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Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Wikileaks Opens Up a Gift Shop [PICS]”

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Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Wikileaks Opens Up a Gift Shop [PICS]”

Wikileaks Opens Up a Gift Shop [PICS]

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 04:20 AM PST


Aiming to raise funds for both the controversial website and leader Julian Assange’s legal defense fund, Wikileaks this month opened an online gift shop.

The shop, run by German company Spreadshirt AG, features t-shirts, duffle bags, umbrellas and buttons with the Wikileaks logo, pictures of Assange and the organization’s tagline, “Courage is contagious.” A note on the page explains that “All proceedings go to Wikileaks operations.”

The effort comes as Assange is set to receive $1.3 million for his autobiography. In an interview with the Sunday Times in December, Assange explained his financial situation: "I don't want to write this book, but I have to. I have already spent £200,000 for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat.”

More About: julian assange, MARKETING, wikileaks

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Android 3.0 SDK Now Available to All Developers

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 02:12 AM PST


The full SDK for Android 3.0 or Honeycomb, the branch of Android aimed specifically at tablets, is now available to developers.

The APIs are final, and the developers are now free to create apps targeting Honeycomb and publish them on the Android Market.

The SDK comes just in time as one of the first Android 3.0-sporting tablets, the Motorola Xoom, is about to hit the stores tomorrow. It may not have Flash just yet, but at least users will be able to enjoy some new, Android 3.0-specific apps on their shiny new tablet.

You can learn about the new features in Honeycomb over at the Android platform highlights.

[via Android Developers]

More About: android, developers, Google

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Lanyrd Keeps Your Conference Life On Track, Via Twitter

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 09:08 PM PST


The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Lanyrd

Quick Pitch: Lanyrd helps you get more out of conferences.

Genius Idea: Via Twitter, track event sessions and keep up with favorite speakers — at all stages in the conference lifecycle.

Some newlywed couples work to produce an offspring on their honeymoon. Most don’t labor towards birthing a startup. But that’s exactly what British entrepreneurs Natalie Downe and Simon Willison did on their post-nuptial adventure. After traveling in Europe and Africa, the couple caught ill in Casablanca and extended their stay and booked an apartment to recover.

The pair have a shared love for building projects in their spare time — which is why, with all that extra time in a bedroom, they managed to create and release an early build of Lanyrd. Within two hours of its launch, Downe and Willison saw the site generate more than 14,000 visits.

After finding immediate success with social media denizens, the couple applied to Y Combinator’s accelerator program. Lanyrd was accepted and has since relocated to Mountain View, California to complete it. The site remains a largely bootstrapped effort, though the couple did accept the $150,000 in convertible debt offered up by Start Fund.

Willison calls Lanyrd “the IMDb of conferences” — except that its content is crowdsourced. The site asks its users to do the heavy lifting for them by filling in the blanks on each conference: sessions, speakers and content. The incentive? The same as at any conference: self-aggrandizement. Organizers will go to any lengths to promote their events. Speakers want to flesh out their profiles by adding past, present and future engagements. And everyone wants to see useful conference content.

“Conferences are traditionally insufficient for transferring knowledge,” says Willinson. “Longer term, this is about capturing the value of what’s shared.”

Lanyrd’s tie-in with Twitter is ingenious — and almost spooky. Sign in with your Twitter handle, and you’ll automatically be greeted with a smorgasbord of contacts and upcoming conferences, drawn from your Twitter relationships. You may see that Lanyrd knows you spoke at a trade show last month, or that you’re on a panel this fall. The site already lists 6,000 crowdsourced conferences and 30,000 user profiles.

Downe and Willison opted to use Twitter’s social graph — rather than Facebook’s, say — because they believe the “follow” has more aspirational value than the “friend.” You likely already follow the people you’d like to know, the speakers you’d like to see talk. According to Lanyrd, you’ve already composed a list of the thought leaders you’d like to bump into at an upcoming conference. So Lanyard is well positioned to find the sessions of social relevance to you.

Since users are encouraged to add speakers and their Twitter names to sessions, the speaker need not be a Lanyrd user to have a Lanyrd presence. On signing up, you may notice your conference history has already been charted for you by your Twitter followers, organizers or fellow attendees.

Next up, Lanyrd has its sights set on South by Southwest, held in Austin next month. The startup launched its unofficial guide to the show Tuesday to help users find which sessions their Twitter friends are attending, and stay current on slides, videos and notes.

The SXSW tool marks Lanyrd’s first real test at a major conference. At worst, the event will provide a trove of data and real-world experiences that Downe and Willison can use to better determine how to serve users while they’re attending conferences.

Downe and Willison describe the chain of events following their June 2010 nuptials to their present day found status as an unexpected, whirlwind affair. Their story, and their startup, are still in their nascent stages. The couple will graduate from the Y Combinator program in March, and may be forced to return to the UK when their visas expire. But location may matter little to a startup that has successfully leveraged the power of an international hit like Twitter.

Image courtesy of SimonWillison.net

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

More About: conferences, lanyrd, spark-of-genius, startup, sxsw, twitter

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Your Call: How Are Cell Phones Affecting The Brain? [REPORT]

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 07:07 PM PST


A study published in tomorrow’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms what researchers have long suspected: that long conversations on cell phones affect parts of your brain. Trouble is, not even the study’s authors, the National Institute of Health, know how the calls affect you — just that they light up a significant chunk of your gray matter near the phone.

“We don’t know whether this is detrimental or whether it could have some potential beneficial effects. We don’t know one way or the other,” lead author Dr. Nora Volkow told HealthDay.

Potential beneficial effects? Well, yes. All the study found when it tracked 47 mobile-toting participants for one year was this: brain metabolism in a small area nearest the antenna was 7% higher when they were on a 50-minute call. So cell phones boost brain activity. (Specifically, they raise glucose levels.) Doesn’t sound so bad when put like that, does it? For all we know, blasting your brain with focused radio waves could be the mental equivalent of going to the gym. Glucose levels rise with just about any complex brain activity. For comparison, that 7% metabolism boost is less than the amount of energy it takes to process images via your eyes.

Of course, for all we know, the long-term effects could be pretty scary. Tumor cells need a lot of glucose, too. But that may be no more than coincidence. Researchers were careful to tiptoe around the C-word. And with good reason: as Ars Technica points out, in biology, there is absolutely no known mechanism that could lead from low-energy, long-wavelength radiation to cancer. A giant, 13-nation study begun in 2000 still hasn’t found any proof linking the two. Cell phone users, science is on your side — for now.

Bottom line: we know relatively little about brain science and even less about cell phone use. Decades of further study is going to be needed for a definitive answer. We’ve all heard anecdotes from friends about how calls give them headaches, or a buzzing sensation. They could be right, or they could be hypochondriacs. Maybe cell phones affect each brain differently. At the moment, there’s just no way of telling.

If you’re concerned, be like Dr. Volkow — who told TIME that she’s started using a $5 headset so she doesn’t have to hold her phone to her ear any more. “Maybe at the end of the day cell phones aren’t damaging,” she said. “But it’s only $5."

More About: brain, cancer, cell phones, mobile phones

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HOW TO: Spend an Entire Year Giving to Charity

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 03:34 PM PST

charity image

Try donating to a different charity every day for an entire year. Sounds hard, right? Well, it is, but that’s the exact goal that Carlo Garcia set for himself when he started Living Philanthropic, a one-year, one-man project to donate money 365 days in a row.

Every day, Garcia chooses a new charity and donates a small sum of money — usually around $10, but never less than $5. He then documents that day’s charity in a blog post on his Tumblr, where he describes the cause and provides some insights or personal stories to highlight its mission. Garcia, a Chicago-based actor and director, has minimal experience with blogging and social media but now relies on a suite of digital tools to spread his message, including a Twitter account, @deusexrockina, the hashtag #GiveEveryday, Facebook Page, and crowdrise profile.

Garcia admitted on his site that he doesn’t come from money, nor does he have an especially large bank account. The project was built on the belief that any support can make a difference. To make room for the donations, Garcia gave up some daily frills, like a cup of coffee or indulgent purchases like extra plaid shirts. Now on day 306, Garcia has given more than $3,500.

pixie image

But Living Philanthropic is more than just a way for Garcia to feel good about himself. The project is as much about raising awareness as it is about the individual donations. Garcia’s daily blog posts serve to highlight and provide exposure for smaller non-profits like a Portland animal rescue or a school-building expedition in Mexico.

Garcia acknowledges that 365 days of disparate micro-donations won’t make as much of an impact as if he focused his attention (and money) on just a couple causes. Instead, the project acts as a kind of local charity tasting menu: By no means exhaustive but certainly expansive. Garcia hopes that in the different charities he features and supports, his users will find at least one charity that they love and will continue the chain of giving.

The outreach and positive messages have worked. According to his site, readers have donated more than $8,500 in support of Living Philanthropic’s mission. “The awareness and the power of the community that has built up around this grassroots idea is worth more than the actual money I can give,” Garcia said.

How To Do It

There are ways to donate even if you don’t have a ton of cash. Garcia’s tips for the everyday micro-philanthropist are:

  • Start Locally: create a list of non-profits you want to support in your community.
  • Start Small: You don’t need to go broke, donate what you can.
  • Jar-to-jar: Set up a jar for loose change. At the end of the week, month or year, donate that amount to your chosen charity.
  • Vetting: Make sure the non-profits are properly registered. You can use sites like Guidestar.org to do a quick, free search.
  • Money Isn’t Everything: If you don’t have disposable cash, consider volunteering, raising awareness, or donating gently-used clothing and toys to local drives.
  • The Great Opt-Out: After donating, ask to receive updates by e-mail rather than snail mail. You’ll keep your mailbox clean and save some trees while you’re at it.
  • Give Anything: It doesn’t matter how small, every donation helps. If you miss a day, don’t give up.

carlo image

What’s next? After this year is up, Garcia is launching YEAR TWO, a similar project for which he’ll donate all those daily savings to a different charity every month. The aim is to give those charities more time and ultimately more money.

What do you think of Garcia’s project? Can one person really hope to make a difference? Sound off in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, CarbonNYC

More About: carlo garcia, charity, living philanthropic, non-profit, social good, social good lists

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Jersey Shore’s Pauly D Disses Miracle Whip in Ad [VIDEO]

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 03:20 PM PST

Pauly D from Jersey Shore shills for Miracle Whip in a new campaign from the sandwich spread that’s designed to spread social media debate.

The Kraft brand today launched a campaign that features testimonials from people who either love or hate Miracle Whip. The brand then asks consumers to weigh in on Miracle Whip’s YouTube page. (So far, lovers outnumber haters by about six to one.)

Pauly D is presented as a hater and offers a fairly scathing put-down of the brand. “I hate Miracle Whip so much. I tell you. If I had a girlfriend who liked Miracle Whip, it’s a deal-breaker.”

Other ads mix it up, showing people, including celebs like James Carville, discussing how they either love or hate the brand.

While it’s hard to actually get consumers whipped up into a frenzy about sandwich spreads (Miracle Whip doesn’t use the term “mayonnaise”), Miracle Whip has been trying for a couple of years and has actually had some success. In 2009, the brand hit the jackpot when Stephen Colbert took mock offense to the brand’s “Don’t go unnoticed. Don’t blend in. Don’t be so mayo” campaign.

The idea of stirring an innocuous debate has also been employed by other marketers, most notably Toyota, whose social media campaign around the plural of Prius was designed to start Twitter chatter last month. Will consumers take to social media to make their pro or con case for Miracle Whip, though? As Pauly D might say: “Fugghetaboutit.”

More About: advertising, jersey shore, MARKETING, Miracle Whip, youtube

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Sports Fans Could Soon Tune in to NBA & NHL Games Live on YouTube

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 02:56 PM PST


YouTube may be a hot bed for lip dub videos and life-casting teens, but soon sports fans could find a good reason to flock to the site: YouTube is reportedly in talks with the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League to broadcast games live.

Last year, YouTube announced that it would begin live-streaming Indian Premier League cricket matches, a venture that was apparently very successful. According to Business Week, the games brought in 55 million visits from more than 250 countries.

Gautam Anand, Google's director of content partnerships for Asia Pacific, recently said that YouTube plans to show more live sports, but declined to elaborate on the particulars of talks with the NBA and NHL. Google is apparently also talking with other pro sports leagues, as well as soccer leagues in Europe.

"It's fair to say that there will be a lot more appealing sports content you'll see on YouTube," Anand said. "We have ongoing conversations with pretty much everyone."

By offering such content, YouTube and Google can boost their ad revenue, seeing as how viewers would be spending more time on the site.

Lately, we’ve been seeing YouTube seemingly getting more serious about being an entertainment hub, rather than a forum for cat videos. Just the other week, it was rumored that YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar will be building out the site's recently instated talent program (last July, the video-sharing site announced its YouTube Partner Grants Program to ramp up quality content) by offering big-name stars their own YouTube channels.

In addition, parent company Google recently acquired Widevine, an on-demand video service known for its multiplatform DRM and adaptive streaming technologies, and the web has been buzzing for months about the possibility of it acquiring web video production company, New Next Networks.

What do you think of the prospect of watching live games on YouTube? Would you tune in?

Photo courtesy of Flickr, Minimalist Photography

More About: sports, video

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Netflix Signs 2-Year Partnership With CBS

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 02:39 PM PST


Netflix and CBS have announced a two-year non-exclusive licensing agreement that will bring more current and catalog content to the Netflix streaming service.

The new partnership will commence in early April, and hit shows like Frasier, Medium and Cheers will become available to Netflix subscribers. In December, Netflix signed a similar deal with Disney-ABC Television as part of its ongoing commitment to expanding its content library.

The CBS partnership means that content from all four major broadcast networks is now available on Netflix. CBS is the only major U.S. broadcast network not involved with Hulu and the Hulu Plus premium offering, which makes this Netflix deal a particular coup.

CBS.com and TV.com do offer streaming episodes of various current and catalog shows, but Netflix is the first subscription offering to gain access to the network’s swath of shows. Because the partnership is non-exclusive, it is possible that some of this content could wind up on other streaming subscription services in the future.

For now, the CBS win gives Netflix an advantage over its competitors like Hulu Plus and Amazon’s new Prime Instant Video service.

One of the best things about the growing number of streaming media services is the competition amongst the offerings to provide the most content, first. For consumers, that means more content is coming to more services along with more competitive price points.

More About: cbs, hulu plus, netflix, streaming media, television, tv

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Google Person Finder Helps Victims of New Zealand Earthquake Reconnect With Missing Loved Ones

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 02:24 PM PST


Google has launched a Person Finder page in order to help victims of a powerful earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand, on Tuesday reconnect with missing friends and families.

The website allows users to search a user-created database using a missing person’s name. If no match is found in the existing database, they can leave information about the person and a message for him or her. People can also leave information about themselves for their loved ones or add information they have about another person to the site.

At the time of writing, more than 6,500 records have been created.

Google created the Person Finder with the U.S. Department of State after the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010. Since then, it has created Person Finder websites in response to the earthquake that hit Chile in February and the earthquake that hit China in April.

The search giant has also started creating crisis response pages that list emergency numbers, resources and real-time updates from Twitter and YouTube. The page for the Christchurch Earthquake includes the Person Finder, as well as a map of the destruction.

More About: crisis response, Earthquake, Google, Person finder

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How HTML5 Is Aiding in Cross-Platform Development

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 02:00 PM PST


The Mobile App Trends Series is sponsored by Sourcebits, a leading product developer for mobile platforms. Sourcebits offers design and development services for iOS, Android, Mobile and Web platforms. Follow Sourcebits on Twitter for recent news and updates.

As the mobile application space continues to explode, developers are increasingly using HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3 to aid in the creation of web apps and native mobile apps. This process is especially useful when dealing with cross-platform development or when working with content that already exists in some form on the web.

We’re going to take a look at how some of the best HTML5-centric, cross-platform mobile frameworks are being used to help developers deliver native app experiences on a variety of devices.

Why HTML5

Given the hype and buzz surrounding HTML5, it would be easy to believe that it is a technology that will do your laundry, mow the lawn and make you dinner. In truth, HTML5 isn’t the second coming, and it isn’t an officially ratified standard — yet. The spec continues to edge closer to completion, however, and when combined with JavaScript and CSS3, HTML5 can do some really incredible things.

This is particularly true for mobile devices. A de facto requirement for any modern mobile operating system is the inclusion of a modern HTML5-compliant web browser. The leading modern mobile platforms — iOS and Android — both use WebKit as their bases. Likewise, BlackBerry and HP/Palm are also using WebKit and Microsoft is going to release a mobile version of Internet Explorer 9 for Windows Phone 7.

What this means is that out of the box, modern smartphones and tablets support the bells and whistles that make HTML5 so special. It also means that developers can feel free to use those technologies when creating their applications and not have to worry that the device itself won’t support a particular function.

It also means that developers that choose to create HTML5 web apps for the desktop — like for the Google Chrome Web Store — can often use the same code when crafting an app for the iPad or for other tablets.

Earlier this month, leading iOS developer ScrollMotion released its first simultaneous e-book for the iPad and Chrome Web Store.

Because ScrollMotion has built its underlying app platform in HTML5, porting the content to a non-iOS device, like the Chrome browser, required very little work.

Platforms

Choosing what mobile platforms to support continues to be a vexing problem for developers both big and small. Supporting one platform can be difficult enough, but now developers not only have multiple operating systems to consider, but multiple device types as well. iPhone and iPad apps can be packaged together, but both require separate experiences and views.

Likewise, Android developers that want to target the upcoming wave of Honeycomb tablets will need to create variations of their apps for the different device types. Add in the BlackBerry PlayBook, HP’s TouchPad and the future devices from Nokia and Microsoft, and it’s not difficult for even a large development team to become overwhelmed.

Fortunately, this problem has created a microcosm of cross-platform mobile development tools. We’ve covered a number of these platforms and frameworks in the past, but we want to highlight a few that specifically target HTML5 and JavaScript.

Appcelerator Titanium

Appcelerator’s Titanium platform was designed from the offset to help web developers create mobile and tablet applications with ease. Over the last year, the platform has seen tremendous growth, and new features and devices are added at a fast pace.

Appcelerator recently acquired Aptana, which should ensure that the tools for building its apps continue to improve and evolve over time.

Some of the apps that have been built with Appcelerator include GetGlue for iPhone, iPad and Android and ScoutMob’s excellent iPhone app.

PhoneGap

PhoneGap is an HTML5 app platform that lets developers build native apps using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. What really sets PhoneGap apart is that it lets developers create a full-functioning mobile web app but place that app in a native wrapper, so that it can use native device APIs and get submitted to the App Store or Android Market.

In essence, it enables mobile developers to create an app just as if they were targeting the mobile browser but with the benefit of being able to get into the App Store.

PhoneGap Build is a new service (still in beta) that lets developers quickly and easily create app-store ready versions of their apps for various platforms. It does all the work of compiling the code for various platforms and gives the developer a final build suitable for submission to the app market of their choice.

Ars Technica used PhoneGap to build its iPad app. This is a great example of using web standards to deliver an app that presents existing content in a customized view and experience. Clint Ecker’s post about how the app was built is worth a read.

Rhodes

Rhodes is a Ruby-based framework designed to help developers create native apps for a wide range of devices and platforms. The reason we included Rhodes in this roundup — despite being a Ruby tool — is that it uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript in its views. That means that HTML can be used for the interface aspect of the app — even if Ruby is what is powering the work on the backend.

Unify Project

The Unify Project is a set of tools designed to make it easier for developers to create smartphone apps using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. Sponsored by Deutsche Telekom, Unify is published under a dual open source license (MIT and Apache version 2.0) and it uses PhoneGap, Adobe Air, Sass and the quooxdoo JavaScript framework.

Additional Tools

Using various mobile web frameworks alongside an HTML5 platform is a common approach to mobile app development.

Developer Pete Freitag recently gave a presentation on building mobile apps using jQuery Mobile and PhoneGap. Freitag made the slides available on his website and the presentation offers a nice overview of how to use two emerging web frameworks together.

Feitag’s tracking and reimbursement app Mileage Pad was built using PhoneGap and jQuery Mobile.

Other web frameworks that can be used alongside PhoneGap or Rhodes include Sencha Touch and SproutCore.

Or Just Make an HTML5 App

Of course, an increasingly viable option for mobile developers is to just use HTML5 to create a mobile web app.

As HTML5 gets better and browser support of HTML5 improves, the differences between running an HTML5 app in a native wrapper, a la PhoneGap, and accessing an HTML5 web app from an app shortcut on your home screen is going to continue to disappear.

Lots of companies — including Facebook — are looking at HTML5 as the future platform for their apps that target next generation devices.

Earlier this month, 37signals decided to forego building a platform-specific mobile app for its Basecamp product and instead created Basecamp Mobile. This decision initially drew some criticism, with members of the developer community questioning the company’s decision to just use HTML5.

With the recent Readability kerfuffle, it’s possible that more developers will start considering a mobile web approach for their applications. Readability’s Rich Ziade and Dan Benjamin discuss the issue in length, including what it means for mobile developers, on “The Daily Edition.”

The Future is Bright

Whether it’s through a framework, via an application wrapper or as the basis for a mobile web app, HTML5 is going to continue to be an important driving force for mobile application development.

In fact, as the technology evolves, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more HTML5 elements popping up in native desktop applications as well.

Are you using HTML5 when building mobile apps? Let us know.

Series Supported by Sourcebits

The Mobile App Trends Series is sponsored by Sourcebits, a leading developer of applications and games for all major mobile platforms. Sourcebits has engineered over 200 apps to date, with plenty more to come. Sourcebits offers design and development services for iPhone, Android and more. Please feel free to get in touch with us to find out how we can help your app stand apart in a crowded marketplace. Follow Sourcebits on Twitter and Facebook for recent news and updates.

More Dev & Design Resources from Mashable:

- 7 Hot Trends in Mobile App Design
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- 5 Website Features You Can Easily Offload to Reduce Costs
- This Is Why You Always Pay Your Web Designer
- Learning Ruby: Expert Advice for Advanced Developers

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, a_Taiga

More About: appcelerator, css3, HTML5, javascript, jquery mobile, Mobile App Trends Series, phonegap, rhodes, sencha touch

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YouTube Video of the Day: 5-Year-Old Won’t Marry Until She Has a Career

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 01:53 PM PST

Attention oh! lovers of the carnival of follies we call YouTube, we are proud to bestow upon you today a new series that is sure to lift you out of those daily doldrums: YouTube video of the day.

The first vid to take the stage? “5-year-old needs a job before getting married” — which is, basically, just that: A little girl ranting about her desperate need for occupational satisfaction before embarking upon that (supposedly) lifelong journey that is matrimony.

This is all very charming, child, but I think you should spend a couple more years gluing stuff together and rolling around in the dirt before getting all riled up about fiscal fulfillment.

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Hipmunk Releases Agony-Free Flight Search Tool for iPhone

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 01:03 PM PST


Hipmunk, the trendy Y Combinator travel startup that simplifies the flight search process, is out with an iOS application for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad .

The Hipmunk mobile application [iTunes link] experience is the perfect complement to the web experience and allows for fast sorting and filtering of flights. The app includes Hipmunk’s characteristic “Agony” filter for automatically sorting flights by a combination of annoyance factors — stops and travel duration, for instance.

“Like any good iPhone app, Hipmunk does its best to be fun,” says developer Danilo Campos. “You can zoom and scale your search results just like the Maps and Photos apps.”

Booking flights through the Hipmunk application has its pros and cons. Should you find a suitable flight, you can buy the ticket through a third-party vendor like Orbitz on your mobile phone, but it’s not an in-app experience.

One nice convenience, however, is that should you wish to abort the mobile booking process and book online instead, Hipmunk essentially bookmarks the saved flight for you. You can then visit Hipmunk’s website and enter a secret word to continue booking the flight online.

The newly released application offers travelers a more convenient alternative to flight search via mobile devices, and it’s the product of Campos’s passion for great user experience design.

Campos gives a “damn” about user experience design; he penned a blog post back in October commending the Hipmunk team for a job well done in that department. Campos’s impassioned stance on design caught the attention of Hipmunk co-founder Adam Goldstein and landed him a full-time position with the startup, where his first order of duty was to build the iPhone application.

Hipmunk is still a very young startup, but it’s managed to raise more than $5 million in back-to-back seed and Series A funding rounds. The mobile app will likely help the startup reach a larger, more mainstream audience, and allow it to find its footing amongst more traditional flight search tools.

More About: flight search, hipmunk, iOS, iphone, travel

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Music Discovery App Mocks Your Musical Tastes

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 12:30 PM PST


Yeah, you could just ask a friend to suggest some tunes for you — or you could download Pocket Hipster, the iPhone app that leers at your iTunes library, and then suggests replacements (the noun, not the band).

Putting aside for a moment the name of the app (I feel like “Pocket Music Snob” would be a lot less polarizing), Pocket Hipster [iTunes link] is a fun little diversion from a cadre of well-respected music tech companies: wearehunted.com and The Echo Nest.

Basically, one fires up the app, in which one meets two ridiculously monikered characters who blather on about vegan cupcakes and eBay. When you click on a little musical note icon in the lower-right-hand corner, a song from your iTunes plays, and the character berates you for your taste. She or he then suggests a playable track list of jams (previews only), which you can then buy on iTunes.

Right now, the app does not have the most expansive (or smoothly running) of offerings — when I did a test run, it kept selecting songs from Phantogram’s Eyelid Movies, and then suggesting the same Cut Copy and Crystal Castles songs. Then, when it finally latched onto Surfer Blood, the app suggested I listen to Phantogram. You’re confusing me, Pocket Hipster, making me doubt my musical tastes and whatnot. But maybe that was the aim all along.

More About: Echo Nest, iphone, iphone apps, music, pocket-hipster, wearehunted

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HOW TO: Use QR Codes for Event Marketing

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 12:29 PM PST


Matthias Galica is CEO of ShareSquare. Via a self-serve mobile web app CMS and QR codes, the ShareSquare platform enhances real world promotions for artists, agencies & brands. Mashable readers can sign up for the private beta for free by clicking here. He will also be presenting on the topic of QR code adoption at the Where 2.0 Conference.

Nearly every year since 1994 has been hyped as the year that QR codes pierce the mainstream, but in 2011 the hubbub is finally reaching a fever pitch.

This is thanks to a confluence of factors: Critical mass in smartphone penetration, a large installed base of many barcode-scanning apps, and an approaching social tipping point of awareness. QR codes are finally becoming an effective tool for driving offline-to-online interactions at scale.

Combine this with the fact that enhancing real world promotions in music, film and brand marketing is among the best applications of this technology, and next month's SXSW has the potential to be the breakout event for QR codes in America.

Unfortunately, many well-intentioned early adopters will waste the opportunity by not delivering enough value or making some very simple mistakes.

I've spent nine months isolating the best practices and highest converting use cases specific to these applications. Taking over where Jamie Turner left off with his post on the 10 commandments for marketers using 2D codes, below is a "brass tacks" breakdown of the minimum value each marketer needs to offer to be successful.

What Should My QR Code Do?

It should direct users to a mobile-optimized webpage with functionality tailored to your audience and application. Below are recommendations based on the calls-to-action that we've seen achieve the highest engagement. You'll notice the following themes recur: Exclusivity, rich media, downloads, social media, incentives like prizes and contests, and contextual relevance.

Music and Artist Performances


mobileroadie image

Must-Haves: Provide immediate music playback via an online service like YouTube or Rdio. Show a bio along with performance and venue information. Allow users to “Like” on Facebook and follow on Twitter.


Extra Credit: Link to native apps like those made by Mobile Roadie; offer free downloads in exchange for e-mail submissions; win VIP access or free schwag; offer mobile e-commerce through a provider like TopSpin or BandCamp.


Examples: The Grammys, Mitchel Musso.

Film Releases and Screenings


Must-Haves: Show the trailer (ideally an exclusive); put sneak peek images into a slideshow; provide screening and venue information; pre-populate status updates and tweets to help new fans spread the word.


Extra Credit: Deleted scene downloads; free passes; ticket purchases.


Examples: Ironman 2, Ray Kurzweil's Transcendent Man.

Technology Launches and Exhibitions


whrrl image

Must-Haves: Show screenshots; play a demo video; link to all your native apps (if you have them); display company info, “Like” on Facebook and follow on Twitter.


Extra Credit: Offer early access; send private invites, or register the scan as a check-in.


Examples: Whrrl, SCVNGR.

Brands and Sponsors


Must-Haves: Offer exclusive content or information; free prizes, coupons or giveaways; incentivize Facebook Likes and tweets to drive virality.


Extra Credit: Treasure hunts or collection games like those provided by SCVNGR; mobile e-commerce purchases.


Examples: Chevy at SXSW 2010, Calvin Klein.

Fans, Consumers and Event Attendees

redlaser image

Must-Haves: Install a good scanner like RedLaser on your iPhone, ShopSavvy or Barcode Scanner on Android, or use the native scanner inside BBM 5.0 on Blackberry.


Extra Credit / Example: Add a QR code to your business card.

Where Should I Put My QR Code at a Major Event?

Put your QR code on every single piece of promotional material you have. This goes for every marketer. Posters, flyers, stickers, merchandise tags, press kits, temporary tattoos; The more unusual the better. Any promotion without one is a missed opportunity at major events, especially tech-forward gatherings like SXSW.

What Not To Do

There are pitfalls you need to avoid at all costs, or else your QR code campaign will fail miserably:

  • Don't use proprietary code formats like those from AT&T Barcode Services or any other that requires a particular scanning app to work. Your QR code should simply contain a URL directing to your mobile web presence. You can easily create a free QR code with services like bit.ly or goo.gl, and they come with the added benefits of shortening your URL (which compresses the size of the QR code) and some basic tracking.
  • Don't link to a non-mobile-optimized site, or (heaven forbid) any pages containing Flash.
  • Don't forget to prominently place a compelling call-to-action (e.g. "Scan to Win") near the QR code so that your audience immediately knows why they should bother scanning your code.
  • Don't forget to test-scan the proofs for your creative. Make sure your QR code works as intended before you produce a bunch of collateral.

It's also a good idea to set up your QR code and the corresponding mobile webpage with analytics. This will give you the ability to track and optimize your campaign, and if you're using a plug-and-play CMS, even make updates during the event.

What Results Should You Expect?

At my company, we're seeing an average time on the mobile page of about 4 minutes, with bounce rates in the low 20% range. When your call-to-action is valuable, and well aligned with your application, you'll find that you can delight your audience and capture the precious attention that you wouldn't have before. Your mileage will vary on the total number of scans, which is why a shotgun approach with a variety of different placements will give you the best odds of standing out from the crowd.

We’re also upping the game for SXSW, which I predict will be a big event for QR codes. My company will be displaying real-time Austin heat maps of scanning activity happening on our platform, as well as aggregating leader-boards of the "Most Scanned Bands." We'll be giving those artists extra attention and visibility, in addition to some special prizes we'll announce at the event. I hope to see you, your QR codes, and some effective mobile calls-to-action in Austin next month.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Grow Your Sales and Revenue Using 2D Codes
- 2D Codes: The 10 Commandments for Marketers
- How The iPad Is Helping Businesses Go Green
- HOW TO: Jump-Start Your Career by Becoming an Online Influencer
- 4 Small Business Mobile Predictions for 2011

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, fberti

More About: 2d code, business, entertainment, location, MARKETING, mobile marketing, qr code, social media, social media marketing, sxsw

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Square Drops $0.15 Fee for Credit Card Purchases

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 11:59 AM PST


From now on, white-hot mobile payments startup Square won’t be asking merchants to pay $0.15 each time a credit card is swiped. Instead, merchants will be asked to pay a fee of 2.75%.

“What’s the big deal?” you might ask yourself. “They’re still charging a fee per transaction.”

Even though a fee does remain — and how else would a credit card processing startup make money? — the new fee system is a lot more beneficial for merchants who use Square, especially merchants who do high-volume, low total-per-transaction business. Instead of having to tally credit card processing fees based on the number of credit card transactions, they can simply multiply the total dollar amount for credit card purchases by .0275, and their credit processing fees will be readily apparent — and often a lot lower than if they paid a flat, per-swipe fee.

For example, if I used a regular credit card processing company to run my taco truck business and paid $0.15 per swipe, and I had 2,000 transactions at $5.00 each, that’s $300 in fees. If you paid a 2.75% fee instead, the fees come to $275. The savings of $25 seems small, but the savings only grow as the number of transactions grow — and for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), every little bit helps.

Also, the change allows merchants to accept smaller credit card transactions without fearing exorbitant processing fees. As Square founder Jack Dorsey pointed out on Twitter, “You know all those ‘under $10 cash only’ signs you see? That’s because of the 15 to 30 cents merchants pay. No more.”

The new fee is more convenient for both shoppers and merchants, and it makes credit card processing fees much more transparent. The new fee structure is a boon for merchants using the service, and most especially for the SMBs that lie at the center of Square’s target demographic.

In a new section on the startup’s website, we read, “Square lets you accept credit cards quickly and easily, using what you already have in your pocket: your phone. When you want to know how much money you've made, you no longer have to wade through a complex maze of hidden costs and fees. Just simple multiplication and you know what will be in your bank account.”

Here’s a quick video explaining why Square thought the change was necessary and what the new fee structure means for merchants:

More About: credit cards, jack dorsey, smb, Square, startup

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NYC Building Permits Are Getting QR Codes

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 11:55 AM PST


A new plan unveiled by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday will put QR codes on all NYC building permits by 2013.

New Yorkers who scan the codes will be able to learn details about ongoing projects, read complaints and violations related to the location, or click on a link to easily make complaints of their own.

According to a statement from the mayor’s office, the codes will link to a mobile version of the Department of Buildings Information System. As existing permits at 975,000 building and construction sites in New York City expire, the codes will be added to the new permits that replace them. Codes will also be added to after-hours variances and Place of Assembly certificates of operation.

While other governments have run campaigns using QR codes, New York City seems to have taken a particular liking to the barcode-like graphics. The codes are already in use on Department of Sanitation vehicles (they link to a public service announcement about recycling), and the city covered Times Square with them in June to celebrate Internet week and promote select agencies.

More About: Bloomberg, government, new york city, QR Codes

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“Thom Yorke Dancing” Is the New “Sad Keanu”

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 11:26 AM PST

Last week, we were given a gift — Radiohead’s music video for “Lotus Flower” combined with Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.”

In said video, Thom Yorke’s impassioned dancing took on a new meaning — instead of representing some burning inner desire that could only be articulated via dance, Yorke’s undulations entreated: “Put a ring on it!” You certainly are a “king of limbs,” Yorke.

Well, now it seems that the web has embraced this equation (Thom Yorke’s dancing + Contradictory jam = LOL). Behold, Dancing Thom, a Tumblr replete with vids of Yorke getting down to a litany of tunes.

The combination is rather reminiscent of “Sad Keanu,” a meme that was born from a photo of Keanu Reeves looking dejected whilst holding a sandwich (then eating a cupcake, then wearing a helmet, etc).

Check it out — whether you’re a Radiohead head, or one of the many yawning masses who promptly fell asleep in the middle of The King of Limbs, this blog is sure to send you dancing into this post-holiday parade of days.

More About: blog, humor, pop culture, radiohead, thom yorke, tumblr

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The 5 Stages of Apple Rumors

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 11:21 AM PST


As we approach the time when Apple is expected to launch two of its flagship products for 2011 — the iPhone 5 and the iPad 2 — the rumors around the company, its plans, the products’ features and the launch dates are entering a frenzy matched perhaps only by high profile celebrity rumor mills.

It is at this point that, to paraphrase the legendary post-modern saying, the rumors get so intense that everything is pointless. Even if you’re closely following Apple, which keeps its secrets behind a tightly locked 10-inch-thick steel door, it’s getting hard to track every single rumor about the upcoming products, and it’s even harder to discern which of them could be true.

We cannot be certain what features the iPhone 5 and the iPad 2 will have. Hell, we don’t know for sure that these products even exist. The rumors themselves, however, follow an interesting set of patterns that seem to reappear every time an Apple product is about to be launched.

1. The Age of Innocence

At this early stage, actual products are several months away, and the only palpable data anyone really has is the timing of Apple’s yearly events, such as the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference. It is also at this time when the rumors actually make the most sense, as analysts and media outlets take the obvious picks. The new iPhone, you will often read at this time, will have a better camera, a faster processor and more memory.

Well, duh. The features sound good, but they’re also so obvious that anyone could’ve predicted them. While the predictions at this stage are often correct, they only point toward an evolutionary product release, which Apple often does.

2. The Advent of 3D Models

This is where the 3D Studio Max and Illustrator wizards take the matter into their hands. Why wait for the official pictures of the new devices when you can imagine them yourself, thinner and more beautiful than they can ever be in reality?

The models get better as the first images that relate to the new product start to trickle onto the Internet. A case seemingly designed for the next generation of iPad will set a whole new wave of 3D model creation in motion, and soon we’ll have some models that look like they could be the real thing. But the real thing, as it almost invariably turns out, is often so much more perfect than any 3D model could be. The images you see at this stage of the Apple rumor mill will be enough to sate your brain for a little while, but you will forget them all the second Apple shows us the actual design.

3. The Stage of Wild Predictions

We have recently entered the third stage, perhaps the most tiresome of them all. Rumors abound at this time, and it is no longer enough to go with the obvious picks; if you want to start a good rumor, you have to go for something wild. The new iPad will not have a camera, and Apple is about to release a very, very small version of the iPhone that needs to be installed under your skin — these are the type of rumors you are likely to encounter at this time.

One could also call this stage the Age of Opposites. Everything you thought was true might be wrong, or so you will be told. Is the new iPhone really a phone? Has Apple completely given up on the concept of data storage? Just like in George Orwell’s 1984, you will learn to doublethink — two completely opposite concepts will suddenly start making sense in your head. And this is the perfect setup for…

4. The Dark Age of Chaos

Yes, this is the time when tech media journalists get physically sick when they hear words starting with “i,” while the readers repeatedly bash them for being Apple fanboys. The rumors have stopped making sense a long time ago, but you still cling onto them. With a mad look in your eyes and a hint of a snicker on your lips, you refresh the Google Reader on your iPad, looking for a new glimmer of hope on that 8-megapixel iPhone camera you’ve been craving.

The worst part is that this is when some data about the upcoming products actually leaks. Now you have to change everything you’ve believed in, but are you strong enough to do that? Isn’t it easier to just keep on living the dream in which the next iPad has a 2 GHz quad-core CPU, more RAM than your desktop computer and a screen with more pixels than the current state of technology can possibly allow?

5. The Silence Before the Storm

The time is near. Apple has actually set a date, and now most readers, analysts and media outlets are collectively: a) sick of predictions and, b) explored every possible rumor avenue. It is now pointless to fabricate any new rumors, and even if you do, the actual product launch is so close that the exhausted Apple fanbase is more content to wait for the real thing than to live in the fantasy world.

This is, by far, the most rewarding part of being a journalist and a tech media reader: finally, you get some well-deserved rest. We’re not quite here yet, but when we do reach this point, do yourself a favor: have a night out, drink a couple of drinks, forget about Apple. The truth will be revealed soon, and you’ve earned it.

More Apple Resources from Mashable:

- The Apple Canvas: 10 Outstanding Works of iOS Art [PICS]
- 10 Classy Cocktail Apps for Your iPhone
- How The iPad Is Helping Businesses Go Green
- 8 Educational iPhone Apps for Small Business Owners
- 10 iPod Touch 4G Cases That Stand Out From the Crowd [PICS]

More About: apple, ipad, iphone, rumors, tech

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Google Offers $5,000 for Best Tax Infographic

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 11:05 AM PST


Think you’re good at creating infographics? Then you may want to enter Google’s latest contest.

Google is offering a top prize of $5,000 for its Data Viz Challenge, a contest to see who can offer the best visualization of data about where your tax money goes. The contest, announced on Google’s Official Blog today, is based on a website called whatwepayfor.com, which was created by a couple of developers: Andrew Johnson and Lewis Garcia.

Impressed with the pair’s site, Google engineers came up with their own “interactive data visualization” or infographic:

But the company acknowledges that its infographic has its limitations. So, Google has teamed up with not-for-profit art and technology center Eyebeam for the challenge. To make things easier, Johnson and Garcia have built an API to let any potential developer access the data.

Those interested can enter the challenge at the site referenced above. The contest starts today and ends on March 27. The winner will be announced on April 18, aka Tax Day.

Though Google isn’t a company that many people associate with promotions and contests, this is the second such contest this month from the search giant. Earlier this month, Google used a similar promotion to publicize its wedding-planning site.

Image courtesy of iStock, Fullerene

More About: Contests, data visualizations, Google, infographics

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SCVNGR Surpasses 1 Million Users

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 10:59 AM PST


Once the upstart underdog in the location-based checkin arena, SCVNGR is announcing that it has surpassed 1 million users Tuesday and is making a strong case for itself as a top contender in the space.

SCVNGR’s 1 million user milestone news follows a few startup-defining moments, most notably $15 million in Series C funding and a Sprint partnership that guarantees its Android app placement on LG Optimus V handset homescreens.

User acquisition, on the whole, is trending upwards for the startup. SCVNGR hit 500,000 users in less than six months and 1 million users in less than nine, which shows a healthy pick up in traction.

“User growth has been picking up like whoa this year,” says founder and CEO Seth Priebatsch. “We added some new sharing features that have made our users a lot more vocal and they’re getting their friends involved faster. It’s certainly accelerating quicker than ever.”

Priebatsch will be keynoting at this year’s South By Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas. The founder’s stage presence could help the startup have a breakout moment at the show, which has a reputation for helping fledgling startups take off.

Priebatsch hopes to make a big splash. “I’ve got something crazy-cool planned for the keynote,” he says.

Elsewhere in the land of location-based mobile games, former SXSW darling Foursquare continues to show remarkable growth. The startup is headed in the direction of 7 million users, a milestone it will achieve by the end of the week, according to a company representative.

More About: location-based, scvngr, startup, sxsw

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Voxtrot Makes Free VoIP Calls From Your Phone Without Launching an App

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 10:49 AM PST


Making free or cheap phone calls using VoIP apps like Skype, PennyTel and Truphone is already a sweet deal, especially for those of us with unlimited data plans. Startup Voxtrot aims to also make it a sweet user experience.

The Switzerland-based company launched an Android app Tuesday that allows users to call each other using their mobile phones’ data connections without building a new contact list or setting up a username.

After users install the app, their phones automatically use Voxtrot’s free service when they dial other Voxtrot users. If the person a user is calling doesn’t also use Voxtrot, the phone makes the call using the regular carrier. The service works anywhere in the world with whatever type of data connection is available (Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, etc.).

Users are automatically connected to Voxtrot whenever they turn on their phones, so there’s no need to launch an app in order to make a call through the service. It identifies users by their phone numbers instead of usernames, and this enables dialing and receiving calls to work the same way with Voxtrot as it does with your regular carrier.

Founder Taavet Hinrikus was Skype’s first employee and worked with the service that made VoIP a popular phone call alternative for seven years. But he says that services like Skype fall short when it comes to their mobile apps. While it might make sense to build up a list of contacts and use a username on a computer, he says, it doesn’t make sense on a mobile phone — where your best contact list is already loaded and your number identifies you.

For now, Voxtrot only works on Android and only supports free calls between Voxtrot users. In the future, Hinrikus says that the company will add paid features like calls to land-line phones or phones that don’t use the service.

More About: Free calling, Skype, startups, voip, Voxtrot

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Apple To Hold Event on March 2: Is It Announcing the iPad 2?

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 10:44 AM PST


" height="141" class="alignright size-full wp-image-539155" />Apple is holding an event in San Francisco on March 2, and many feel the company is getting ready to unveil the newest version of the highly successful iPad.

Kara Swisher of All Things D writes that “multiple sources” say the iPad 2 is coming and will be announced and demoed at this event.

We’ve been monitoring (and doing our best to critically examine) a slew of iPad 2 rumors since the screens on our original iPads first got smudged. Here are the rumors we think are more or less likely to have some basis in fact:

  1. The iPad 2 might come in three different versions with different connectivity — including a Verizon version that won’t require a MiFi card.
  2. The iPad 2 might have front- and rear-facing cameras.
  3. The iPad 2 will be slimmer, lighter and support Retina Display.
  4. The iPad 2 might have a dual-core CPU and/or GPU.
  5. The iPad 2 will have a non-smudge screen and a gyroscope.

Given the phenomenal sales figures of the original iPad, we’re excited to see what comes next from the manufacturer — and how it plans to keep up and compete with the increasing diversity and agility of its competitors, especially Android tablet manufacturers.

Image courtesy of Flickr, fhke

More About: data visualization, data visualizations, design, Google, information design, tax, tax data

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Apple To Improve Download Sound Quality, Will You Notice the Difference? [REPORT]

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 10:16 AM PST


Soon, the quality of that Lady Gaga single you downloaded could be kicked up a notch, as Apple and other digital music sellers are reportedly in talks with record labels to improve song file quality.

Apple et al could soon be hawking songs that sound a whole lot more like the original studio recordings than the versions currently available on services like iTunes (likely, of course, they will cost more as well), according to CNN.

CNN quotes Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Universal Music Group’s Interscope-Geffen-A&M record label, as saying, “We’ve gone back now at Universal, and we’re changing our pipes to 24 bit. And Apple has been great… We’re working with them and other digital services — download services — to change to 24 bit. And some of their electronic devices are going to be changed as well. So we have a long road ahead of us.”

Which means that we won’t see this possible alteration fully realized until future versions of the iPhone and devices like the iPod are released (many current devices don’t support 24-bit audio). At this point, all details pertaining to these devices are decidedly murky, with folks speculating that the iPhone 5 will land in September, and rumors about the purported iPhone nano running amok.

What do you think of this proposed development? Will consumers really notice the enhanced sound quality — will they even care (the popularity of services like Grooveshark indicates not)? Would you pay for better-sounding tunes?

More About: apple itunes

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Facebook Scam: “Southwest Free Flights” Will Comment Spam Your Friends

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 10:01 AM PST


If you see a link on Facebook about Southwest’s complimentary flights, for heaven’s sake, don’t click it.

Like everything online that’s too good to be true, this is a bona fide scam. Once you click through the link and give the application access to your Facebook account via Facebook Connect, the app will post the same link you clicked on with accompanying text to a slew of your Facebook friends, all within seconds.

This reporter got had (hey, who doesn’t love to travel?), and around 50 spam comments later, I was a very embarrassed Facebook user. I felt a bit less embarrassed when I saw that O’Reilly Media CEO Tim O’Reilly had also been duped — in other words, it could happen to anyone.


If you haven’t clicked the link yourself, but someone else posted that comment to your Facebook profile, simply delete the spam comment — and perhaps let the friend who posted it know that his or her account has been compromised.

Here’s what you need to do if you’ve already clicked that link, connected to the page and spammed all your friends. First, revoke the app’s access. In the top right corner of your Facebook profile page, click Account, then click Privacy Settings. In the bottom left corner of the next screen, click Apps and Websites.


Then, you’ll see a list of the sites and apps that have access to your Facebook account. The culprit in this case is called Travel Inn. If you hover over that line, you’ll see a small pencil. Click the pencil, and you’ll have the option to entirely remove the app.


Second, once the app is removed, you owe it to your friends to go and delete every single spam comment you left on your friends’ photos, notes, links and posts. Otherwise, you might be guilty of spreading the scam even more.

From your profile, you’ll see a long list of those who have been spammed. It should take you a few minutes to click your way through each link and delete your spam comment. It might also be a good idea to update your Facebook status, letting your friends know by any means not to click the spammy link.

Finally, in the future, we all need to be aware of the apps we allow to connect to our Facebook accounts. For example, if I had noticed even just the URL of the landing page for this scam, swa30.info, I would have had a much better idea of its true purpose.

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HANDS ON: Amazon’s Prime Instant Video

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 09:45 AM PST


On Tuesday, Amazon rebranded its Video On Demand as Amazon Instant Video, and — perhaps in a bid to take on Netflix — will be offering Amazon Prime members unlimited access to thousands of its titles.

Amazon Prime is a membership program that provides households with unlimited two-day shipping and other fast shipping options for $79 per year. The new Prime Instant Video service is a free addition to this program.

As with regular Amazon Instant Video, Prime Instant Video is available on Mac, PC, Roku, TiVo, Logitech Revue and a variety of Internet-connected TV and Blu-ray players. Amazon touts a selection of more than 5,000 movies and TV shows as being available to Amazon Prime members — however in our brief overview, it appears as if approximately only 2,100 titles are available. This is just a fraction of the 90,000+ titles available in the larger Amazon Instant Video catalog, but for $79 per year, we’re not going to complain.

Like Netflix, Amazon says that its “selection of Prime instant videos is always changing, and movies and TV shows currently available may become unavailable in the future.”

First Take Review

We tested Prime Instant Video on a Roku box, a Sony BDP-S570 and in the web browser. Setting up the service is a snap — especially if Amazon Video On Demand has already been configured on a set-top box or Blu-ray player.

The Roku and Sony systems simply have a new “Amazon Prime” menu selection that provides access to the titles that members can access for free. Some titles are still available for rent or purchase but both Sony and Roku do a good job of making it impossible to accidentally pay for a purchase or rental from the Amazon Prime section.

The real test of any streaming media service is in the selection. This is where Prime Instant Video both wins and loses points. Even with a purported 5,000 titles, the size of the Prime Instant library is dwarfed by both Hulu Plus and Netflix. The offerings, at least right now, are also much more niche.

This means that there is very little emphasis on new or recently released films; the majority of the television content is documentary or sourced from the BBC, PBS or assorted British networks. The American television content is largely limited to classic sitcoms, children’s programming and assorted cartoons (both of the Saturday morning and Adult Swim variety).

For me personally, the fact that I can enjoy episodes of Degrassi Junior High, Home Movies and Dick Van Dyke is a treat. Others may find themselves disappointed.

The feature film selection is still niche, but has a broader selection. Right now, feature films primarily consist of documentaries, PBS or National Geographic specials and classic or well-respected films. As a fan of Stanley Kubrick, I was overjoyed having access to much of his filmography — and in HD via the Roku or Blu-ray player.

This Will Be Competition

Because there is some overlap with what content is available via Prime Instant Video and Netflix and Hulu Plus, it’s hard to imagine that a huge number of users will sign up for Amazon Prime just for the instant video selection.

Having said that, the offering is a tremendous bonus for existing Amazon Prime members and could tip the scales for users who are considering purchasing a membership. In other words — this makes an Amazon Prime membership that much more attractive to frequent Amazon customers. It’s also a great way to introduce users to Amazon’s video on demand offerings.

Still, we think this model will prove to be competition for Netflix and Hulu Plus in the future. The selection might not ever match what those two services provide — but it almost doesn’t need to. This is a great advertiser for Amazon’s a la carte offerings — and those offerings often do contain the new release content offered by competitors.

We do wish Amazon would get on the mobile device bandwagon. It would be great to enjoy Prime Instant content from an iPad.

Note: Amazon Prime is available to U.S. customers only and this also extends to its Prime video offering.

More About: amazon, amazon instant video, amazon prime, connected devices, hulu plus, netflix, roku, streaming media

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New Photo App Explores the World’s Disappearing Cultures

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 08:53 AM PST


Volumes of professional photography have long been reserved for the coffee table, but Fotopedia, the maker of an online collaborative photo encyclopedia, is bringing this type of content to the iPad and iPhone. The company’s third photo app launches Tuesday and contains 1,300 photos of 40 unique cultures by professional photographer Jaime Ocampo-Rangel.

The app is one part of Ocampo-Rangel’s 12-year-long project, Memory of Colors, which also includes a book, a movie and an exhibit. The project was first on display at UNESCO’s headquarters in 2010. Ocampo-Rangel says he hopes the app will bring his work to new audiences.

"Fotopedia has allowed me to introduce these civilizations to an unprecedented audience that would otherwise have no idea of their existence," said Ocampo-Real in a statement.

The new app allows users to browse photos by country, culture or color (“In my photography, I associate them with the dominant color of clothes, their skin, their spirituality or their way to perceive beauty,” Ocampo-Rangel explains in a video about the project). Each photo can be shared to social networks or set as wallpaper. For a limited time, the app is available for $0.99.

Memory of Colors is Fotopedia’s third app. The free app Fotopedia Heritage launched in October and has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times, and the first paid app, National Parks, launched in December.

“We don't think of our apps as books and we don’t think of our job as about perfecting books,” says Fotopedia CEO Jean-Marie Hullot. “…Our job is to help people explore and discover the beauty of the world.”





































More About: App, fotopedia, Memory of Colors, photography

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The Influence of Social Gaming on Consoles

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 07:46 AM PST


The Social Gaming Development Series is supported by Level 3 Communications, an international provider of fiber-based communications services. Level 3 is committed to carrying digital media from anywhere to anywhere, in whatever format needed.

From the first time you beat your sister’s high score in Tetris to that noob you totally pwned in WoW last week, your gaming life has likely been “social” long before Farmville was anything but a small town in North Carolina.

Like most industries, gaming has been shaken up by the web and its new platforms for entertainment. The games that once required a substantial investment in console, cartridge and TV can now be downloaded to your mobile for $0.99, or played for free with a browser and a Facebook account.

That’s not to say there isn’t still a line in the virtual sand between “casual gamer” and “hardcore gamer.” You might be pressed to find a devoted fan of both Call of Duty and FarmVille. But there’s no denying that elements of social and casual games have spilled over into the console world, and ignoring the success of a developer like Zynga — a money-making juggernaut that offers its wares up for free — would likely spell “Game Over” for any interactive company hoping to do business in 2011 and beyond.

We connected with Scott Steinberg, the CEO and lead analyst for video game consulting firm TechSavvy, and host of the industry insider video series Game Theory, to talk about the influence of social upstarts on the console establishment.

Q&A With Scott Steinberg, Host of Game Theory

Many social games are free to play, but make their money from purchasable in-game content. We’ve seen this model creep into console games with downloadable map packs for Modern Warfare and Halo, and additional content for games like Guitar Hero that have been highly profitable. When do you think we’ll start seeing console games that are both free to play and profitable?

Possibly within the next two to three years, as the number of players enjoying online connected games through console systems begins to reach critical mass. Keep in mind though that there's also a financial component to consider. Manufacturers like Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony do considerable business off licensing fees for every disc-based game published on their systems, and game makers know they can sell and recoup investment dollars on at least some fraction of physical goods they make. [This] presents a complex problem: To begin with, you'll need a proven publisher willing to commit millions up-front without any guaranteed return on investment towards backing a marquee title that's strong enough to convince platform makers (e.g. MS, Sony, Nintendo, etc.) that there's money to be made outside of retail channels and up-front licensing fees.

Alternately, you'll need a platform maker that's forward-thinking enough to embrace this model, or think outside the typical royalty structure and partner with savvier studios who can make smaller, more innovative titles that make financial sense for everyone on a scale that a giant multinational corporation would care about. Ultimately, these hurdles will be overcome, as all the technical elements and audience numbers are quickly falling into place. It's just a question of how soon deal makers can get it together.

If the barrier to entry for social console games is removed (i.e. they become free to play), will this finally bring the social web into the living room, from a gamer’s point of view?

Undoubtedly. What gamers look for most is quality, convenience and value, and gaming is an inherently social activity that speaks to one of the world's most tech-savvy and connected audiences. Drop the price, tear down the walls that make interaction between platforms cumbersome, and offer a selection of top-quality, must-see titles with strong social components that add to the core play experience, and gamers will quickly take to social play in their living room, or anywhere else it can be conveniently and cost-effectively enjoyed.

What kind of social web connectivity are we going to be seeing in the next generation of consoles? Do you expect that we’ll be playing Mario Kart and Call of Duty with our Facebook friends, or will it take another form entirely?

From the smallest casual games to most sprawling adventures, you'll begin to see social connectivity increasingly woven into virtually every facet of interactive entertainment going forward. Beyond the sharing of status updates, achievements and instant ability to monitor friends' activity and quickly connect, collaborate and compete in favorite titles, you'll also see games that offer a variety of entry points from different platforms and devices.

That's not to say Grand Theft Auto V or Mario Kart will offer the same experience on every gadget, from tablet PCs to your 3DS 2 or Xbox 720. But we will see an increasing range of smartphone-, app- and social network-based game components that let you login and manage characters, enjoy standalone game experiences that offer lasting rewards in the context of the larger console experience (extra gold, new items, experience points, etc.), and similar features.

I also suspect you'll see games that begin to incorporate more alternate reality elements, location-based challenges (say, real-world scavenger hunts as a supplement to virtual quests with actual in-game rewards for completing them) and more user-generated content elements so you can snap photos or create levels, then easily incorporate them into the game itself or pass them along through social media channels. Above all else, expect a greater sense of community, persistency and continuity, as tomorrow's console games aim to better connect players and help like-minded fans come together over common ground — kick-ass gaming experiences.

Given the convergence of web/cloud/mobile-based media and gaming, do you think the next generation of dedicated gaming consoles will be the last?

Dedicated video game platforms will always have a place in modern homes, especially in terms of budget-priced hardware and devices. But for premium console experiences, the question is simply what form they'll take, and whether or not they'll increasingly become embedded directly into TVs, cable boxes, or in fact, transform themselves into virtual platforms (e.g. software apps) that offer immediate, on-demand access to top gaming titles. Ultimately, the question isn't whether the next generation of gaming consoles will be the last — it's whether, for premium or blockbuster new releases, dedicated hardware-based solutions will in fact be the preferred solution of choice.

What’s the fate of the polished, finalized $50 game from a major publisher? Will these still see success, or will gamers be more interested in less expensive “works in progress” that they can update and customize with DLC?

Blockbuster gaming experiences will still continue to have a place in tomorrow's gaming world, and continue to command a premium price. But they'll also increasingly offer more online, connected and downloadable elements that help extend their relevance and add greater value, making them less apt to collect dust on the shelf, which is a fancy way of saying that your experience will begin, not end at what's in the box. At the same time, we'll also begin to see smaller, more self-contained gaming experiences grow in prominence that allow players a cheaper, faster entry point into new worlds and story lines, with a wealth of optional downloadable content and expansions offered on the back-end, so you can pay and play as little, or as much, as you like.

Arguably, most social games around are MMOs, but historically these have not fared well on consoles (with a few exceptions). What’s stopping Blizzard and the like from launching multiplayer worlds for console gamers?

Nothing, save perhaps the economics. On the PC, they're able to reach a larger audience more affordably, and more cost-effectively deliver games with greater functionality. Profit margins are also better, as you don't have to split dollars with an intermediary (e.g. a console manufacturer or wireless carrier), and enjoy greater and more direct access to your own customers. The issue isn't one of “can game makers like Blizzard deliver top-tier MMO experiences on consoles?” It's whether or not it's worth the time and effort, given that their resources and energy may be better rewarded by being spent somewhere else.

I’m fascinated by the success and business model of indie PC games like Minecraft, where players buy in to a game that’s still being developed and shape its progress via social media. Do you think we might see experiments like this for console games anytime soon?

That depends on how you look at it. If you count smaller, more downloadable titles sold in bite-sized or episodic installments, or those that offer downloadable content or in-game purchases (microtransactions), yes — game developers are currently experimenting, trying to figure out what the right balance is of game length and size vs. price, and are increasingly looking to right-size core game experiences and sell added content (additional characters, levels, maps, etc.) on the back-end to the benefit of all.

But true works-in-progress, or crowdsourced initiatives, like those on sites like 8bitfunding.com, Kickstarter and IndieGogo, are unlikely. Console manufacturers impose certain minimum quality standards on games from their partners, require a certain level of investment and want full-fledged premium gaming experiences right out of the gate.

Series Supported by Level 3

The Social Gaming Development Series is supported by Level 3 Communications, an international provider of fiber-based communications services. Level 3 is committed to carrying digital media from anywhere to anywhere, in whatever format needed. Its services can connect content from creation to consumption, over one of the world's most scalable end-to-end networks. [This article was written and edited by Mashable.]

More Gaming Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Top Social Games and Why They’re So Successful
- Guitar Hero Gone: What Went Wrong?
- How One Startup Aims to Revolutionize Online Gaming [INVITES]
- Why Video Games Are Scoring Big for Social Good
- The 5 Biggest Video Game Flops of All Time [COMIC]

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Gavh

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Verizon Prices Motorola Xoom at $600 With a 2-Year Contract

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 07:34 AM PST


If Best Buy’s $800 price for Motorola’s Xoom — the company’s powerful Android 3.0 tablet — seems too big a pill to swallow, maybe you’ll find it a bit easier with Verizon’s 24-month data plan, which lowers the price of the device to $600.

Of course, it means you’ll have to pay at least $20 per month for 1G of 3G data, which increases the overall cost considerably. But if you planned to purchase a data plan for the Xoom anyway, this deal might not be too shabby.

Verizon also reminds potential customers that the Xoom will be upgradable to 4G LTE service for free in the second quarter of 2011.

Besides the 3G (and, later on, 4G), the Motorola Xoom sports a 10.1" widescreen HD display, a 1 GHz dual-core CPU, a 5-megapixel camera on the rear and a 2-megapixel one on the front, Wi-Fi support, an accelerometer and a HDMI output.

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Graphic.ly Brings Comics & Graphic Novels to Android

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:28 AM PST


Graphic.ly, a startup centered around comic books and graphic novels, has at long last rolled out its Android app.

Android users have had to watch green-eyed from the sidelines as the company released web, desktop, iPhone and iPad apps. Now the company’s vast library of 2,000 comics will be available to the 22 million Android users around the world, as well.

In a release, Graphic.ly CEO Micah Baldwin said, “Like our community, we are firm believers in the explosion of the Android market. Being the first to provide Marvel Comics on the Android platform is a perfect example of that belief. This application is only the beginning of the expansion of our relationship with Google.”

We can’t wait to see what Baldwin and Graphic.ly have in the wings — perhaps something special for Android-powered tablets as more of those hit the market.

For the time being, the new Android application features a full store front for your digital-comic-collecting pleasure. If you’ve already bought comics via the iOS, web or other apps, you can sync your library with your Android device.

The app supports “Graphic.ly View,” which means that on a smaller screen, you can read comics frame by frame rather than page by page. And users can also download comics for later, unconnected reading.

Android users, if you’re also comic fans, you can head to the Market and download the app starting right now. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

In the meantime, here are some screenshots to whet your appetite:

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Coca-Cola Releases “Happiness Truck” [VIDEO]

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:09 AM PST


Coca-Cola, whose Happiness Machine video became a feel-good hit for the brand last year with 3 million views, is back with a sequel that offers more of an international flavor.

“Happiness Truck” takes place in Rio de Janeiro and is a twist on the original idea, which showed a Coke machine that spit out free Cokes, flowers, balloon animals, pizza and submarine sandwich at a college cafeteria. This time around, a special truck dispenses free Cokes as well as a beach toy, a surfboard, sunglasses, beach chairs, t-shirts and soccer balls. Coke is launching the video on its Facebook Page today.

In between the two videos, though, there have been some 40 others that took inspiration from the original “Happiness Machine,” says Shane Grant, global brand director for Coca-Cola. Grant says the brand chose Rio for this major project because “we wanted to show how happiness translates in markets around the world, not just the U.S. or Western Europe.” Grant says there are no plans to cut this video into a 30-second version and show it on TV in the U.S., as the company had with the “Happiness Machine” video.

Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor Associates, says “Happiness Machine” was “brilliant” and fits in well with the brand’s image. “It was an unexpected moment of joy and surprise around one of the most mundane touch points there is — a vending machine.” Adamson favorably compared the viral videos with Coke’s Super Bowl spots, which he said were good, but didn’t get the water cooler buzz of, say, VW’s “The Force.”



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