Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “OkCupid Wants to Send You on a Crazy Blind Date”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “OkCupid Wants to Send You on a Crazy Blind Date”


OkCupid Wants to Send You on a Crazy Blind Date

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 03:51 AM PST


Online dating services want you to spend less time on your couch and more time meeting potential partners. The latest scheme? From the founders of OkCupid, a mobile app called Crazy Blind Date that serves up just what its name implies.

Here's how it works: After downloading the app to your iOS [iTunes link] or Android [Google Play link] device, you'll be asked to choose a picture of yourself, which the app will then divide up and scramble, Rubik's Cube-style, to distort your identity. (You can rearrange the tiles to make your facial features a little more distinct, if you wish.) You'll also hand over your age, gender and sexual orientation, or you can connect your OkCupid account to impor…
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More About: crazy blind date, okcupid, online dating

Wi-Fi and Cellular Models of iPad Mini, iPad 4 Debut in China This Friday

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 03:01 AM PST


Wi-Fi and Cellular versions of the iPad mini and the fourth-generation iPad will debut in China this week, Apple announced Monday.

Both devices will be available to Chinese consumers starting this Friday, the Cupertino, Calif. company said in a release. They are currently sold in more than 100 countries worldwide.

SEE ALSO: 5 Chinese Tech Brands You'll Be Hearing From in 2013

Interestingly, the iPad mini received a lukewarm reception when it first launched in China last month. Reports suggested that turnout for Apple's 7.9-inch tablet was minimal, and that lines were "nearly nonexistent" -- even in high-traffic areas such as the company's Beijing-based flagship store.

Still, App…
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More About: apple, china, ipad, iPad 4, ipad mini, wi-fi

Developers: Microsoft Wants to Put Your App in a TV Ad

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:59 AM PST


Microsoft unveiled a neat contest for developers, giving them a chance to have their app featured in a Windows Phone television ad.

The contest, which officially started Monday, is called Windows Phone Next App Star, and is open to Windows Phone developers worldwide. Participation is easy: Just have a killer app, and you'll get a chance to be featured in a primetime TV ad in the U.S.

The top 64 apps will be chosen based on user rating, app quality and successful implementation of new Windows Phone 8 features, such as Live Tiles. The 64 entries will then vie for public votes in a head-to-head competition that whittles down candidates until the best app is chosen.

Microsoft pro…
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More About: App, microsoft, TV, windows phone

Watch This Touchscreen Transform Into a Physical Keyboard

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:00 AM PST


For tablet- and smartphone-owners who love their touchscreens but occasionally yearn for the tactile feel of a physical keyboard, Fremont, Calif.-based company Tactus has unveiled new technology that unites both features on one gadget.

It developed a tactile user interface for touchscreen devices: transparent physical buttons that emerge from a tablet or smartphone's surface on demand. To see the technology in action, watch the video above.

"With the buttons enabled, users can push and type or rest their fingers as they would with any physical button or keyboard," Tactus explains on its website. "When the buttons are disabled, they recede into the screen, becoming invisible and leavi…
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More About: keyboard, screen, Tablet, Tactus

Whale-Shaped iPhone Case Is Surprisingly Functional

Posted: 15 Jan 2013 12:00 AM PST


When it comes to designing a functional iPhone case, whales don't typically come to mind. With their wide bodies and protruding fins, it makes more sense for the ocean-dwelling mammal to stay under water than in your hand.

But that didn't stop designer Seyook Lee from creating the iWhale, a case that "mimics the silhouette of a whale coming to the water's surface to breathe," according to Yanko Design.

SEE ALSO: Life-Size Lobster iPhone Case Helps You Stand Out From the Crowd

Surprisingly, the iWhale is more functional than it looks. The case's curved tail allows users to prop up or hang the phone for video-viewing, while its humped back makes the phone easier to hold. There's als…
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More About: iphone, iPhone 5, iwhale

Why You Can’t Cry in Space

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:58 PM PST


Feustel and fellow astronaut Mike Fincke had just finished running power cables from the U.S. side of the International Space Station to the Russian, and -- at the EVA's five-hour mark -- some anti-fogging solution from the inside of Feustel's helmet had begun to flake. One of those flakes, swirling in the modified snow globe that is a spacesuit helmet, ended up in precisely the place you wouldn't want it to.

"Just as an FYI, my right eye is stinging like crazy right now," the astronaut announced to his team. "It's watering a lot. Must have gotten something in it."

Fincke's reply? "Sorry, buddy."

Which was an appropriately mellow response, because Feustel's liquid little plight wasn…
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More About: astronauts, International Space Station, NASA, space

RIM Adds 15,000 BlackBerry 10 Apps in a Weekend

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:00 PM PST


One of the biggest struggles RIM will likely have with the release of BlackBerry 10 is on the app front.

In preparation for the operating system's debut, the company held a Port-A-Thon this past weekend. The 36-hour event let developers port over their existing apps to the BlackBerry 10 platform, and earn cash -– and developer devices -– in the process.

Starting at 12 p.m. ET last Friday, RIM invited developers to a "porting party" to bring their apps to BlackBerry 10 before launch. Experts of the OS were constantly on hand to help with the process.

The event actually ran a little long –- 37.5 hours -– but in the end, RIM was able to reach its goal of approving an astou…
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More About: BB10, blackberry, RIM

Internet Is First Stop for Many Ill People, Study Finds

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 09:03 PM PST


When you're sick or have a health concern, is the Internet the first place you turn to for information? A new study shows the web is just a starting place for finding health information -- most people still see a doctor for serious concerns.

In a Pew study released today, 35% of U.S. adults say they've used the Internet to diagnose themselves or someone else. And about half of those people followed up with a doctor's visit.

The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project released further data that shows how the more than 3,000 U.S. adults surveyed answered. 59% of U.S. adults say they looked online for health information within the past year. One in four people seeking h…
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More About: doctors, healthcare, Pew Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research

Spreecast Is Betting on the Rise of Online Live Video

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 07:59 PM PST


The Launchpad is a series that introduces Mashable readers to compelling startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.


Name: Spreecast

One-Liner Pitch: A live online video platform that lets entertainers interact with fans.

Why It's Taking Off: Spreecast boasts a stronger feature set than similar apps and it serves the unique needs of the entertainment industry.

One of the contenders for Mashable's recent Innovation Index was HuffPost Live, a product from the news giant that broadcasts live, fresh content nearly 24 hours each day with highlights running late nights and weekends. While it's still in its infancy, industry leaders are quick to point out that the live video hub represents a shift in audience engagement with news content.

Spreecast brings a similar experien…
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More About: The Launchpad

Disney’s ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ Promo Turns Street Into Pixelated Wonderland

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 07:08 PM PST


Disney converted an entire street in London to "8-bit" mode to promote "Wreck-It Ralph," its newest animated film.

More About: disney, Entertainment, films, Marketing, Movies, reddit, Wreck-It Ralph

Has Lance Armstrong’s Doping Saga Finally Come to an End?

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 05:49 PM PST


Much of Lance Armstrong's winding saga toward admitting PED use played out in the digital world. The drama will reportedly end this week.

More About: lance armstrong, Sports

Want $20,000 in Student Debt Relief? Craft a Very Creative Tweet

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 05:27 PM PST


The average graduate of a four-year university leaves school with $26,600 in student debt, according to the Project on Student Debt.

In an effort to fight the growing debt trend, MassMutual launched "Down With Debt" on Monday, a Facebook campaign that will relieve one lucky young adult of some loan burden -- while teaching all fans some important financial planning tips.

MassMutual will award one Facebook user with $20,000 for debt relief for liking the campaign's page and writing a creative, 140-character (tweet length) explanation of how they plan to reduce their debt.

"MassMutual recognizes that new graduates and young professionals in today's world face big financial challenge…
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More About: education, student debt

How an Ad Agency Used a ‘LinkedIn Bomb’ to Land a New Client

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 05:01 PM PST


As everyone who watches Mad Men knows, the ad business is tough. Winning over new clients is particularly challenging.

But a Lexington, Ky., ad agency used a tool that didn't exist in Don Draper's day -- LinkedIn -- to grab the attention of a potential client in a way that would have made Draper smile, or at least smirk.

Cornett Integrated Marketing Solutions calls the stunt a "Linkedin Bomb." Here's how it happened: In April, everyone in the agency sent LinkedIn requests to A&W Restaurants President Kavin Bazner and Director of Marketing Sarah Blasi at the exact same time. The messages were all headed "Welcome to Lexington" because A&W had just moved its headquarters from Louisville…
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More About: Advertising, linkedin

Fan’s Occult Half-Court Shot Must Be Seen to Be Believed

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 04:26 PM PST


A fan took a half-court shot during a promotion at an NBA game, and what happened next defies both expectation and belief.

More About: Sports, Watercooler

Listen to Music in Bed Without Disturbing Your Partner

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 04:09 PM PST


Soundscapes, anyone? Some of us need soothing music to fall asleep, but our partners don't always find the sound of waves crashing over and over as soothing as we do.

For people who sleep in the same bed as a significant other, or perhaps have paper-thin walls and roommates, a new product announced at International CES 2013 will help you get some shut-eye without disturbing others.

SleepPhones are a soft headband that you wear around your head and over your ears -- it looks like a sweatband that you'd wear to workout. The headband has headphones in it that you align over your ears. And it's Bluetooth enabled so you can play music or sounds from any Bluetooth enabled device, like y…
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More About: CES 2013, ipod, iSleep, Wireless

Netflix Snags Cartoon Network and Adult Swim Shows

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:55 PM PST


Netflix has inked deals with Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros to bring past seasons of Carton Network and Adult Swim shows to Netflix starting March 30.

More About: Entertainment, netflix, streaming video, time warner, Turner Broadcasting, TV, warner bros

Hey Twitter, Time to Solve Your First Ever TV Murder

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:48 PM PST


Call it "Tweet Your Own Adventure."

The CBS procedural Hawaii 5-0 is set to make history Monday night -- becoming the first TV show to have its ending determined by Twitter. In fact, it will be both the first and second show to try this trick.

The plot revolves around the murder of a teacher at O'ahu State University, for which there are three suspects -- his boss, his assistant and a disgruntled student. Unlike with every other cop show in the history of television, the producers have laid out and filmed three possible endings.

The ending shown will be determined entirely by how many votes are received on Twitter for each character. And because the show is on twice -- once at 10…
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More About: TV, Twitter

DARPA Eyes Pop-Up Deep Sea Sensors

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:23 PM PST


In a proposal almost as fanciful as the fictional 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency kicked off a research project last Friday to develop sensor systems that could be placed miles below the surface of the ocean and activated when needed by a remote command.

DARPA said it wants to develop a system that can store unmanned sensors such as waterborne or airborne cameras, decoys, network nodes, beacons and jammers, in watertight capsules that can withstand pressure at depths up to six kilometers (3.7 miles) and then be launched to the surface "after years of dormancy."

Nearly half of the world's oceans have depths deeper than 4 k…
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More About: DARPA, ocean

Hacker Olympics Draws Top Students to Silicon Valley

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST


Imagine a place where computer nerds are revered like jocks and rockstars. That was San Francisco this past weekend.

A carefully selected group of 100 college students flocked to the Bay Area to powwow with veterans of the famed tech startup scene. The students came for an all-expense paid weekend to compete in the inaugural run of the "University Hacker Olympics."

One of the event's organizers, Ahmed Siddiqui, called it the "largest university hackathon ever held."

"Our whole goal is to get the best technical minds to the Bay Area and connect them with awesome startups and companies," Siddiqui told Mashable.

Monica Poletti, a 19-year-old sophomore at North Carolina State, was…
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More About: features, programming, Startups, Tech

Another Sign Microsoft Surface Is Struggling

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:47 PM PST


The Surface was supposed to be Microsoft's real answer to the iPad -- a Windows-based tablet that would satisfy both casual users and digital workers. Now it looks like it's appealing to neither.

UBS analyst Brent Thill estimates Microsoft has sold only 1 million Surface RT tablets, reported by Business Insider. He had previously estimated 2 million. To put those figures in perspective, Apple is estimated to sell in the neighborhood of 20 million iPads for the same period.

This is far from the first sign that the Surface isn't doing very well. A month ago, brokerage firm Detwiler Fenton said Microsoft wouldn't even break a million units, estimating sales for the quarter at 600,000 unit
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More About: microsoft, Microsoft Surface Tablet, Windows RT

Listen to the Most Epic Musical Comebacks of All Time

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:42 PM PST


"Weekend Update" veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler anchored a show together over the weekend. No one can stop talking about the new albums forthcoming from Destiny's Child and Justin Timberlake. But, no, we haven't gone back in time to 2005. It just happened to be a very busy week for artists looking to make a comeback.

We premiered last week "Nuclear," the first single from Destiny's Child in seven years. Over the weekend, Justin Timberlake released the new track "Suit and Tie" (which happens to feature an appearance by Beyonce's husband Jay-Z). David Bowie outshone them both, however: his first album in more than a decade has not yet dropped, but it is already at the top of the iTunes
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More About: beyonce, community, David Bowie, Destiny's Child, justin timberlake, music monday

Thousands Go Bare in Worldwide No Pants Subway Ride

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:37 PM PST


New York City




Photo courtesy of Instagram, slepka

Click here to view this gallery.


Commuters in subway stations around the globe were turned into peeping Toms on Sunday, as many unwittingly faced their fellow travelers' underclothes.

Straphangers got an eyeful during the 12th annual No Pants Subway Ride, a prank started in 2002 by Improv Everywhere. The New York City-based group calls themselves a "prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places." And what could possibly bring more joy than strangers in their underwear?

Thousands participated in more than 25 countries, including China, Australia and Mexico. In Seattle, pranksters braved 37-degree weather sans pants.

There are only two requirements: Take 'em off and keep a straight face. No…
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More About: improv everywhere, no pants subway ride

RIM Stock Jumps 10% on BlackBerry 10 Hype

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:32 PM PST


Investors may have soured a bit on Apple, but they're starting to love Research In Motion.

While Apple's stock struggled to stay above the $500 mark Monday, RIM's stock jumped more than 10%, briefly passing $15 a share for the first time since February of last year before ending the day at $14.95.

RIM's surge is due in part to investor optimism for the long-awaited launch of the BlackBerry 10 operating system and smartphones, which is set to take place at the end of this month.

Reps from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint confirmed last week that they would support RIM's upcoming BlackBerry 10 smartphones, an early positive sign for the company. What's more, on Monday, the company's VP of de…
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More About: BlackBerry 10, rimm, stocks

Google Launches Sixth Annual Doodle Design Competition for Kids

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:16 PM PST


Google launched on Monday its sixth-annual Google Doodle competition, encouraging young students to design their own Google logo.

More About: Google, google doodle

Arianna Huffington Doesn’t Want You to Answer Her Emails On Weekends

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:12 PM PST


Amidst all the stress and running around from meeting to event and back to meeting again, there was one conversation I had during last week's International CES that was particularly calm and somewhat stress free. It was one with Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Media Group. She told me she doesn't expect anyone to answer her emails at night or over the weekend.

Speaking at the Digital Health Summit about how we can actually use technology to improve our health and well being, Arianna, as she's known in the industry, talked about the need to prioritize de-stressing. She also showed off the guide from her newly-released app; GPS for the Soul.

Walk…
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More About: apps, Arianna Huffington, CES, ces2013, gps for the soul

20 TV Shows With the Most Social Buzz This Week

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:04 PM PST


The people have spoken. In a week of two big-name awards shows, the People's Choice Awards took home the title of biggest social star. The Jan. 9 CBS broadcast spurred 6.3 million comments on social media, beating out the Golden Globes.

Conversely, Sunday's film and television awards gala on NBC drew an impressive 3.8 million mentions -- a 256% increase over last year's tally -- with Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig's goofy presentation ranking as the most active moment of the night.

SEE ALSO: Watch Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's Funniest Golden Globes Moments

The most popular Golden Globe star on social media was Les Miserables' Anne Hathaway, followed by Jennifer Lawrence, Lena Dunham,…
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More About: Entertainment, features, infographics, social tv, social tv charts, Trendrr

Diane Von Furstenberg Donates Eye Care for Pinterest Repins

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST


Diane von Furstenberg and VSP, the largest non-profit vision benefits company, are working together to give free eye care using a Pinterest campaign.

VSP will donate up to 1,000 certificates for eye exams and glasses -- one per repin from its #PinToGiveAndGet board -- to youth in need through the New York City Mission Society, a charity chosen by DVF. Each giveaway is valued at $385, which will total up to a $385,000 donation.

"We've been following what other brands are doing on Pinterest and we saw a lot of brands dabling in Pin It To Win It and Pin To Give," Julie Berge, VSP senior PR specialist, told Mashable. "Being a not-for-profit, and our ability to provide eye exams, we though…
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More About: dvf, pinterest, Social Good

Hottest Golden Globes Fashion Ranked by Facebook Users

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:47 PM PST


Which Golden Globes fashion statements sent your fingers running to Facebook to publicly react via status updates? Facebook and InStyle have the rankings.

More About: 70th Golden Globes, celebrities, Entertainment, Facebook, fashion, golden globes

NRA Releases iPhone Shooter Game One Month After Sandy Hook

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:36 PM PST


The National Rifle Association released on Monday a first-person shooter for the iPhone and iPad -- one month to the day after a tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., left 26 dead.

The game, "NRA: Practice Range," has two modes. The first, a "Safety, Training and Education" section, has "2nd Amendment newsfeeds, gun law information centers and educational materials that you can access anywhere, anytime," according to the game's iTunes description. The second is "Target Practice," which is designed to instill "safe and responsible ownership through fun challenges and realistic simulations."

Target Practice has nine firearms (including an unlockable AK-47 and…
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More About: Mobile, sandy hook, US

Tim Tebow’s Brother Is a Trolling Superstar

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:29 PM PST


Tim Tebow's brother trolled the entire Denver metropolitan region to great success this weekend.

More About: nfl, Sports

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