Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Ballmer Exits the CES Stage Without a Bang” |
- Ballmer Exits the CES Stage Without a Bang
- Titan II is HTC’s First LTE Windows Phone
- Panasonic Still Believes in 3D, Convinces NBC to Use It for the Olympics
- Hands On With the Sony Xperia Ion’s ‘Fast Capture’ Camera [VIDEO]
- Justin Timberlake’s Appearance at CES [VIDEO]
- Prepare Yourself: Kinect is Coming to Windows Feb. 1
- Samsung Unveils a Motion-Controlled TV and the U.S. Galaxy Note [PICS]
- Frequency Makes Any Website a Video Channel
- The Real and Virtual Worlds Are Melting Together
- Flixster Lets You View Your Movie Collection On Select Panasonic Devices
- Is the HP Spectre a Real Ultrabook? [VIDEO]
- 5 Free Homework Management Tools for the Digital Student
- Nokia’s First LTE Windows Phone is Here…And in the U.S.
- Beyonce’s Newborn Makes Cameo in Jay-Z’s New Song [LISTEN]
- Bringing MySpace Back: Timberlake Unveils TV Service
- The Top Brands on Pinterest
- Chameleon Computer: Lenovo IdeaPad YOGA Twists into Tablet [PICS]
- Clothes Shopping With Bodymetrics Lets You Try It On for Virtual Size
- Boycotting SOPA Supporters? There’s an App for That
- Why Google Gives Its Search Projects Weird Names
- Stereotype Debunked: Women Buy More Technology Than Men
- 13 Tips for Increasing Your Company’s Google Rank
- Apples to Apple: The Goofiest Infographic You’ll Ever See?
- HTML5 Apps: The Future of AT&T’s Mobile Store
- Samsung Debuts a Boatload of Wi-Fi Cameras, Plus Cloud Storage
- Spike Takes a Stab at CES With ‘All Access Live’
- AT&T Shows Off a Slew of Android and Windows Phones
- Tim Tebow Pass Lands in Twitter’s Record Book
- DROID 4 Touted as Thinnest, Most Powerful 4G LTE QWERTY Smartphone
- Meme Machine: 5 Hilarious Viral Topics Trending Right Now
| Ballmer Exits the CES Stage Without a Bang Posted: 10 Jan 2012 05:03 AM PST       There was a moment, just one moment where the Microsoft's last CES keynote transcended the mundane and skirted the edge of fantastic. If you weren't watching or have read the reports coming out of CEO Steve Ballmer's hour-and-a-half-long goodbye to the Consumer Electronics Show stage, you might have missed it. But those of us in the audience did not and we thought, just maybe, Microsoft's biggest salesman was going to deliver something really big. It came right at the end. Ballmer was sitting with his co-host, the incongruous Ryan Seacrest who must have been wondering how he ended up with this gig. They recapped the walk through Microsoft's various products and product initiatives—from the Windows Phone platform to Windows 8, Xbox and Kinect. Then Ryan Seacrest asked Ballmer what was next. Seacrest asked it in such a leading way that I think everyone in the audience thought the American Idol host knew something. He had to, since this was a highly scripted event, and Ballmer is physically incapable of diverging from the script. I thought the question was a set-up. Ballmer laughed cryptically and I held my breath, wondering if Ballmer was going to pull a Steve Jobs—an actual one last thing. That's not what Ballmer did though. Instead, he told the audience that the future is Windows. "Nothing is more important to Microsoft than Windows". The future is Windows, and Metro, he added. Then he self-mockingly shouted "Windows" three times and "Metro" three times. Seacrest being the savvy host he is knew better than to continue this line of questioning, or anything else having to do with the keynote, and ended it right there. Throughout the course of the lengthy presentation, which was ostensibly more conversational than any previous Microsoft CES keynote, there was precious little news. In fact every announcement was of the most minor variety.
The rest of the news was quite forgettable. Here's what we didn't get:
The most entertaining and interesting parts of the evening were when the voice recognition failed (it is so hard to demo that stuff live), Tweets from the show were sung to us by an amazing acapella group, and the opening retrospective video which featured auto-tuned Microsoft founder and former CEO Bill Gates from 1995 through to his last appearance at the show and some awesome autotuned Ballmer singing "Bing, Bing Bing". I did think that maybe Gates would make a surprise appearance. He did not. No, Ballmer played the whole evening very, very safe. The only tension found throughout the night was when CEA President Gary Shapiro insisted on calling Microsoft's departure from the event "a break". Ballmer never acknowledged this and everyone on the Microsoft side called it a "final keynote." In the end, I think Ballmer has tired of these events. He acknowledged (as did Shapiro) that the world has changed since they began these things in the mid-1990's. Ballmer may believe they've changed so much that a single keynote setting the tone for the entire year just doesn't make sense. Business and technology in the marketplace is now clearly an ongoing conversation. Ballmer also made it clear that he is really not about big, one time gestures. Listen to his description of how they won in the console space. Ballmer explained he was "optimistic, bullish and patient about Xbox," and added "We make big bold bets and invest for the long-term." It's a long way of saying, "slow and steady wins the race." This approach is in evidence in Microsoft's Windows Phone strategy. It has not won or made much of a dent in the smartphone market, but it is growing slowly and steadily (the new handsets could change things radically). Later, after Ballmer left the stage, I caught up with him walking hurriedly out of the conference hall. I asked him again to reveal that one more thing. Ballmer just laughed and said something to the effect that he just wanted to remember what he said. Or at least I think that's what he said. He wasn’t, after all, trying to make a statement. That's really not Ballmer's way. All the talk in the world is meaningless when you're running a global business. With apologies to T.S. Elliott: "This is the way the keynote ends Bonus: The Hottest Gadgets from CES UnveiledThermador Cooktop The Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. More About: CES, kinect, microsoft, pubaccess, Windows 8, windows phone 7, Xbox 360
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| Titan II is HTC’s First LTE Windows Phone Posted: 10 Jan 2012 01:58 AM PST   HTC has announced HTC Titan II, the company’s first LTE Windows Phone. Like its predecessor, the Titan II is huge, with a 4.7-inch super LCD screen. The rest of the specifications are quite impressive, too: a 16-megapixel back camera (and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front for video calls) and a 1.5 GHz Snapdragon CPU. Interestingly enough, while the back camera comes with a huge range of goodies, such as a wide-angle lens, autofocus, image stabilization and dual LED flash, it only takes 720p – not 1080p – video. Of course, LTE support, which will enable super fast data transfer on AT&T’s network, makes the Titan II a good choice for heavy multimedia and internet users. The device will be available “in the coming months” to AT&T customers. The price hasn’t yet been announced. More About: htc, HTC Titan II, LTE, Titan II, trending, windows phone For more Mobile coverage:
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| Panasonic Still Believes in 3D, Convinces NBC to Use It for the Olympics Posted: 10 Jan 2012 01:41 AM PST   LAS VEGAS — Panasonic just won’t let 3D die. Despite a lukewarm response by the public to watching 3D in the home, Panasonic spun the technology as an the best-kept secret in the electronics world, announcing new efforts to keep it going. Topping Panasonic’s list of 3D lifelines: a partnership with NBC Universal to bring 3D imagery to broadcasts of the London 2012 Olympics. Calling upon former Olympic soccer champion Brandi Chastain and a recorded message from NBC’s Bob Costas to announce the effort, Panasonic’s Olympic push will run continuously during the games (presumably with replays during off hours), and include the opening and closing ceremonies. There’s some evidence to support Panasonic’s view that 3D is actually doing okay. During its press conference, the company cited statistics that adoption of 3D equipment has been rapid, with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) estimating that 7 million 3D TVs and 9 million 3D Blu-ray players will be sold by the end of 2012. However, there’s no way of telling how often that equipment is actually used to watch 3D material. Panasonic also promoted its prosumer 3D camcorder, the Z10000 (shown above). The company says the cam improves greatly a big weakness of shooting in 3D: limited closeups. The Z10000 is said to get accurate 3D from objects as close as 18 inches away from the lens. Besides 3D, Panasonic is expanding on its smart TV efforts, rolling apps, better control, and room sensors into SmartViera. In addition, Panasonic wants to make TV social, partnering with both MySpace and Flixster to enhance the home-entertainment experience beyond just watching TV. There were also gadgets. Panasonic showed off a portable Skype device that resembles a tablet but is built just for video chat. And the company didn’t forget about tablets: besides plugging its recently unveiled line of Toughpads — rugged tablets that take after the Toughbook laptops — Panasonic demo’d a tech that can transfer video playback from tablet to TV at the touch of a button, much like Apple’s AirPlay. Unusually, TVs themselves were barely mentioned; Panasonic only talked about them in the context of other technologies — 3D, Smart Viera, social media. This could be an acknowledgement that the race to build the thinnest, brightest or highest-resolution TV is getting a little silly at this point. TV performance today even in value models is generally extremely good. Finally, Panasonic focused heavily on green technology, announcing several new initiatives, including a new company to advance its eco-friendly campaign, Panasonic Eco Solutions North America. The company also has plans to help build a small town outside of Tokyo that generates, stores and manages its own power, called Fujisawa Smart Town. Panasonic also has plans to move its U.S. headquarters to a green office tower in Newark, NJ. Excited by any of Panasonic’s offerings? Will 2012 finally be the year of 3D? Let us know in the comments. The Panasonic Z1000 3D Camcorder Panasonic's latest 3D camera can shoot 3D closeups of subjects as close as 18 inches away. Click here to view this gallery. More About: 2012 London Olympics, 3D, CES, CES 2012, olympics, Panasonic, Skype
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| Hands On With the Sony Xperia Ion’s ‘Fast Capture’ Camera [VIDEO] Posted: 10 Jan 2012 12:46 AM PST LAS VEGAS — Sony debuted a smartphone at CES 2012 that counts as a first in many ways. The Xperia ion is the first 4G LTE smartphone from Sony, it’ll be the first phone marketed under the Sony brand (instead of Sony Ericsson) and, if Sony marketing is to be believed, it’s the first phone to have virtually no lag between shots. We checked out the phone at Sony’s booth here at CES to see just how fast the camera on the Xperia ion is. What we found is shown in the video. Take a minute to check it out if you haven’t already. Our conclusion: Sony’s not being disingenuous when it claims there’s very little lag between shots, though that first shot may still take a second or so to actually snap once you touch the screen. Since often that first shot is the only one that counts, we think there’s still room for improvement. Since cell phones are fast becoming most people’s go-to camera for everyday shooting, the quality of the camera matters a lot when considering a new phone. On that score, you could do a lot worse than the Xperia ion’s fast 12-megapixel shooter, though we had trouble discerning any difference in speed between it and the iPhone 4S we were carrying. You be the judge. Sony Xperia ion   The Xperia ion is Sony's first 4G LTE phone. It's scheduled to arrive in the spring from AT&T. Click here to view this gallery. More About: CES, CES 2012, smartphones, sony, Xperia, Xperia ion For more Mobile coverage:
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| Justin Timberlake’s Appearance at CES [VIDEO] Posted: 09 Jan 2012 08:50 PM PST LAS VEGAS — Justin Timberlake, we learned Monday, is serious about bringing MySpace back. He’s so serious, in fact, that he actually showed up at Panasonic‘s press event today at CES to talk up MySpace’s partnership with the consumer-electronics giant, featuring a brand new MySpace app for TV. Timberlake’s appearance was brief, but entertaining — not unlike his frequent cameos on Saturday Night Live, which he alluded to. Mashable caught the whole thing on camera (above). Panasonic isn’t the first TV maker who has tried to make TV social, of course — though by partnering with a social brand desperate to remake itself, it could be the best attempt yet. The service is scheduled to launch in the first half of 2012. For the full skinny on Panasonic’s deal with MySpace, read our story on the announcement here, and check out Mashable‘s interview with MySpace owner Tim Vanderhook (apologies for the lousy sound): More About: CES, CES 2012, justin timberlake, myspace, Panasonic, social tv
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| Prepare Yourself: Kinect is Coming to Windows Feb. 1 Posted: 09 Jan 2012 08:18 PM PST   Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer announced on Monday the company’s gesture-recognition technology Kinect will come to Windows on February 1. It was the one intriguing nugget in a presentation more notable for its a capella tweet choir than its news. Balmer didn’t elaborate on what Kinect for Windows would look like, but one can assume that it would allow users to control the operating system without touching a keyboard or mouse. Kinect has already been a game changer for gaming and television — allowing, for instance, a child to interact with Sesame Street. It’s overwhelming to imagine how it could change computing. “Now I can bash my hands on the desk when it crashes, and it will respond,” joked one participant in Mashable‘s live blog of the event. Joking aside, perhaps so. Balmer said that Microsoft is working with 200 companies on Kinect apps, and there’s no limit to what they might include. Will we be doing spreadsheets or photo sorting by gesture? We’re looking forward to finding out more on February 1. Is there any way you would like to see Kinect applied to Windows? What apps would you make? More About: CES, CES 2012, kinect, microsoft
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| Samsung Unveils a Motion-Controlled TV and the U.S. Galaxy Note [PICS] Posted: 09 Jan 2012 07:55 PM PST During its keynote address at CES on Monday, Samsung unveiled a connected TV with voice and gesture recognition, WiFi-enabled cameras and its thinnest ultrabook yet. It also introduced its Galaxy Note smartphone to the U.S. for the first time. Here’s a look at Samsung’s upcoming devices from Mashable‘s seats at the address. Smsung ES8000 LED TV   Samsung unveiled a new voice- and gesture- controlled TV that uses face recognition to sign users into personal profiles. Click here to view this gallery. More About: CES, CES 2012, Galaxy Note, samsung, Ultrabook
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| Frequency Makes Any Website a Video Channel Posted: 09 Jan 2012 07:34 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.
Quick Pitch: Frequency compiles websites’ video content into television-like channels. Genius Idea: Using both social feeds and any website’s video content to create a better web viewing experience. With more than 3 billion videos viewed every day, YouTube still only accounts for about 44% of videos viewed globally, according to comScore. Other video upload sites such as Vimeo, news outlets and other websites account for the rest. Frequency, unlike most web video players, doesn’t ignore this video content outside of YouTube. It creates video channels from sites that use their own players, putting all of the site’s videos in one spot. LIke VHX and Shelby.tv, Frequency also compiles videos from social feeds so that you can, for instance, see all the video channels that your Facebook friends have posted — even if those videos are deep within an article rather than a standalone video. The startup launched its first iPad app, which lets users flip through these channels easily, on Monday. About 1,000 channel options come with the app, including Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Discovery Networks, WSJ Business, Forbes and The Onion. You can follow as many channels as you want. A thumbnail for each of your channels appears on the top of both web and iPad versions for easy access. Multiple channels can be combined to create one feed, and playback is non-stop.  Frequency’s interface is slick, and creating video channels from sites like Discovery Networks and The Wall Street Journal is a better deal than cable. But what really makes the company stand out from the increasingly crowded video space are its promising partnerships. Video platform Brightcove, which powers video for tens of thousands of sites, is adding an option to its product that lets customers publish video directly to Frequency. Since Frequency maintains all of its channels’ ads and player functionality, it’s hoping content creators will be eager to include and control their content on the platform. Samsung has also agreed to pre-load a Frequency app on all of its new Smart TVs this year. Frequency CEO Blair Harrison says that means at least 7 million people will meet the video platform when they flip on their new TVs — giving Frequency quite a head start when it comes to user acquisition. Image courtesy of iStock, Maica Series Supported by 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, Frequency, web video For more Business coverage:
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| The Real and Virtual Worlds Are Melting Together Posted: 09 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST   Arnab Sen is head of strategic planning at MRM, a global, top-five digital and direct agency in India. As a trained anthropologist, Arnab applies social science to develop working models that help decode and interpret cultures of consumption, categories and brands. Social science studies increasingly suggest that the divide between the virtual and real worlds is narrowing. Our experiences of reality may no longer constitute a duality. Nathan Jurgenson of Society Pages, a multi-blog social science forum hosted by the University of Minnesota, rejects the idea of dualism. "No longer can we think of a 'real' world opposed to being 'online,'" he says. Be that as it may, a life that crosses virtual and the physical boundaries raises new issues, and requires fresh approaches to understanding technology and culture. Recent debates about the ownership of virtual air, for example, demand new perspectives and resolutions. Actor Network TheoryTechnology is the process through which human beings and machines interact and, therefore, create culture. This concept is called the Actor Network Theory (ANT). The social theory studies the relationship between material things and immaterial concepts. This is the space in which product, usability, and ideas like brand experience and freedom of choice are located. In urban South Korea, retailer Tesco had made a strategic move to widen its footprint by installing Home Plus virtual stores in commuter rail stations. Images of physical shelves appear on 2D screens. Consumers shop the screens, using smartphones to scan product QR codes and purchase provisions that Home Plus will ship to their doors. The Home Plus innovation actually affords the speed and convenience of online shopping with the feel of a brick and mortar store, and in doing so, sits in between physical and virtual spaces. Seen through the lens of ANT, this innovation networks human and non-human actors (shoppers, displays, train stations, QR codes and delivery process) in a human – and thus, cultural – environment to acquire meaning. Does this make the experience somehow less than real? Probably not, though some of us might still prefer the brick and mortar store alternative. The Blurring BoundariesBeginning with the Internet revolution of the '90s through the development of Web 2.0, our lives have continually expanded to occupy virtual spaces. In Second Life, we bought virtual houses with real money; when playing FarmVille, we woke up in the middle of the night to save our virtual grapes from rotting. Does today's dualism make our lives inherently schizoid? Take geotagging, for instance. On the one hand it combines a physical element with cyberspace chatter, but does it also blur those boundaries? A sociological study of a very interesting experimental social game localized to the streets of Tokyo, for example, shows how “real-life” politeness affects the response of gamers to the actual proximity of others in their group. In a world where technology intervenes to enhance, or at least to modify our everyday experiences and the physical environment around us, social science studies of technology will be a powerful and invaluable tool to help designers, technologists, marketers, media, lawyers and consumer rights activists alike. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, maxuser More About: contributor, features, Tech, web culture
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| Flixster Lets You View Your Movie Collection On Select Panasonic Devices Posted: 09 Jan 2012 05:45 PM PST   Panasonic announced an app for its connected devices on Monday that could make your movie collection accessible on your friends’ televisions. The app, Warner Bros.-owned Flixster, will be available on the device maker’s 2012 VIERA Connect line, including Blu-ray players and HDTVs. Flixster helps organize movie and TV collections. The app also provides access to a cloud-based delivery system called UltraViolet that gives consumers access to UltraViolet-enabled content they have purchased — either through digital download or physical DVD — on any device. The integration with Panasonic connected devices will allow users to play UltraViolet-enabled content, which has been developed by Warner Bros. and other major studios, through their TVs. "One of the great benefits of UltraViolet is the ability to watch your content whenever and wherever you want,” said Steve Polsky, president of Flixster, in a statement. “If you're at a friend's house with a VIERA device, you can easily access your collection by simply logging into Flixster." In other words, the integration brings the idea of a true device-agnostic, cloud-based video library one step closer to fruition. Would you buy a TV or Blu-Ray player if it gave you access to every movie you ever bought or streamed? Let us know in the comments. More About: flixster, flixster collections, Panasonic, ultraviolet For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Is the HP Spectre a Real Ultrabook? [VIDEO] Posted: 09 Jan 2012 05:07 PM PST Hewlett-Packard unveiled its version of an Ultrabook at CES today, called the Spectre. The laptop has been designed to the nines — the back of the monitor is sleek black glass, and the 14-inch display is beautiful. But is it a real Ultrabook? Since the term is licensed and controlled by Intel, the answer is yes in the strictest sense. But here’s the rub: Ultrabooks are typically extremely thin and light, and the HP Spectre (technically the HP Envy 14 Spectre) doesn’t score well in either department. It clocks in at 3.79 pounds and 0.78 inches thick. Contrast that with the MacBook Air, which began the sleek-laptop trend, which weighs 2.4 – 3 pounds (depending on screen size) and has a tapered design that’s starts with a thickness of 0.68 inches but shrinks all the way down 0.11 inches. Besides that, the Spectre just feels kind of bulky. In a hands-on with the device, I was taken aback by its heft. Don’t get me wrong — this is clearly no bulky gaming laptop — but super-sleek, it is not. Intel publishes a list of “targeted features” for Ultrabooks, and they say that a laptop should be lighter than 3.1 pounds or thinner than 0.71 inches at its thickest point, or it doesn’t make the cut. By that definition, the Spectre doesn’t qualify. Does it really matter, though? The Spectre is still an impressive piece of hardware, with a beautiful HD Radiance Display and a Beats Audio system. It’s powered by either a Core i5 or i7 processor, depending on how you configure it. The backlit keyboard is better than in other HP Envy laptops, and it has a power-saving proximity sensor that only lights it up when someone’s using it. Battery life is rated as nine hours. The Spectre also has a weird but potentially very interesting feature: near-field communication (NFC). The technology is usually built into phones as a mobile-payment system, but HP uses it to make transferring things like links and maps to your PC as easy as waving you phone in front of it. Once you set it up, just tap your phone to the Spectre and the URL shows up in the laptop’s browser. Kind of neat, and has lots of potential. Scoring in its favor on the Ultrabook question is the 256GB solid-state drive, which helps speed up boot time along with Intel’s Rapid Start Technology. For connectivity, it has so-called “gigabit” Ethernet, USB 3.0, HDMI and Mini DisplayPort. The HP Spectre goes on sale in February, starting at $1,400. What’s your take? Is the Spectre an Ultrabook or not? And more important, would you buy it? Let us know in the comments. HP Spectre   The Spectre is HP's first Ultrabook, a new category of relatively affordable ultra-thin laptops with fast bootup times. Click here to view this gallery. More About: CES, CES 2012, Hewlett-Packard, Spectre, Ultrabook For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| 5 Free Homework Management Tools for the Digital Student Posted: 09 Jan 2012 04:29 PM PST 1. iProcrastinate This tool is useful for organizing to-do lists and tasks you deem most important. Syncing from your computer to your iPad or iPhone, this paperless alternative offers ways to organize your homework, exam and/or social schedule. After entering into the system what you need to get done, it offers ways to break down that task into parts to maximize the fluidity of your schedule. Additional perks include color-coding, priority levels and the ability to share tasks with others. Click here to view this gallery. With a new school semester kicking off, it’s time for you (or your kids) to learn from past mistakes and utilize all the help available on the web. With these homework management tools, there is no way you will fall through the cracks or miss an assignment this semester. With built-in voice recorders and interactive textbooks, these free tools will help you save both time and money. More About: apps, contributor, education, features, Google, Kno For more Tech coverage:
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| Nokia’s First LTE Windows Phone is Here…And in the U.S. Posted: 09 Jan 2012 04:19 PM PST
Dubbed the Lumia 900, the device builds on the powerful design of the Lumia 800 and adds some great new upgrades to the mix. It’s Nokia’s first LTE handset and it was built exclusively for AT&T. For those that liked the Lumia 800′s design but wanted a bigger screen and front-facing camera, this phone is for you. The Lumia 900 has a 4.3″ screen with a AMOLED ClearBlack display at 800×480. The screen on the Lumia 800 was one of the nicest I’ve seen — next to the Retina Display on the iPhone 4/4S — so expect this to pop with the blacks and the colors. In addition to the 8-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, the Lumia 900 also has a front-facing camera for video chat and self-portraits.  Users who are in an area covered by AT&T’s LTE network can experience true 4G speeds. If you are outside that area, it falls back on the still speeds HSPA+. Price and release information weren’t revealed — but we hope we see this one hitting AT&T stores soon. The Lumia 800 is easily one of the best looking and best feeling handsets I’ve had a chance to review. If the Lumia 900 can deliver the goods — and on a major network like AT&T — Nokia and Windows Phone might be able to make some inroads in the U.S. market. Let us know your thoughts on the device in the comments. Bonus: The Hottest Gadgets from CES UnveiledThermador CooktopThe Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. More About: att, CES, CES 2012, LTE, lumia 900, Nokia
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| Beyonce’s Newborn Makes Cameo in Jay-Z’s New Song [LISTEN] Posted: 09 Jan 2012 04:13 PM PST   Beyonce and Jay-Z have yet to give us a visual glimpse of their newborn girl, Blue Ivy Carter, but on Monday they did dish out some revealing ear candy in which we hear the infant for the first time. A new Jay-Z song — “Glory” (listen below) — features Blue Ivy at the end of the track after the proud poppa raps, “Words can’t describe what I’m feeling for real. Baby, I paint the sky Blue. My greatest creation was you.” Baby Ivy was born sometime on Jan. 7. She is reportedly named after two album titles: Jay-Z’s The Blueprint and Beyonce’s 4, which is IV in Roman numerals. Jay-Z announced the song Monday via a tweet, which includes a link to the track on his web site Life + Times. What do you think of the song and its lyrics, which reference a miscarriage and other intimate details? How Twitter Reacted to Blue Ivy’s BirthBlue Ivy made a name for herself before she even had a name or was born. At the end of a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, Beyonce confirmed her pregnancy by dropping her mic, unbuttoning her top and rubbing her baby bump. The “bump” moment broke Twitter’s tweets-per-second record at the time with 8,868 tweets per second. However, two unrelated events have since surpassed the “bump” in the record books. While the weekend birth didn’t reach the buzz level as the bump did at the VMAs, Twitter did experience a significant spike. Social analytics firm Simply Measured told Mashable that tweets per minute peaked at 2,379 tweets at 11:15 p.m. PT on Saturday, which is a “healthy number for a non-televised, rumor driven event.” The chart below shows the rise in the mentions of “baby,” “Blue” and “birth.”  Hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons was the first celebrity to congratulate Beyonce and Jay-Z via a tweet, according to Simply Measured. Other big-name Twitter users followed suit. Here is a list of some of the most-followed Twitter users who mentioned “Beyonce” during the time period measured above.  More About: beyonce, celebrities, Entertainment, jay-z, Music For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Bringing MySpace Back: Timberlake Unveils TV Service Posted: 09 Jan 2012 04:02 PM PST   Justin Timberlake just took the next step in his campaign to bring MySpace back. The pop super star and MySpace co-owner joined Panasonic on stage at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show to announce a new service that will make TV a whole lot more social. Available on the next generation of Panasonic VIERA ConnectT-enabled HDTVs, an app called MySpace TV will allow viewers to see what their MySpace friends are watching, and enable them to make comments through the TV set and via smartphone and tablet devices. The app will be available on Panasonic's new HDTV line, as well as some devices created in 2010, via a software update. Early channels on MySpace TV will focus on music, and then expand to movies, news, sports and reality channels. "We see MySpace as a companion to what the social community is watching," Marcus Liassides, executive VP of MySpace, told Mashable. "We plan to integrate the service with other social networks such as Facebook in the future too. But we aren't trying to reinvent TV. We're just evolving it and make it a shared experience even when you're not in the same living room." Liassides said the experience will likely be optimized by viewers using tablets and smartphones. A companion apps will be available on tablets and smartphones. “Why text or email your friends to talk about your favorite programs after they’ve aired when you could be sharing the experience with real-time interactivity from anywhere across the globe?” Timberlake said in a press release. “As the plot of your favorite drama unfolds, the joke of your favorite SNL character plays, or even the last second shot of your favorite team swishes the net, we’re giving you the opportunity to connect your friends to your moments as they’re actually occurring.” Although the company hasn't revealed when MySpace TV will become available, it's expected to roll out in the first half of 2012. Liassides noted that it's also working with other TV manufacturers to offer the app on other devices. Will you use MySpace TV? Could this be the resurgence of MySpace? Can Timberlake bring it back? Let us know in the comments. CES 2012: Mashable’s Photo Coverage From the GroundCheck out more gadgets, booths and appearances from our team on the ground at CES 2012. Thermador CooktopThe Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. More About: CES, CES 2012, justin timberlake, myspace
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| Posted: 09 Jan 2012 03:48 PM PST
As we embrace the new year, Pinterest has emerged as the answer to the question “What’s new in social media?” The visual bookmarking platform has been around since 2008, but seems to have caught fire over the last few months. A December report by Experian Hitwise pegged the site’s total number of visits for the week ending Dec. 17 at 11 million, which was almost 40 times the amount in the comparable period six months before. For those unfamiliar with the site, Pinterest is a social network built on recommendations. Members “pin” things to the site they like, usually photos. Like Instagram or Tumblr, the entrée for brands doesn’t seem immediately obvious, but, as the list below illustrates, there are opportunities. At Mashable‘s request, Pinterest has identified the following brands that it believes are following the site’s “best practices, which include:
What do you think of this list? Do you follow any other brands on Pinterest? Sound off in the comments. 1. Whole Foods Shopping at Whole Foods is a combination of the indulgent (Dark chocolate! $7 pints of ice cream!) and the commendable (recycling bins and cage-free eggs), and the brand's Pinterest presence revels in that dichotomy. Hence a "Sweet Tooth" board replete with cheesecake shots of, uh, cheesecakes next to a board for the Whole Planet Foundation, the company's charitable arm. Click here to view this gallery. More About: Advertising, better homes and gardens, Marketing, Martha Stewart, pinterest, real simple, today, whole foods
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| Chameleon Computer: Lenovo IdeaPad YOGA Twists into Tablet [PICS] Posted: 09 Jan 2012 03:45 PM PST   Buy-one, get-one free. Half off. Two-for-one. Consumers love getting something extra. Lenovo‘s new IdeaPad YOGA is being marketed as a four-in-one device. The chameleon-like computer can switch from a laptop to a tablet in three positions: flat, easel-like for touchscreen-based working, and a propped-up position. The company introduced the device at CES in Las Vegas on Monday. Open up the laptop to see the full-size notebook with keyboard and leather palm rest. Fold it at the hinges to create a 13-inch touch-screen tablet. The YOGA operates on Windows 8 and should offer up to eight hours of battery life. The company says the device is the “industry’s thinnest convertible ultrabook.” It measures 0.67 inches thin and 3.1 lbs. "It is clear to us that consumers want their four screens: mobile devices, tablets, notebooks and smart TVs — and they want them to work together seamlessly, anytime, anywhere,” says Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO, Lenovo. "The IdeaPad YOGA multi-mode notebook redefines the convergence and convertible user experience by bringing together the best of traditional PCs, with the best of tablets and more." The IdeaPad YOGA multimode notebook will be available in the second half of 2012 with an estimated starting retail price of $1,199. IdeaPad YOGA The Lenovo IdeaPad YOGA is marketed as a 4-in-1 device. Really, it's a 2-in-1, but users might find it useful nonetheless. Click here to view this gallery. More About: CES, CES 2012, lenovo, Tablet
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| Clothes Shopping With Bodymetrics Lets You Try It On for Virtual Size Posted: 09 Jan 2012 03:37 PM PST   Online shoppers may be able to buy clothes in their pajamas, but they never know just how well those purchases will actually fit. That problem may soon be history — thanks to a breakthrough piece of augmented reality technology from Bodymetrics. The company has partnered with PrimeSense on a 3D body-mapping product to be revealed this week at CES 2012. The product uses the same PrimeSense 3D sensors as Microsoft Kinect to scan a user’s height and waist size, as well as the other shapes and curves that make a body unique. After creating an account, users will be able to virtually try on clothes from partner retailers to get a true sense of how potential purchases fit. The 3D body-mapping will be available for preview at CES, but Bodymetrics is still fine-tuning its business model — including its final price, which the company said will be approximately $150. "When you walk into a clothing retailer or browse an online fashion site, they have no idea of your body size, shape or style," Bodymetrics CEO Suran Goonatilake said in a press release. "Bodymetrics body-maps you within a few seconds and gets hundreds of accurate measurements and analytics of your shape. Then, we match this data to the exact dimensions of a garment and allow you to virtually try it on your own body to see whether it is too tight, too loose or just perfect." Mashable tried out two new augmented reality shopping apps at DEMO last spring, but we decided they weren’t quite ready for prime time. The apps lacked precision and didn’t offer enough information on how garments would actually fit in real life. However, Bodymetrics believes its 3D figure-reader built on PrimeSense technology is the game-changer. The company has seven years of body-mapping experience, courtesy of a service it has offered at the Selfridges department store in London. The success of that product is a further indicator of Bodymetrics’ potential success. Internet shopping has already effectively shut down in-person book stores, video rental and travel agencies. The apparel industry has kept its physical doors open thanks to the imprecise science of online sizing. It’s not hard to imagine a product like Bodymetrics figure-mapper taking a large bite out of that pie, but to do so the technology will have to actually deliver on the hype. Beginning this week at CES, the jury of online clothing shoppers will be the judge. Check out the video below for more information, then share your opinion in the comments. Would you use a product like this? How else can emerging technologies improve online shopping? CES 2012: Mashable’s Photo Coverage From the GroundCheck out more gadgets, booths and appearances from our team on the ground at CES 2012. Thermador CooktopThe Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. More About: Augmented Reality, CES, CES 2012, ecommerce, fashion
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| Boycotting SOPA Supporters? There’s an App for That Posted: 09 Jan 2012 03:22 PM PST   If you refuse to support SOPA — like Google, Al Gore, Paul Ryan and many Internet companies — a new Android app called wants to help you take the next step and become a SOPA boycotter. The free App, Boycott SOPA, scans products’ labels to determine whether they are made by or associated with a SOPA-supporting brand. A product returns a “bad item” alert if it is made by one of 873 SOPA-supporting brands. College juniors Chris Thompson and Chris Doranti, students at the University of British Columbia, compiled the list from media reports and Reddit links. SOPA, if passed, would give the U.S. federal government power to disable a website it found to be in violation of copyright law. The app’s “bad companies” list includes subsidiaries and parent companies of supporting brands. Coca-Cola, for instance, made the list through SOPA-supporter L’Oreal, which is owned in part by Coke’s Nestea partner, Nestle. It does not include products such as movies and music, however. The heavy hitters of the entertainment industry are SOPA’s most vocal supporters. Doranti tells Mashable he’s aware the list isn’t exhaustive. “That’s why we include a disclaimer,” he says. The app has worked well enough to hit a chord with Android users, however. Doranti says that since launching Boycott SOPA on Friday evening, more than 5,000 users have scanned more than 15,000 items. Eventually, the app’s creators hope to make a version that would also identify offending items in other boycotts. They started with SOPA, says Doranti, since “we thought it would be a cool programming project … we’re connoisseurs of the Internet, and SOPA is going to screw the Internet up.” They are currently taking donations for “webhosting, pizza and beer.” 
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| Why Google Gives Its Search Projects Weird Names Posted: 09 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST   Google made more than two dozen improvements to its bedrock search feature in December, and the projects had cryptic internal names — including “Old Possum,” “SweatNovember” and “Pho Viet.” Why the funky nomenclature? “Code names make changes easier to talk about and remember, and they can also be a lot of fun,” Google tech staffer Pandu Nayak writes in a blog post. “You might remember ‘Panda’ and ‘Caffeine,’ but you probably don’t remember last month’s ‘Top result selection code rewrite.’” Nayak recounts one example of the naming process, from a 2010 revamping of Google Search’s question-answering feature. The previous incarnation was codenamed “DAFFIE,” an acronym for the tongue-twisting and mind-boggling title “Database of All Fact Fiction Information and Exaggeration.” When the company planned a complete makeover of the feature in 2010, engineer Amit Singhal riffed on the original codename’s similarity to the cartoon character Daffy Duck. Singhal dubbed the new system “Porky Pig,” likening the new answering feature’s quest to kill off the old one to Porky Pig’s efforts to eliminate Daffy Duck. “The team laughed thinking that Amit was just confused (everyone knows Elmer Fudd is the hunter),” Nayak writes. “But, it turns out Amit was right, as he often is. In 1937 in the original cartoon to feature Daffy Duck, Porky Pig was in fact hunting Daffy.” In December, “Old Possum” enabled faster mobile browsing by skipping redirects to take users straight to pages optimized for smartphone browsers. “Pho Viet” introduced more accurate spelling predictions for search queries in Vietnamese, and “SweatNovember” improved accuracy in translating Hebrew synonyms. Here are some of the other improvements Google says it made made to its search feature last month: adding live results for NFL and college football information; tweaking the +1 to only show up when search results are hovered over or have already been recommended; better spam detection for image results; more accurate country-specific results; and improved lyric searches. To see the full list, click here. What Google Search improvements would you most like to see? Where do you think “Old Possum,” “Pho Viet” and “SweatNovember” got their codenames? Let us know in the comments. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, LICreate More About: Google, google search For more Tech coverage:
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| Stereotype Debunked: Women Buy More Technology Than Men Posted: 09 Jan 2012 02:48 PM PST   Women are more likely than men to purchase tablets, laptops and smartphones – three out of the four top consumer electronics categories, according to a new study. Retailer HSN asked 2,000 consumers, ages 18 and older about their buying habits in the consumer tech space. The study, which was conducted in late 2011, asked men and women which products they intend to buy before January 1, 2012. Women expressed more interest in tablets (18%), laptops (20%) and smartphones (20%). Only 15% of men planned to buy a tablet, while 14% sought a laptop and 17% intended to buy a smartphone. The only category in which men surpassed female interest was flat screen LCD TVs, with men (19%) favoring the sets over women (17%). “The tech industry has long been dominated by men — even at CES — but women are really the powerhouse in the household driving purchase decisions,” Jill Braff, executive VP of digital commerce for HSN, told Mashable. “Women are highly engaged with the latest and greatest gadgets and technology.” The study also found that once a woman owns a product, it's heavily used over time. Women engage in more digital media activities — including watching full length movies online, downloading music and uploading pictures to the Internet — than men. When it comes to deciding which electronic devices to buy, about 32% of women — compared to 26% of men — said ease of use was most important. Women bought an average of 4.7 consumer electronics products in 2010, according to the study. Men purchased an average of 4.2 products. Meanwhile, 88% of women purchased any tech-related item in 2010, compared to 83% of men. Women are also playing gaming consoles more than they were in previous years, especially on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the study found. Women (54%) are most interested in social gaming with multi-players, compared to 45% of men. In addition, females are 40% more likely play games on Facebook. “This is not surprising,” Braff said. “Women love to communicate and interact with others and online entertainment is becoming an extension of that.” In addition, Braff noted that the most popular tech item purchased from HSN is a purple scanner. “It's not just about black, white and gray anymore,” Braff said. “It’s also not just about features – it's about simplicity, the seamless use of technology and how technology fits into your lifestyle.” Are you surprised that women buy more tech than men? Share your thoughts in the comments. CES 2012: Mashable’s Photo Coverage From the GroundCheck out more gadgets, booths and appearances from our team on the ground at CES 2012. Thermador CooktopThe Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. More About: CES, CES 2012, computers, Facebook, Gaming, laptops, smartphones, tablets
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| 13 Tips for Increasing Your Company’s Google Rank Posted: 09 Jan 2012 02:33 PM PST   Scott Gerber is the founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes youth entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment and underemployment. The YEC provides young entrepreneurs with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a business’s development and growth. It goes without saying that entrepreneurs know the importance of search engine optimization, and how to boost their Google search rankings. Right? Or is SEO a foreign language that you haven’t quite mastered? Google rank is critical to a business's success in this digital age. Savvy entrepreneurs know that search engine optimization is a necessary part of the marketing toolkit — and it doesn't have to be difficult. Instead of letting your Google rank get you down, apply these tips and techniques from a group of successful, young entrepreneurs in order to boost your company’s SEO results. 1. Create Evergreen Content |
| Apples to Apple: The Goofiest Infographic You’ll Ever See? Posted: 09 Jan 2012 02:22 PM PST Apple the company may be one of the largest on the planet, with more cash on hand than the U.S. government. But have you ever wondered about how it compares to the fruit of the same name? Of course you have. This MBA Online infographic raises the all-important question: how does the lunch box-staple fruit stack up against the Cupertino tech giant? Which industry makes more stuff, and which makes more money? While annual sales of the fruit beat out annual production of Mac and iOS technology in sheer weight (71 million vs. 138,000 tons), Apple’s sales just edge ahead of the fruit ($32 billion vs. $30 billion). Some interesting similarities: China produces 100% of electronic Apples and 44% of the fruit, a significant bite of the global crop. People on the U.S.’s West Coast are the biggest consumers of both; they eat 30% of the country’s apples. In the Bay Area, one in three people own an Apple device. Peruse through more comparisons below. Can you draw any more points that connect the technology and the fruit? We’d love to read your goofy additions in the comments.   Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, xxmmxx More About: apple, infographic
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| HTML5 Apps: The Future of AT&T’s Mobile Store Posted: 09 Jan 2012 02:11 PM PST   LAS VEGAS — AT&T unveiled new tools for app developers Monday, making it easier for them to create and distribute apps made with HTML5. AT&T said it will launch the HTML5 storefront for its App Center later this year, and that the new tools will allow developers to collect fees from customers by adding expenses to phone bills. The big news for developers is that they no longer have to make apps that run natively on Android or iOS — they can develop the app in HTML5, a universal standard. This will let them start selling their apps sooner. AT&T’s App Center promises to be less populated than the Android Market or App Store, and at the same time it will be curated — so customers would in theory have an easier time finding your app. HTML5 apps usually run via a mobile phone’s browser. AT&T’s new platform appears to be aimed mainly at Android developers, but since HTML5 is supported on most smartphone browsers (including the iPhone’s), it could be extended to iOS as well. As part of the HTML5 developer API, AT&T is making it easy for developers to bill customers right on their phone bills. Some other mobile APIs already allow this, but AT&T’s support for billing via HTML5 should bring the service to more customers. Besides the billing feature, other new developer tools include AT&T Cloud Architect, a “fast way to pick, provision and deploy servers over the web within minutes or hours, not days,” and an Application Resource Optimizer, which will optimize apps so they consume the minimum amount of data and power. Are you a developer? What do you think of AT&T’s new HTML5 app store and API? Let us know in the comments, and browse some of CES 2012′s coolest gadgets in the gallery below. CES 2012: Mashable’s Photo Coverage From the GroundCheck out more gadgets, booths and appearances from our team on the ground at CES 2012. Thermador CooktopThe Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. More About: apps, CES, CES 2012, HTML5, trending
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| Samsung Debuts a Boatload of Wi-Fi Cameras, Plus Cloud Storage Posted: 09 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST   LAS VEGAS — Samsung loves Wi-Fi. That’s the message from the company’s 2012 line of point-and-shoot cameras, since the company added the feature to most of the models it unveiled Monday at CES. Having Wi-Fi built right into the camera enables quick and easy sharing, and Samusng’s also debuting a cloud storage service so you’ll have a place to put them. Three Wi-Fi point-and-shoot cameras join the DualView DV300F, which debuted a few days before CES. The WB850F ($379), WB150F ($229) and ST200F ($199) all have Wi-Fi, letting photographers send images straight from the camera to friends via email or upload them to a service like Flickr or YouTube. Samsung says it’s “de-weirded” Wi-Fi (whatever that means) to make the integration extremely user-friendly. We thought Eye-Fi’s wireless SD cards had already done that, but we’ll put Samsung’s new cams to the test when we get a chance. With the announcement, Samsung’s also debuting its own cloud service, AllShare Play. Samsung kind of snuck out the launch of this service last week when the company mentioned it in the early release of the DV300F. We haven’t had any hands-on time with it yet, but Samsung describes it as more user- and mobile-friendly than folder-based services like Dropbox or SkyDrive. Users get 5 GB free storage (pretty much the standard these days), and it’s promised to work seamlessly with all the models listed above. Of those models, the WB850F is by far the leader of the pack, with a huge 21X optical zoom and a custom 16-megapixel image sensor that enables some impressive tricks. First, Samsung says it’s extremely fast, able to capture full-resolution still images while shooting 1080p video. It can also capture the hundreds of frames per second you need to recreate scenes in slow motion. Extra bonus: the WB850F has GPS on board to precisely geo-locate your shots, and you can even call up points of interest (POI). The 3-inch screen on the back is an AMOLED, sure to bring out those bright colors nice and sharp. The WB150F is a 14MP number with 18X optical zoom and 1080p video recording — not too shabby — though the sensor is a less-capable CCD number. And the ST200F is clearly more of an everyday model, with 720p recording and a 10X optical zoom. You’ll have to wait till April to get your hands on the WB850F, though the WB150F comes in January, followed by the ST200F in February. What do you think? Is Wi-Fi sharing your bag, or would you rather offload to your PC first? And would you use Samsung’s cloud service even if you had one of the cameras? Let us know in the comments. Samsung WB850F Point-and-Shoot Camera The WB850F ($379) is equipped with Wi-Fi and an impressive 21X zoom. Click here to view this gallery. More About: camera, CES, CES 2012, cloud storage, digital cameras, point and shoot, samsung, trending, wi-fi
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| Spike Takes a Stab at CES With ‘All Access Live’ Posted: 09 Jan 2012 01:34 PM PST   The Consumer Electronics Show, can be a bit of a mess with all the major announcements, celebrities and new gadgets hitting the show floor. But Spike TV aims to cut through the clutter with “CES All Access Live,” a multi-platform coverage experience airing Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. ET. All Access Live is already jam-packed with celebrity interviews and major product announcements. The show will be hosted by Geoff Keighley, Eliza Dushku and iJustine. It will feature interviews with 50 Cent, LL Cool J, Ludacris, Felicia Day and executives from Yahoo!, Nintendo, Google TV, Hulu, Spotify, Microsoft and Sony. Spike is saving all the big product news for the show, but has promised major announcements from Sony, Toshiba, Sharp, Polaroid, and ThinkGeek. Big announcements are pretty common at CES, but Spike has organized a ton of exclusives, making the All Access Live show an important stop for any techophile’s CES plans. If you can’t wait until Jan. 10 to get your news, the website has a steady stream of news, videos and social buzz to keep you in the loop. CES 2012: Mashable’s Photo Coverage From the GroundCheck out more gadgets, booths and appearances from our team on the ground at CES 2012. Thermador CooktopThe Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, PrimeImageMedia.com More About: CES, CES 2012, Gadgets, Tech
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| AT&T Shows Off a Slew of Android and Windows Phones Posted: 09 Jan 2012 01:21 PM PST   It’s one of the reasons why CES may be inching closer to extinction: so many products are announced at once that each one has a hard time distinguishing itself from the pack. AT&T demonstrated this amply when it let loose a scattershot barrage of new devices Monday — three from Samsung, one from HTC, two from Pantech, and a couple of intriguing firsts from Sony and Nokia that almost got lost in the shuffle. Chief among the Samsung Android devices — all with 4G LTE, all running Android 2.3 — is the Galaxy Note. This long-anticipated phone-tablet hybrid boasts a 5-inch screen and an “S-Pen” stylus for note-taking, cropping and copy-pasting. Samsung has shipped more than a million Galaxy Notes internationally — although the company won’t break out figures for how many it actually sold. No precise word on when the Note will arrive, other than “soon.” We’ll be getting our own hands-on at the Samsung booth, and we’re keen to see for ourselves whether a Newton-like stylus-based device can make it in the U.S., or if Steve Jobs was right when he insisted that a stylus was the death of touchscreens. Meanwhile, for the eco-conscious among us who get a little queasy when we consider what all this gadgetry is doing to the planet, there’s the Samsung Exhilarate — a phone constructed from 80% recycled computer parts. Pantech has a couple of devices — not just the Element, a waterproof 8-inch Android tablet, but also the Burst, a cheap little phone (likely $50) that doubles as a mobile data hotspot. And Sony? It got around to unveiling its first ever smartphone, the Xperia Ion, which will be exclusive to the U.S. It’s a pretty powerful beast with a 12-megapixel camera — the first smartphone on the market with a camera like that (although, of course, megapixels mean little) — and it will run PlayStation games, though without the benefit of an external memory slot. The Ion will run on Android 2.3, but Sony has committed to upgrading to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as soon as possible. On the Windows side of the aisle, AT&T promised the first LTE Windows phone from HTC, the Titan II, running on a 1.5 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It also teased a Nokia Windows phone, but we’ll have to wait till Nokia’s own event to tell you more about that. Nokia, at least, seems to have a good sense of how to build anticipation around the launch of a single device. Do any of these products float your boat? Let us know what you’re waiting for in the comments. CES 2012: Mashable’s Photo Coverage From the GroundCheck out more gadgets, booths and appearances from our team on the ground at CES 2012. Thermador CooktopThe Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. More About: android, att, CES, CES 2012, htc, samsung, sony For more Mobile coverage:
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| Tim Tebow Pass Lands in Twitter’s Record Book Posted: 09 Jan 2012 01:06 PM PST   Twitter reaction to Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow’s 80-yard overtime touchdown pass Sunday night reached 9,420 tweets per second, placing the event in the number two spot on Twitter’s most-tweets-per-second list. The game-winning moment surpassed onstage confirmation of Beyonce's pregnancy during MTV's Video Music Awards in August (8,868 TPS) but fell well short of besting the online buzz sparked by Japanese anime movie Castle in the Sky in December (25,088 TPS). Twitter announced the new sports record Monday with this tweet:
During Sunday’s AFC wild-card playoff game, Tebow threw a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in overtime to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23. The social web immediately reacted — and still is — as six Broncos-related topics are currently trending on Google. The top topic: Bible verse “John 3:16,” which Tebow emblazoned on black eye paint during the 2009 BCS Championship game. On Sunday, Tebow broke the yards-per-completion record with 31.6 and threw for 316 passing yards. The number comparisons lit up Twitter as did congratulatory tweets, dismay from Steelers fans and commentary about the NFL’s new overtime playoff rules. The sports moment that previously held the highest spot (now ranked fifth) on the list was the end of the FIFA Women’s World Cup final match between the U.S. and Japan in July. Top 15 Tweets-Per-Second Moments
 White House The White House tweeted this at 11:35 p.m. ET. shortly after President Barack Obama spoke the words during a live statement. Click here to view this gallery. More About: nfl, Social Media, sports, trending, tweets per second, Twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| DROID 4 Touted as Thinnest, Most Powerful 4G LTE QWERTY Smartphone Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:59 PM PST   Motorola unveiled Monday at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show a new device it's calling the thinnest and most powerful 4G LTE QWERTY smartphone. The DROID 4 – the fourth edition of the Verizon flagship phone — is the latest Android-powered smartphone to run on the carrier’s 4G LTE network. Touted as the thinnest smartphone – measuring a half of an inch thick — the sleek device packs a strong interior with a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM. It also features a five-row QWERTY keyboard with edge-lit keys to help users type fast even in the dark. In addition to a 4-inch qHD display, it also features an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture and Mirror Mode to display images and video on an HDTV. The device is expected to produce lightning-fast speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps within 4G LTE Mobile Broadband coverage areas. The company also unveiled the DROID RAZR MAXX, which Verizon calls the longest-lasting smartphone on the market. Its battery is expected to last 21 hours before recharging. The device ($299.99) is 8.9 mm thick and features 32 GB of memory. Both devices are expected to debut in the upcoming weeks. CES 2012: Mashable’s Photo Coverage From the GroundCheck out more gadgets, booths and appearances from our team on the ground at CES 2012. Thermador CooktopThe Freedom Induction Cooktop by Thermador allows the user to place pots anywhere on it's surface for cooking. Click here to view this gallery. More About: droid, Motorola, QWERTY For more Mobile coverage:
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| Meme Machine: 5 Hilarious Viral Topics Trending Right Now Posted: 09 Jan 2012 12:36 PM PST   The Mashable Meme Machine is a daily look at five hilarious viral topics spreading across the web right now. If you’re the type that scours the Internet for the best/worst of the best/worst, this new series is for you. There are so many blogs, forums, memes and YouTube videos, how could one possibly keep up with it all? Fortunately, my colleagues Lauren Hockenson, Brian Anthony Hernandez and I do, which is why we’ve created this daily mash-up. Check back every weekday for more Internet rumblings that will either make you LOL or scratch your head in confusion. We apologize in advance. Today’s roundup features adorable spiders, three-legged dogs, goths in trees, high maintenance princesses and Tim Tebow. Enjoy the virtual sideshow. 1. Three-Legged Dog Here's a little inspiration to start your week. The comic originated from this Portuguese version, but was wildly popular on reddit this weekend. Your move, Sarah McLachlan. Click here to view this gallery. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, CostinT More About: comics, Meme, Meme Machine, trending, tumblr, viral, YouTube For more Entertainment coverage:
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Name:
There’s a hot new social networking property and, as usual, some brands have already colonized it.
You’ll want your content to take the top slots for your name and various keywords and phrases, so you’ll want to have high-quality, authoritative content. The best way to make sure your content is seen this way to is create content that is forever useful, not trendy and disposable. Create content that people will be reading 10 years from now, and you’ll be getting linkbacks for a decade.
Take a few minutes to login to each of your company’s online profiles. Is the biography up to date? More importantly, is your website’s URL listed somewhere? The incoming links from these profiles may not weigh too much in Google’s mysterious algorithm, but you’ll be surprised what it can do if you have more than a handful of accounts online.
Think about what your ideal clients and customers might be typing into Google, and then find out if your hunch is right by looking keywords up in Google’s free Keyword Tool. Keep in mind that 25% of keywords have never been typed in before, but you’ll want to aim for popular keywords with low competition if you can. Then write content around these keywords and learn to optimize.
I suggest hiring a search engine optimization company or freelance specialist to develop an effective strategy to improve your rankings. The Google Panda updates has made the SEO space even more challenging to produce results, so I suggest outsourcing this task to the professionals. Look for individuals or companies with proven track records, and monitor their bi-weekly reports closely.
Start guest posting on tons of relevant blogs. Blogs love fresh content, and for you it’s a great way to build links, which will boost your rankings on Google.
Yes, creating good content is very important to make your business rank higher in Google. But links are even more important. Google loves links, especially those from other relevant, authority websites. Join any and all industry associations, guest blog with a link back to your website, and submit your site to any relevant directories to grow your backlink profile and your searches.
Video is such a huge thing now for business owners. Not only does it give your company personality, but it can also be spread across networks while linking back to your site. Create great videos filled with information people can share and then repeat. Now videos can be distributed across multiple platforms from one single platform, causing Google to love you.
The biggest SEO secret is that when .edu sites link to your website it gives you a higher Google ranking. Contact college and universities and find a reason for them to link to your site by running a special internship opportunity, for example.
The more often you update your site, the more important Google thinks it is. If you can publish content to your blog every day, Google will start to recognize you as a great source of information for whatever your keywords are. With every blog post, you have another chance at ranking for new search terms, so each article increases the odds of your site being found.
Two effective ways of increasing your SEO rank are tagging articles and keyword analysis. You want to make sure your headlines are descriptive. You should also choose keywords that people are going to look for — so imagine yourself as a searcher.
Many small businesses, especially restaurants and bars, use 
Are you a local business? Have you claimed your listing on Google, 
The biggest mistake people make in trying to rank high in Google is having no clue what people are actually typing into search engines to find you. An easy way to find this out is to go to the Google homepage and slowly start typing in your phrases. You’ll notice Google suggested searches come up. Use those exact phrases in your titles. That’s what people want, so give it to them.
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