Saturday, January 7, 2012

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Mindbloom Helps You Grow Your Tree of Life”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Mindbloom Helps You Grow Your Tree of Life”

Mindbloom Helps You Grow Your Tree of Life

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 07:17 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: Mindbloom Life Game

Quick Pitch: Mindbloom creates interactive software designed to help you stay engaged with and top of your goals for living well.

Genius Idea: Stay inspired to improve your life holistically via daily reminders and a progress-charting game-like interface.

Mindbloom co-founder Chris Hewett acknowledges that the online health space has several interactive tools. But he says most of those share a couple of faults: they narrowly focus on one area of life, for example physical fitness, and their interactive elements are often narrowed to simple things like leader boards and merit badges.

And that, in part, is why he and business partner Brent Poole started Mindbloom in 2008. Offering a more holistic approach to self-improvement measured in quantifiable steps will lead to more fulfilled and healthy lives, they believe.

Mindbloom’s Life Game is based on the central concept of a tree as the metaphor for a user’s life. By choosing a series of areas to focus on maintaining and improving — for example, health, creativity, relationships and so on — users see those facets of their lives represented as different parts of the tree. They can then in put a series of smaller benchmarks — such as completing a set of push-ups, practicing guitar scales or spending time with family — that aim toward larger goals. If they achieve their smaller tasks, then different areas of their tree grow. If not, then that growth remains stunted.

“It’s really these small steps that keep people feeing successful,” Hewett says. “And one trait of good game design is helping people feel effective.”

Hewett brings a wealth of game industry experience from his decade as a designer at Monolith and handles Mindbloom’s creative side. Poole, an early Amazon executive, deals with its business operations. The Seattle-based company has raised nearly $2 million from angel investors and launched its Life Game product from beta in September. An iPhone app called Bloom launched in November and complements the Life Game or offers standalone reminders to help build a healthy life.

But it’s not just the small steps designed to help people reach their larger goals that will make Mindbloom successful, Hewett says. Interactive elements such as slideshows of personal and inspirational photos set to handpicked music also help users grow their trees and stay motivated. Users can keep their trees private but also have the option to invite friends to group trees together in forests for mutual encouragement, and can access community-added resources like websites on ideas for date nights or exercise routines.

Mindbloom currently has about 50,000 registered users, Hewett says, with 36,000 of them active and visiting the site an average of three times per week. During all of 2011, more than 1.2 million scheduled actions were completed, according to Hewett. The mobile app Bloom has been downloaded some 200,000 times since its launch.

While the Life Game and Bloom app are free, Hewett says Mindbloom generates revenue through an enhanced premium version and strategic partnerships, such as its current collaboration with health benefits company Aetna, with businesses that purchase licensing fees allowing their members or employees access to the Life Game’s premium version.

What do you think? Can this approach help people reach their goals? Will it work as a business model? Let us know in the comments, and check out the video below for more information.

More About: health, interactive, mindbloom, Startups

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How to Find the Right Digital Training Tool for Your Company

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 06:35 PM PST


Peter Bray is the chief marketing officer of Trivantis, a provider of innovative e-learning software, including Snap! by Lectora PowerPoint to Flash software and Snap! Empower Flash interactions builder. Free trials of both solutions can be found at SnapbyLectora.com.

Corporate training helps to strengthen a business by focusing on one of the top assets of an organization: the employees. Not only does training and development arm staff with much-needed skills, but it also conveys that the company is invested in its employees’ future.

When implemented effectively, corporate training plays an integral role in helping to improve employee productivity, quality of work, workforce morale, safety, corporate image, profitability and employee retention.

If corporate training yields all these benefits, then why do many employees cringe when they think about having to attend a corporate training session? If you've ever sat through a death-by-PowerPoint training presentation, then you understand their disdain. Corporate trainers need help creating better presentations and adopting innovative approaches.

With new technologies and trends constantly emerging, corporate training professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to stay ahead of the curve while operating within tight budgets during this uncertain, fragile state of today's economy. As a result, corporate training professionals with financial limitations may feel they are unable to afford materials and technologies needed for successful e-training in the workplace.

However, with the right strategy, finding the perfect e-learning tool at an affordable price is a much more feasible task. Take these three important questions into consideration.

1. What Do Learners Expect?

Today's learners have high expectations for workplace training. They want courses and tutorials that are easy to navigate, highly interactive, engaging and, above all, fun. Employees expect e-learning content to not only provide them with new insights and information, but also to excite them along the way.

Today's learners also expect courses to adapt to their evolving needs using the latest technologies available. For instance, a vast majority of the current workforce can easily manage mobile devices or tablets – and it doesn’t expect e-learning courses to be any different. Along the same lines, learners also use social outlets like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn on a daily basis, so sharing e-learning through these means is a huge bonus for this information-now audience. As technologies change, so should your e-learning.

Ordinary, mundane e-learning courses and training are sure to disappoint learners and leave them wanting more. And when your learners are bored, they aren't paying full attention to your content, which defeats the purpose of your training. As you search for the right e-learning solution, put your employees first by choosing an authoring tool that allows for the creation of truly fun, exciting tutorials and courses. When courses are engaging, you'll impress your learners and make it easier for them to retain information.

2. How Can I Save Time and Energy?

For an e-learning tool to be a perfect match, it must do more than entertain your learners – it must benefit you as an e-learning developer as well. As an individual working in a fast-paced environment and running on a tight schedule, it is essential that you're armed with a truly rapid e-learning tool that allows for the speedy creation of e-learning course and training. When time is precious, having the right tool to cut down on development can make all the difference.

Picking an e-learning tool that is easy-to-use and allows for natural navigation is the most logical solution for rapid e-learning content creation. Incorporating audio, video and interactivity is a must, but without all the development effort of the old days. Rapid e-learning without the learning curve saves you time and energy with every course and tutorial you create, leaving you more time for other tasks on your to-do list.

3. How Do I Get More Bang for my Buck?

A fast, fun and easy-to-use rapid e-learning tool seems to be everything an e-learning professional dreams of. But if a tool doesn't have impressive, robust capabilities, why purchase it? A rare find among rapid e-learning tools is a product that is affordable, simple and has brilliant features that pack a real punch and make it truly unique.

When purchasing e-learning on a budget, one final point to consider is whether you're getting the features and capabilities you need along with low price and ease-of-use.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Stanford EdTech

More About: Business, contributor, e-learning, education, features, software, workplace

Indie Game Takes Social Media by Storm With One YouTube Video

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 06:09 PM PST

On Thursday, a two-man game developer team called Sauropod Studio released the first video detailing what has quickly become a highly-anticipated PC game.

Castle Story seems to combine the Lego-like building block elements of Minecraft (the indie gaming success story of the year), with real-time strategy gameplay. Players acquire little characters (called “Bricktrons”) that manipulate the dynamic world for you. The player’s world consists of floating islands above an endless ocean, with changing days and nights.

While little has been revealed about the game besides the video, we learned that the game objectives are to build castles on the floating islands, which you will have to defend from monsters and other players — mechanics that add an extra layer to an already compelling sandbox. Other things noted on Sauropod Studio’s Twitter is that the game will be released both on PC and Mac as a stand-alone title.

The game is developed by François Alain and Germain Couët of Montreal, both recent graduates from college. On their website, they say they hope Castle Story can propel them into working on games full-time. And if the buzz continues like it has since the video’s release, they may be successful. Castle Story has already been written up in popular gaming blogs, and the Castle Story subReddit already has more than 1,400 subscribers and plenty of posts. It also got the attention of Minecraft developer Markus Persson, who has a loyal and large social media following himself.

This is definitely going to be a title to watch for 2012, and we plan to bring you more information as it’s released.


The Beautiful World of Castle Story





A Bricktron is the worker of Castle Story; they do all the literal heavy lifting, as well as defending your castle and exploring the island. Image courtesy of Sauropod Studios.

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: castle story, Entertainment, Gaming, indie games, minecraft

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In Sign of the Times, Puma Sends Bloggers to Cover Sailing Race

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 05:54 PM PST


As the “Everest of Sailing” reaches its third port of call in Abu Dhabi this week, major international media outlets aren’t the only ones covering the action. They will soon be joined by a small bevy of bloggers set loose by one of the competing boats’ sponsors to give documentation of the race a new twist.

Ten handpicked Tumblr and Instagram users will arrive in Abu Dhabi on Monday, transported and lodged there for a week by the sportswear company Puma to photograph and post updates as the competing sailors rest and recharge while participating in short sprints before departing on Jan. 15 for the race’s next stop in Sanya, China.

Puma says the sponsored bloggers will have “free reign” to cover and document what they wish, and the trip reflects the growing mainstream recognition and validity of bloggers’ influence over public opinion and what is considered hip or interesting. They will also document their experiences via Twitter and Facebook“>Facebook.

“The idea is to fly in these prominent bloggers and Instagramers and just have it be known that they’re there because of Puma and because they deserve it,” Andrew Schmidt, Puma’s manager of digital media projects, says.

Puma owns one of six entrants in the 39,000-nautical-mile Volvo Ocean Race (formerly known as the Whitbread Round the World Race), and is also listed as the contest’s official apparel supplier. The race is held every three years and recognized as one of the sailing’s most grueling events, as un-motored yachts circle the globe over a span of nine months. The boats left Alicante, Spain, in November and will reach Galway, Ireland, in July after stopovers on six continents along the way.

Schmidt says Puma was inspired by Tumblr itself sending groups of bloggers to New York Fashion Week the past two years. Tumblr has long attracted fashion-focused users and, as a sportswear company, Puma’s involvement makes sense. But the Volvo Ocean Race junket also represents a new step to major brand-sponsored blogger coverage of an international sporting match.

“I think it’s a really good model for showcasing events,” Schmidt says.

Puma gains goodwill from the bloggers and increased visibility at the event. The race itself gains exposure to unlikely online audiences. And bloggers eager to turn their Tumblr and Instagram passions into full-time work could find their big breaks in Abu Dhabi.

Sean Sullivan, a commercial photographer and video producer whose Tumblr blog The Impossible Cool has attracted more than 45,000 followers, says he’s unsure of what he’ll do with Puma’s “free reign” in Abu Dhabi, although he is considering a microsite from his main blog for the photos he takes in at the race. He and other bloggers will also funnel many of the images they create in Abu Dhabi into a curated Tumblr feed with the tag #sailing for a one-stop collection of different perspectives on the event.

“This is a new thing for me,” Sullivan says. “I’ve never been involved in something of this scale unless it was to shoot a specific short film or assignment for a brand.”

Both Schmidt and Sullivan say that they expect the brand-backed-blogger coverage model to become more common as bloggers continue to gain traction and credibility as public tastemakers.

“Puma is kind of going out on a limb spending a nice amount of money and hoping to get something out of this, but the blogs aren’t going anywhere,” Sullivan says. “They’re only getting bigger and better, so the companies that recognize that are going to be the cool companies in the coming years.”

Image courtesy of Volvo Ocean Race

More About: blogging, instagram, Marketing, tumblr

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New ViewPhone 3 Accepts Dual SIM Cards

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 05:48 PM PST


ViewSonic’s ViewPhone 3, which accepts dual SIM cards, will be unveiled at CES next week and be available for the first time in the United States.

The dual SIM feature, which is popular in markets outside the U.S., can be used to keep business separate from personal calls. An ad for the model suggests one SIM card for business calls and one for personal to allow for more “personal freedom and privacy.”

Until now, the ViewPhone was only available in Latin America and Asia.

According to a study cited in the press release, about 27% of the total 568 million mobile subscriptions in Latin American are classified as “multiple subscriptions,” which means customers have more than one SIM card.

Since the phone uses two SIM cards, it’s possible to have two data plans. This can be a money-saving measure when traveling or if one data plan is used for making voice calls only. If ViewPhone 3 owners have a problem with network coverage, they can switch to the other card to connect to a network.

The ViewPhone 3 uses Android’s 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and has 512 MB of memory, plus a micro SD card slot. The phone is also capable of taking video and has an auto focus camera.

The ViewPhone 3 will be unveiled at CES on Jan. 10. The price ranges from $250-$299.

Does the ViewPhone 3 appeal to you? Tell us in the comments.

More About: android, CES, phone

iPhone 4S is Twice as Data-Hungry as iPhone 4

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 04:33 PM PST


On average, the iPhone 4S demands twice as much data compared to previous iPhone models, as more consumers access data-sucking features such as its voice-based assistant software Siri, according to a new study.

A study released Friday by U.K.-based telecom network technology firm Arieso found that iPhone 4S users are by far the hungriest data consumers in the iPhone family. Indeed, the iPhone 4S model consumes on average three times as much as the iPhone 3G.

The study, called “Recent Smartphone Trends & the Extreme Data User,” looked at data usage across a variety of smartphones and connected devices. It called out iPhone 4S users as being the most demanding on their devices — but also revealed a trend that each new device is more data hungry than the last.

The iPhone 4 model consumed data more — at a rate of 1.6 times higher — than the iPhone 3G. Meanwhile, the iPad 2 consumes 2.5 times more data than the iPhone 3G.

Thanks to services such as Siri, and the explosive growth of mobile video, more advanced devices are putting pressure on bandwidth and wireless operators to perform at fast speeds.

“The introduction of increasingly sophisticated devices, coupled with growing consumer demand, is creating unrelenting pressure on mobile networks,” said Dr. Michael Flanagan, CTO at Arieso and study author. It’s worth noting, however, that Arieso is in the business of optimizing mobile networks, so these findings certainly work in the company’s favor.

Are you surprised that the iPhone 4S consumes so much more than other models? How do you consume the most data on your mobile device? Let us know in the comments.

More About: iphone, iphone 3g, iphone 4

Twitter Ordered To Hand Over WikiLeaks Supporters’ Account Information

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 04:26 PM PST


Twitter has to provide the U.S. Department of Justice with all account information for three users who allegedly support WikiLeaks, a federal judge ordered on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady denied a motion to suspend previous orders that would allow the DOJ access to the Twitter account information of three people who are suspected of having ties to WikiLeaks.

The account information for Jacob Appelbaum, a computer security researcher, Birgitta Jonsdottir, a member of Iceland’s Parliament and Dutch activist Rop Gonggrijp will be used in the investigation into WikiLeaks and its leader, Julian Assange.

“We’re disappointed with the decision,” Aden Fine, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who represents Jonsdottir, told Mashable. “Before…constitutional rights are infringed, individuals need to have an opportunity to go to court to protect their rights.”

The information the Department of Justice requested is extensive as Salon reported: “It includes all mailing addresses and billing information known for the user, all connection records and session times, all IP addresses used to access Twitter, all known email accounts, as well as the ‘means and source of payment,’ including banking records and credit cards.” The DOJ wants all the above information beginning with Nov. 1, 2009 to the present date, according to the report.

In December 2010, a magistrate judge granted the Department of Justice permission to seek the three account holders’ Twitter information under a secret order. Twitter’s “Guidelines for Law Enforcement” says it will notify users of subpoenas for information if law enforcement does not submit a statute or court order to keep the information request secret. The request for Twitter account information was kept secret until early 2011, when the Department of Justice allowed its request to go public.

The ACLU took the case before a magistrate judge who ruled in favor of the Department of Justice. The case was then presented to an appeals court, presided by Judge O’Grady who upheld the ruling. This most recent decision allows investigators into WikiLeaks to move forward with their request for Twitter account information.

How do you feel about governments requesting — and getting access — to information of private citizens? Tell us in the comments.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, omergenc

More About: Department of Justice, Twitter, wikileaks

Al Gore Comes Out Against SOPA

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 04:21 PM PST

Al Gore

Former Vice President (and Apple board member) Al Gore has some strong words against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

The bill “would very probably have the effect of really shutting down the vibrancy of the Internet,” Gore said at a CareerBuilder event Thursday night.

SOPA, if passed, would give the U.S. federal government a wide array of powers for disabling a website it found to be in violation of copyright law. Many Internet users and tech companies, including Yahoo, Google and eBay, consider the bill dangerous to the structure of the Internet as we know it.

Gore certainly, if belatedly, agrees. "In our world today there is hardly anything more important than to save and protect the vibrancy and freedom of the Internet," he said.

Video of Gore’s statement was available on YouTube Friday morning. However, the amateur footage, seemingly recorded on a mobile phone or other personal device, has since been removed. Neither the original uploader of the video nor CareerBuilder were available for comment.

Gore holds a special place in Internet lore. While running for president in 2000, the Democratic nominee told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he “took the initiative in helping to create the Internet.” That statement spawned a myth which persists today — that Gore claims he invented the Internet. The truth, and Gore’s claim, is more subtle. (Snopes.com has a full breakdown of the Gore myth here.)

Gore certainly had a hand in nurturing the Internet’s growth while serving in Congress; he introduced the “High Performance Computing and Communication Act of 1991″ (HPCA). Better known as the “Gore Bill,” the law provided for a massive improvement on existing digital communications infrastructure.

So, while Gore didn’t “invent” the Internet, he clearly knows a thing or two about it. And he’s very worried that SOPA could destroy the thing which he worked to help bring about.

“Anything that would threaten the vibrancy and freedom of the Internet and the future, I'm against,” said Gore.

Images courtesy of Flickr, jdlasica

More About: al gore, SOPA, stop online piracy act

The Music Hasn’t Died: Sales Up for First Time Since 2004

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 04:06 PM PST

music image

The world may end this year, but at least the music will go on. Nielsen and Billboard released their 2011 Music Industry Report and the news is finally good: Total album sales increased for the first time since 2004 and digital sales finally beat out physical music sales for the first time, in units at least.

The information for the report was gathered from Nielsen SoundScan, a data information system that tracks music sales, streams, downloads and other types of acquisition. The information includes hard copy sales and sales data from major retailers such as Amazon.com as well as Nielsen BDS, a music performance monitoring service.

The music industry is far from saved. Album sales may be up from 2010 but they’ve yet to fully recover. This is partially due to the Internet and online music culture which has drastically shifted how music is found, distributed and enjoyed. Piracy is a constant but music streaming services such as Spotify, Rdio and Grooveshark are offering legal ways to get music online.

While most people were waiting for the industry to die a slow, complicated death, music is still alive and kicking. People are always willing to support musicians and artists, it’s nice that the stats, collected below, show they’re also voting with their wallets. Take a gander at some of the report’s key findings or check out the full, detailed report for way more nitty-gritty.

Highlights from the 2011 Music Industry Report

  • Total album sales hit 330.6 million units, compared to 326.2 million in 2010. That’s an increase of 1.3%. That may seem small but considering sales have been on a slide since 2004, any improvement is a big deal.
  • Digital music sales beat out physical music sales (CDs, vinyl, etc.), accounting for 50.3% of all music purchases, in units, in 2011.
  • Digital sales hit 1.27 billion units. This is a new record for digital sales and an increase of 8.4% from 2010.
  • Physical album sales (228 million) declined 5% since 2010. This is actually an improvement over last year when physical sales decreased 19.5% from 2010 to 2009.
  • Vinyl hit a new record with 3.9 million sales in 2011. That’s 1.1 million more sales than the previous record, set in 2010.
  • Music streaming — collected via Nielsen BDS — wasn’t nearly as high as digital or physical sales, but ranked high in the report. Lady Gaga was the most streamed artist with more than 135 million streams while “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj was the most streamed songs with nearly 85 million streams.
  • It was a good 2011 for jazz, New Age and electronic music which grew (in terms of sales and play) by double digits. Jazz grew by 26%, New Age was up 16% and electronic music rose 15%.
  • Digital album growth also favored the underdog. Rap and Electronic digital album sales both increased by 42%. This is especially impressive given the large online and bootleg culture in both genres.
  • Big Winners in 2011: Lady Gaga may have the most streams but Adele ruled the year: Adele had the best selling album, 21, with 4 million physical sales and 1.8 million digital sales. She had the best selling Internet album (321,000), the best selling digital song, “Rolling in the Deep” (5.8 million) and the most-played song on the radio, also “Rolling in the Deep” with 658,000 detections.

To recap: Adele rocked, album sales finally improved, digital sales are here to stay and people are finally buying music again. Is 2011 just a blip in the industry’s steady decline or do these stats show promise for the future? Sound off in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Flickr, all that improbable blue

More About: Music, Social Media, stats, streaming

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4 Execs Out in Sprint Reorganization [REPORT]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 03:17 PM PST


A reshuffle at Sprint has prompted the ouster of four executives, according to a report.

The country’s number three telecom firm is merging the sales and marketing for its business and consumer operations, Reuters reports, citing a memo written by CEO Dan Hesse (pictured) that the news service obtained. As part of that reshuffling, Paget Alves, head of the company’s business operation, will also become chief sales officer for consumer sales. Bill Malloy will be head marketer for business and consumer services.

The reorganization is prompting Bob H. Johnson, head of customer services, and John Carney, head of consumer marketing, to leave the company. Danny Bowman, the president of integrated solutions, is also leaving, Reuters reports, as is Chris Rogers, another senior executive.

Reps from Sprint could not be reached for comment on the report.

In the memo, Hesse said the move was prompted by the convergence of consumer and business use for smart phones, Reuters reports. Many consumers use their personal phones for work and get compensated by their businesses for it.

More About: sprint, telecom

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Is This the Ultimate Trench Coat for Gadget Lovers?

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 03:06 PM PST


As we get closer to CES 2012, I’ve struggled with how to pack all of the requisite gadgets and electronics I’ll need on my trip without breaking the carry-on restrictions that the airlines insist I follow. This year, I’ve found my solution: A trench coat with a secret identity.

Late last year I stumbled upon a SCOTTEVEST women’s trench that looked enticing — and almost too good to be true. As with other SCOTTEVEST products, the idea is to hide as many devices as possible, its pockets designed to accommodate electronics and gadgets with aplomb.

SCOTTEVEST promises that a normal looking women’s trench coat can store an iPad, two smartphones, camera, glasses, keys, travel documents, change and lipstick. The map indicates you can store a good sized water bottle inside the jacket.

I was skeptical, but too intrigued not to order the coat. The results? Check it out for yourself.


ScottEVest Women's Trench




This trench coat looks normal from the outside, but on the inside I'm carrying an iPad, two phones and a bottle of soda.

Click here to view this gallery.

I was able to comfortably store the following in the coat:

  • iPad 2
  • iPhone 4S
  • Galaxy S II Skyrocket
  • 20oz bottle of soda
  • keys
  • ID card
  • lipstick
  • Klipsch X10i headphones

I also had plenty of room for a small camera, complete with separate MicroSD pocket.

So will this serve as my purse at CES 2012? I think so. Shockingly, the coat wasn’t very heavy, even with the iPad, phones, camera and other gadgets. This will allow me to keep my laptop bag lighter on the days I need to carry it on the show floor.

The coat doesn’t look bulky from the outside either, though I’d certainly be careful stowing it with the gadgets still inside. It’s lightweight and definitely not warm enough for New York City in January — but it should be just fine for the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Do you have any packing tips for stowing your gadgets at conventions or any other place where bags are cumbersome? Let us know in the comments.

More About: CES, CES 2012, fashion, features, Scottevest

Even in 2012, More Americans Own TVs Than Cellphones [STUDY]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 02:42 PM PST

television

No matter how big you think the mobile world or the Internet have gotten, neither has quite beaten the television set’s popularity, at least not in the U.S.

Some 290 million Americans, in 114.7 million households, own at least one TV. Compare that with 234 million cellphone owners, 211 million Americans who are online, and the 116 million (ages 13 and up) who surf the mobile web.

A recent Nielsen report examines media consumption in the U.S., through TVs, the Internet and mobile phones.

Internet users have nearly caught up with mobile users, with 234 million consumers and 211 million consumers respectively.

SEE ALSO: 80% of Smartphone Users Multitask While Watching TV [STATS]

Nearly one-third (35.9 million) of TV-owning households have four or more televisions. Just 17.5 million households have exactly one television, the least popular number of sets among all TV-owning households.

Are you surprised by how much TV ownership continues to outpace Internet use? Let us know in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Bim

More About: cellphones, internet, Nielsen, study, TV

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Eventbrite Nearly Doubled Ticket Sales in 2011

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 02:21 PM PST


Online ticketing platform Eventbrite sold almost twice as many tickets in 2011 as it did in 2010, according to numbers provided by the company.

About 21 million tickets to everything from yoga classes to a Black Eyed Peas concert were sold through Eventbrite last year, compared to about 11 million tickets it sold the previous year.

Eventbrite’s revenue is directly tied to tickets sold on the platform, as it charges a $.99 fee and takes a 2.5% for each ticket sold. In 2010, with about half as many ticket sales, it grossed $207 million.

The company expanded on several fronts in 2011, adding more than 100 employees and $50 million of funding along the way. It also opened a London office, as well as versions of the site for Ireland and Canada.

Eventbrite’s busy year also included the launch of an iPad app that lets event organizers sell Eventbrite tickets at the door — taking sales offline for the first time. It began ticketing large events that had previously been out of its range, such as a Black Eyed Peas concert in New York City’s Central Park.

More than twice as many events used Eventbrite in 2011 (458,000) as did in 2010 (222,353).

As the five-year-old company grows, it’s starting to stir up questions about a potential IPO. In a ZURB podcast this summer, Eventbrite CEO Kevin Hartz answered that Eventbrite could launch itself on the market this year.

"We have to continue to perform to very lofty expectations to do that," he said. But based on 2011′s impressive growth, they should have no trouble on that score.

More About: eventbrite

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iPad Survives 100,000+ Foot Fall From Space [VIDEO]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 02:08 PM PST


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

If you were wondering if your iPad had any chance of surviving a drop from space, we’ve found your answer: Yes. Should you, for some reason, decide your Apple tablet is up for a dive from the earth’s outer sphere, know that the fall alone will not cause its demise.

To put it bluntly, this video is blatant self-promotion for G-Form cases. The company claims its products absorb more than 90% of the energy from high-speed impact. But when it comes down to the space fall, who’s too say G-Forms are the only iPad protectors that will survive a fall from space?

This promotional gimmick has become a G-Form staple, with videos of an iPad being tossed from a speeding car, launched by a slingshot and used in a game of Frisbee on its website.

If you were convinced by the space fall, you can get your own Extreme Edge for iPad for $44.95.

We still like this awesome — albeit dizzying — video for its gorgous views of a yellow-encased tablet tumbling through outer space.

What other tech devices would you like to see floating above the Earth? Let us know your suggestions.

BONUS: 10 Awesome Apple iPad Cases


1. Blytheking's iSocket Etsy Cases




These handmade cases re-purpose vintage material to protect your iPad with sartorial elegance, making more of a statement than anything bought in an "ordinary" store.

Cost: From $65 to $108

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: ipad, space, trending, Video, viral-video-of-day

Facebook Developers Explain the Making of Timeline [VIDEO]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:41 PM PST


In a post on Facebook, developers explain what it took to make Timeline a reality. They explain ins and outs of the six month-long process, how they worked and changes made.

Check out the video above for a walk-through of the process.

“Timeline isn't just a bold new look for Facebook­—it's also the product of a remarkably ambitious engineering effort,” Ryan Mack, an infrastructure engineer, wrote in the post.

SEE ALSO: Why Facebook Uses MySQL for Timeline


1. The Timeline Menu Bar





As you scroll down your new Timeline, a floating menu bar will appear at the top of your screen. Use it to add new events.

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: developers, Facebook, facebook timeline, mashable video

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Kelly Clarkson’s Album Sales Down After Ron Paul Twitter Endorsement

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:25 PM PST

Kelly Clarkson

Although sales for Kelly Clarkson's new album “Stronger” experienced a jump on Amazon last week following news that she endorsed GOP hopeful Ron Paul on Twitter, it wasn't enough to help overall sales for the week. In fact, according to a Nielson Soundscan report, her album sales were actually 40% lower than the week before.

The “Miss Independent” singer sold only 25,000 copies of "Stronger" for the week ending Sunday, January 1, compared to 41,000 copies sold the previous week.

Although the album did climb to No. 17 from No. 39 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Billboard reported that other albums experienced a greater decline in sales as shoppers cut back on spending the week after Christmas. The overall album market dropped 49% that week.

However, Clarkson's digital sales increased 232%, helped largely by the Apple iTunes Store, but Billboard credited the jump to heavy promotion on the iTunes homepage for "Stronger," which was listed at a discounted price. The site also touted an exclusive “iTunes Session” EP released on December 27.

“Stronger” was also featured last Friday on Amazon's Movers and Shakers page, which highlights its biggest gainers in sales rank over the past 24 hours. Amazon noted that sales for the album had jumped up over 400% in the past day. The news of the album sales boost occurred after Clarkson's Ron Paul endorsement on Twitter spread throughout the Web.

“I love Ron Paul. I liked him a lot during the last Republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he's got my vote. Too bad he probably won't,” she tweeted last Wednesday.

Although some supported the singer by writing comments on the Amazon page for her album and by following her on Twitter, not everyone was happy about her tweet. Her message received backlash across Twitter, as some of her longtime fans stopped following the original American Idol winner and others accused her of supporting racism. (Newsletters published in Paul's name in the 1980s and 1990s included some racist sentiments. However, he recently deemed the comments "terrible" and said someone else wrote them). Some people on Twitter also attacked her because they believe Paul supports the death penalty and opposes same-sex marriage.

Clarkson later clarified on Twitter that she does not support racism and the death penalty, and took to her WhoSay page to address the controversy.

“Man, my eyes have been opened to so much hate tonight,” Clarkson wrote. “If y’all ever disagree with something I say, please don’t feel the need to attack me. I will listen to what you say and any articles or viewpoints you have when you say it with respect. Being hateful is not a healthy way to get people to see or hear you.”

“If you don't agree with me simply unfollow me,” she added. “It's really that easy.”

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post said that some Twitter users blasted Clarkson for endorsing a candidate that supports the death penalty and opposes same-sex marriage. However, Ron Paul feels these are issues best resolved at the state level. The above text has been modified to reflect that. We regret the error.

More About: american idol, digital music, digital music sales, Kelly Clarkson, ron paul, trending, Twitter

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Twitter to Host Its First Live Streaming Concert, Starring Tiësto [EXCLUSIVE]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:02 PM PST


HP and Intel will be hosting the first-ever live stream of a concert on Twitter next week at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. The headliner: electronic music master Tiësto.

The concert will kick off the launch of a new 10-episode series on YouTube called "In the Booth" — a behind-the-scenes look at Tiësto’s life and his impact on the electronic dance movement. The private event at the nightclub XS at Encore in Las Vegas will stream live from HP and Intel's newly enhanced Twitter brand pages.

Tiësto will play a 90-minute set on Wednesday, January 11 starting at 10:00 p.m. PT. It will then play on a loop on HP and Intel’s Twitter page for the following 48 hours.

“We have offered streaming on the site before, but this is the first-time ever that the site will feature a live concert,” Rob Pietsch, Twitter’s director of West Coast sales, told Mashable. “HP came to us with the idea and we couldn't be more excited to hear how the company and Intel will be using their Twitter brand pages to reach out to the public and become destination sites.

“It's a first for us, and we expect in the future that more companies will integrate streaming video into their pages.”

In December, Twitter announced that it would be introducing Facebook-style brand pages for companies to customize and highlight content. HP and Intel are among the first 21 brands invited to test out the new platform – other companies include Dell, Disney, JetBlue, Nike and Paramount Pictures.

The company said it expects to make the new brand pages for companies more widely available by the end of the first quarter of 2012.

SEE ALSO: Twitter Launches Brand Pages

Twitter users will also be able to interact with others on the site while watching the live stream next week. HP and Intel execs will also be live tweeting from the show via the hash tag #TiestoLive.

"This will change the way fans interact with brands on the site. Companies can tell fans to check out their pages and features by saying @HP or @Intel, instead of giving a long URL that doesn't roll off the tongue," Pietsch said.

"In addition, this is a concept that isn't even available on Facebook, since it's a closed community. Here, anyone can watch the live stream and chat with anyone else with the same interests. We expect to see some powerful things come out of brand pages in the future."

The Web series – produced by Believe Entertainment Group – will launch Tuesday, Jan. 17 on YouTube and each video will be between five and seven minutes long.

“I’m always connecting with my fans directly through Twitter and other social media, so this was an exciting way to help launch the ‘In the Booth’ series and do something special for my fans,” Tiësto told Mashable. “One of the key reasons to collaborate with technology giants such as HP and Intel on my new show is the chance to try new things and go after big ideas."

HP and Intel said they both plan to expand their brand presence on Twitter this year by offering new ways for fans to engage with their companies.

"Twitter was the perfect platform for us to try out an innovative new concept with Tiësto and allow people to interact with our brand at the same time," said Natalie Malaszenko, director of worldwide digital marketing & social media for HP Personal Systems Group. "We have had great success with Twitter before and very high engagement rates, so we hope to do a lot more through our branded profile page in the future."

More About: CES, CES 2012, Facebook, HP, intel, trending, Twitter, twitter brands

Does Facebook’s Timeline Violate Its FTC Settlement?

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 12:40 PM PST


Facebook may be in hot water over privacy again. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public interest group, has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate possible privacy violations in the new Facebook Timeline feature.

“Facebook is changing the privacy settings of its users in a way that gives the company far greater ability to disclose their personal information than in the past,” the group wrote. “With Timeline, Facebook has once again taken control over the user's data from the user, and now made information that was essentially archived and inaccessible widely available without the consent of the user.”

The first time EPIC asked the FTC to look into Facebook‘s privacy practices, it resulted in a two-year legal battle that ended late last year with a landmark settlement between the social networking behemoth and the FTC.

This second complaint, sent on Dec. 27, points to the new Timeline feature, saying it violates the November settlement prohibiting “Facebook from making any further deceptive privacy claims, and requires that the company get consumers' approval before it changes the way it shares their data.”

Timeline began rolling out to users on Dec. 6. It completely changes the way a Facebook user’s information is displayed, highlighting significant events in the user’s life from the present back to when they first signed up (or even earlier if the user inputs that data). Facebook gives you seven days to edit and refine your Timeline, without anyone else seeing it, once you enable it. This way, you can delete photos or posts you don’t want others to see.

The first complaint EPIC made in 2009 called out Facebook for promising to keep users’ information private while actually making it available to third parties. In some instances, the site had allowed advertisers to obtain personal information from users who clicked on ads. The government accused Facebook of “unfair and deceptive” practices.

Some heavy-hitters signed the initial complaint EPIC made against Facebook, including the U.S. Bill of Rights Foundation, American Library Association, the Center for Digital Democracy and Patient Privacy Rights.

The November settlement forbids Facebook from changing their privacy settings without expressed consumer consent. Nor can Facebook share more of a consumer’s information than that individual’s privacy settings allow. In addition, every two years for the next 20 years, Facebook’s privacy settings will be audited by an unbiased third party. The first FTC audit is in May.

After the settlement was finalized, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted the company made “bunch of mistakes,” and blamed the error on “poor execution as we transitioned our privacy model two years ago.” He also assured consumers of the company’s dedication to transparency.

EPIC wasn’t satisfied with that settlement, calling it “insufficient to address the concerns originally identified by EPIC and the consumer coalition, as well as those findings established by the Commission.”

Facebook has more than 800 million users, many of whom have grown increasingly aware of the importance of online security. Are you concerned about your privacy within Facebook Timeline? Tell us in the comments.

More About: Facebook, facebook timeline, FTC, mark zuckerberg, trending

Words With Friends Opponents Get Married

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 12:28 PM PST

Words With Friends

Who needs dating sites when you can find love playing Words With Friends?

The social Scrabble-like app is the latest game to become a hotbed for romance. The popular Zynga game introduced Megan Lawless and Jasper Jasperse as random opponents in November 2009.

We’ve seen proposals using StumbleUpon, Google Maps and Google+, but what’s noteworthy about Jasperse and Lawless’s story is that the mobile game was where they met.

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Geekiest Marriage Proposals

What began as simple “Hi” and “Hello” messages sparked more extensive communication via email and Skype. Jasperse moved from the Netherlands to live with Lawless in Chicago and the couple was eventually engaged and married in July 2011.

While it took their story six months to begin circulating, the couple’s unusual history no doubt resonates more with a mainstream audience following actor Alec Baldwin’s hyped airplane removal for playing the game.

So now that mobile games are in the romance mix, where do you see the next great social media love story originating from?

More About: wedding, words with friends, Zynga

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Why College Is Still Relevant in the Age of Free Information

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 12:12 PM PST


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

Hansoo Lee is co-founder and CEO of Magoosh, an online test prep company with products for the SAT, GRE, and GMAT.

The rising cost of higher education has driven student debt to worrisome levels. With the advancements in digital and online education, more and more would-be college students are seeking the inexpensive, individualized alternatives online.

However, the benefits of higher education are still immense. Given the debate around the value of a college degree, it's important tease out the exact benefits that you'd get out a college experience, especially because many of them impact your digital presence.

1. The Network

Your real life social networks are largely tied to the institutions at which you've spent time: high school, college, graduate school, the companies at which you've worked, church, sports teams, etc. As you move forward in your career, these networks play a large role in securing jobs. That's because managers often hire within their extended networks.

One major benefit of college is the ready-made network you will have upon graduation.

2. Direct Professional Development

If you major in a subject that is directly applicable to the job you will have upon graduation (e.g. software engineering), then a large part of the educational experience in college will be valuable for your career.
More importantly, college is a great time to do internships. Not only are internships a great way to get direct professional development, but they extend your network as well.

3. Personal Development

For many students, college is a valuable time to build independence and grow as individuals.
In addition, taking classes that don't have a direct and immediate professional benefit — such as history or literature, for instance — can build a student's creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Steve Jobs, a college dropout, said a calligraphy class he took at Reed College was the inspiration for the typography in the first Macintosh.

4. Brand

A degree on your resume from a reputable higher education institution is still an extremely important signal that leads to gainful employment. Whether we like it or not, this brand allows companies to quickly filter through candidates.

So the key question is: Are there other ways to get all of these benefits, or is college still the way to go? Simply put, college is the best path for the vast majority of people right now.

The estimated lifetime earnings for college graduates are $1.6 million more than that of high school graduates, according to the Department of Education. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics records show that college graduates have an unemployment rate half that of people who have only a high school diploma.

Even Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and venture capitalist, who is giving $100,000 to students who don’t go to college, earned an undergraduate and graduate degree from Stanford. Furthermore, he said that if he were to do it again, he would go to college because he didn't have specific career goals.

Yet, a college degree should not automatically be interpreted as easy access to a good-paying job. Once in college, you must focus on getting the most value from the college experience by focusing on academics, taking leadership roles in extracurricular activities, and securing internships.

The college experience is ripe with a unique set of opportunities that most people can't get anywhere else. Once there, it's up to you to either take advantage of them or let them pass you by.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, jbrizendine

More About: college, contributor, education, features, Financial, job search, Opinion

Iran Further Restricts Facebook and Twitter, Prepares Its Own Internet

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 11:48 AM PST

Iran flag

Iran is testing a domestic Internet, a “Halal” network that will restrict citizens from penetrating foreign sites. Internet users this week reported delays in their network connections, which is believed to be connected to the new network’s trial run.

The Wall Street Journal says the domestic Internet replacement aims to restrict the influence of non-Islamic culture and western ideology. The network — technically an Intranet — should be ready to go live within a few weeks, Iranian media reported.

Internet users in Iran have reported slower network connections, access to political sites restricted and blocked VPNs. They have been unable to access sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, in the last week. VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, were the technical solution many Iranians were using to access their social networks.

The country announced its plans (link in Farsi) to build the Intranet in March 2011, motivated by social media fueled protests during its 2009 election and inspired by China’s domestic controls. According to the statement, Iran plans to offer Intranet access to nearby countries interested in taking advantage of the Halal network.

“We can describe it as a genuinely ‘halal’ network aimed at Muslims on a ethical and moral level,” the Iranian Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs Ali Agha Mohammadi writes.

While the Intranet will initially run parallel to the global Internet, the plan is to eventually restrict access to the Web to only governmental ministries, banks and big industries. Currently, 23 million Iranians are Internet users, according to government estimates.

SEE ALSO: Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible YouTube Videos

In addition to testing the Intranet, the Islamic country launched a new round of web restrictions, which require Internet cafes to install security cameras and document their user’s personal details, such as their ID numbers, addresses and fathers’ names. Cafes have 15 days to get their camera systems in place.

The new restrictions come two months before the upcoming parliamentary elections Mar. 2, and amidst talk of international sanctions. The government hopes the latest restrictions will limit election-related protests of the kind that organized on social networks in Egypt last year. All online planning of protests — through social media or email — will be considered national security crimes, the government said.

SEE ALSO: QR Code Campaign Fights for Education Equality in Iran

“They want to execute a plan where no one has protection, so they can trace whoever is involved in what they perceive as anti-government activity at any given moment and at any location,” Ehsan Norouzi, an Iranian cybersecurity expert living in Germany told the WSJ.

Will the Iranian authorities’ plan work? Is there any way protesters can get around it? Let us know in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, duncan1890

More About: censorship, iran, trending

London to Get Europe’s Biggest Ever Wi-Fi Zone Before Olympics

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 11:15 AM PST

Laptop in London

London is set to roll out a massive Wi-Fi network as it prepares to host the 2012 Olympic Games. The best part? It’s absolutely free to use.

In a press release issued Friday, mobile operator O2 said it’s setting up the public network at no cost to British taxpayers. The deal to provide the service was struck between between O2, the Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to “ensure that the millions of visitors that come to the city have the best experience possible and can make the most of what London has to offer.”

Councillor Phillippa Roe, Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance at Westminster City Council, said the free Wi-Fi would allow tourists coming to London for the Olympic Games to be able to more easily share pictures and status updates from the games on their social networks.

Mobile hotspots will be installed on already existing “street furniture” such as benches and lampposts. The network will begin coming online in major urban zones around London beginning this month. This first phase will be followed by more rollouts in the greater London area. When complete, the network will be the largest free Wi-Fi zone in Europe.

Derek McManus, O2′s COO, hinted the deal was a step in the process of expanding the company’s Wi-Fi offerings. O2, the second-largest telecommunications provider in the UK, has been striving to build public Wi-Fi networks across the UK since January of last year.

London isn’t the only city striving to provide free wireless internet to citizens and visitors. New York has been working to put wireless internet in parks and in the subway. Paris is also dotted with public hotspots. Other cities, such as Philadelphia and San Francisco, have attempted to build large-scale public Wi-Fi networks but encountered plenty of hiccups along the way.

SEE ALSO: Wi-Fi Coming to London Underground by 2012 | 2012 Olympic Athletes Welcome to Tweet

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, PeskyMonkey

More About: 2012 Olympics, free wifi, hitwise, london, trending, wifi

Confucius Comes to Life as Robotic Art Installation [VIDEO]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:54 AM PST


The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius has returned. Artist Zhang Huan opened a new art installation in Shanghai that features multiple interpretations of Confucius, including a giant, breathing robotic version.

The exhibit, on display at the Rockbund Art Museum through this month, addresses the questions: “How can we achieve sustainable development? What responsibilities come along with China's rise in international importance? Where is the sense of spiritual belonging for contemporary Chinese?”

SEE ALSO: Finally, a Robot That Can Make You a Sandwich [VIDEO]

Check out the video above to see Confucius breathe again.

More About: art, mashable video, robots

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7 Social Media Predictions for 2012

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:33 AM PST


With the year of 2011 in social media thoroughly recapped and analyzed by Mashable, it's time to set our sights on the year ahead. While I recently shared my predictions for media and advertising, there are some broader social media trends with big implications that are worth identifying.

Be sure to add your own predictions here or on our open thread, where Mashable readers have been sharing their own ideas for what might lay ahead in the New Year.

1. Facebook Growth Plateaus, but Engagement Continues to Surge

With more than 800 million users, Facebook is running into a nice problem to have: There are only so many more people to add. While the site will continue to grow in emerging markets that are only now getting online, Mark Zuckerberg has shifted the conversation to sharing and engagement, arguing that sharing on Facebook grows exponentially and that users will double the amount they share each year.

That sharing is driving users to spend more time on site — the average Facebook user now spends nearly seven-and-a-half hours on the site each month, up from four-and-a-half hours just two years ago. With the arrival of Timeline, increased focus on media and entertainment consumption, and continued growth in social games, engagement will surge even further in 2012.

2. New Social Metrics for Ads Gain Adoption

The "death of the page view" as a meaningful metric has long been predicted, but never seems to materialize. While I don't see that happening in 2012 either, I do see the rise of new metrics that measure social engagement and price advertising and sponsorship dollars accordingly.

We've already seen the likes of Klout and Ad.ly develop business models around charging for influence. More recently, Starcom MediaVest Group, a subsidiary of Publicis, teamed up with ShareThis to pilot a new metric for ad buying that values content based on how often content is shared and how impactful those shares are. While 2012 won’t see traditional models like CPM and CPC advertising thrown out the window, look for new metrics to make a meaningful impact as sharing becomes central to more media companies.

3. YouTube Gains Popularity in the Living Room

While Google TV has been widely dubbed a flop, the company is planning on a full-fledged reboot in 2012 and is optimistic to say the least. Google-owned YouTube will undoubtedly be a default "channel" on all of those devices. At the same time, YouTube is investing heavily in premium programming, as well as designing user experiences for the big screen. When you combine these two forces — not to mention the prospect of an Apple TV and other emerging players in the connected TV space — YouTube is poised to disrupt the television landscape. We'll likely get a glimpse at what lies ahead for YouTube in the living room next week at CES, where the company is set to host a press conference.

4. A Meaningful Second Tier of Social Networks Emerges

I've often said that social media is no longer about "the next Facebook or Twitter." While I think that remains true, for the first time in several years there's a meaningful second tier of social networks emerging.

In 2011, sites like Pinterest and Tumblr experienced hockey stick growth, going from niche to mainstream in short order. In 2012, additional services like Instagram, Quora and Path are positioned to carve out significant audiences as users look for more personalized and curated experiences than the top tier social networks can deliver. Google+ will also continue to make noise as the search giant pulls more levers to try and make its biggest social bet to date pay off.

5. Celebs Pour Money Into Social Media Startups

It might be easy to dismiss the current surge of investments in startups by celebrities as a signal of another bubble. However, unlike the last bubble, many of those celebrity investors now have audiences of millions online that they can turn into users of the products and services they invest in. When there's a strong brand fit — like Kim Kardashian and ShoeDazzle — the celebrity investment and integration can directly drive growth and revenue.

With more traditional areas for investment languishing, startup valuations remaining frothy and social media continuing to expand, look for celebs to keep allocating a portion of their wealth toward startup investments. Here's a look at some of the celebrities currently invested in startups:


1. Lady Gaga




Startup Investments: Lady Gaga and fellow celebrity Kanye West invested $7.5 million in Turntable.fm - a website that allows you to experience and discover music online with your friends. Users can rate music with their friends by clicking either the "Awesome" or "Lame" button, or become a DJ by spinning tunes with other DJs on the site.

Image courtesy of LadyGaga.com

Click here to view this gallery.

6. Social Media Security Threats Go Mobile

New phishing and malware scams emerge on the web every day. With smartphone adoption continuing to rise and smartphone users continuing to adopt apps and social media on their devices, the same threats of the web are now arriving on mobile phones — and they may actually be amplified.

For example, security firm Trusteer estimates that "mobile users accessing phishing websites are three times more likely to submit their login info than desktop users," as a result of scams being harder to spot. The rise of mobile ad networks and third-party app stores also represent new risks.

7. Social Fuels Ecommerce Renaissance

While social media has emerged as a viable way for retailers to gain followers and broadcast deals, making social central to the shopping experience is still a largely untapped way to drive sales and increase margins. In 2012, look for more businesses to setup shop within the walls of Facebook, personalize their ecommerce sites based on your "taste graph" from Facebook and Twitter, and increase participation in communities like Tumblr and Pinterest where users organically share their purchases and wish lists. It's also an area that's starting to see big investment dollars flow in from the likes of Marc Andreessen.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, JamesBrey

More About: 2012 predictions, features, Mobile, Social Media, Startups, Tech, trending, Year End 2011

Sony to Name PlayStation Guru New President, Stringer Still CEO [REPORT]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:17 AM PST


Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer has stepped aside as president, and the company will name its current consumer products chief, Kazuo Hirai, to the position, a Japanese news service is reporting.

Nikkei business daily reports that Hirai could take over for Stringer as early as April. Stringer will remain CEO and chairman of the board.

Hirai is Sony’s executive deputy president and head of the company’s Consumer Products & Services Group, a position he’s held since April 2011. Previous to that he served in various leadership roles at Sony Computer Entertainment, which runs the PlayStation product line, and he’s been with the company since 1984. He’s been widely credited with turning Sony’s PlayStation platform into a success, particularly in the U.S. market.

At Sony Computer Entertainment, Hirai led the company to begin marketing the console to a mainstream audience, specifically targeting sporting events. The strategy worked, and the division’s profits soared while the PlayStation 2 became the top gaming platform in the U.S. And after a slow start, the PlayStation 3 has become one of the top current consoles, along with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.

There is so far no official word from Sony.

“This is not a corporate announcement,” a company spokesman told Mashable in an emailed statement. “As for Sony’s executive officers’ appointment for 2012, nothing has been determined yet. We will decline any further comment.”

More About: Howard Stringer, playstation, sony

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If I Die: Facebook App Lets You Leave Sweet Last Words

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 09:46 AM PST

death image

Facebook profiles don’t die the same way people do. If I Die is a Facebook app that makes sure, even if you die, your social self can still send out your last wishes and post messages to your friends years after you’re gone.

If I Die lets “you” post a final message to your wall and loved one when you’re dead. After installing the app, you choose three “trustees” (Facebook friends) who are charged with verifying your death. Users can then record videos or craft any number of Facebook posts to be published posthumously. When your trustees confirm your death, your messages can be published all at once to your Facebook wall or released on a designated schedule.

It might be a little morbid to start recording farewell messages, but Wilook, the Israel-based company behind the app, built the app because nobody really knows when death will come: “We all have things to say and don’t necessarily have the audience with the patience to hear us,” says Eran Alfonta, the app’s co-founder and CEO. “Actually we all want to leave something behind, we all want to leave a stamp behind us.”

Alfonta got the idea when two of his married friends traveled to Italy without their children and narrowly escaped a fatal car crash with a truck. “They stopped aside and drank water and relaxed and started speaking between themselves: ‘Oh my god, what would happen to the kids if something happened to me?’” They asked Alfonta to create a website where they could record something secret to their kids that would only be sent if they died.

People have been leaving posthumous messages for a long time. Why should a Facebook app replace pen and paper or a recorded video? Facebook provided a way to verify your death with “trustees” but it also guaranteed a delivery mechanism. Too many times a letter can sit unread in a desk, but If I Die ensures a message reaches its destination.

It also allows messages to come out on a schedule. For example, when one user was diagnosed with cancer, she started recording videos for her daughter to be posted on her birthday every year until she was 18.

In a way, If I Die gives its users a measure of social media immortality. Even when they die, their profiles can live on, posting comments and sending personal messages for as long as they have messages to send.

If I Die currently only publishes to a user’s public profile, but the team is working on features to allow for discrete messages and even messages that can be sent to people not on Facebook. The public postings will be free to use, though the discrete messages will work on an annual subscription model, Alfonta says.

SEE ALSO: 7 Resources for Handling Digital Life After Death

While the team is tight-lipped on how many users it has, Alfonta said they expected to hit 100,000 users within a couple of months. Death is clearly on our social minds and Alfonta is no exception. “Oh my god, yes,” he says, when asked if he’s used If I Die to record his own parting messages. “I have four kids and a lovely wife and I left each one of them a message. I hope to live long and prosper but if something happens to me then I think there will be some excellent surprises for my kids, some touching messages.”

Would you record a message? Do you want your profile posting messages on your behalf — even after you die?

More About: death, Facebook, Facebook app, Social Media, trending

Shelby.TV Comes Closer to TV By Turning Your iPhone Into a Remote

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 09:12 AM PST

television

A new iPad app wants to give users a new way to control YouTube content on their television sets.

“I don’t use the term web video,” explains Shelby.tv founder Reece Pacheco, “because it’s all just video.”

Pacheco thinks that connected TVs will soon similarly blur this line for more people, and the latest addition to his online video player demonstrates how closely an online viewing experience can resemble an offline one.

At the Consumer Electronic Show next week, Shelby.tv will launch a gesture-based remote function for its iOS apps that turns mobile devices into remotes. While their Shelby.tv video queues play through Apple TVs, users can simply swipe the screen to move on to the next video, move to another channel, like a video, pause or fast forward.

The feature, Touch Play, makes what are actuality queues of YouTube videos collected through a bookmarklet or friends’ social streams seem more like television channels. For now it will only work with an Apple TV, but if rumors that Apple is releasing a connected TV this year pan out, it will likely work with that as well.

Boxee’s iPad app and startup Squrl also allow users to beam online video through Boxee and Apple TV while using a mobile iOS device as a remote. Neither has turned the remote into a true clicker, however — instead replicating the mobile app screen on the TV screen.

Pacheco demonstrates the new feature in the video below. Let us know in the comments whether you think a gesture-based remote improves the viewing experience.



More About: airplay, CES, CES 2012, connected devices, Shelby.tv, web video, YouTube

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10 Ways to Refresh Your Digital Life for the New Year

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 09:02 AM PST


1. Do Some Twitter Maintenance




When was the last time you gave your Twitter account some attention? The New Year (and the arrival of the Twitter's new look) is a great opportunity to do a little maintenance.

You can weed out inactive accounts you follow with Untweeps, take a look at who is following you with no follow back via Tweeter Karma and get your lists in better order with Formulists.

While you're at it, why not refresh your avatar, make sure your bio and web link are up to date and check that only the applications you actively use have access to your account?

Click here to view this gallery.

The New Year offers a fresh start. It’s a fantastic time to reset your goals, aims and ambitions. In addition to making positive changes in the real world, it’s also a great opportunity to refresh your digital life.

Here are 10 suggestions for revamping “digital you” in 2012. From starting good habits like backup and computer maintenance to de-cluttering your gadgets, our tips will help you launch into the New Year as a more organized and efficient person.

Take a look through our gallery. Share in the comments any tips, tricks and tools you will be using to get in good shape digitally in the New Year.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Rachael Towne

More About: features, Gadgets, How-To, software, Tech, trending

U.S. Army Brands Gear for Gamers [VIDEO]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:50 AM PST


Call of Duty just got more life-like. The U.S. Army has teamed up with CTA Digital to produce branded handheld rifle controllers, plus other gear just for gamers, for a variety of platforms.

The peripherals are available for PlayStation 3 and Move, Wii, Xbox and Kinect, and Xbox 360.

Licensing fees the U.S. Army collects through sales will go toward U.S. Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs.

Check out the video above to learn more.

More About: Gaming, mashable video, playstation, u.s. army, Wii, xbox

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Positive Facebook Updates Get More Likes, Negative Get More Comments [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:28 AM PST

Facebook users Like positive content way more than negative content, showing the world’s largest social network is not a space where the unhappy help each other slump further into depression.

This should come as no surprise, as many of our Facebook interactions mimic our real world social lives. More popular Facebook users (with higher friend counts) write longer status updates, use the second person “you,” talk about sex and use religious words. Less popular users are more negative and emotional, use the first person “I” and talk about family.

This Help for Depression infographic illustrates how we use Facebook to share our feelings. Its data is based on a study of 83 13-year-old girls’ communications habits, including Facebook, among other things.

Facebook users’ status updates are most positive between 6 to 7 a.m. and become progressively more negative as the day goes on. While positive updates receive more likes, negative updates receive more comments.

What type of content do you typically Like on Facebook? What do you comment on?

facebook depression

More About: Facebook, infographics, trending
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