Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Mashable: Latest 16 News Updates - including “‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ Is Off to a Very Good Start”

Mashable: Latest 16 News Updates - including “‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ Is Off to a Very Good Start”

‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ Is Off to a Very Good Start

Posted: 27 Dec 2011 02:04 AM PST


Star Wars: The Old Republic, the latest MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlaying Game) from BioWare & Electronic Arts, already has a million registered users, and momentum seems to be picking up a week after the game’s launch.

True, the “million users” figure was published on December 23, just three days after launch, and it includes users who have pre-ordered the game. Now, however, Electronic Arts has published a new set of milestones which tell us more about how users are actually interacting with the game.

According to EA, the gamers have already spent over 60 million hours playing the game, completed 260 million quests, and killed over 3 billion NPCs (non-player characters).

While EA’s press release refers to the SWTOR community as “rabid,” we’d wait a little longer before declaring the game a success. We’ve seen similar early success from MMO titles such as Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, only to see interest wane after a couple of months.

Still, if these early numbers are any indication, the ubiquitous World of Warcraft MMORPG might have some decent competition next year.

More About: mmorpg, Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR

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Dump GoDaddy Day Dec. 29 Declared by Reddit User [VIDEO]

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:56 PM PST


Reddit user SelfProdigy has declared Dec. 29 Dump GoDaddy Day, following the domain registrar’s short-lived public support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Although GoDaddy has announced that it no longer supports SOPA, the site is still facing the backlash from its initial position.

SEE ALSO: Stop Online Piracy Act: What You Need to Know [INFOGRAPHIC]

Despite the public reversal in a press release, Dump GoDaddy Day is quickly spreading among the Reddit community.

The domain registrar reportedly lost 20,000 accounts in a single day following the SOPA outcry, but only time will tell how many accounts they will lose.

More About: godaddy, mashable video, reddit, SOPA

Startup Lets You Sell Stuff Left Over From Your Break Up

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:32 PM PST


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

Name: Never Liked it Anyway

Quick Pitch: A marketplace for unwanted items left over after a relationship break up.

Genius Idea: Connecting the sentimental with the practical

We’ve all experienced it – a romantic break up usually leaves you with a bunch of stuff that first makes you cry, then makes you angry, and after a while you just want to get rid of it all.

Enter Never Liked it Anyway, a simple marketplace that gives users a way to get rid of the stuff they no longer need, usually at a discounted “break up” price.

It could be a good bargain for someone hunting for good deals, too; one item, for example, is a $70 leather jacket, now sold for mere $15.

Bella, the website’s owner, claims she did not receive any funding, and doesn’t come from a coding background. Instead, she chose a premium WordPress theme for the site, hoping that the story behind the items will intrigue users more than fancy technicalities.

Indeed, the service is very simple, but what makes it interesting are the stories behind the items, which usually describe some details about the romantic relationship which yielded the item in question. The service also enables sellers to choose a “break up phase” related to the items they sell.

If users start flocking to the service (at the moment, there’s only a couple items for sale in stock) and keep writing sassy descriptions for the items they sell, the site might turn into an interesting little community.

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

Microsoft BizSpark

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

More About: bizspark, online dating, relationship, Startups

Mashup Blends 25 of 2011′s Hottest Songs [VIDEO]

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 06:38 PM PST


Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks.

The fifth installment in the annual “United State of Pop” mashup series from Jordan Roseman — a laptop-based DJ better known as DJ Earworm — just popped up on YouTube.

The mashup, “World Go Boom,” combines 25 of the year’s most-successful pop songs from artists such as Adele, Britney Spears, Foster the People, Lady Gaga, LMFAO, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.

Roseman used music software Ableton Live to arrange the tracks into one seamless montage. “2011 gave us songs of regret and anger, pride and perseverance, and lots of fire. When someone's taken everything from you, what do you do? WORLD GO BOOM.” Roseman wrote in a blog post describing the mashup.

SEE ALSO: Mashable’s Cover Song Face-Off Competition

The four other “United State of Pop” mashups from 2007 to 2010 have attracted more than 68 million views on YouTube, with the 2009 one, “Blame It on the Pop, going the most viral with 40 million hits.

Listen to “World Go Boom” and DJ Earworm’s mashups from previous years below. Which one is your favorite?


2011: "World Go Boom"


DJ Earworm: "I've made some changes in the song selection process this year. In efforts to better reflect the year, I have a system that draws from the weekly charts from throughout 2011 that ensures that all the late-breaking hits (such as 'We Found Love' and 'Sexy and I Know It') are included in the 2011 mix."

Click here to view this gallery.

Thumbnail art created by Brian Benson

More About: Entertainment, mashup, Music, music videos, viral videos, viral-video-of-day, YouTube

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Pinterest: A Beginner’s Guide to the Hot New Social Network

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 03:37 PM PST


You’ve probably heard a lot about Pinterest over the last few months. Not only has the company received $27 million in venture funds, but the site’s popularity has exploded from 1.2 million users in August to over 4 million today.

SEE ALSO: Study Shows Pinterest Will Compete with Top 10 Social Networks [VIDEO]

But like any new social site, there’s always the question, "How does it work?" Have no fear, soon-to-be-Pintrest fan, we’ll show you the ropes.

1. What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a place to organize and share online images that you find interesting or inspiring. Once uploaded or shared on Pinterest, these images become known as Pins, which the user can place on customized, themed Boards. You can create Boards for any topic imaginable, from cats to classic cars to cats driving classic cars. The possibilities are endless.

If you want to check out Pinterest, though, you have to be invited. You can sign up for invites on the site (prepare for a wait), or chances are you already know a Pinner who will gladly send you an invite.

2. What is Pinterest For?

While there's nothing wrong with just pinning pictures of cool stuff all day, Pinterest can be a really valuable tool for people with a specific purpose in mind. For example, many brides-to-be have replaced bulky three-ring binder wedding planners with the simplicity and portability of a Pinterest account. Some people create a Board for each room in the house and then pin decorating ideas for that room. Artists use it to organize inspiring images for their work. Cooks keep an online recipe box. College students might create a shopping list of things they need to buy for school. DIY-ers can bookmark tutorials for those rainy day projects. Boards can have multiple contributors, so collaborating with co-workers on a project is easy with everyone’s ideas and inspiration in one place.

3. How Do I Pin Stuff?

Pinning is easy with the official Pin It Button, a simple drag-and-drop browser extension. When you come across an image you like, just click the button and select the corresponding picture. Assign the pin to a Board, add accompanying text, and you’re done. If the Pin is something you want to buy, include the price in the description and it will attach to the Pin for easy reference. If you find inspiration on the go, take a picture with your iPhone and add it to your Boards with the mobile app. (Sorry, no Android support at this time.) You can also Repin posts from other people.

4. What’s the Social Angle?

Pinning’s more fun when you do it together. To find other Pinners, access the Everything drop-down menu and filter Boards by category. When you see a good Pin, leave a comment, Like it, or Repin to one of your own Boards. If you find a Board that’s especially interesting, follow its updates, or head to the Pinner's profile and follow all of her Boards. Like Twitter, it’s an open network, so follows don’t require permission, and you don’t have to follow anyone back.

You can tweet or share pins on Facebook to help expand your network across all three services.

Check out the Popular button to see what pins are trending at the moment. It’s a great way to find new content and to find Pinners who share your interests.

Your birthday’s coming up and you really like that necklace on Etsy, right? Hint, hint by sharing a Pin with another Pinner: Use an @mention in the description, just like you do on other social sites. They’ll get an email to let them know they’ve been mentioned.

5. Anything Else I Should Know?

Most Pins are photos, but you can pin videos, too. Hit the Videos button at the top of the page to see everything from movie trailers to sewing tutorials to the latest viral videos.

If you're looking to buy a gift for someone, check out the Gifts menu to find Pins that have a price associated. With dollar values ranging from $1 to $500+, you can find something to fit any budget. And because Pins usually link back to the source website, buying something you like is easy.

Pinterest might seem like a natural place to promote your small business, but do so with caution. It’s frowned upon to spam your Boards with nothing but your own products or projects. That doesn’t mean it’s outright banned, but you need to contribute more to the community if you want to stay in its good graces. Use this opportunity to build your brand by linking and connecting to people who share the same style, or by pinning images that inspire your company’s work. You can use Pinterest for self-promotion, just do so creatively.

More About: features, pinterest, Social Media, startup, trending

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Company Sues Former Employee for Value of 17,000 Twitter Followers [VIDEO]

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 02:42 PM PST


Noah Kravitz left his former employer PhoneDog in October 2010 on good terms. Now the company is suing him for $340,000 for the 17,000 followers he kept after he left the the position, valuing each follower at $2.50 per month over a period of eight months.

Kravitz told the New York Times that PhoneDog told him he could keep his followers, as long as he continued to Tweet about the company.

Do you think people should be able to maintain their Twitter accounts they’ve used professionally once they leave a position? How much do you think a Twitter follower is worth?

More About: jobs, lawsuit, mashable video, trending, Twitter

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Twitter’s 15 Major Milestones in 2011

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 02:10 PM PST


Much like any other year, 2011 experienced major events that shook the world, whether the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East or the worldwide protests led by Occupy Wall Street.

But in 2011, microblogging service Twitter was at the epicenter of these events, broadcasting minute-to-minute updates and firsthand experiences from users to the rest of the world.

For protesters, Twitter served as a primary communicator to connect with other protesters and civilians, organize meetings and post pictures and videos of uprisings. Unfortunately, hundreds of protesters who encouraged violence via social media, or who were photographed and filmed taking part in the violence, were prosecuted.

SEE ALSO: Top 16 Tweets-Per-Second Moments of 2011 | The 21 Most Memorable Tweets of 2011

Twitter also launched new upgrades and designs for its services and made several acquisitions, including web advertising company AdGrok, social analytics platform BackType and lists and interests-focused startup Bagcheck.

Unfortunately for Twitter, 2011 also brought a number of scams — from 11.6 hours to a beach body weight-loss product to the Tweeter Viewer, these scams targeted many user accounts.

Check out the gallery below to see more of Twitter’s major milestones in 2011.


1. Egypt Blocks Twitter As Protests Become Violent




January: After violence between anti-government protesters and police continued to erupt in Cairo, Egypt, the Egyptian government censored microblogging service Twitter as well as other websites.

Social media played a key role throughout Egypt's protests. First, the protests were organized through a Facebook Page, then protesters turned to Twitter to post photos, video feeds and other information about the protests, using several hashtags devoted to the revolution.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mtrommer

Click here to view this gallery.

Image courtesy of Flickr, BeauGiles

More About: Business, features, Social Media, trending, tweetdeck, Twitter, twitter redesign

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StumbleUpon’s Most Popular Searches and Links of 2011

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 01:46 PM PST

StumbleUpon, the site that lets you discover the web through its “Stumble!” button, released its Best of StumbleUpon 2011 package, including the below infographic and its most popular links of the year.

The most-popular topics of 2011 were the Japan earthquake and tsunami, the Royal Wedding the Steve Jobs‘s death. In fact, following Jobs’s Oct. 5 death there was a 199,500% increase in searches for the Apple co-founder.

During the Super Bowl, there were some 41 mobile stumbles per second, which is not surprising given that 80% of people multi-task on their mobile devices while watching TV.

The most popular links included quotes from Albert Einstien, street installations of Mark Jenkins and a humorous list of how to tick people off.

Some other highlights for the site in 2011 include reaching 20 million users in October and a redesign in December.

Take a look at this list. Do you use StumbleUpon? What’s the best thing you stumbled across this year on the web?


More About: infographic, stumbleupon

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Senator Calls on Twitter to Block the Taliban [VIDEO]

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 01:02 PM PST


Sen. Joe Lieberman is calling on Twitter to block accounts affiliated with the Taliban and accounts that support the organization.

The chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee has asked the micro-blogging site to remove users such as @Abalkhi and @alemarahweb, which regularly send messages that incite violence.

SEE ALSO: Taliban, NATO Spar on Twitter After Kabul Attack

Do you think Twitter should block accounts that incite violence or are affiliated with terrorist organizations? Let us know what you think in the comments.

More About: Taliban, Twitter

How Tech and Social Media Companies Cashed Out in 2011

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 12:32 PM PST


A colleague here at Mashable proposed an Onion-style spoof story entitled “Google Buys Everyone,” which would detail how the search giant hoovered every company in existence. As Homer Simpson once said, “It’s funny because it’s true.”

Google‘s insatiable appetite for other companies was just one of the business narratives of 2011, though. The other was the handful of social media IPOs that were eager to align themselves with the loony Dot-com era, a baseless comparison if there ever was one.

Whatever the case, for a lot of folks in the social media/tech industry, 2011 was a good year to cash out. Here’s a look at the two primary methods: going public or getting acquired (often by Google).

Linking In to Wall Street

Social media’s first test of investor enthusiasm came in May, when LinkedIn went public. Judging by the initial success, LinkedIn passed the test with flying colors. Shares doubled on May 19, the day the company went public, and though they have fallen off a bit since, were still way above opening price at press time.

LinkedIn’s roughly $6.4 billion valuation is mostly based on hope of future growth. The company turned a small ($4.5 million) in its second quarter, but then lost $1.6 million in its third quarter. However, the network grew its revenues by 126% that quarter and it keeps bulging with new subscribers (the current figure is 130 million). With three revenue streams — advertising, recruiting and premium subscriptions — LinkedIn is one of the safest social media investments, but at this stage, is bent on growth over stable profits.

LinkedIn’s rather pacific IPO was followed by another low-key IPO for Pandora Media in June, but in July the debt ceiling standoff and the European monetary crisis spooked the market. That caused another of the year’s most anticipated IPOs, Groupon’s, to be delayed until November.

Though Groupon had a strong showing the day it went public, within a few weeks, the stock had fallen so far that it just about wiped out any gains achieved that first day.

And Zynga, which had also pushed back its IPO after the summer’s market crash, eventually moved ahead with its plans to go public late in the year. However, it also suffered a dip in stock price.

Given the limited amount of companies going public and their ho-hum stock performances, the comparison between social media IPOs and the Dot-com bubble is pretty weak. The latter era actually lasted from 1995, when Netscape went public, until the 2000 Super Bowl, which was notoriously flooded with Dot-com ads for companies that would cease to exist within a year or two.

In comparison, the trickle of social media IPOs will likely end whenever Facebook goes public (reports say that will happen next April). You call this a bubble? Somewhere, the Pets.com sock puppet is laughing.

The Ever-Expanding Googleplex

Speaking of the ’90s, the federal government smackdown of AT&T’s proposed $39 billion T-Mobile takeover rings familiar of the days when the Department of Justice was considering splitting Microsoft in two. Citing the possible effect on wireless competition, the DOJ filed suit to block the merger in August. The FCC soon piled on too. The deal is now dead in the water.

Government action likely reined in some of Google’s ambitions. Though one report had Google sizing up Yahoo for an acquisition, Google’s biggest real-world scrutiny is likely to come from its pending $12 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility.

That proposed acquisition would cap Google’s 2011 spending spree, which included restaurant rating firm Zagat, social data startup PostRank, CleverSense and AdMeld, among others.

Google’s high profile has caught the attention of the feds. In August, in an appearance that many compared to Bill Gates’ 1998 testimony before the Senate, Google chairman Eric Schmidt was questioned by the Senate Judiciary about Google’s effect on competition. Despite its many acquisitions, perhaps Google will be able to avoid the wrath of antitrust regulators by learning from Schmidt’s deft handling.

Similarly, Microsoft, made its own huge acquisition in 2011, the $8.5 billion purchase of Skype. With its $30 billion-plus war chest, Microsoft is rumored to be looking for other buys as well, including Nokia, which would be an interesting hedge against the Google/Motorola entity.

Apple’s $81.5 billion in cash dwarfs Microsoft’s booty, however. Anticipating Apple’s moves is tough, but linking the company to a potential acquisition target has become a favorite parlor game among bloggers. As the year draws to a close, though, Apple has mostly resisted the urge to snap up other, smaller companies, hence that huge stockpile of money.

Perhaps Apple’s reluctance was based on Steve Jobs’ disgust for startup founders whose only goal was to sell their companies for a quick buck. Even if Apple holds to that philosophy, though, such savvy entrepreneurs will still have a lot of potential sugar daddies to choose from, including, of course, Google.

Image courtesy of Flickr, cambodia4kidsorg

More About: apple, Business, Google, groupon, ipo, microsoft, startup, Zynga

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iTunes 12 Days of Christmas App Offers Free iPad Downloads [VIDEO]

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 11:49 AM PST


Did you get a new iPad for Christmas and don’t know where to begin downloading? Apple launched its 12 Days of Christmas App Monday, which lets you fill your new device with music, videos, apps and books for free.

Each of the downloads will only be available for 24 hours, so make sure to move fast to take advantage of these deals.

Day one offers some Coldplay music for download. Check back each day to see what else you can add to your new iPad.

BONUS: So You Got an iPad 2? Try These 10 Hip Accessories


1. miFrame





The miFrame turns your iPad into an 8-inch by 10-inch photo frame. Available in black or silver, it's a slimline storage solution for your iPad, even lending it useful, aesthetic functionality while you're not using it.

Cost: $79

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: apple, ipad, itunes, mashable video, trending

Facebook Chat Just Got Infinitely Better: Try This New Gimmick Now

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 10:51 AM PST

Be honest: has Facebook chat ever been your favorite form of instant messaging? For many of us, Gchat, Skype or even AIM are our preferred defaults. Now, a new gimmick is making us like Facebook’s built-in chat function a whole lot more. As demonstrated in the photo above, you can make the profile pictures of Facebook users and pages show up inside your chat windows.


Here’s how:

    1. Start chatting with someone (pretty simple).
    2. When you’d like to refer to a mutual friend or, say, Coca Cola, you dump their profile id (either their name or a string of numbers for those users who haven’t claimed their choice URL) into double brackets. So, that would be [[cocacola]] for a picture of Coke, [[zuck]] for Mark Zuckerberg and [[mashable]] for the logo of where your learned about this new feature, and so on.
    3. Amaze everyone on Facebook chat with this cool new gimmick.

SEE ALSO: Hidden iOS 5 Feature Offers Tons of Beautiful Emoticons [PICS]

What do you think, will inserting your friend’s faces bring the end of the emoticon era, or will the Internet forever be dominated by the :-) face?

[via Geekosystem]

BONUS: 9 Awesome High-Tech Holiday Easter Eggs


YouTube Snowflakes




A new snowflake button can be clicked at the bottom right-hand side of certain YouTube videos to drop flurries onto the screen. The snowflakes accumulate at the bottom of the video, even when you hit the pause button.

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: Facebook, facebook chat, trending

Does a Non-Traditional Resume Limit Your Odds? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST

Non-traditional resumes, while unique and eye-catching, may limit a job applicant’s chances of landing his or her dream job.

Many companies, especially large corporations, use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to automatically parse through submitted resumes in search of keywords that indicate desired skills and experience.

When dealing with an ATS, a text-based resume with clear headers is the best way to go. That way, the software can parse through your resume accurately, picking out all of the juicy details the hiring manager is seeking (i.e. “brand manager,” “Harvard,” “marketing”).

Creative formats such as infographic resumes and video resumes cannot be properly scanned for relevant information. As a result, these formats could cause an applicant to miss out on his or her opportunity to move through the hiring process.

The below infographic, created by resume builder Resunate, illustrates how applicant tracking systems work. If you’re applying for a job via a company’s career website, it’s likely the company uses an ATS — so don’t make the mistake of submitting a resume that isn’t compatible.

We’d recommend that you keep your edge, though. If you’ve been considering a non-traditional resume, it may still be a good idea, especially if you’re applying for a creative position, or already have personal contact with a recruiter or hiring manager who is likely to read your resume.

Would you shy away from creating a non-traditional resume, knowing that your employer of choice may be using an applicant tracking system? Let us know in the comments below.


Social Media Job Listings

Every week we post a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we publish a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

Image courtesy of Flickr, tychay

More About: features, infographic, job search series, resume, resumes, video resumes

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The Evolution of Advertising: From Stone Carving to the Old Spice Guy

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 09:01 AM PST

In 2011, online advertising has beaten out print and radio as the number two place ad dollars are spent. But how did it come to be that way? Four thousand years ago Ancient Egyptians invented advertising by carving public notices in steel. Fast forward to the present day, and in-text online ads, Facebook Like-driven campaigns and viral commercials, such as the Old Spice Guy, are common form.

This illustrated timeline, created by Infolinks, takes a walk down advertising’s memory lane.

The evolution from steal to digital took many turns along its way, such as print fliers hoping to get young men to fight in the Revolutionary War, billboards spurred by the rise of automobiles, electric banner ads following the invention of the light bulb (Times Square’s first went up in 1882) and direct marketing with the nascent postal service.

But we don’t want to give everything away. Take a look at the graphic below. Do you think any of these older forms of advertising would be successful today? Let us know in the comments.

history of advertising

More About: ads, Advertising, digital advertising

So You Got a Kindle Fire? Try Our First-Timer Guide

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 08:24 AM PST


If you’ve recently purchased or been gifted a Kindle Fire, congratulations! You’re now the owner of one of the best tablets on the market, in our opinion.

SEE ALSO: Amazon Kindle Fire, iPad's First True Competitor [REVIEW]

Now it's time to begin taking advantage of your device, courtesy of our handy little guide below.

1. Set Up & Sync

After you’ve charged your Kindle Fire and connected it to your Amazon account (under Settings), you’ll want to sync the device with your existing media libraries and services.

Email: The Kindle Fire doesn’t come with a default email client; therefore, accessing your email through your browser is your best bet. If you’d rather use an app, download an email client for the Kindle Fire through the Appstore (from the top navigation, select Apps, then Store). If you have Yahoo Mail, download the dedicated Yahoo Mail client (free). If you’re using another email provider, we recommend Enhanced Email (works with a range of providers, $9.99), and/or Exchange by Touchdown (free, works with one Exchange server account at a time).

Calendar: Next, you’ll want to make your calendar(s) accessible on your Kindle Fire at all times. The best solution for that is a $5.99 app called CalenGoo, which syncs beautifully with Google Calendar.

Books: If you’ve already been downloading and reading Kindle books on another device, you can import your library by pulling up the Archives in your pre-loaded Kindle app. If you’re a first-time Kindle reader, you can shop for books by selecting the Store button. Make sure to check out the section for free books, most of them classics.

Music & Documents: To get your music on your Kindle Fire, upload your music library to Amazon Cloud Drive, which lets you store up to 5GB (about 1,000 songs) for free, to access on any Android device using the Amazon MP3 app. You can also store photos and documents on the cloud drive for access on your Kindle Fire.

Other: You can also download apps to access your content from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Feedly (a visual RSS reader that can be synced across the desktop and other mobile devices), Read It Later (a tool that lets you bookmark articles on the web for later reading on your smartphone or Kindle Fire) and Evernote.

2. Download & Pin Your Favorite Apps

There are hundreds of great games, magazines, utility tools and other apps to download in addition to the cross-platform apps we recommended above. Make sure you read the reviews before downloading any app, particularly with magazines, as not all of them have been formatted for the Kindle Fire’s smaller screen. Among our favorites:

Games: Angry Birds (free), Cut the Rope ($0.99), Words With Friends (free), Sudoku Deluxe (free), Solitaire (free), Hangman (free) and Monopoly ($4.99).

News: Pulse (comes pre-loaded), News360 and the Wall Street Journal.

Magazines: Wired, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated.

Entertainment: Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, TuneIn Radio.

Other: SeekDroid ($2.99, lets you locate and remotely wipe your device in the event of theft), Adobe Reader and imo instant messenger (free, works with Skype, Facebook Chat, Google Talk, MSN, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, Jabber and MySpace Chat) are among our must-haves.

Pin the apps you plan to use most on the bottom carousel by selecting and holding their icons on the main screen.

3. Sign Up for Amazon Prime

If you’ve never taken advantage of a free, 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, now’s the time. Amazon Prime gets you free, two-day shipping on all Amazon.com orders, plus access to Amazon’s library of hundreds of streaming films and TV shows on your Kindle Fire, laptop and HDTV. You’re also allowed to borrow one book from the Kindle Library Lending each month. After your free trial, an Amazon Prime subscription costs $79 per year.

4. Accessorize

Now that your Kindle Fire is all set up, you might want to outfit it with a few accessories, including a wall charger ($24.99) and headphones, neither of which comes with the Kindle Fire. U.S. owners might also want to look into purchasing a two-year warranty with accident protection for $44.99.

You can also find dozens of cases for your Kindle Fire on Amazon, Etsy and elsewhere. We’ve included a selection below.

If you have any additional apps, accessories or advice for first-time Kindle Fire owners, please share it with us in the comments section below.


1. Proporta Leather Pouch




Made from the "finest quality alternative to leather," Proporta's pouch provides stylish protection without the guilt.

Cost: $26.95

Click here to view this gallery.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Dekuwa

More About: amazon, amazon prime, features, Kindle, kindle fire, mobile apps, Tablet, trending

YouTube’s 10 Most-Viewed Ads of 2011

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:37 AM PST


Ever since YouTube became a place where anyone could realistically become a celebrity, brands have been trying to figure out how and what makes a viral video.

What’s significant about this year’s top-viewed ads is the fact that they have more of a web presence on YouTube than on TV. It’s not surprising, since YouTube allows for instant sharing. Even if you saw a funny ad on TV and wanted to share it, you’d have to go through the web to do so.

SEE ALSO: YouTube’s Most-Shared Ads of 2011

Whether Volkswagen’s online debut of its Super Bowl TV ad, or smartwater’s incorporation of Internet pop culture, advertisers have proven there is equal importance between content and strategy.

Here are YouTube’s most-viewed advertisements of 2011. Which of these were your favorite, and did you see them on TV or the web first? Let us know in the comments.


1. "The Force: Volkswagen Commercial" (Volkswagen)


The infamous Star Wars ad for Volkwagen's 2012 Passsat was featured during the Super Bowl this year, and it became an instant viral hit. It's no surprise the video has the most views in 2011 -- it also held the highest number of shares.

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: Advertising, features, Social Media, trending, viral videos, YouTube

iPhone of the Future May Be Powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 05:32 AM PST


Sometime in the future, Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad and MacBook might work longer than ever on a smaller and lighter battery pack. How is this possible? By using hydrogen fuel cells, which convert oxygen and hydrogen into water, heat and electricity.

The US Patent & Trademark Office has recently published two Apple patent applications, detailing how fuel cells might power smartphones, laptops and tablets of the future.

Hydrogen fuel cells aren’t exactly a new technology; they’ve been used to power Honda cars, for example, and they bring their own set of problems, especially in the context of smartphones or laptops. “It is extremely challenging to design hydrogen fuel cell systems which are sufficiently portable and cost-effective to be used with portable electronic devices,” admits Apple.

But Apple might have a solution. One of the patent applications describes a “fuel cell system which is capable of both providing power to and receiving power from a rechargeable battery in a portable computing device. This eliminates the need for a bulky and heavy battery within the fuel cell system, which can significantly reduce the size, weight and cost of the fuel cell system.”

And for how long these fuel cells (in its patent application, Apple explores other fuel possibilities besides hydrogen) could power a smartphone or a laptop? The answer is “days or even weeks without refueling,” according to Apple. This sounds like a dream to owners of most modern smartphones, which barely last a day of heavy use.

We’ll probably have to wait a while until fuel cell-powered iPhones and MacBooks hit the market, but a big breakthrough in battery technology is something we’ve been waiting for a long time, and it might change the face of the market forever.

More About: apple, Batteries, battery, hydrogen, hydrogen cells, iphone, trending

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