Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “New Skype For Windows Brings Full HD Video Calls, Facebook Integration”

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• New Skype For Windows Brings Full HD Video Calls, Facebook Integration
• You Can Now Pre-Order the Nokia Lumia 900 at Microsoft Retail Stores
• Could Facebook’s Newly Wealthy Employees Help California’s Withering Economy?
• Google’s Bouncer For Android Shows Malware Apps the Door
• Feds Target Sports Piracy Sites in Pre-Super Bowl Bust
• Why Context Is King in the Future of Digital Marketing
• Google Kicks Off Super Bowl XLVI with Social Blitz
• Facebook IPO Sends Tech Stocks Surging
• HBO and Miso Bring “Game of Thrones” Fans to the Second Screen
• 8 Things You Should Know Before Building a Mobile App
• Old Spice’s Terry Crews Crashes a Bounce Ad [VIDEO]
• Is LoMoing the New Tebowing? [PICS]
• Facebook IPO: How Will the Social Network Be Affected? [POLL]
• ADzero Smartphone Is Carved Out of a Solid Block of Bamboo [VIDEO]
• Social Media Has Turned Super Bowl XLVI Teams’ Marketing Upside Down
• Groundhog Phil Says ‘WTF’ to Groundhog Day [INTERVIEW]
• 10 Standout Quotes in Zuckerberg’s Facebook IPO Letter
• Are Google Search Trends Better Election Predictors Than Polls? [INFOGRAPHIC]
• Apple is Censoring Music on iTunes Match
• How LinkedIn Gave A Former Pro Athlete A New Career [VIDEO]
• Microsoft Has Huge Changes in Store for Windows Phone 8 [REPORT]
• What to Do When Your Website Gets Hacked
• Zynga Tests ‘Reward Advertising’ in CityVille
• Tumblr Hires an Editor-in-Chief
• Romney and Obama Go Head-to-Head in Online Donation Drives
• Hands On With Microsoft Surface 2
• Amazon Launches Sports Memorabilia Store [VIDEO]
• Apple Employee’s iPhone Messages Accidentally Broadcast to Bloggers [VIDEO]
• Patriot or Giant, Whose Pre-Super Bowl XLVI Spotify Mix Is Better? [POLL]
• Steve Jobs Mocked in Ad for Android Tablet [VIDEO]

New Skype For Windows Brings Full HD Video Calls, Facebook Integration Posted: 03 Feb 2012 04:28 AM PST Skype for Windows version 5.8 is out, bringing several interesting features, including full HD video-calling, group screen sharing and Facebook integration. Full HD video calls will be most useful to those who own a HD webcam, for example Logitech C920 which does the video encoding itself thus improving HD video quality on older computers. Video calling for Facebook works even with users who don’t use Skype. To start a video call with a Facebook buddy, select the person in your list and click “video call.” Finally, group screen sharing, available with Skype Premium, allows you to share your screen or an application window with other participants of a conference call. To activate it, choose the + menu during a call and select “share my screen.” Other new features include a push to talk hotkey, the ability to hide offline Facebook contacts and Bing Toolbar integration. Besides these improvements, the new version fixes several bugs, including the one that prevented you from adding a phone number to a group which belonged to a Facebook contact. You can download it here. More About: Facebook, Skype, video calls, Windows

You Can Now Pre-Order the Nokia Lumia 900 at Microsoft Retail Stores Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:07 AM PST If you live near a Microsoft retail store, you can now pre-order a Nokia Lumia 900 with a $25 down payment, the Verge reports. Unfortunately, even if you do that, you still won’t know how much the device will cost when it finally arrives, probably in March. The Lumia 900 sports a 4.3″ AMOLED ClearBlack display with a 800×480 pixel resolution, an 8-megapixel camera (as well as a 1-megapixel front-facing one for video chat) and LTE/HSPA+ support. With a 1.4 GHz processor, an Adreno 205 GPU and 512 MB of RAM, it’s Nokia’s most powerful Windows Phone yet. However, we’ve heard rumors that its price will be very competitive, possibly even as low as $99. The Microsoft Store locations are here. [via The Verge] More About: lumia 900, microsoft, Nokia, Nokia Lumia 900 For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Could Facebook’s Newly Wealthy Employees Help California’s Withering Economy? Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:25 PM PST Facebook’s slew of newly wealthy employees could “significantly impact” California’s economy during the next few years, said H.D. Palmer, deputy director of external affairs for the California Department of Finance. “The closest analogue is the 2004 Google IPO,” he said. “Its benefit to the state’s general fund was in the neighborhood hundreds of millions– at least $400 million.” Facebook, based in Menlo Park, Calif., afforded generous pre-IPO stock options to as many as 1,000 of its employees. They now stand to make a fortune when the stock goes public. One of the ways the state will make money is when employees cash out their shares and then have to pay taxes. “If it’s as big as it’s advertised, it certainly has the potential to eclipse the Google IPO — but it won’t happen over night,” Palmer said. “While the potential revenue gain is certainly significant, it has to be viewed in the larger context of the legislature having to close a budget gap that we estimate to be $9.2 billion before the state's new fiscal year begins on July 1st.” There’s nothing currently built into the state budget, finalized in December, 2011, that reflects any increase in funds related to Facebook’s IPO. At the time, it was unknown when the company’s IPO would be announced. But the state will release a revised revenue forecast in May, which could reflect any Facebook IPO money affecting the state’s General Fund revenue for the coming fiscal year. Jason Sisney, deputy legislative analyst for the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office which advises the California legislature on state budget issues, said that lawmakers are eager to know how Facebook will affect California’s economy. Because tax records are private, no one will ever know the Facebook IPO’s precise impact on the state, but Sisney said his office must consider Facebook when they revisit the budget. “Given the budgetary pressures they (legislators) face, they’re interested in not making more cuts than they have to,” he said. “This is more than a drop in the bucket, it’s a pretty noticeable chunk of money.” But even the most optimistic estimates of Facebook’s revenue are not enough to cure the state’s mammoth budget woes. “This is only going to be one relatively small piece of how California addresses its budgetary issues in the next few years,” Sisney added. It also remains to be seen exactly how much California will benefit from Facebook and where the most revenue will come from — whether it’s from taxes on the IPO filing itself or on executives cashing out stock. When these various taxes are paid will determine which fiscal year California’s legislature can include Facebook in its budget. Facebook employees with stock options won’t pay taxes until they sell their shares. Once Facebook employees sell their shares, the money will be taxed as personal income. The top marginal rate for personal income tax in California is 9.3%. Individuals whose adjusted gross income is more than $1 million pay an additional 1%, with that money going toward mental health programs under Proposition 63. In the 2011 tax year, about 1 percent of earners generated more than 40 percent of all the personal income tax in California. “History suggests that a lot of investors will sell some of their stake and diversify their portfolios, to spend, to save, to give to charity and other purposes,” Sisney said. Comparing Facebook with Google, Palmer said Google’s co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin sold most of their stock over an 18-24 month period. Richard A. Walker is a professor at University of California, Berkeley, and an expert in economic geography and California. He said that as outside investors purchase Facebook stock, Zuckerberg and employees with stock options will become wealthier. An influx of wealthy Facebook people buying property could also drive up housing prices in the San Francisco Bay Area. But he said that property buys won’t provide as much long-term help to the economy as purchases of things like cars, food, and hardware. Walker also said that, while hundreds of newly-minted millionaires could boost the California economy somewhat, their newfound riches will also come with economic drawbacks. “On the other hand, these kinds of super-IPOs contribute to the class of very rich people and to the ongoing problem of class inequality in California, which is already very bad — one of the worst states in the U.S.,” Walker said. “While the tech boom today is a healthy contributor to the local economy, what the state needs more is ordinary jobs with decent pay, not just high-paid or very wealthy techies.” What’s your prediction for Facebook’s impact on California’s budget? Tell us in the comments. Additional Facebook IPO Coverage Facebook Files for $5 Billion IPO Facebook IPO Reveals How It Made $3.71 Billion in 2011 10 Giant Things Less Valuable Than Facebook Zuckerberg to Potential Shareholders: Facebook Is on a Social Mission Facebook IPO Filing Flings Open the Social Network Kimono Facebook: Zynga Generates 12% of Our Revenue and We Need Them Sheryl Sandberg Was Facebook's Best-Paid Employee in 2011 More About: charity, Facebook, ipo, philanthropy, wealth

Google’s Bouncer For Android Shows Malware Apps the Door Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:12 PM PST Bouncer scanning software, developed by Google, is designed to search the Android market for software that could be malicious, the company announced Thursday on its blog. With the success of Android this year, the company says it wants to protect its many users and their devices from harm. “Device activations grew 250% year-on-year, and the total number of app downloads from Android Market topped 11 billion,” Hiroshi Lockheimer, VP of engineering, wrote on the Google Mobile Blog. “As the platform continues to grow, we're focused on bringing you the best new features and innovations — including in security.” Bouncer will scan current and new applications, plus developer accounts. The blog post explained how the service will function. “Here's how it works: once an application is uploaded, the service immediately starts analyzing it for known malware, spyware and trojans. It also looks for behaviors that indicate an application might be misbehaving, and compares it against previously analyzed apps to detect possible red flags. We actually run every application on Google's cloud infrastructure and simulate how it will run on an Android device to look for hidden, malicious behavior. We also analyze new developer accounts to help prevent malicious and repeat-offending developers from coming back.” Bouncer was tested in 2011 and comparing the first half of the year to the second, Google Mobile reported a 40% decrease in malicious downloads. Google says from the beginning, Android was designed with security in mind. And, although a company can’t prevent malware, it can control the amount of damage those threats can cause with a dynamic security plan. Some of Android's core security features are: Sandboxing: The Android platform uses a technique called "sandboxing" to put virtual walls between applications and other software on the device. So, if you download a malicious application, it can’t access data on other parts of your phone and its potential harm is drastically limited. Permissions: Android provides a permission system to help you understand the capabilities of the apps you install, and manage your own preferences. That way, if you see a game unnecessarily requests permission to send SMS, for example, you don't need to install it. Malware removal: Android is designed to prevent malware from modifying the platform or hiding from you, so it can be easily removed if your device is affected. Android Market also has the capability of remotely removing malware from your phone or tablet, if required. Google’s long been fine-tuning its security features for its various products. Although in the past Google’s products have clashed with that of other mobile service providers due to security concerns. Are you an Android user? What do you think about Bouncer? Tell us in the comments. Image courtesy of iStockphoto More About: android, Google, Mobile, security, trending For more Dev & Design coverage: Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Feds Target Sports Piracy Sites in Pre-Super Bowl Bust Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:58 PM PST American prosecutors have shut down 16 websites they accuse of illegally broadcasting live sports games and pay-per-view events over the Internet. The busts come three days before Super Bowl XLVI. The government accuses the sites of enabling viewers to receive pirated streams of NFL, NBA, NHL and other sporting events. Prosecutors say that the sites provided links to other sites that hosted the broadcasts. Twenty-eight-year-old Yonjo Quiroa of Michigan has been charged with one count of copyright infringement for allegedly operating nine of the 16 seized websites. According to Reuters, prosecutors say that illegally streamed sporting events cost leagues and broadcasters millions of dollars per year, a loss that ticket buyers and network subscribers are then sometimes forced to help make up. The total roster of seized websites is: firstrow.tv, firstrowsports.com, firstrowsports.net, firstrowsports.tv, hq-streams.tv, robplay.tv, soccertvlive.net, sports95.com, sports95.net, sports95.org, sportswwe.net, sportswwe.tv, sportswwe.com, xonesports.tv, youwwe.com and youwwe.net. Prosecutors say that Quiroa ran the websites from his house and made more than $13,000 by hosting on-site ads, according to Reuters. This isn’t the first time that U.S. authorities have cracked down on websites alleged to pirate sporting events in the weeks before a Super Bowl. Last year, the government announced that it had taken control of 10 such sites just before Super Bowl XLV. Ironically, New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady said this week that he has been a patron of streaming pirate sites in the past, according to Reuters. “Last year, you know, I was rehabbing my foot, you know, in Costa Rica, watching the game on an illegal Super Bowl website,” Brady reportedly said in a video posted to the NFL website. “And now I’m actually playing in the game. So it’s pretty cool.” Do you think the government was right to crack down on these alleged sports pirates? Let us know in the comments. More About: online piracy, Super Bowl XLVI

Why Context Is King in the Future of Digital Marketing Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:45 PM PST Jonathan Gardner is director of communications at ad company Vibrant Media. He has spent his career as an innovator at the nexus of media and technology, having worked in communications leadership roles and as a journalist around the world. An avalanche of devices, platforms, channels, and information is crushing consumers as they go about their daily lives. I'm crying "uncle" too, wishing a corporate entity (Apple?) would take the firehose of content and channel it into a trickle of relevant info on one simple device. Since that's not likely to happen, and since data, devices, and content just keep multiplying, how can we marketers help consumers make sense of the world? By going back to basics, and returning to context. Behavioral targeting is certainly valuable. Knowing what a prospective customer has recently read, browsed, watched, and bought online is definitely useful. But all it illuminates is past behavior. What if I spent the morning looking at travel sites to research a planned trip, but now I'm reading an article and thinking about buying a birthday gift for my aunt? If you want to understand a user's likely future behavior — their intent — you need to understand their multiple contexts. "Multiple" is the key word here. As Tom Wentworth wrote on Mashable recently, "You might be a 45-year-old technology manager who likes jazz and runs marathons, but you're also a husband, a son, an uncle, and a friend — and your purchases reflect all those different contexts." When you add "SoLoMo" (social, local, mobile) to the contextual mix, you begin to understand why context needs to be at the core of every smart marketer's strategy. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to make it part of yours. What Are You Doing? Planning a social media campaign? Consider the contexts. A teen looking at Facebook is in the context of seeing what her friends are doing, where they are eating, shopping and hanging out. She's watching funny videos her peers have liked or posted. She's chatting about weekend plans. Even as the content is curated, controlled, and shared by consumers, marketers need to understand the contexts within which that sharing happens. Ask yourself: What kind of marketing message are users receptive to in these contexts? Where Are You? Local creates amazing opportunities to examine context. If I'm checking in on Foursquare, I've chosen to share my real-time, local context. Smart companies like Local Response understand the resulting data and harness it to create powerful, relevant marketing. I'm sure this will evolve further, as devices (wearable and not) get more intelligent and NFC-enabled. Marketers will have simplified my life and performed great acts of contextual relevance when they can send me a waffle coupon as I arrive in the frozen-foods section of Whole Foods. Who's Mobile Now? We all are. Social and Local are mobile. With mobile Internet usage expected to soon surpass desktop, at some point in the future, nearly all media consumption will be untethered. And as with So and Lo, more Mo means more constantly shifting contexts. As users, we all understand these contexts. And as technology advances, marketers will begin to be able to leverage these new contexts as well. Our contexts change dozens of times a day: In the morning, you're an athlete, working out on the elliptical — while at the same time you're an executive, watching the early business news. Then you're a cook, making breakfast. Then you're an executive again, making decisions at the office. Then you're a friend, consoling a colleague who had a bad day. And so on. Think of the possibilities for marketers and consumers who want relevant, personalized brand engagement in the right context. Ford and other auto companies are pushing forward with new telematics that can understand your health and wellness. Google's self-driving car concept is not only logical but possibly inevitable. After all, in-car marketing really isn't a huge leap from what we do now — looking up rest stops and gas stations from our GPS devices or smartphones. "The time is ripe for the next generation of contextual branding — the art of sending the right message, to the right audience, at the right time," Martin Lindstrom has written about marketing in cars. But this could apply to any other context, too. Regardless of the platform or strategy, we must not forget that content may be queen, but context is king in the future of marketing. We have seen brands such as Lowes and Jeep build this in the core of their in-image, in-text, display, and toolbar strategies that reap the benefits. They have taken branded content, dynamic creative, valuable information and special offers into relevant contexts where their customers can (and do) choose to engage with them. As David Doty of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has said: "[Contextual marketing strategies] are rich, relevant, and indicative of what the future of all advertising is going to be." Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Maliketh More About: Business, contributor, features, Marketing For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Google Kicks Off Super Bowl XLVI with Social Blitz Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:35 PM PST Google is suiting up for Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday by launching a set of football-focused features and services to help you get your game on. Game Day with Google is a site offered through Google’s Inside Search. The specially-built site is a digital hub with everything from a recipe search list (chili recipes anyone?) to frequently asked football questions to information on the big game and related media. There’s also plenty of action outside of Google’s info hub. Both the New York Giants and New England Patriots will be posting exclusive and behind-the-scenes content on their respective Google+ pages. The Giants will also be throwing a pre-game hangout on Google+ this Thursday when 20 lucky fans can chat with the team. YouTube is also joining the fray with the fifth annual YouTube Ad Blitz, a micro-site focused solely on the Super Bowl’s run of top-tier commercials and marketing campaigns. Viewers can get an early look at some of the game’s commercials and vote for their favorites. Madonna, who will be performing at Half Time, will also release her new video for “Give Me All Your Luvin,” featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. on the Blitz channel before the game on Sunday. Should more social networks be ramping up for the big game? What features do you want to see Google offer next year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Image courtesy of Flickr, ElvertBarnes More About: Google, Social Media, sports, Superbowl

Facebook IPO Sends Tech Stocks Surging Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:21 PM PST Facebook filing for IPO Wednesday did good for more than just the social network. Companies associated — even tangentially — saw their stocks soar in trading Thursday. As the largest Internet IPO to date, Facebook‘s plan to raise $5 billion lured investors to pour money into similar web companies. Zynga did particularly well on the market Thursday, following a statement in Facebook’s S-1 saying the social game maker generates 12% of the company’s revenue. Zynga rose 16.84% in trading, finishing the day at $12.39 per share. "We currently generate significant revenue as a result of our relationship with Zynga, and, if we are unable to successfully maintain this relationship, our financial results could be harmed," read Facebook’s S-1. Facebook takes a 30% cut of all virtual goods sold through Zynga games such as FarmVille and CityVille, which results in significant profits. Of Facebook’s $3.71 billion in sales in 2011, $445 million was generated by Zynga. While some investors had considered Zynga a risky investment due to its dependent relationship with Facebook, it became clear Wednesday that Facebook too is dependent on Zynga. Despite no direct business relationship, professional social network LinkedIn saw a 6.37% increase in share values. Renren, often called China’s Facebook, saw shares rise 8.18%. The revenue generated by Facebook, as was detailed in the S-1, likely encouraged investors to buy stock in social networking companies. Other Internet companies such as Groupon, Netflix and Pandora also saw their shares rise in trading Thursday. Take a look through the gallery below to see the details of how Internet stocks fared Thursday. Do you think this is a good sign for Internet companies or could we be approaching another dot-com bubble burst? Sound off in the comments. 1. Zynga (ZNGA) Previous close: $ 10.60 Closing: $ 12.385 Net change: 16.84% Traded on NASDAQ Click here to view this gallery. Additional Facebook IPO Coverage Facebook Files for $5 Billion IPO Facebook IPO Reveals How It Made $3.71 Billion in 2011 10 Giant Things Less Valuable Than Facebook Zuckerberg to Potential Shareholders: Facebook Is on a Social Mission Facebook IPO Filing Flings Open the Social Network Kimono Facebook: Zynga Generates 12% of Our Revenue and We Need Them Sheryl Sandberg Was Facebook's Best-Paid Employee in 2011 Facebook: Here Are the 35 Things That Could Kill Our Company Facebook IPO: The Illustrated View Mark Zuckerberg Spent $700,000 Flying on Private Planes Last Year Facebook IPO: Reactions from the Social Web (and Zuckerberg) Will the IPO Change Facebook Forever? Facebook IPO: No, It's Not Groundhog Day for the Bubble Facebook's IPO: Reading Between the Lines The IPO Won’t Change Facebook. Online Ads Will Thumbnail image courtesy of Katrina.Tuliao and Crunchies2009 via Flickr More About: Facebook, Google, linkedin, stocks, Zynga For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

HBO and Miso Bring “Game of Thrones” Fans to the Second Screen Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:07 PM PST HBO is partnering with Miso to bring Game of Thrones fans an awesome second screen experience. Miso launched its new SideShow platform at the end of 2011. The idea is to allow fans or networks to create customizable, synchronized content to go alongside what airs on TV. This can include trivia, character information, quotable moments, polls and more. This is not the first use of the SideShow platform — USA Network recently launched official SideShows for the show White Collar. But HBO is taking a slightly different approach. Recognizing that Game of Thrones has a fanatical following, the network is asking fans to create their own SideShow content for each episode of the first season of the show. Fans can vote on what SideShows they like best and the top three entries for each episode will win Game of Thrones swag and other goodies. When Game of Thrones season 2 premieres on Apr. 1, 2012, HBO and Miso will announce the winning SideShow for each episode. Those winners will get additional prizes, social mentions and have the honor of having their SideShow dubbed the “official” pick in the Miso iOS app. Sabrina Caluori, VP of Social Media/Marketing at HBO, told us that the idea is not only to embrace the diehard fans of the show but to encourage viewers who may have missed the first season to catch up on what they missed. HBO is re-airing the first season of Game of Thrones every Thursday night at 10:00 p.m., leading up to the season 2 premiere on Apr. 1. Caluori says HBO is using this as an opportunity to experiment with Miso’s SideShow platform and to look at other ways fans can connect via the second screen. If this promotion takes off, she says HBO will look into bringing the concept to other shows, including my personal favorite, True Blood. To help fans get started with the SideShow platform, HBO and Miso reached out to fan sites Winteriscoming.com and Westeros.com to create SideShows for the first two episodes of the series. To us, this is brilliant outreach and a great way to encourage fans to get more involved. What we like about this promotion is that it gives fans a reason to tune into the show a second or third time, while also creating worthwhile second-screen content for viewers that might not be fanatical enough to create their own experiences. We’re impressed with what Miso is doing with its SideShow platform and hope to see other networks embracing the possibilities of fan interaction in the future. More About: game of thrones, hbo, miso, miso sideshow, second screen, social tv, trending For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

8 Things You Should Know Before Building a Mobile App Posted: 02 Feb 2012 07:49 PM PST Seth Porges is a magazine editor and the creator of Cloth, an iOS fashion app for iPhone and iPod Touch. His Twitter handle is @sethporges. App appeal is obvious. The barrier to entry? So low! The upshot of producing the next Angry Birds or beer-chug simulator? So high! Heck, with just a small investment of time and cash, it's not hard for would-be mobile moguls to turn a concept into a steady stream of cash. And thanks to today’s app stores, it's never been easier to try your hand at becoming the next tech tycoon. Here's (almost) everything you need to know before you get started on your own app — and what I wish I knew before I got into the game. 1. What Does It Cost to Make an App? If you're new to the app game, prepare for some sticker shock. Making an app will cost you, at the very minimum, around $10,000. This is for a super-simple program — none of that fancy enterprise or social networking jibber-jabber. Even still, any app worth its weight in code will likely cost you closer to $20,000. Unless you have some basic design skills, you'll need to enlist the help of both a programmer and a designer. And these guys ain't cheap — particularly programmers who, thanks to a pronounced shortage of qualified coders, can pretty much name their prices. (A suggestion for those low on funds: Find some creative way to come up with the cash. I funded my app through Airbnb income.) You can try to offload some of your costs by offering your guys equity; on the other hand, everybody tries to get free (or close to free) apps by offering developers equity. So unless you can really sell them on the strength of your idea (or bring something totally rad to the table, such as a celebrity), you better be prepared to pony up some cash. Of course, adding in some equity as a bonus is never a bad idea, so you'll probably want to dish out some shares too. This basic supply/demand dynamic also means that many developers ask for some pretty insane terms. Some demand deals that involve a huge upfront payment in exchange for a few weeks (or even just days) of work. And if a decent developer isn't already working full time, it's not unreasonable to assume he’s at least a little commitment-averse. So, if you're serious about making something beyond a quickie cash grab, find a developer you are sure will stay with the project for updates, and not abandon it the second it hits the store. And get it all in writing. If you don't want to hire a lawyer, find a boilerplate contract online or get one from somebody else who's gone through the process, and just swap in your names and numbers. If you can, you'll also want to work with people who are local to you — or at least with people who are willing to join you for regular Skype chats or Google Hangouts. I had weekly beer summits with my coder and designer, which proved super helpful as we continued to fine-tune our app well into its development. One more unavoidable cost: Apple charges $100 per year to hold onto a developer's account (which you need to publish your app). So be sure to reserve an extra Benjamin for your budget. 2. What Should You Charge for Your App? I would consider starting one’s app at or near $1.99. It's premium price, but it's also immensely satisfying to get more than a buck per download after Apple takes away its 30%. And, as with most things, it's a lot easier to lower the price later than it is to raise it. During the holiday period, we briefly played around with a special promotion that dropped our app price to $0.99. Predictably, this spiked our downloads, but it didn't actually raise our total revenue. Even on Christmas Day — the single biggest download day for just about everybody — our revenue was actually higher a week or so later, once we had raised the price back to $1.99. The obvious exception: If your primary business model involves in-app purchases, ads or the like, you'll probably want to give your app away for free. After all, a quick glance at Apple's top grossing charts shows a whole bunch of free apps. 3. When Will You Get Paid? Apple sends you cash one month at a time, up to 45 days after the month has ended. So, if your app goes live in January, you can expect your first kickback sometime in early March. Oh, and Apple only pays you if your earned amount totals at least $150, so you may have to wait before getting your first payment. Keep in mind, Apple only pays you through direct deposit. 4. How Do You Write Your iTunes Description? Don't try to rock the boat here. Take a look at a bunch of hit apps, and crib their formats. If it works for them, it'll work for you. Typically, this involves a quickie intro statement, press blurbs and a list of your key features. Then add some screenshots (the most interesting ones first) and call it a day. 5. What’s the Best Way to Beta Test? Getting an unreleased app onto your friends' iPhones isn't the easiest thing in the world. My developer and I are in total agreement that the best method is a program called TestFlight, which makes it very easy to send build updates to registered devices, over the air. 6. What Happens When You Get Featured on iTunes? Getting featured on iTunes is obviously awesome, but what exactly does it get you? When Apple included our app on its featured lists, we enjoyed a predictable flow of downloads almost identical in volume every single day we were parked there. Especially fascinating, the "New & Notable" list gave us almost exactly twice as many daily downloads as the "What's Hot" list. I'm assuming this is because, when you tap the "Featured" tab on the "App Store" app, "New & Notable" pops up by default. 7. How Do You Get Press? As a longtime tech writer, the main advice I can give you in your pursuit for press is that less is more. If you think a site or publication would be into your app, don't email the entire staff or the big boss — just find the writer who covers your category, briefly summarize your app in an email, and attach a download code (Apple gives you 50 for every update). Smaller sites may be more responsive than the big guys, and if you build up enough buzz, you can rest assured that the majors will come knocking. If a journalist doesn't get back to you, move on. And don't even touch that phone or personal email address (unless that person is a freelancer) — writers hate nothing more than phone or personal inbox press pitches. Consider also producing an embeddable YouTube or Vimeo ad of some sort. Not only does this provide one more avenue for people to stumble upon your app, but it also gives bloggers something alive and colorful to toss into posts, which could increase the chances that they'll write about you. Keep it simple, and preferably, well under two minutes. And don't forget to promote over Twitter, Facebook, etc. 8. How Do You Avoid the Spam? Within days of hitting the App Store, expect whichever email you linked to your iTunes developer's account to be pounded with spam. Most try to lure you into ponying over money in exchange for positive reviews, under the guise of "mobile marketing." Let's put it this way: If you don't regularly buy Viagra pills online, then you probably shouldn't give cash to these guys. Of course, if you're smart enough to make an app, you're smart enough to know this already. What other tips do you have for app development and promotion? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, svariophoto, Flickr, Andres Rueda More About: app store, apps, contributor, features, iphone, mobile applications, trending

Old Spice’s Terry Crews Crashes a Bounce Ad [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 07:33 PM PST In the latest evolution of Old Spice‘s “what will they do next?” social media ad campaign, spokesman Terry Crews literally crashes an ad for Bounce. The brand chose Crews, a former NFL player perhaps best known as Julius, the father on Chris Rock’s Everybody Hates Chris, to personify its "Smell is Power" campaign for Old Spice’s Red Zone body sprays. In a previous ad, which broke in January, Crews’s brain came out of his head. This latest ad starts out as a conventional spot for Bounce fabric softener, a Procter & Gamble sibling brand. At around the 10-second mark, there’s an explosion and Crews zooms in on a Jet Ski. “It’s so powerful, it sells itself in other people’s commercials!” Crews bellows before flexing his pecs. The wacky ad comes after Old Spice pulled out all the stops this summer with a YouTube campaign that pitted Isaiah Mustafa against Fabio for the role of brand spokesman. The campaign, which logged more than 22 million views within a week, followed the hugely successful “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign from 2010 that won the Cannes Film Lion Grand Prix and broke new social media ground by having Mustafa answer comments from YouTube and Twitter in short video clips. In case you’re wondering, Crews hasn’t replaced Mustafa, according to Old Spice. Crews starred in ads in early 2010 that coincided with Mustafa’s campaign. Josh Talge, Old Spice’s brand manager, told Mashable last month that Crews was more in keeping with the current campaign’s idea of “power.” Does the ad score a touchdown? Let us know what you think in the comments. More About: Advertising, Marketing, old spice

Is LoMoing the New Tebowing? [PICS] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:59 PM PST LoMoing A new meme inspired by Miami Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison (pictured here) has emerged: LoMoing. How do you LoMo? Just lie on one side of your body, point your index finger and look into the camera. People and animals (even a mascot and babies) have been mimicking Morrison's "LoMo" pose since Jan. 26. But will it be as popular as Tebowing? Click here to view this gallery. With Tim Tebow‘s NFL playoff run over and with Major League Baseball spring training starting this month, a new meme inspired by Miami Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison has emerged: LoMoing. People and animals (even a mascot and a few babies) have been mimicking Morrison’s “LoMo” pose, which he debuted Jan. 26 in a video. He then used his @LoMoMarlins Twitter account to turn the gesture into a #LoMoing contest, asking his fans to tweet pictures of themselves LoMoing. How do you Lomo? Just lie on one side of your body, point your index finger and look into the camera. It’s so simple I even tried it (see the second photo in the gallery above). Others have done the pose in groups, enlisted their dogs and children to perform the gesture as well as on football fields, basketball courts and even in a Hooters restaurant. Where will you do yours? The new meme comes on the heels of Tebowing, another sports meme that spread worldwide occurs when you “get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone around you is doing something completely different.” SEE ALSO: Tebow Pass Lands in Twitter's Record Book | Tebow — The Meme that Won't Die Morrison is retweeting his favorite submissions and giving winners signed photographs and bat. One follower describes LoMoing as “vicious sexyness,” but what do you think about the meme? Will it replace Tebowing or fade away quickly after the contest deadline passes? Sound off in the comments. Bonus: Tebowing Spreads All Over the Globe Tebowing Stonehenge Click here to view this gallery. More About: Baseball, football, LoMoing, memes, MLB, nfl, Social Media, sports, Tebowing, tim tebow, trending For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Facebook IPO: How Will the Social Network Be Affected? [POLL] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:38 PM PST Facebook‘s $5 billion IPO filing yesterday took the social media world by storm, but if you woke up today and logged into the social network, you probably noticed nothing’s changed — yet. Yes, Facebook Timeline is in the process of rolling out to all users, so it may actually have looked different to you, but yesterday’s filing won’t create any immediate changes to the service that 483 million of us log into every day. Contained in the 213-page S-1 document was Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to potential shareholders, in which he wrote that Facebook was “built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected.” He also talked about Facebook’s culture of “The Hacker Way,” writing that “the vast majority of hackers I've met tend to be idealistic people who want to have a positive impact on the world.” But the Facebook IPO filing means it will now be beholden to shareholders and a board, and while its offices may be filled with idealists, they’ll still have an obligation to generate revenue. The company already laid bare a comprehensive list of risks that could hamper its ongoing prosperity. Certainly things will change — but the question is how much. Let us know in the comments and take our poll: How do you think Facebook IPO will affect the social network? More About: Facebook, facebook ipo, mark zuckerberg For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

ADzero Smartphone Is Carved Out of a Solid Block of Bamboo [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:12 PM PST Kieron-Scott Woodhouse was fed up with cellphones all looking alike, so he took the matter into his own hands, building his own brand of smartphone out of a solid block of organic bamboo. The 23-year-old design student at Middlesex University in the UK created a design concept for the ADzero Android phone, posted it on a website, and soon it was spotted by investors who helped him bring the project to reality. As you can see in the video, not only is the ADzero phone a beautiful work of finely crafted art, but it’s made of sustainable materials. The fast-growing bamboo takes just four years to grow. Woodhouse says it’s durable as well. According to Woodhouse, that bamboo is “just as strong as any kind of plastic.” The handset has additional niceties on board as well, including a ring flash. Which, if it’s anything like professional ring flashes we’ve encountered, gives your photos smooth, even illumination, especially for close-ups. The smartphone will be released first in China and the UK. Take a look at the video above, and hear Woodhouse talking about the phone and its unique capabilities for yourself. [via JustAdZero] More About: android, smartphone, Startups, trending For more Dev & Design coverage: Follow Mashable Dev & Design on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Dev & Design channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Social Media Has Turned Super Bowl XLVI Teams’ Marketing Upside Down Posted: 02 Feb 2012 05:50 PM PST The explosive growth of social media over the past four years has drastically changed how the Giants and Patriots market themselves and connect with fans compared to the two teams’ most recent Super Bowl trips. “It’s a whole new world compared to last time,” Nilay Shah, the Giants’ director of digital media, said in an interview. When the Giants and Patriots reached the Super Bowl in 2008, Twitter barely existed, Facebook had less than 100 million users, and Google+ wasn’t even a gleam in Larry Page’s eye. Today, Facebook has grown to more than 845 million users, Twitter has become an integral communication tool of the sports and media worlds, and Google+ now claims around 100 million members. Other sharing sites such as YouTube have swelled in popularity too. “Last time we were here, the social world was still sort of new for us, and our main communication method was email,” Shah said. “We didn’t focus on it a lot back then, but coming back now we knew we had to place a lot of emphasis on it, find a way to incorporate our fans as much as possible and make them a part of the experience.” “We didn’t focus on it a lot back then, but coming back now we knew we had to place a lot of emphasis on it, find a way to incorporate our fans as much as possible and make them a part of the experience.” The Giants are among professional sports’ most social media-savvy teams. But Fred Kirsch, the Patriots’ vice president of content, said that growing social networks have played a real role in fan outreach and marketing during New England’s Super Bowl run as well. When the team won the AFC Championship, it decided to run a contest giving away free trips to the Super Bowl for fans who worked in healthcare, law enforcement, the military, firefighting or education. Kirsch said that the team was able to promote the contest effectively in a short time thanks to Facebook and Twitter, gathering about a thousand nominations. “It made it tough to choose the winners but it was well worth it,” Kirsch told Mashable in an email. The Giants, meanwhile, have run a number of promotions built entirely around social media. They installed a button on the team website to allow fans to follow more than a dozen players on Twitter before Super Bowl XLVI with one click. They have a player shooting behind-the-scenes footage — but 10,000 new fans have to “Like” the team’s Facebook page to unlock each day’s content. They are even hosting a “Social Media Night” on Thursday, in which a number of players will participate in a live webcast from the team hotel, answering fan questions sent via Twitter and Facebook. Four more players are hosting exclusive Google+ Hangouts, each with five chosen fans who joined their Google+ Circles. "It’s more relaxed, more informal, a chance to know the guy behind the uniform.” Tyson Goodridge was one of the fans selected for a Hangout with linebacker Mark Herzlich. Goodridge, who works as a social media director for a marketing agency, told Mashable his two young sons wanted to ask what players eat before games, while he wanted to ask what goes through the players’ minds in the moments before the ball is snapped. “It creates a level of intimacy that is so cool,” Goodridge said. “Anyone can know all his stats, but in this case it’s a private session where he’s not in the locker room. It’s more relaxed, more informal, a chance to know the guy behind the uniform.” That, said Shah, epitomizes the wealth of new engagement possibilities opened up by social media’s maturation since 2008. “We’ve always tried to provide the best content possible, but before that might have meant just putting up exclusive-access videos and that was it,” he said. “Now we’re able to give the fans more and make them feel like they have a voice.” BONUS GALLERY: Who to Follow on Twitter for the Super Bowl XLVI Scoop 1. @SuperBowl2012 The official account of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee is a must-follow for fans going to the game. It will function as one of several channels directing fans to entertainment venues and addressing logistical concerns from the committee's social meda command center. Click here to view this gallery. More About: Facebook, Google, Social Media, Super Bowl XLVI, Twitter For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Groundhog Phil Says ‘WTF’ to Groundhog Day [INTERVIEW] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 05:18 PM PST In a hard-hitting interview (sarcasm), I dug up some exclusive responses from Groundhog Day‘s world famous critter, Punxsutawney Phil. Twitter account @GroundhogPhil, which has 4,400 followers, reveals how he really feels about the Feb. 2 holiday and even trash talks fellow Twitter animals, including Bronx Zoo Cobra and NYT Sexy Chicken. Don’t believe me? Shame on you. Just read the transcript of our interview below. It’s gold. Q&A With @GroundhogPhil Mashable: How do you actually feel when you see your shadow? "Do you know what it's like to be woken up from hibernation with fireworks, dancing junior high girls, and middle-aged men dressed in top hats lip syncing to The B-52′s "Love Shack" on a live web stream broadcast?” Groundhog Phil: “Do you know what it’s like to be woken up from hibernation with fireworks, dancing junior high girls, and middle-aged men dressed in top hats lip syncing to The B-52′s “Love Shack” on a live web stream broadcast? That actually happened this morning. WTF. It’s all downhill from there. Because: SHADOWS. ARE. TERRIFYING.” Mashable: How are your relationships with other animals on Twitter? Groundhog Phil: “Escaped zoo cobras cannot predict weather. Sexy NYC chickens cannot predict weather. Squirrels, cats and raccoons cannot predict weather. Why waste my time slumming with those losers? Groundhogs are clearly an evolved species.” SEE ALSO: Interview With A Sexy Chicken | 10 Best Spoof Accounts Mashable: What secrets lie beneath the ground? Groundhog Phil: “There are these secrets about hibernation we try not to talk about. Like where all the turds go. Let’s just say you shouldn’t do any deep digging around your yard until early spring..” Mashable: What do you hope to accomplish with your new Twitter account? Groundhog Phil: “I’ve learned humans are extremely emotional about this prognostication thing. A quick Twitter search for “groundhog + kill OR murder” turns up an alarming number of unbalanced individuals who place an extraordinary amount of weight on the predictions of a giant rodent.” Mashable: Anything you would like to add, stinker? Groundhog Phil: “I’d just like to thank all the Punxsutawney Phil fans who have shunned science, put their faith and energy into a weather-forecasting groundhog, and most importantly, destroyed any credibility actual meteorologists maintain by making them report my predictions as actual news each year. Who’s the evolved species now, chumps?” NOTE: Greg Swan, a PR social marketing strategist at Weber Shandwick, manages the 4-year-old @GroundhogPhil account. “I was so surprised how easy it was to brandjack Punxsutawney Phil,” Swan told Mashable. “As a digital strategist for big brands in my day-job, I know how important it is for companies, brands and individuals to proactively stake out their online reputation. The account has been retweeted by Good Morning America, Huffington Post and pretty much every social-savvy meteorologist in the country. Every year I offer up the account to the Groundhog Club folks, but they aren’t interested in taking it over. So until then, long live @groundhogphil!” Bonus: More Animal Madness The web really, really likes animals, sometimes even more so than media outlets. 1. Sockington vs. ESPN The Internet may be chock-full of cats, but only one can be its king. @Sockington is a normal cat that belongs to Internet archivist Jason Scott, but he has somehow recruited more than 1.48 million people into his "Socks Army." Compare that to @ESPN, which attracted 20,000 fewer sports fans to follow its account. Litterbox maintenance beats out the leading sports network. Go figure. Click here to view this gallery. More About: animals, Groundhog Day, Holidays, parodies, Social Media, spoof, trending, Twitter For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

10 Standout Quotes in Zuckerberg’s Facebook IPO Letter Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:35 PM PST Facebook, if nothing else, is on a social mission, wrote Mark Zuckerberg in a personal letter filed within the company’s preliminary prospectus for Initial Public Offering. Zuckerberg’s four-page message to potential investors provides a glimpse into what the 27-year-old CEO believes are Facebook’s priorities moving forward. The letter details the mission and values of the company. For many users, Facebook is simply a space to socialize with friends and raise digital farms. But recreational utility is far from the limits Zuckerberg — and many others — see for the social network, which unites more than 800 million users worldwide. Facebook is a space for exchanging ideas, providing a check on authority and pushing boundaries. To create the website that facilitates such grandiose objectives, Zuckerberg wants investors to know he encourages his employees to constantly take risks, work quickly and focus on potential impact. Zuckerberg writes that, through the power of sharing content, Facebook has the potential to increase understanding of other by people across the planet. We parceled through Zuckerberg’s letter and pulled out 10 highlights, which we think best explain the company’s core values. What do you think of Zuckerberg’s direction? Where do you see Facebook going, now that it’s public? Share your reactions in the comments. Uniting People Click here to view this gallery. Additional Facebook IPO Coverage Facebook Files for $5 Billion IPO Facebook IPO Reveals How It Made $3.71 Billion in 2011 10 Giant Things Less Valuable Than Facebook Zuckerberg to Potential Shareholders: Facebook Is on a Social Mission Facebook IPO Filing Flings Open the Social Network Kimono Facebook: Zynga Generates 12% of Our Revenue and We Need Them Sheryl Sandberg Was Facebook's Best-Paid Employee in 2011 Facebook: Here Are the 35 Things That Could Kill Our Company Facebook IPO: The Illustrated View Mark Zuckerberg Spent $700,000 Flying on Private Planes Last Year Facebook IPO: Reactions from the Social Web (and Zuckerberg) Will the IPO Change Facebook Forever? Facebook IPO: No, It's Not Groundhog Day for the Bubble Facebook's IPO: Reading Between the Lines The IPO Won’t Change Facebook. Online Ads Will Image courtesy of wwwes; Flickr. More About: Facebook, facebook ipo, mark zuckerberg

Are Google Search Trends Better Election Predictors Than Polls? [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:03 PM PST Google has been busy documenting how the 2012 Republican primary affects search results. Newt Gringrich, for instance, experienced a huge surge in searches before winning in South Carolina. Stephen Colbert search traffic jumped ahead of all candidates after he announced his exploratory committee. And before the Iowa caucus, Iowans were searching for Ron Paul more than any other candidate. All of this has been brought to our attention by Google’s new elections dashboard and its politics blog. On Thursday, Google continued demonstrating its relevance to the election with an infographic that shows how search traffic changed surrounding caucuses and primaries thus far. For each election event, the infographic shows polling results, election results and search traffic from the state hosting the election event. Google search trends were almost as accurate as polls in reflecting each event’s winners. Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, sjlocke More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Google, U.S. presidential election

Apple is Censoring Music on iTunes Match Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:30 PM PST Apple is unintentionally censoring rap music and other explicit tracks downloaded using its iTunes Match service — by replacing them with the clean versions of the same songs. According to a report in Cult of Mac — confirmed in tests by Mashable — songs uploaded to the service with explicit lyrics are automatically replaced by the clean version of the song. Launched after much fanfare (and a little delay) last November, iTunes Match is an optional service that costs $25 a year. It matches songs in your iTunes library with high-quality versions on Apple’s servers, and lets you play and download your choice of those songs to your iPhone, iPod or iPad — no cable or Wi-Fi connection required. But it appears that iTunes Match doesn’t know the difference between explicit and clean versions of the same track. In Mashable’s test, a ripped copy of Jay-Z’s The Black Album (with explicit lyrics) was uploaded to iTunes Match, where it was promptly replaced by the clean version. Cult of Mac found the problem affected songs by Jay-Z, Kanye West and Ice Cube. The problem does not seem to affect music that was actually bought on iTunes. This suggests that there may be information buried in the tag file attached to AAC songs (Apple’s chosen music format) that can tell you whether or not a song has explicit lyrics — and that this information is not replicated in MP3 tracks. According to 9to5Mac, a reader contacted Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, about this issue, and received a response from one of his engineers. The email acknowledged the existence of the problem, and said Apple was working on a fix. (We’ve contacted Apple for official comment.) We’ve noticed a few other bugs and issues with iTunes Match, such as the fact that you can no longer use the “Genius” feature to create instant playlists of similar-sounding music on your iPhone. Evidently, enough users found the service problematic and confusing that Apple added an online Q&A about the service a month after its launch. Have you had problems with explicit tracks in iTunes Match? What do you make of the service? Let us know in the comments. Matching Songs with iTunes After signing up for iTunes Match, the service will assess your library and upload tracks from your personal library into the iTunes cloud. If Apple can find a song in its own repository, it just matches the song in place. For songs not available in Apple's servers, your own files are uploaded directly to the cloud. Click here to view this gallery. More About: apple, itunes, itunes-match, jay-z, trending

How LinkedIn Gave A Former Pro Athlete A New Career [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:08 PM PST While playing for the Tennessee Valley Vipers in the Arena Football League, and pursuing his dream of playing football professionally, Lewis Howes broke his wrist diving for a pass. He gutted out the rest of the season, playing through his injury, but underwent career-ending surgery in the offseason. For the next six months he wore a full-arm cast and went about trying to answer the lingering question, “What now?” He didn’t have a back up plan — it was football or nothing. Following the advice of a mentor, Howes got on LinkedIn. There he discovered a way to build a brand identity for himself around something other than his talent on the field. He became so engaged with LinkedIn that he wrote two books about using the site and today he is in demand, as a speaker, as a sports marketer and as the host of numerous webinar training sessions. Watch our interview with Howes and learn how to maximize your presence on LinkedIn, his suggestions and best practices for freelancers and why he recommends all job-seekers start their search on LinkedIn. Follow Venture Studio, in association with Mashable, which is brought to you by Square1 Bank. The show is hosted by Dave Lerner, a 3x entrepreneur and angel investor. To join Venture Studio’s Facebook page, click here. Thanks to Mike Brown, Jr. for hosting our shoot at AOL Ventures. More Recent Episodes of Venture Studio: How an Innovative Startup Turned Retail On Its Head [VIDEO] How One Entrepreneur Is Connecting Celebrities With Their Fans [VIDEO] Why Startup Founders Need to Talk to Their Customers [VIDEO] More About: Business, job search, job seekers, linkedin, mashable video, Small Business, trending, Venture, venture studio, Video For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Microsoft Has Huge Changes in Store for Windows Phone 8 [REPORT] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:42 PM PST Brace yourself, Windows Phone users, because everything’s going to change. An internal Microsoft video that was supposedly leaked to a website reveals that the entire mobile operating system will be revamped later this year to better integrate it with the upcoming Windows 8. Many abilities will be added and some software will be junked, but if the report is true one thing’s for sure: Windows Phone 8 will be the biggest leap forward for the mobile OS to date. PocketNow reports that Windows Phone 8, code-named Apollo and scheduled for after the next update (“Tango”) will greatly expand the hardware options available to Microsoft’s manufacturing partners. Right now Microsoft keeps tight guidelines on Windows Phone to avoid Android‘s “fragmentation” problem, but Windows Phone 8 will expand support to four different screen resolutions, multicore processors and removable microSD cards. Another notable addition: support for near-field communication (NFC), the same wireless tech used for mobile payments. The leaked video describes Windows Phone’s “wallet experience” as being potentially carrier-branded and controlled, and it’ll work across multiple platforms, letting the phone share content with PCs and tablets. More fundamentally, Windows Phone 8 will share many software components with its big brother, Windows 8. Developers will apparently be able to reuse most of their code when porting an app from desktop to mobile. The kernel, networking stacks, security and multimedia elements will all have some interchangeability. SEE ALSO: Nokia's Windows Phones Rising Slowly, CEO Hints at Tablet Microsoft is planning a few tricks to make Windows Phone more data efficient. A new feature called DataSmart will prioritize Wi-Fi connections, tying into Bing Maps to find nearby hotspots and automatically joining carrier owned ones. Enhancements in the mobile version of Internet Explorer 10 aims to reduce website data consumption by up to 30%. It also looks like the fruits of Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype are coming to bear. Windows Phone 8 will have deep Skype integration, the report says, so Skype calls will behave more closely to regular voice calls. Enterprise customers will be interested in the security enhancements, namely native BitLocker encryption, which is said to match current 128-bit disk encryption on today’s Windows 7 machines. Windows Phone users will soon say goodbye to the Zune name forever, though. The Zune desktop client that’s used to sync music and media is getting thrown out in favor of a new version of ActiveSync, the report says. The Xbox companion app, currently part of Windows Phone, will get a partner on the desktop. Microsoft’s cloud service, SkyDrive, will handle wireless syncing of media across devices. All of this jibes quite closely with where Windows Phone is going, Microsoft’s overall strategy with its platform. Interestingly, the report says the video, hosted by Microsoft Windows Phone manager Joe Belfiore, was intended for employees at Nokia. That might indicate Nokia is getting a certain amount of special treatment among Microsoft’s hardware partners, though it’s not known if similar videos were made for the likes of HTC and Samsung. Microsoft declined to comment on the report. Do the rumored coming changes to Windows Phone make you more inclined to get one? Or is this too little, too late for Microsoft phones? Let us know in the comments. More About: microsoft, Nokia, Skype, trending, Windows 8, windows phone, Windows Phone 8, xbox, zune For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

What to Do When Your Website Gets Hacked Posted: 02 Feb 2012 01:54 PM PST Dallas Lawrence is the chief global digital strategist for Burson-Marsteller, one of the world's leading public relations and communications firms. He is a Mashable contributor on emerging media trends, online reputation management and digital issue advocacy. You can connect with him on Twitter @dallaslawrence. If an individual or activist group broke into an organization's office, raided confidential materials and then burned the building to the ground, local, state and federal officials would have swarmed the crime scene in an all out effort to bring the perpetrators to justice for an act of terrorism. Meanwhile, savvy online audiences and members of the media almost dismissively refer to the online versions of these raiders as "hacktivists," conjuring up images of harmless school kids having fun pushing the boundaries of online security. As we saw this morning with the Susan G. Komen Foundation website hack -– and again as "Anonymous Brazil" signaled they had successfully "taken down" the website of Brazil's largest state bank — these groups are anything but harmless. One study from 2011 identified the average financial impact of these types of breaches to be just north of $7 million per incident. SEE ALSO: 6 Tips for Handling Breaking Crises on Twitter Whether you are a respected non-profit with a decades-long track record, or a state-owned financial institution in Latin America, organizations must diligently prepare for inevitable online intrusions and the challenging communications demands that result. There are four key considerations for organizations seeking to retain credibility and confidence as trusted stewards of information before and after a breach. 1. Think Ahead and Anticipate The best offense is often the best defense — and this is certainly true in the online security game. Every organization involved in any form of data (online contributions, email petitions, online sales, social gaming, employee data, etc) is vulnerable to attack. Smart organizations are using their pre-hack peacetime wisely to invest in a forensics security assessment and to address identified weaknesses. In addition to the technical diligence, organizations must ensure their corporate communications, IT and legal teams understand who will be responsible for managing breaches and have a well planned rapid response crisis program in place. 2. Say Something In the immediate aftermath of an attack, the lack of information can cause severe organizational paralysis. This paralysis hampers communications efforts, ultimately allowing external forces to shape the lens through which a response is viewed. Identifying immediately what you know for certain and what you don't know is critical. For example, organizations need to be prepared to address questions and concerns about the security of the system. Even though an activist may hijack a site to make a political point, it highlights a deeper potential for vulnerability that must be addressed. Importantly, saying something does not mean saying everything. The rush to respond can have equally devastating consequences for the ill-informed and unprepared. Communicating what you know for certain and what you are doing to investigate — and even what you are still trying to determine — demonstrates responsiveness and transparency to stakeholders that rightly feel equally violated by the breach. Creating a direct response channel for those exposed — via an online registration system or a 24/7 call center — is another important sign of responsiveness. Total silence creates a vacuum of frustration that antagonists are only too happy to fill. 3. Know the Law Every single state in the Union has separate reporting rules and regulations for what constitutes personally identifiable information (PII). These rules also govern when organizations that have been the victim of a breach must notify the public. Attempting to unravel this multi-state patchwork for the first time with your stakeholders, the media and law enforcement officials all demanding answers can be crippling. Ensure that your team understands the regulations in each state — and country — you operate in, and make sure your compliance team is fully integrated with your communications team. Often, you will not be the arbiter of when to go public with news of your breach. The worst thing an organization can do from a reputational standpoint is to allow the narrative to shift from being the victim of an attack to the villain who failed to notify and protect those individuals whose data may have been compromised. 4. Remember, You're Not Alone In almost every case of online breaches, the "victims" number in the thousands — if not millions. It is not just the organization that has been violated, it is every employee whose social security number may have been exposed, every charitable donor who supported a cause, every business partner that shared data and every consumer who purchased a product. Keep these important groups informed and at the forefront of your communications efforts. They can be powerful advocates. Engaging quickly with local and federal law enforcement officials shows transparency and responsiveness — don't be afraid to tell that story of cooperation. In 2012, data will continue to emerge as the new form of global currency, and hacking will continue its evolution as the new face of popular protest. The fundamental reality for every business or organization is that everyone is now in the business of data — and its protection. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, tomhoryn More About: Business, contributor, features, Marketing, PUBLIC RELATIONS, Tech, Web Development For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Zynga Tests ‘Reward Advertising’ in CityVille Posted: 02 Feb 2012 01:19 PM PST Zynga, aiming to expand its advertising revenue without annoying users, is quietly experimenting with “reward advertising” on CityVille that lets players earn energy by interacting with a sponsor. Sponsors for the program, which rolled out in December, include Coca-Cola, MasterCard and the DVD release of the 20th Century Fox film What’s Your Number?. When players got to a point in CityVille where they needed more energy, some had the option of “interacting” with the advertisers in various ways. In the case of the film, players were required to watch the trailer. MasterCard gave users a short survey. Players were exposed to the ads when they ran low on energy, in which case they’d see a window like this: The idea of using in-game rewards as a prize for being exposed to advertising isn’t new. Facebook rolled out a program last May that rewarded users with Facebook Credits for watching ads in games from Zynga, among others. The Facebook program appears to have been limited, though. Zynga, which only makes a fraction of its revenue from advertising (most come from purchases of virtual goods), seems to have had more success with reward advertising and is planning to include roll it out to FarmVille and Empire & Allies in coming weeks. Zynga’s other forms of advertising include banner ads and branded integration. For instance, a June program gave FarmVille players coveted "Double Mastery" points on crops and trees harvested within seven days when they place a Capital One Visigoth statue on their farms. Will you click on reward ads? Let us know in the comments. More About: Advertising, cityville, Zynga

Tumblr Hires an Editor-in-Chief Posted: 02 Feb 2012 01:01 PM PST Tumblr may have lost a fashion director, but it has now gained an editor-in-chief. The blogging platform told The New York Times Thursday it brought on Chris Mohney, formerly Senior Vice President of content at BlackBook Media, to serve in the newly created role of editor-in-chief. Mohney will be joined by executive editor Jessica Bennett, formerly a senior writer editor at Newsweek/The Daily Beast. The pair will work to cover the “ideas, themes and people” of Tumblr, says Bennett, making that content available on Tumblr’s staff blog and a new area of the site that isn’t up yet. We expect their coverage will function much like Etsy’s blog or Twitter Stories, which highlights trends and users in the community. The timing of the hires makes sense given that Tumblr is moving away from a vertical content structure (i.e. having separate content directors for fashion and film) to a more horizontal one. Tumblr VP Andrew McLaughlin told The Times that he wants Mohney and Bennett to do “real journalism and analysis, not PR fluff.” He added that it is “obviously is [Tumblr's] self-interest as a company to surface more compelling stories about creators on Tumblr; at the same time, though, we think Chris and Jessica will be able to do so in ways that embody professional rigor and first-rate writing.” More About: chris mohney, jessica bennett, tumblr For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Romney and Obama Go Head-to-Head in Online Donation Drives Posted: 02 Feb 2012 12:49 PM PST Mitt Romney dropped the gloves on Barack Obama Tuesday night by launching an online-only donation drive. The goal? Collect $1 million to make Obama a “one-term president.” “The inspiration was President Obama,” says Romney digital director Zac Moffatt. “It’s three years ago to the day that he should be held accountable, that if he couldn't figure this out in three years, (his presidency) was a one-term proposition.” The Obama campaign retaliated on Wednesday by launching a fundraising drive of their own, doubling up on Romney with a “Two-Term Fund” and a goal of $2 million. Romney’s “One-Term Fund” had a nearly 24-hours head start on Obama, but Team Obama was able to raise $1 million in less than a day. As of mid-afternoon Thursday, Romney’s team is just about to hit the $1 million mark, while Obama’s drive has collected more than $1.2 million from 30,895 donors. Shortly after the head-to-head donation drive began, both Romney and Obama’s Twitter accounts started sparring with one another across the Internet: What do you think of the online showdown between the President and the presidential hopeful? Is this good politics or bad form? Sound off in the comments below. Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Beverly & Pack More About: 2012 presidential campaign, barack obama, Mitt Romney, Politics, Storify, Twitter

Hands On With Microsoft Surface 2 Posted: 02 Feb 2012 12:37 PM PST Touchscreens are so yesterday's news, but 40-inch HD displays that can handle 20 or more fingers of touch and real-time interaction with people, objects and tags? That's something to get excited about. It's also pretty much the description of Microsoft's Surface 2. These large, table-top touchscreens went on pre-order last year and now we finally got a chance for some hands-on time. It's an impressive technology. Microsoft's first Surface was a bulky box that used a computer, projection screen and sensors to see finger touches, gestures and even objects. It mostly sold to commercial destinations like hotels and casinos. The latest Surface is actually a joint project between Microsoft and Samsung and is officially called the Samsung SUR 40. Now all the tech is inside a thin HD screen and it no longer uses projectors or sensors pointed up at the screen. Surface 2 employs "PixelSense” technology, where every RGB pixel is paired with a "camera" pixel to see your hands and anything you place on the screen (or move right above it) in real time. The display is, naturally, multi-touch, bit it is also multi-person, multi-touch. During a demonstration at this year's CES show in Las Vegas, we saw how the display could track not only the exact position (XY coordinates) of 10 or more fingers (making every Surface 2 multi-user), but could even see the orientation of a finger touch. With that information, Surface 2 can reposition on-screen objects so they, say, point toward you. Imagine passing a virtual photo on the screen from one person around the Surface 2 table to another: the photo will properly reorient as each person touches it. The screen is also pressure-sensitive, which makes it adept at creating lines of varying thickness, depending on how hard you press or how much of your finger you place on the big screen. In the demonstration, we tried an app called "Da Vinci,” which let us draw objects that, depending on the settings, would then interact with each other and the boundaries of the physical screen (watch the video and you'll get it). It's a natural kind of human/display interaction that could lead to all sorts of new applications. One of Surface 1's neatest tricks was being able to recognize tags on physical devices and call up information related to the device. I placed a phone and a camera on Surface 1 and all the specs appears on screen right next to each object. Surface 2 can read tags as well and was able to look at two coded cards and launch a couple of Bing searches. For now, Sur 40 Microsoft Surface 2 screens will run you nearly $9,000. That's a lot more scratch than the typical, non-touch sensitive 40-inch HDTV (typically less than $1,000). As a result, don't expect to see one of these the next time you visit a friend's house for a game of virtual Parcheesi. Where do you think Surface 2 should be used and, if you could afford the $9,000, would you buy one? Tell us in the comments. More About: display, hd, microsoft, Microsoft Surface 2.0, multitouch, surface

Amazon Launches Sports Memorabilia Store [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 12:23 PM PST Amazon has expanded its sales reach into sports memorabilia, the company announced on Thursday. Its new Sports Collectibles Store offers more than two million officially licensed items by the NFL, NBA, FIFA and Major League Baseball. Shoppers can search for collectibles by sport, year, team, price and type of item. Trading cards, autographed apparel, game-worn jerseys and tickets stubs are among the treasures and trinkets that sports fans and memorabilia nuts can forage for. Amazon said that it is taking a number of measures to ensure the quality and authenticity of items for sale in the store. Many will include condition ratings and authentication sources from memorabilia authorities including Professional Sports Authenticator, James Spence Authentication and Beckett Grading Services. "The emphasis on authenticated selection, combined with our A-to-z Guarantee protection on purchases, allows customers to shop the new store with confidence," Peter Faricy, vice president of Amazon Marketplace, said in a statement. Items in the store range in price from affordable to extremely expensive. A baseball autographed by Babe Ruth is available for $46,434.95. A set of 20 different Dennis Rodman basketball cards, meanwhile, is selling for $14.99. Tim Tebow rookies cards run in the neighborhood of $10. The new Amazon store is a boon to both vendors and buyers of sports collectibles, according to Dan Jamieson, CEO of Icons, a FIFA-licensed memorabilia company. "This is a big deal for us and our customers because Amazon provides a great opportunity for Icons to reach millions of soccer fans in an easy way and serve them with high quality, unique, genuinely hand-signed items," Jamieson said in a statement. "We have a history of providing customers with authentic jerseys, cleats and photos signed by the world's most iconic players, and we're excited about expanding this tradition and reaching millions of potential new customers through Amazon." More About: amazone, mashable video, online shopping, sports For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Apple Employee’s iPhone Messages Accidentally Broadcast to Bloggers [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 12:06 PM PST A glitch with an Apple store employee’s iPhone SIM card has allowed his personal life to be spied on by tech bloggers. The incident happened after the employee inserted his personal SIM card into a customer’s broken iPhone to repair it. The customer left the store with a perfectly working phone, except the customer received all of the Apple employee’s iMessages, texts and photos. It is likely out the Apple employee forgot to remove his SIM card from the customer’s phone — meaning his texts, iMessages and photos were forwarded to the customer’s phone. The customer gave the iPhone to her friends who work for Gizmodo, who then uncovered the story. The iPhone belongs to the customer’s young son. Gizmodo saw the Apple employee’s messages, photos, details of his love life, photos and a text containing Apple store sales numbers. “No matter how many times we’ve reset the phone and entered our friend’s information, every incoming and outgoing iMessage meant for Wiz [the Apple employee] shows up on her child’s phone,” Gizmodo wrote. “His phone had become her son’s phone — and there was an iMessage bevy of stuff you wouldn’t want your child to see.” It appears a person’s iPhone SIM is connected to iMessages, photos and texts. This is only a problem if SIM cards are swapped. Check out the video above to learn more. And let us know in the comments: Should the customer or the blog have returned the phone immediately — or were they making a legitimate point that Apple needs to fix the SIM card problem? More About: apple, gizmodo, iphone, mashable video, SIM For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Patriot or Giant, Whose Pre-Super Bowl XLVI Spotify Mix Is Better? [POLL] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:54 AM PST Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner and players from both the New York Giants and New England Patriots are getting pumped for the game with their own big-game Spotify playlists. On Monday, Mashable told you about Patriots rookie running back Stevan Ridley, who posted a 12-song Spotify playlist to Facebook with the title "Super Bowl Pre-Game Mix!!" Then on Thursday, Giants star wide receiver Victor Cruz posted his own four-song Spotify playlist, titled simply “Pre-Game,” to his Facebook Timeline. (Interestingly, this connection between Spotify and sports appears to be becoming a trend; former Giant and current broadcaster Michael Strahan shared his own a playlist this week.) Both player mixes are exclusively hip-hop and heavy on the swag — not surprising, given that Cruz and Ridley are about to play in the biggest game of their lives. They have two songs in common — “Who Gon Stop Me” by Jay-Z and Kanye West, and “Underground Kings” by Drake. Both playlists feature tracks by Rick Ross, Wale and Lil Wayne. As both players are set to go head to head on Sunday, we’re pitting their playlists against each other as well. Check out the playlists below then vote in the poll at the end of this post to weigh in on who has the better pre-game mix. Does a better mix mean a better shot at success? “Pre-Game” by New York Giant Victor Cruz: Underground Kings – Drake Ambition – Wale, Meek Mill and Rick Ross Who Gon Stop Me – Jay Z and Kanye West Ballin’ – Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne "Super Bowl Pre-Game Mix!!" by New England Patriot Stevan Ridley: You The Boss – Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj Ni**as In Paris – Jay Z and Kanye West Legendary – Wale Headlines – Drake Rack City – Tyga So Fresh, So Clean – OutKast Country Sh*t - Big KRIT Who Gon Stop Me – Jay-Z and Kanye West Wipe Me Down [Remix] – Lil Boosie, Foxx and Webbie She Will – Lil Wayne and Drake Underground Kings – Drake Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO, Lauren Bennett and GoonRock Ridley may get a nod for best Super Bowl-bound DJ, thanks to his more extensive selection and inclusion of one relatively old-school track by OutKast but his final LMFAO track nearly gave the game away to Cruz. Whose pre-game mix do you think comes out on top? Let us know in the comments and vote in the poll! More About: Facebook, Music, spotify, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLVI For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Steve Jobs Mocked in Ad for Android Tablet [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:41 AM PST Steve Jobs, sporting a halo and wings, extols the virtues of an Android tablet in a Taiwanese ad that’s getting attention in the U.S. for its disrespectful treatment of the late Apple cofounder. The 20-second ad, which hit YouTube this week, features Taiwanese comedian and impersonator Ah-Ken. Clad in Jobs’s trademark black turtleneck and jeans, he says, “Thank God I get to play with other tablets,” and takes out Action Electronics’s Android-based ActionPad tablet PC and multi-language dictionary. The ad doesn’t mention Jobs by name. Apple reps could not be reached for comment about the ad. Chelsea Chen, a spokeswoman for Action Electronics, told Reuters that Apple should see nothing wrong with the spot. “Steve Jobs always promoted things that were good for people, Apple products, so his image can also promote other things that are good.” Jobs, who died on Oct. 5, thought Google’s Android mobile operating system was a ripoff of Apple’s iOS, which is used in the iPhone and iPad. In Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of the Apple cofounder, Jobs is quoted as saying he effectively “declared war” on Android and that he felt “personally betrayed” by Google. Image courtesy of Flickr, Annie Bannanie 06 More About: Advertising, android, Marketing, steve jobs, trending

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