the booth with us as we take a close look at the array of laptops and tablets Intel is showing off, as the company touts the benefits of its latest processors inside. Some are running Windows, and others run Android. Don’t be fooled by the diminutive size of these devices; many are small enough to fit into a coat pocket. Stay tuned, because we have video on the way. Meanwhile, here’s a gallery with the coolest examples Intel had on display, complete with descriptions of each: Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness The Intel booth is bathed in constantly changing light, with LEDs everywhere. Intel always goes all-out on its booth, and we especially like the hovering cubes above, lit by constantly changing colors. Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness The Physically Smart Experience is running on Intel's second-generation Core processors. Check back later for video of this spectacular graphic display. Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness This Gemtek tablet has a front-facing camera for video conferencing. It's designed to be a multimedia phone in the home, to be used with VoIP phones over Wi-Fi. Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness This Razer laptop has a sharp-looking OLED keyboard that changes according to the context of your work. It's small enough to fit in a coat pocket. Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness Razer laptop with an OLED keyboard Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness Razer laptop with an OLED keyboard Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness This Avaya PC is running Android. It's meant to be stationary, interacting with a digital phone. Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness Here's the side of that Avaya Android slab. It's all VoIP, there's no standard phone jack. Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness Viliv is a 3G tablet running Windows 7 Home Premium, with an Oak Trail chipset. It can output 1080p video. It ships sometime during the second quarter of this year, and pricing should be somewhere between $500 and $600, or $200 to $300 with a contract. Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness The back of the Viliv tablet Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness Fujitsu Cider Oak Trail-based tablet outputs 1080p on its 10.1-inch 1280x800 screen. There's an SD card slot and a fingerprint reader on the back. Intel at CES 2010: Booth Coolness Fujitsu Cider tablet Photos by Curtis Joe Walker Reviews: Android, Windows More About: 1080p, ces2011, graphics, intel, Oak Trail, OLED keyboard, tablets For more Tech coverage:
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| Skype Acquires Qik for $100 Million [CONFIRMED] Posted: 06 Jan 2011 10:20 AM PST   Skype has acquired video streaming service Qik, the company announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Skype CEO Tony Bates confirmed the announcement on the company blog: “I'm happy to announce that we've entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Qik,” he wrote. The news was first leaked by Business Insider Thursday morning. The source who revealed the news claims that the deal cost Skype approximately $100 million. Qik allows users to host two-way live video calls on a range of smartphones, as well as record and share video via e-mail, SMS, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a number of other platforms. Qik’s userbase catapulted to 5 million users in 2010, up from 600,000 at the beginning of the year, thanks in part to partnerships with major telecom providers like T-Mobile. “Skype and Qik share a common purpose of enriching communications with video, and the acquisition of Qik will help to accelerate our leadership in video by adding recording, sharing and storing capabilities to our product portfolio,” Bates wrote. “Through this acquisition, we'll also be able to take advantage of the engineering expertise that is behind Qik's Smart Streaming technology, which optimizes video transmission over wireless networks,” he added. Skype and Qik have two important board members in common: Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who could have helped facilitate the deal. Reviews: Facebook, Skype, Twitter, YouTube, blog For more Business coverage:
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| HOW TO: Fix “Error 100″ in the Mac App Store Posted: 06 Jan 2011 10:19 AM PST The new Mac App Store launched early Thursday morning, but not without a slight glitch. If you’re among the users repeatedly seeing the message, “We could not complete your App Store request. An unknown error occurred (100),” every time you try to download an app, you’re not alone.   What you’ll need to do is download an app — any app — in the App Store via iTunes, or one of your Apple devices with access to the App Store. Doing so will trigger the new iTunes Terms and Conditions to appear. They are, for some reason, failing to pop up for some users when they try to download an app in the Mac App Store. Then you’ll need to restart your computer and reopen the Mac App Store. (Some users say they merely had to restart the Mac Store or iTunes to get it work, but I had to restart my computer.) You should be able to download apps in the Mac App Store immediately afterward. Reviews: App Store More About: apple, mac app store For more Tech coverage:
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| Fans’ YouTube Videos Wind Up in NFL Promos Posted: 06 Jan 2011 09:59 AM PST   Tearing up the old marketing playbook, the NFL recently drew some inspiration — and some video — from YouTube. The league, looking to hype the playoffs, began running promos two weeks ago shot by amateurs, including New Orleans Saints’ fan Scott Gibson, who documented some fellow fan reactions with his Flip cam. According to The Times-Picaynune, Gibson recorded the reaction at a hotel lounge in the city after the Saints’ Tracy Porter’s interception resulted in a touchdown with three minutes left on the clock. An initial promo features other reactions to that play while another shows fans celebrating after Santonio Holmes’ game-winning catch for the Steelers in the 2009 Super Bowl. A third shows Giants fans’ reactions to Super Bowl XLII. Eric Segal, the creative director for Grey, the ad agency that created the promos, says that he was thinking about the idea about how memorable plays are often expressed in a very personal way when he started searching YouTube. “It’s not about the time on the clock, it’s retold in some social context of where they were and who they were with,” he says. It turned out YouTube was full of such moments. Segal eventually selected about eight clips of fans reacting to various moments in their living rooms and at bars. One memorable scene features a spontaneous hug by two large fans. Since the promo began running, some, like Gibson, have experienced a touch of fame, but no fortune. Segal says that the fans weren’t compensated for their YouTube films. Meanwhile, Robert Stecklow, director of advertising and media for the NFL, says that he’s already seen more fans recording their reactions to games and putting them on YouTube. “A lot of fans were saying ‘That was cool. I’m going to video myself at home.’” To view one of the promos, click here. Reviews: YouTube More About: advertising, MARKETING, nfl, youtube For more Business coverage:
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Fizy is an international music site based out of Turkey that was designed with the goal of being simple and easy to use. It’s simple. It enables you to listen to music track-by-track, create playlists and play songs from your homescreen that you may have never heard of. Just a simple search and it plays the tracks you’re looking for. If the track has a video available, it will show you that as well. It has a database of more than 75 million mp3s. The site supports 26 languages.
Qwitter uses Twitter’s API to notify you when any of your Twitter followers stop following you. Simply give the system your Twitter name, an e-mail address to contact you, and you'll receive a summary e-mail at least once a day telling you the users who have stopped following you. It’s that simple, and yet highly useful.
PSGive.org is a site focused on increasing awareness and funding of non-profits by enabling users to participate in online events. Users buy tokens to participate in events that give you a chance to win cool prizes, like the iPad, while benefiting a charity of your choice. In some ways it is like an online charity auction.
To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit focused on advocating for hope and help for people struggling with depression, self-injury, addiction and suicide. It leverages various social sites to inform, inspire and invest in treatment and recovery for people who need help. Since 2006, the organization has responded to more than 
Gaia Online is an anime-themed social networking site. Founded in 2003, the social and forums-based site originally began as an anime community and moved toward social gaming and forums with some 1 million posts made daily with 23 million registered users. The site includes virtual currency known as Gaia Gold, which is distributed regularly to users as a reward for activity and participation, and Gaia Cash, which can be purchased with real money and is used to buy virtual gifts. The site includes various mini games, which can be played to earn gold and virtual items. The site also includes virtual worlds, such as Gaia Towns in which users can interact with one another’s avatars.
Jay Park is a Korean-American actor, singer and dancer who has leveraged video to entertain his fans. The American-born personality initially became famous after getting the lead role for Korean pop boy band 2PM. At the end of 2009, he left the band to focus on a solo career in the U.S. In 2010, he posted a cover of 
AllKPop is one of the top destinations for the latest Korean pop culture news and gossip. Launched in 2007, the site has leveraged social media to reach more than 3 million monthly readers and is the most trafficked English language Korean pop blog in the world.
Angry Birds is a simple yet very addicting 
DriveSafe.ly is a mobile application that reads text and e-mail messages aloud in real-time and responds to the messages automatically without the driver having to touch or look at the phone. It helps you, well, drive safely. The application, available for BlackBerry and Android devices, will soon be coming to the iPhone and Windows Mobile. According to its website, it has prevented more than 380 million texting-while-driving incidents. The app features include Bluetooth and radio transmitter compatibility, easy activity, hands free use, reading shorthand in messages and an optional customizable automatic responder.
eBuddy is a mobile and web messaging company that created the first independent browser-based IM service with e-Messenger in 2003. Its technology enables users who use various chats like AOL, Google Talk, MSN, Facebook, etc. to chat on one aggregate interface from their mobile device. Its mobile messenger is available through mobile web browsers or through iPhone and 
Twitchange is an innovative charity auction that 
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