Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Gap Criticized For Insensitive Tweet During Hurricane Sandy”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Gap Criticized For Insensitive Tweet During Hurricane Sandy”


Gap Criticized For Insensitive Tweet During Hurricane Sandy

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 05:05 AM PDT


American Apparel apparently wasn't the only brand to rub East Coast victims the wrong way during Hurricane Sandy. Clothier Gap also made a mildly insensitive tweet, but then took it down and apologized.

On Monday afternoon, as the storm was touching down in the New York and New Jersey area, Gap tweeted the following:

The brand later took the tweet down and offered the following semi-apology:

To all impacted by #Sandy, stay safe. Our check-in and tweet earlier were only meant to remind all to keep safe and indoors.— Gap (@Gap) October 29, 2012

The tweets angered some customers, including Jon Tando, who wrote:

@CondescendingBrand added, "@Gap ...then s…
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More About: Hurricane Sandy, Marketing, Twitter, gap, trending


Google Goes Trick-or-Treating With an Interactive Halloween Doodle

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 04:22 AM PDT


doodle

The time to trick-or-treat has come once again, and Google has treated us with an interactive Halloween doodle.

The doodle, which is visible in the U.S. and the UK, but not all countries, lets you explore a haunted house, inhabited with the standard array of black cats, ravens, skeletons, ghosts and monsters.

Previous Halloween doodles included simple ones, such as Google's pumpkin-adorned logo, as well as a huge, multi-part, Scooby Doo-themed doodle. Check them all out here.

How do you like Google's Halloween doodle? Share your thoughts in the comments.

BONUS: Our Favorite Animated Google Doodles

More About: Doodle, Google, Halloween


iPad Mini Review Roundup: Quality Tablet, But Non-Retina Display Disappoints

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:46 AM PDT


Since launching last week, Apple's iPad mini has made quite an impression on consumers, selling out just three days after it became available for pre-order online.

But what was the consensus among critics?

A select few reviewers were lucky enough to prod, poke and play with the tiny tablet before the public could get their hands on it.

Overall, they say the 7.9-inch mini boasts the entire iPad experience -- albeit in a smaller, more manageable one-handed tablet -- but disappoints with its non-Retina display, which lacks the crispness of other Retina-enabled Apple devices. Another sticking point: the mini's high cost compared to its competitors (it starts at $329).

SEE ALSO:
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More About: apple, ipad mini, tablets


Asus Is Selling Nearly 1 Million Nexus 7 Tablets Per Month [REPORT]

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 02:38 AM PDT


Asus's sales of Google's 7-inch tablet, the Nexus 7, are approaching one million units per month, The Wall Street Journal reports.

"At the beginning, it was, for instance, 500K units a month, then maybe 600, 700K. This latest month, it was close to 1 million," Asustek Chief Financial Officer David Chang told WSJ.

The Nexus 7 began shipping in July 2012 and was met with high demand from the start. The device is a 7-inch, Android Jelly Bean tablet with a 1280x800 pixel display and a quad-core processor.

Google has unveiled an updated version of the Nexus 7 last week with more storage and a 3G option; that version is going on sale Nov 13.

More About: Asus, Google, Nexus 7, android, trending


Have A Photographic Memory With This Automatic Camera [VIDEO]

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 02:04 AM PDT


Sometimes life just passes by, and you don't have a photo to show for it.

Memoto is the solution to your memory-woes. This tiny, postage-sized, wearable device is an automatic camera, snapping photos every 30 seconds while you go about your day.

Then the camera automatically uploads the photos to a companion site or app, complete with metadata providing GPS locations and timestamps of the photo. The site will even catalog what it believes to be the most interesting moments, making it that much easier for you to search and relive your day. And it won't stop clicking pics until you put the camera in the dark.

SEE ALSO: Google Glass Will Have
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More About: camera, kickstarter


Grand Theft Auto 5 Release Confirmed for Spring 2013, More Details Emerge

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 01:37 AM PDT


Grand Theft Auto 5 is slated to launch worldwide this coming spring for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, developer Rockstar Games announced Tuesday.

Created by Rockstar North, the company's Edinburgh, Scotland-based subsidiary, the latest GTA game takes place "in a re-imagined, present-day Southern California."

According to its official website, GTA 5 is "the largest and most thriving game-world we have ever created set in the sprawling city of Los Santos and for miles beyond -- from the tops of the mountains to the depths of the ocean." (For the uninitiated, Los Santos, San Andreas, is a fictional city previously seen in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.)

As of next week on Nov. 5, GT
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More About: Grand Theft Auto 5, video games


Nike+Kinect Training on Xbox Will Whip You Into Shape

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 12:59 AM PDT


Working out at home has its perks: no loudly grunting weight-lifters, no worrying about doing downward dog in anyone's personal space and when you're done, the shower is only steps away.

For at-home fitness enthusiasts, Nike unveiled a new program on Tuesday called Nike+Kinect Training, that features a virtual trainer who customizes workouts for you. The program works on Xbox 360 with Kinect, and lets you bring your real life moves into a virtual environment, similar to Wii, except without having to use a controller. Just use your voice and hand movements to activate Kinect.

Nike says this training program uses motion sensing technology to see how you move and whip you into tip-top…
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More About: Nike+ Kinect, fitness


Acer Delays Windows RT Tablets, Wants to See Surface Reaction First

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 12:16 AM PDT


Acer announced Tuesday that it is delaying the launch of its Windows RT tablets until at least Q2 2013.

The Taiwanese PC maker was originally planning on releasing an ARM-based Windows RT tablet in early 2013, however the company has decided to delay those plans in light of some of the reviews of the Microsoft Surface tablet.

Acer President Jim Wong told Reuters, "originally we had a very aggressive plan to come out very early next year but because of Surface, our R&D development doesn't stop, but we are much more cautious." Instead of Q1 as a target, Acer has pushed the date back to Q2 or beyond.

SEE ALSO: Surface Is a Tablet Windows Users Will Love [REVIEW]

Back in Augu…
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More About: Acer, Windows RT, microsoft, surface tablet, tablets, windows tablets


Majority of Moms Use Facebook for ‘Me Time’ [STUDY]

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:30 PM PDT


Hectic, on-the-go mothers are using Facebook more than ever to network and stay in touch with friends, new research reveals.

Marketing company Mums Now surveyed 1,000 mothers, and concluded that 99% had Facebook accounts; most used the social media site up to three hours a day, the company said.

SEE ALSO: Moms Are Biggest Brand Boosters on Facebook [INFOGRAPHIC]

The majority of the subjects' Facebook activity occurred at night between 8 and 10 p.m., researchers said. Online activity was significantly lower during the weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Mums cannot only keep in touch with friends, but can find out about sales,…
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More About: Facebook, Newsy, parenting, study, videos


Has Social Media Turned You into a Zombie? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 10:43 PM PDT


This fun infographic profiles several types of social media zombie -- not dead, but not quite alive either, thanks to an over-enthusiasm for the social web.

More About: Social Media, infographics


7 Ways to Help Victims of Superstorm Sandy Online

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 10:13 PM PDT


Superstorm Sandy has impacted the lives of millions in the northeastern U.S. and Caribbean, as the largest-diameter Atlantic hurricane on record hit land between Oct. 24 and Oct. 30.

If you're looking for ways to help the millions of people across the Eastern Seaboard and Northeast who were injured, whose homes were damaged and who are awaiting the return of power, cable and water, we've rounded up some great options.

Mashable has highlighted seven organizations running campaigns that help those affected by the Frankenstorm. Have you heard of other non-profits or online campaigns raising money to help the victims? Let us know in the comments if we've missed a worthy cause.

Th
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More About: Hurricane Sandy, Social Good


Google Adds ‘Public Alerts’ to Search and Maps for Sandy, Other Disasters

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 09:21 PM PDT


Shortly after launching a crisis map for Superstorm Sandy, Google has rolled out "Public Alerts" on Maps and Search.

The service provides warnings for natural disasters and emergency situations, such as Sandy, which hit the northeastern U.S. on Monday night. Public Alerts, which Google announced in a blog post Tuesday, aims to show "relevant weather, public safety and earthquake alerts" from the U.S. National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. It is available in-browser, on Google Maps for Android and Google Now for Android devices running Jellybean (4.1).

Users can look up targeted Google searches, such as "Superstorm Sandy," and location-based search terms, such…
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More About: Google Maps, Hurricane Sandy, google search


Twitter Troll Who Posted Fake Sandy News Apologizes to Internet

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:20 PM PDT


A Twitter troll who tweeted a series of fake news updates on Monday as Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on New York City publicly apologized on Tuesday.

More About: US


10 Out of This World Star Wars-Disney Mashups

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:28 PM PDT


Disney has announced that it is acquiring Lucasfilm, which includes the Star Wars franchise, for $4.05 billion -- $2 billion of it in cash to sole shareholder George Lucas.

Twitter users quickly started tweeting mashups of Star Wars references and famous Disney films under the hashta g #DisneyStarWars.

SEE ALSO: Disney Buys Lucasfilm, New 'Star Wars' Coming in 2015

Before long, this being the Internet, they started adding image mashups to the mix. We've featured some of the best in the gallery above. Got more? Contribute in the comments.

More About: Star Wars, Watercooler


Candy Crush Saga, Facebook Favorite, Heads to the iPhone

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:31 PM PDT


King.com has been producing nothing but hits on Facebook since it launched its first game on the platform in April. So much so that it's now the #2 creator of social games on the social network, second to only Zynga.

Now it is releasing one of its most popular games to date, Candy Crush Saga, on iOS. It's available for iPad, iPad mini, iPhone and iPod touch in November.

The Bejeweled-like game currently has an astounding 5 million daily active players on Facebook, making it the 4th most popular game and largest casual social game on the social network. The mobile version of Candy Crush Saga will offer a similar gameplay experience to the Facebook version and will keep track of pl…
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More About: Facebook, King.com, iOS


This is What Sandy Did to Verizon HQ [PIC]

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:07 PM PDT


Superstorm Sandy may have done damage to all the major phone services, more or less. But for Verizon, there was another price to pay: damage to its New York corporate headquarters.

The picture above, tweeted by the company itself, shows the Verizon lobby at 140 West Street in Manhattan, filled with three feet of water at about 9:30 PM ET last night. It isn't just an administrative building -- it also serves hundreds of thousands of voice and data circuits in New York.

Says Verizon director of media relations Bill Kula: "We'll continue to work safely and quickly to pump out the storm water, re-route traffic from non working central office to others, get backup generator power operat…
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More About: hurricane, manhattan, verizon


Megan Fox Finally Reveals Hidden Depths in Acer Ad [VIDEO]

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:49 PM PDT


Not since Denise Richards donned a lab coat in The World Is Not Enough have we seen such an unlikely scientist as Megan Fox.

Yet Fox makes a somewhat convincing marine biologist in this ad for Acer, which shows a hidden side to the sex symbol -- a passion for dolphins. Like a previous ad that presented Kiefer Sutherland as a baker, the aim is to underscore Acer's brand mission to "explore beyond limits."

Fox, however, is no stranger to technology. Back in 2011, she was seen slinking around a bathtub and exposing her famously unattractive thumbs in a Motorola Super Bowl TV spot.

More About: Acer, Advertising, Megan Fox


This Is What a Disney Star Wars Universe Looks Like [COMIC]

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:42 PM PDT


Disney's decision to gobble up the Star Wars universe has left many Skywalker fan boys (and fan droids) stunned.

What will the House of Mouse do with the brand? Will it bring back Jar-Jar Binks? Add Yoda to the Marvel Universe? Pair Chewbacca with Daisy Duck? This comic, by yours truly, offers one possibility.

BONUS: Star Wars + Disney Memes

More About: Star Wars, Walt Disney, disney


Star Wars Just Got a New Lease on Life

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:21 PM PDT


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

How high are your expectations for Episode 7, now that Disney has acquired LucasFilm and announced a brand new Star Wars trilogy starting in 2015?

Given the amount of venom directed at the underwhelming Episodes 1, 2 and 3, I'm guessing your expectations for 7, 8 and 9 are lower than an X-wing fighter that crash-landed onto the ice planet Hoth and got trampled by an AT-AT. Mine were, the moment this was announced.

Well, raise your sights, young Jedi. Or, as the man who sold Pixar to Disney and became its largest shareholder would put it: think different.

The more we think of what Disney brings to the equation, the more we can see the Star Wars series just got the huge shot…
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More About: Star Wars, disney


Powerless New Yorkers Find Creative Ways to Charge Gadgets [PICS]

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:07 PM PDT


Forget the ATM, This Bank Has Outlets




"We're helpless without our phones! More people congregating over FREE POWER in the wake of Sandy. Chase was kind enough to offer multiple power strips in the ATM area." - ginanigido

Click here to view this gallery.


Hurricane Sandy knocked out power for most New Yorkers below 39th Street. But an outage didn't deter those iPhone-Android-clenchers and Wi-Fi-seeking nomads. Many people trekked uptown to (creatively) make use of power sources.

SEE ALSO: NYC Goes Dark: 10 Eerie Photos of the Hurricane Blackout

Chase ATMs were crammed full of people who brought extension cords. And, conveniently, Starbucks left its Wi-Fi open despite closing all of its stores.

Here's how New Yorkers went all MacGyver to get the juice for their phones and a reliable Wi-Fi signal.

More Coverage of Hurricane Sandy

[nggallery id=8465]

More About: Hurricane Sandy, new york city, wifi


10 Candy Tumblrs to Fix Your Sweet Tooth

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:54 PM PDT


1. Scandy Bars




This is the inside of a candy bar like you've never seen it: scanned and eloquently showcased as a work of art.

Click here to view this gallery.


Trick or treat! Though most of us will find any holiday as an excuse to treat ourselves, Halloween is known for being the epicenter of candy.

Remember when you were little, and you would organize your stash of sweets at the end of the night? (Or, perhaps you still do.)

SEE ALSO: Tumblr Brings GIFs Offline to Art Exhibition

Whether you're too old to go trick-or-treating or need a less guilt-inducing way to enjoy candy, we've got 10 delicious Tumblr blogs for you to follow.

What's your favorite type of candy? Let us know in the comments below.

More About: Halloween, candy, features, tumblr


You’ve Got Presidential Mail [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:41 PM PDT


President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are no strangers to your inbox.

This year's presidential candidates have been reaching out nonstop to their constituents through email, hoping the online messages help increase fundraising efforts, turnout at conventions, and the number of voters at the polls next week.

Digital marketing technology provider Silverpop analyzed 400 messages between the two candidates, their vice presidential partners and even their wives since August 2012 to see what their email campaigns have accomplished.

SEE ALSO: Laptop With First Presidential Email Up For Sale

They found that both Obama and Romney's emailing ramped up dramatically post-convention. Romn…
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More About: election 2012, email, infographic, president obama


Google Takes on Siri With Updated iOS Voice Search App

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:23 PM PDT


Google updated its Google Search app for iOS on Tuesday, adding voice search functionality that puts the app in direct competition with Apple's virtual assistant, Siri.

Now you can not only perform searches by talking to your phone, your iPhone will talk back and read search results aloud. Working along with Google Knowledge Graph, those search results are also smarter than ever before.

Similar to the Google Voice Search capabilities built into Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the app can help you find answers to anything from what the weather's like outside to how tall the Empire State Building is.

SEE ALSO: Smackdown: Google Voice Search vs. Apple's Siri

Check out the enhanced G…
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More About: App, Google, apple, google voice search, iOS, siri


‘Star Wars’ + Disney = Mashup Gold

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:04 PM PDT


Disney's $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilm and planned release for Star Wars Episode 7 has sent the Internet into hyperdrive.

SEE ALSO: Disney Buys Lucasfilm, New 'Star Wars' Coming in 2015

Twitter users quickly flocked to mash together Star Wars references and famous Disney films under the hashtag #DisneyStarWars. Coming soon to a theater near you: When You Wish Upon a Deathstar.

Scroll through some of our favorites below and add yours in the comments.

[View the story "#DisneyStarWars" on Storify]

BONUS: Star Wars Memes, You Will

Photo courtesy of flickr, Pop Culture Geek

More About: Star Wars, Watercooler, disney


Marissa Mayer’s Baby Is Adorable Chili Pepper for Halloween

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:39 PM PDT


What do tech babies dress as for Halloween? You'd think maybe a meme or gadget, but Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer dressed her son MacAllister as a chili pepper for YaBoo, the company's Halloween party for kids.

Mayer, who gave birth about a month ago, tweeted the picture shown below on her way to the event.

More About: Halloween, Watercooler, Yahoo, marissa mayer, pics


Apple Delays iTunes 11 Launch

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:26 PM PDT


If you've been looking forward to iTunes 11's big launch this month, you'll be waiting a little longer. Set for an October release, Apple now plans to push that launch back a month, instead launching the next version of the music software in November.

"The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right," Apple's Tom Neumayr said in a statement to All Things D. "We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November."

iTunes 11 was announced at an Apple event in September alongside the iPhone 5. Th…
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More About: apple, iTunes 11, itunes


20 TV Shows With the Most Social Media Buzz This Week

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:12 PM PDT


The X Factor was finally dethroned from the top social spot on TV last week, but it took the Tigers and Giants to do so.

The World Series had more than 3.7 million social impressions, and the vocal talent show, which came in second place, had 1.9 million.

SEE ALSO: How the World Series Was Won on Twitter [INFOGRAPHIC]

Out of the weekly broadcast top 10, The Vampire Diaries' had the highest positive sentiment with 61% -- with so many sexy vampires on screen, we're surprised the number isn't higher.

The data is courtesy of Trendrr, which measures social media activity related to specific television shows (e.g. mentions, likes, check-ins) across Twitter, Facebook, GetGlue and Viggle
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More About: Social Media, TV, Trendrr, social tv


Tomorrow Is a Big Day for Facebook’s Stock

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT


Facebook employees will have their first opportunity to sell off their stock in the company on Wednesday when the stock market re-opens.

More About: Facebook, facebook ipo, stocks


Steve Ballmer: Microsoft’s Building New Skill Sets With Its Makeover

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:52 PM PDT


Steve Ballmer

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is having a busy couple of weeks -- from the launch of Windows 8 and the Surface Tablet last week to the Windows Phone 8 launch Monday and Build conference Tuesday. But he took the time to sit down with Mashable Monday for a wide-ranging interview.

Ballmer portrayed a company in the midst of a major transition, one of the "top three" such moments for Microsoft. It's one partly driven by RIM's troubles, but also by an increasing proficiency in hardware and the need to differentiate Windows in a mobile market dominated by iOS and Android.

His major bet? That above all, we want our devices to be personalized. Read on for the highlights.

SEE ALSO Steve Ba
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More About: Steve Ballmer, Windows 8, microsoft


Can Facebook Help Catch a Destructive World Series Rioter?

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:36 PM PDT


After a man was photographed destroying an S.F. bus valued as high as $1 million, a local bar posted the shot to Facebook hoping someone will turn him in.

More About: Facebook, Major League Baseball, Sports