Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “EE Brings 4G to the UK and Two Other Stories You Need to Know”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “EE Brings 4G to the UK and Two Other Stories You Need to Know”


EE Brings 4G to the UK and Two Other Stories You Need to Know

Posted: 11 Sep 2012 04:51 AM PDT


Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting stories.

Everything Everywhere Announces First LTE Network in the UK

Everything Everywhere has started rolling out the first 4G network in the UK. The company, which is being rebranded to EE, also plans to launch seven LTE-supporting devices in the coming weeks, one of which will be Nokia's brand new Lumia 920.

The first UK cities to get 4G, starting today, will be London, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Bristol. EE promises that Edinburgh, Belfast, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool,…
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More About: Everything Everywhere, Viber, features, first to know series, mashable


Sales of iPhone 5 Could Boost U.S. Economy, Analyst Says [REPORT]

Posted: 11 Sep 2012 04:13 AM PDT


Not only will the upcoming iPhone 5 rake in tons of cash for Apple, it could also boost the overall U.S. economy.

At least that's according to J.P. Morgan's chief economist, Michael Feroli.

In a note to clients on Monday, Feroli said sales of the smartphone could add between 0.25% to 0.5% to fourth quarter annualized growth in the U.S., Reuters reported.

"Calculated using the so-called retail control method, sales of iPhone 5 could boost annualized GDP growth by $3.2 billion, or $12.8 billion at an annual rate," he wrote.

Analysts at the financial services firm project that Apple will sell 8 million iPhone 5s in the fourth quarter, each with an expected retail price of arou…
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More About: GDP, J.P. Morgan, U.S., apple, iPhone 5


Nokia Announces Windows Phone 8 Version of City Lens App [VIDEO]

Posted: 11 Sep 2012 02:49 AM PDT


After coming out of beta last week, Nokia's augmented reality app, Nokia City Lens, is due for another update with plenty of new features.

The upcoming Windows Phone 8 version of the app, which will work on Nokia's Lumia 920 and 820 smartphones, is set to debut 3D icons, as well as the option of filtering search results to only show those in your line of sight.

Some WP8-specific features will also be added to the app, including the ability to pin to start any category, and to customize the menu by adding your favorite searches.

Perhaps most importantly, the app will work in both landscape and portrait modes.

Nokia has yet to comment on the exact release date of its ne…
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More About: Nokia, Nokia City Lens, Windows Phone 8, trending


Create Your Own Robot Using This Multiplo Kit [VIDEO]

Posted: 11 Sep 2012 12:52 AM PDT


Building a bot won't require a degree in robotics engineering, anymore. Now, everything you need comes in a kit.

Called the Multiplo Robot Building Kit, it helps people create, program and control their very own droid.

Users get a box that includes laser-cut components for frames, hinges, wheels and gears. The parts are designed to fit together, so tools aren't required.

"You can build a simple robot in about 45 minutes," Multiplo's creators claim on its Kickstarter page.

Of course, a body must come equipped with brains. Enter the DuinoBot, an "all-in-one robot controller" with motor outputs, easy-to-use sensor connectors, and a plastic cas…
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More About: Multiplo, Robot, trending


Finally! YouTube Just Launched Its Own iPhone App

Posted: 11 Sep 2012 12:00 AM PDT


YouTube announced Tuesday that its long-awaited iPhone app is now available as a free download in the App Store.

In case that sounds like a news story from 2007, let's clarify: yes, there was a native YouTube app on the very first iPhone, and on every model since. But that app was made by Apple, not by YouTube. It featured an infamously poor selection of YouTube videos.

Until now, any iPhone owner that wanted a full YouTube experience had to go to m.youtube.com in their Safari browser. Apple announced it was dumping its hobbled YouTube app earlier this year, clearing the way for the Google-owned video giant to produce its own version.

Less than a month later, that in-house vers…
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More About: YouTube, apple, iphone, trending


20 TV Shows With the Most Social Media Buzz This Week

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 11:44 PM PDT


It may come as no surprise that last week's Stand Up to Cancer celebrity telethon received more than two million social mentions. The special aired on dozens of networks around the world, including ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC.

As the first-ever social cancer telethon, viewers were encouraged to contribute to the conversation through the event's Interactive Media Bank. Nearly 100 celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Alicia Keys, Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts volunteered for and performed at the event. Some even retweeted their favorite viewer comments, which contained hashtags #SU2C or #IStandUpFor.

SEE ALSO: 18 Animated GIFs From MTV's Video Music Awards

In spite of the telethon'…
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More About: Entertainment, Social Media, TV, Trendrr, infographics, social tv, social tv charts, trending


Bluetooth Music Receiver Lets You Play Tunes Wirelessly From Any Device [VIDEO]

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 10:48 PM PDT


Wish you could rock out to tunes playing from a music dock, while keeping your smartphone on hand?

A Bluetooth-based music receiver claims to do just that, by letting users play music wirelessly from any Bluetooth device through a docking station.

Called auris, the receiver connects with up to eight devices -- including the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Blackberry and Windows phone -- via Bluetooth version 2.1+ EDR. As long as users are within 33 feet of the receiver, they can sync and start streaming, according to auris' Kickstarter page.

Not limited to music, auris can play any audio, including sound from video games or movies through a…
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More About: Music, Wireless, auris, bluetooth, trending


See Beach Blanketed With Millions of Migrating Hermit Crabs

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 08:44 PM PDT


An army of hermit crabs carpeted a beach in St. John last month and a videographer captured incredible footage of the crustacean crush.

Steve Simonsen's friend alerted him to the migration and he wasted no time scooping up his Canon EOS 5D Mark ll and a Canon XA-10 and heading straight to the seafront. Simonsen's footage shows what he described as "millions and millions" of hermit crabs participating in their annual mass movement.

SEE ALSO: Nature in Time-Lapse: 10 Awe-Inspiring Videos

Imagine planning your Caribbean day of fun in the sun on the same day the hermit crab population decides to make a run -- or scurry -- for it. Sorry if nature ruined beach day.

More About: Watercooler, nature, trending, viral videos


Startup Offers Colorful, Customizable Heels for Under $100

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 08:03 PM PDT


Name: Chromatic Gallerie

Quick Pitch: Customizable women's shoes.

Genius Idea: Stylish heels in multiple widths and heel heights at an affordable price point.

If you have wide or narrow feet and a budget that doesn't permit an expenditure of $300+ on a pair of shoes, you know that finding well-fitting, fashionable footwear isn't easy. Then there's the issue of style and comfort: How many times have you come across an almost-perfect shoe, only to wish it came in a different color or a slightly shorter heel?

Enter Chromatic Gallerie, an online retail startup for customizable women's shoes. At present, the site offers round-toe pumps that can be customized by material (l…
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More About: bizspark, chromatic gallerie, fashion, shoes, trending


Catch the Leaders in Digital at Mashable’s Media Summit

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 07:35 PM PDT


Kay Madati Jessica Bennett

The Mashable Media Summit is a one-day conference that explores how new forms of technology are redefining media. The brightest minds in the industry will come together Nov. 2 at the TimesCenter in New York City to explore the latest innovations in the space and the future of journalism.

Limited early bird tickets are available at a discounted price, so get your tickets now.

Eventbrite - Mashable Media Summit 2012

With a stellar lineup of speakers already confirmed from Facebook, Tumblr, Salon, AQKA, PBS and Hearst, Mashable's Media Summit promises to offer a dynamic program of topics ranging from the digital transformation of traditional media organizations to the latest trends in major social networking sites. Thi…
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More About: Media, event, mashable media summit


Carson Daly Tells All About ‘The Voice,’ Its Social Media Clout and ‘TRL’

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 07:03 PM PDT



Hours before watching The Voice's season three premiere, host Carson Daly calls himself a "tech geek."

Social media and gadgets like the Apple TV surround him during much of his waking moments -- and there's plenty of that no-shut-eye time now after he welcomed a daughter, Etta Jones, to the world last week. Like a newborn's tears on a cheek, parenting apps trickled onto his iPhone to aid in any fatherly woes.

His digital-first mentality to solving problems has seeped into the production of The Voice since the televised singing competition first debuted in 2011. In a way, social media helped raise the show into a powerhouse on TV and online, just as the apps likely will help Daly r…
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More About: TV, carson daly, celebrities, mtv, nbc, social tv, the-voice


HuffPo Co-founder Takes on Cable News With New Startup

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 06:04 PM PDT


Ken Lerer, one of the co-founders of The Huffington Post and the current chairman of BuzzFeed, has pulled back the curtain on his latest venture: a video news site called NowThisNews.

The startup officially launched on Monday after months of operating in stealth mode under the code name Planet Daily. NowThisNews raised $5 million in a financing round back in April and the company has put that money to good use by staffing up with some big names in media. Eason Jordan, CNN's former chief news executive, has been brought on as the company's general manager. Katharine Zaleski, the former executive director of The Washington Post, will be the managing editor, and ABC News Digital's former…
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More About: new media, social news, social video, trending


Facebook Ad Reunites Man With His Cat

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 05:34 PM PDT


Flyers didn't help. Going door to door proved unfruitful. In the days before social networking, James Woodley would have been out of luck.

His cat, Zion, had gone missing, and Woodley was losing hope.

Then he turned to Facebook.

As a last ditch effort, the Facebook page Find Zion was born. "I put out a status update, asking my friends to look at the Page, like it and share it to try to get some reach outside of my network," Woodley told Buddy Media. "A handful of people liked it and asked a few questions."

The cat, a Ragdoll, had been missing for two days. In order to get the word out about his missing pet, Woodley purchased Facebook ads that pointed towards the page…
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More About: Facebook, Watercooler, cats, social advertising


Bleep Blap Bloop: Men Versus Women in Sound Effects Battle

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 05:04 PM PDT


The battle of the sexes continues and the latest skirmish between men and women is making a lot of noise -- weird, weird noise.

Filmmakers Marcella Coad and Paul Constantakis pit ladies and gentlemen against each other to determine which sex boasts the finest sound effect skills. The participants tackle sounds like a laser gun, robot and sword fight to determine the winner of the best unofficial Michael Winslow wannabe.

SEE ALSO: Whistling Walrus Is One-Mammal Sound Effects Department [VIDEO]

Take a listen and tell us which side has your vote. Extra kudos if you add a ballot-stuffing sound effect with your comment.

More About: Watercooler, viral videos


Romney Website Seems to Borrow Text From Obama’s Page

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 04:35 PM PDT


Until Monday afternoon, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had at least one thing very much in common: the text on their online donation pages.

Here's an example of the copy on each page as it stood early Monday:

Obama: "When you're logged in to your BarackObama.com account with a saved credit card, just click the Quick Donate button. We'll charge your saved credit card and you're done in seconds."

Romney: "When you're logged in to your MyMitt account with a saved credit card, just click the Contribute button. We'll charge your saved credit card and you're done in seconds."

SEE ALSO: Amercia! Epic Mitt Romney App Gaffe Goes Viral Online [PICS]

Obama's donations page predates…
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney, Politics, US, barack obama, trending


GoDaddy Gone: Can the Domain Giant Recover Its Reputation?

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 04:05 PM PDT


Mashable OP-ED: This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication.

Monday has not been the best of days for GoDaddy or its millions of customers. Thanks to what appears to be a distributed denial of service attack against the world's largest domain registrar, the company's DNS servers are down. With them went an untold number of websites.

Customers are understandably livid that their sites -- for many, their entire livelihoods -- are on pause. Much of the online anger is currently directed at Anonymous Own3r, the self-proclaimed security leader of Anonymous (to be clear, Anonymous is not taking any responsibility for this attack and Own3r says he is acting solely as himself).

Own3r will likely soon be forgotten. Users will retrieve their websi…
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More About: godaddy, trending


You’ll Soon Be Able to Buy Physical Goods via Amazon Apps

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 03:34 PM PDT


Soon, you may be able to buy not just virtual goods when playing a game on your Kindle Fire -- you may be able to buy physical goods, as well.

Amazon is currently testing in-app purchases of physical goods, a spokesperson said. The company worked with gamemaker Activision to make a physical toy (above) available for one-click purchase in its Skylanders Cloud Patrol game for the upcoming Kindle Fire HD. After purchasing a character toy, customers will immediately be able to play a digital version of the character in the game as well, according to AllThingsD.

The technology was demoed at an Amazon press conference in Santa Monica, Calif., last week.

A spokesperson declined to…
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More About: activision, amazon, trending


ThingsWeStart Maps Out Kickstarter Projects Around The Country

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 03:04 PM PDT


Kickstarter has helped entrepreneurs raise money to solve countless real world problems, but it has yet to solve a more basic problem with its own site: How do you sort through all the latest Kickstarter projects to find the ones that are most relevant to you?

That's where ThingsWeStart.com comes in. The online tool, which launched on Monday, maps out real time data on Kickstarter projects to make it easier to discover active campaigns by region and category. For example, if you want to find an art project in Brooklyn, all you have to do is check off the art category and type in 'Brooklyn' or a Zip code, and the map will pull up a list of all the active projects in the area. From th…
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More About: Startups, kickstarter, trending


Droid-tastic R2-D2 Keg Dishes Drinks at LSU [PHOTO]

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 02:39 PM PDT


Behold, Internet lovers: The perfect convergence of nerdiness, college football and Southern beer swilling. The R2-D2 keg pictured above was posted to Twitter over the weekend by user @whiskeydranks, who says the suds-dispensing droid was employed during Saturday tailgating at Louisiana State University's home football game against Washington.

But this wasn't the Southeastern Conference's only moment of viral triumph this weekend. After the University of Arkansas suffered a humiliating defeat Saturday, one Razorback fan -- complete with her nose taped up in the style of a pig -- posted the below tribute video to YouTube on Sunday:

More About: Sports, Star Wars, Watercooler


10 Celebrities That Went Down With GoDaddy

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 02:15 PM PDT


Team USA




Michael Phelps is just one of several athletes whose websites went dark today as Team USA is hosted through GoDaddy. Image courtesy of marcopako on Flickr

Click here to view this gallery.


The Internet suffered a huge outage today as GoDaddy DNS servers went down. We rounded up the top 10 celebrity websites that are currently offline.

More About: GoDaddy.com, celebrities, celebrity, godaddy, joan rivers, lance armstrong, michael phelps, trending


More Zynga Execs Head for the Exit Doors

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 02:06 PM PDT


Zynga's management shakeups continue. Jeff Karp, chief marketing and revenue officer resigned Monday.

Before joining Zynga in August 2011, Karp was an executive vice president at Electronic Arts. Karp was reportedly recruited to join Zynga by another former EA executive, John Schappert. Schappert resigned from his position as COO last month.

Karp follows a string of other high-profile exits. In August, Chief Creative Officer Mike Verdu left the company to found his own firm. As AllThingsD reported, Verdu is starting his own game company and Zynga will act as an investor. Zynga lost two vice presidents at the end of August. The general manager behind CityVille also left the company last…
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More About: Zynga, social games, trending


If Only This Pong Crosswalk Game Was Real [VIDEO]

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 01:52 PM PDT


Crossing the street can be such a boring activity. But if this game were required at every crosswalk on the planet, strolling across the street could be a lot more fun. Sadly, it isn't real.

In a simulation created by students at HAWK University in Germany, passersby play a variation of Pong with a competitor across the street.

SEE ALSO: 15 Developers Help Atari Re-Imagine 'Pong'

Sandro Engel and Holger Michel created the video as a project that brings social media to the crosswalk. Using a green screen on the yellow box, the students created the entire interaction digitally, according to Autoblog.

Oh well -- walkers can dream.


Music Monday: Travel the World Through Your Earbuds

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 01:42 PM PDT


Sometimes just hearing a song can be enough to take you back home.

Some of the most iconic tunes have been geographically inspired, and some cities, states and countries will always be linked to certain songs.

"California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas will make you long for the Golden State, even if you've never been there. Sufjan Stevens was so inspired by the 50 states that he sought to write an album based about every one of them (which didn't happen, but at least we got "Michigan" and "Illinois").

SEE ALSO: Last Week's Music Monday: Songs of Summer 2012

With the presidential election right around the corner, geography is on everyone's minds. And now that…
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More About: Entertainment, Music, community, music monday, spotify, trending


Young Adults, Teens Lead Smartphone Owners

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 01:30 PM PDT


With the iPhone 5 set to be announced on Wednesday and Nokia's release of two new handhelds last week, Nielsen took a look into who's buying the most smartphones and, more importantly, what kind.

The report released earlier today shows that smartphone owners ranging between 25-34 years of age increased 15% since July 2011. That means 74% of that age group now own smartphones.

"Among most age groups smartphones represent the majority of U.S. mobile subscribers, but American teens were the age group adopting smartphones the fastest," said Nichole Henderson, a Nielsen analyst. "As teens increase in their share of smartphone owners, mobile carriers and manufacturers should consi…
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More About: android, iPhone 5, nielsen ratings, windows smartphone


Martha Stewart Expands Digital Video Push to Hulu

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 01:09 PM PDT



Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has knit partnerships with Hulu and AOL to transition the "domestic diva" from TV and some online content to a heavy dose of archived digital videos and newer short-form segments.

The deals come after The Martha Stewart Show ended its daytime TV run in May, although Stewart will maintain a TV presence on PBS's "Cooking School," which debuts in October.

Hulu and Hulu Plus will stream new and old clips featuring Stewart, chef Emeril Lagasse and Mad Hungry star Lucinda Scala Quinn. For now, the Martha Stewart Living Hulu page has full episodes for three programs, with more slated to be added this year: DIY Crafts, Emeril's Table and Martha's Kitchen.…
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More About: Martha Stewart, YouTube, aol, digital video, hulu, videos


Celebrity Mugshots Cleverly Photoshopped for 1920s Flair

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 01:08 PM PDT


1. Lindsay Lohan




Image courtesy of Mugshot Doppelganger

Click here to view this gallery.


In the 1920s, bulletin boards were filled with mugshots of gangsters and prostitutes, guilty of bank robberies and thuggery. Today, tabloids are blasted with celebrity mugshots, more commonly associated with drugs busts and driving under the influence.

Art director Michael Jason Enriquez -- who's also the mastermind behind Cholafied -- created the Tumblr Mugshot Doppelganger, which combines modern celebrity mugshots with vintage police booking photos from the 1920s.

The unaltered gallery of real mugshots can be found at

More About: Photoshop, Watercooler, pics, tumblr


GoDaddy Got You Down? Here Are 5 Alternatives

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:55 PM PDT


1. Namecheap




Namecheap offers domain registration (currently $10.69/year for a .com), email and web hosting.

Click here to view this gallery.


Miffed by today's GoDaddy outage? It's not only hosted accounts and email that are suffering, but any domain registered with GoDaddy.

If you've been dissatisfied with GoDaddy's services (or have been meaning to switch since the company's controversial stance on SOPA), here are a few alternatives that come highly recommended by Mashable staff.

Add your favorites to the list in the comments below.

Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, bear1980

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, marekuliasz.

More About: domain registrars, domains, features, godaddy, trending


Startling UNICEF Pinterest Campaign Turns Platform on its Head

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:41 PM PDT


For many of us who have caught the Pinterest bug, the visual site is a place for giving into our deepest materialistic wants, by creating virtual wishlists of fashion, high-end devices, or home decor.

A clever new Pinterest campaign from UNICEF, aiming to raise awareness for child poverty and the work of UNICEF, adds perspective to the aspiration-filled social network.

The fictional Pinterest profile of Ami Musa, created by UNICEF, features the less-than-luxurious desires of the 13-year-old girl from Sierra Leone, on a board called "Really want these." Instead of scrumptious-looking dessert recipes, Musa has pinned an image of hands holding plain rice. Rather than an artfully tiled hot…
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More About: Social Good, World, pinterest, unicef


Ronald Reagan Comes to ‘Life’ as YouTube Avatar

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:39 PM PDT


What would President Ronald Reagan have to say about this year's election if he were alive today? Seyyer, a company that bills itself as a "cognitive video realization" service, thinks it has the answer.

Virtual Reagan is a 13-video series in which the late president opines about the campaign issues of the day in a creepily life-like fashion, "live from the other side."

"The real issues come down to tax reform, medicare revisions and health care for future generations," according to Virtual Reagan.

SEE ALSO: 10 Hilarious Guesses at the GOP Mystery Speaker

Virtual Reagan also has a Twitter account, @VirtualReagan, that tweets sparingly about politics and technology.

RT @us
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Politics, US, Video, Watercooler


8 Tips for Building Your Brand on the Cheap

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:32 PM PDT


When starting your business, we know there's a lot to handle and think about. There's your (growing) team, your intellectual property, product management and a pinched budget, all while you're trying to navigate the waters of entrepreneurship. But even without millions your brand can make an impression. All the free social media tools are a great start -- Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest are key, but there's more you can do to make an impression. We've rounded up eight ways to build your brand on the cheap -- because there are more important things to spend money and time on, like your product and talent.

1. Killer Customer Service

Yes, it's annoying when thi…
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More About: Bootstrapping Business Series, Marketing, branding, features, mashable


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