Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “10 Creative Ways to Use QR Codes for Marketing” |
- 10 Creative Ways to Use QR Codes for Marketing
- Paul McCartney Fans: Meet Your Nirvana
- Charting the CES Chatter, Friday Edition [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Apple Mini-Stores Coming to Target
- Why Companies Need to Iterate Based on User Feedback
- Internet Overuse Could Cause Structural Brain Damage [STUDY]
- Meme Machine: 5 Hilarious Viral Topics Trending Right Now
- Career of the Future: Data Scientist [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Intel’s Social Cockpit: A Command Center for CES Buzz
- After Labor Criticism, Apple Releases List of Suppliers for First Time
- Finding Nemo Leads Charge of Classic Pixar Films Turned 3D
- iPad 3 to Have High-Def Screen, LTE Compatibility [REPORT]
- Victory for SOPA Opponents: DNS Blocking Struck From Bill
- This Web-Connected Robot Gives Your Tweets and Facebook Comments a Smell
- Most Parents Monitor Kids on Facebook — And Have Their Passwords [INFOGRAPHIC]
- 5 Digital Publishing App Trends to Watch in 2012
- FTC to Investigate Google+ as Part of Wider Probe [REPORT]
- 1 in 10 Americans Make ‘Impulse’ Donations Via Text [STUDY]
- Why Google’s Social Search Is Too Much, Too Soon
- A Street View for Mars: App Showcases Rover Snaps from Red Planet [PICS]
- Comedy Central App Lets You Program Its Friday Night Line-Up
- Apple Is the World’s Top PC Vendor — If You Consider an iPad a PC
- Rdio Invades Europe, Brings Unlimited Ad-Free Digital Music to Germany
- Beautiful Time-Lapse Video Takes You Around the World in 6,237 Photos
- How to Plan Your Social Integration Strategy
- Lawmakers to Homeland Security: Monitor More Social Media
- ARM Shrugs Off Intel’s First Smartphone
- 8 Rumors About the iPad 3: What It Could Look Like, When It Could Arrive
- 5 Strategies for Creating Magnetic Online Content
- Malware Attack Targets U.S. Government Agencies [VIDEO]
| 10 Creative Ways to Use QR Codes for Marketing Posted: 13 Jan 2012 09:13 PM PST      Ekaterina Walter is a social media strategist at Intel. She is a part of Intel's Social Media Center of Excellence and is responsible for company-wide social media enablement and corporate social networking strategy. She was recently elected to serve on the board of directors of WOMMA. QR codes have been around since the early ’90s, but only with the widespread adoption of smartphones and barcode-scanning apps have customers been able to easily access QR codes in significant numbers. According to comScore, 20.1 million mobile phone owners in the U.S. used their devices to scan a QR code in the three-month average period ending October 2011. In the big scheme of things, this isn't a large number. However, the number of people using QR codes is expected to grow. Will QR codes reach widespread public consciousness, or are they destined to be a quirky aside for mainstream promotional campaigns? The trend towards increasingly complex personal technology suggests that the potential is there, but the question remains whether marketers will fully exploit the opportunities QR codes have to offer. So, what can marketers do to take customers out of their comfort zones and try something new? The ability to access information won't drive customers to a product's site unless there's a reason for them to do so. Below are some of the most creative, fun and interesting examples of QR code marketing that show QR codes have the potential to enrich the product experience and offer the customer real value. 1. Reinventing the Shopping Experience Global supermarket giant Tesco solved the problem of enticing hard-working, time-strapped Koreans into its stores by bringing the shopping experience to them, with virtual stores based in subways and metro stations. Shoppers were encouraged to browse life-like images of supermarket shelves with their smartphones and scan the QR codes on products to add them to their shopping carts, all whilst waiting for the metro. Their purchases would then be delivered to them at home, with no need to carry heavy bags. Click here to view this gallery. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, youngvet More About: contributor, features, Marketing, QR Codes
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| Paul McCartney Fans: Meet Your Nirvana Posted: 13 Jan 2012 08:54 PM PST   Get ready Paul McCartney fans: HP and McCartney’s company have launched a cloud-based music sharing site for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in his digital library. “The digital library can store the estimated million (plus) items from McCartney's expansive personal collection, which spans more than five decades,” says Scott Anderson, vice president of Customer Communications at HP. “The site is a vehicle for Paul McCartney fans to view new photographs, videos, news of what's happening, accounts of what happened, and backstage moments.” HP announced news of the site on Thursday, although the beta site has been up for a few weeks. The project was one year in the making. McCartney’s company, MPL Communications, Ltd. which manages all of his music and has acquired numerous other labels over the years, teamed-up with HP to present the new site. Follow the link to the homepage and you’ll be greeted with a large photo of McCartney performing and 13 tabs up at the top. There’s a lot of cool features on this site, but first things first — the music. Click on the Jukebox tab, which is placed all the way on the right side. It’ll open a new window when you click on it. Here you can find all of McCartney’s post-Beatles albums, listen to snippets of songs before you decide to buy an album and also listen to others’ playlists. You’ll also be able to see all the albums a song was recorded on, the first time and location a song was played in concert, the number of times a song was played in concert, the date and location of every concert where each song was played and the set list for each of the concerts — if you’re curious. Click on the “music” tab to view album covers, buy songs and read about past concerts. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “The Rude Studio” to create your own mix using McCartney songs. Post the mix on the site for other members to listen to and comment on. Premium members of the site can also live-stream music on Paul McCartney Radio and build and share playlists with a premium membership. HP said they are not aware of any advertising the music streaming service will have between songs (like Pandora). We reached out to HP to ask how much a premium membership costs or if it’s free and are waiting for a response. But the site offers a lot more than music. You can also take a gander at his collection of artwork, books, his blog and check out a timeline of McCartney’s personal photos. What do you think of Paul McCartney’s new site? Will you join? More About: cloud computing, Music, paul mccartney For more Business coverage:
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| Charting the CES Chatter, Friday Edition [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 08:33 PM PST What were the hottest brands, trends and topics on Thursday’s penultimate day of CES 2012? People couldn’t stop buzzing about Motorola for the second consecutive day. OLED display technology and tablet devices are still popular, but ultrabook laptops faded in the conversation as audio and gaming technology surged. And people shared more CES-related video than ever. All this comes to us via Twitter this week in Las Vegas, provided by Simply Measured analytics. Click here for our report from Thursday, here for our report from Wednesday and here for our report from Tuesday. Check back this weekend for a comprehensive breakdown of CES Twitter buzz as a whole. How Did Thursday’s Twitter Chatter Compare to Last Year?As on the previous two days, overall Twitter talk tagged #CES showed the same general trend in 2012 as 2011, but with people tweeting at a higher rate this year. On Thursday both years, the Twitter action started slow in the wee hours before ramping up to peak in the late morning and then gradually ebb as the afternoon wore on. (Note on graphics: CES officially runs Tuesday through Friday, so Monday is referred to as "Day 0,” Tuesday is referred to as "Day 1," Wednesday is referred to as “Day 2″ and Thursday is referred to as “Day 3.”)   Thursday’s Biggest BrandsMotorola dominated the #CES-tagged conversation on Thursday, and peaked quite early in the day. The company has been very successful in creating buzz this year, largely on the heels of its announcement that it has agreed on a multi-year deal to create a series of Intel-based phones and tablets. No one came close to matching Motorola on Thursday, although Samsung did see a modest jump around late morning. The Hottest TrendsAudio technology enjoyed a big Thursday, becoming the most mentioned tech trend for its first time this week. OLED display technology has remained steady all week, although Thursday represented its least noteworthy day so far. Meanwhile, slim ultrabook laptops have faded in relation to tablet devices over the course of CES 2012. Could this portend ultrabooks’ ability to compete against tablets? Thursday’s Most Popular DomainsPeople shared more video than ever on Thursday, with YouTube becoming the top-tweeted domain name for the first time this week. As usual, the list of most-tweeted domains was heavily dominated by tech news and social sharing sites. Twitter has remained strong all week and hovered near the top of the chart again on Thursday, while Facebook had another slow day following a solid start to the week.
Who Are the Overall Brand Leaders?Microsoft and Motorola are now tied for the largest share of #CES-tagged tweets, but are traveling on opposite trajectories. Microsoft grabbed a whopping 12% of the conversation on Monday, when CEO Steve Ballmer gave a highly anticipated keynote address, but has trended downward since. Motorola started slow but has increased in percentage each day. But Microsoft has gotten more value per tweet, as people who mention the Seattle company have an average of 6,605 followers. That doesn’t measure up to Google, though; its mentioners average more than 13,000 followers each. But enough from us. What does this data tell you? Let us know in the comments. More About: CES, CES 2012, infographics, Twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| Apple Mini-Stores Coming to Target Posted: 13 Jan 2012 07:18 PM PST   Target has confirmed that it will be introducing 25 Apple mini-shops within its stores this year. Last week, rumors that the discount retailer might be partnering with Apple started to circulate, but the company revealed to the New York Times on Thursday that it will officially test the store-within-a-store concept at various locations. The news came after Target announced it will be partnering with several specialty stores to attract more shoppers to its locations. Starting May 6, participating boutiques will come to Target for a six-week trial period and then be replaced by another participating brand. Stores involved in the program — called The Shops at Target — include the Candy Store, Polka Dog Bakery and home goods retailer Privet House. However, Apple is not a part of the program. “One of the reasons our guests love shopping at Target is our design partnerships. They create excitement and leave even the most loyal Target shoppers wondering what we'll do next," Brian Robinson, Target’s director of fashion and design partnerships, said in a statement. "With The Shops at Target, we're building on that sense of discovery by offering our guests a chance to experience one-of-a-kind specialty stores and boutiques through collections that have been specifically tailored to their wants and needs.” Although Target is already carrying some Apple products, the store-within-a-store concept will be an extension of that and likely feature floor space and signs dedicated to the brand. Will you be checking out the Apple mini-stores in Target? Let us know in the comments. More About: apple, Mobile, trending For more Tech coverage:
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| Why Companies Need to Iterate Based on User Feedback Posted: 13 Jan 2012 06:40 PM PST   Ryan Martens is the founder and CTO of Rally Software, which provides agile application lifecycle management solutions and services to software developers. Rally is Ryan’s fourth software startup. Follow him on Twitter @RallyOn. Unfortunately, Twitter and Facebook have become real-time streams of rotten tomato throwing. Just ask Bank of America, which encountered wrath from its Facebook customers when it decided to tack on monthly debit card fees. Or Virgin America, when its site crash and subsequent system failure ignited a blaze of ticked-off fliers. We all know the drill: You're supposed to listen to your customers in social media, engage them authentically, and act like the human you are, not the company you represent. But I'm here to add that engaging with customers after they start using your product isn’t enough. You simply can’t wait until customers start getting mad and yelling at you online to change your product or strategy. At that point, it’s too late. Given the ability to reach customers and prospects via social networks, it’s now easier than ever to embrace customers in your product development process. Changing this process may not save you from the inevitable system failures, but it will help you avoid the slip-up phases typically associated with releasing new products or services. Users rule the world now; therefore, businesses must be more responsive by using agile and lean practices. Here are three simple steps to guarantee the development of desirable products and services. 1. Find Your EarlyvangelistsToday’s smart company asks lots of questions up front. The brand involves its customers in the product development process from the very beginning. Often called the "customer development model," the premise is described by Steven Blank in The Four Steps to the Epiphany. Blank describes earlyvangelists as "a special breed of customers willing to take a risk on your startup's products or service because they can actually envision its potential to solve a critical and immediate problem." 2. Build a Minimum Viable ProductStart with bare bones. Put together a product that has the minimum bells and whistles, focusing on the must-have features only. Let your customers try it out and see what they like. Let them tell you what is missing. Let them tell you what is extraneous. Then build what really satisfies that problem, and stop there. When you solve a problem for earlyvangelists, you build a supportive customer base that will promote the product to other visionary customers. You may now consider whether this product is desirable for an even larger market. In the software world, agile and lean software development methodologies leverage fast feedback from customers. Google's product cycle is a pretty classic example of this customer-focused approach. Gmail Labs was designed to tighten the feedback loop between users and developers, so that it could learn quickly what people liked and disliked. It took out the extra step of having to go to a customer support forum or email a representative, and let users communicate directly with developers. This experiment greatly increased the frequency and quality of feedback, which in turn, allowed Google to rapidly improve Gmail and its suite of apps. Eric Ries's book, The Lean Startup goes into these concepts in great detail, explaining how applying a combination of agile customer development methods and lean social media engagement can create a true collection of thinking and acting tools for today's complex world. 3. Release, Iterate and RepeatOnce you have a desirable initial product, you can begin to test extension and offers into other markets and user segments. Using tools like KISS Metrics, you can now easily track the conversion metrics based on different offers to different segments before you build. This type of market feedback allows you to bring back "validated learnings" to the product team. It lets you co-develop your market in the most capital-efficient and viral way possible. This is where the value of agile development kicks in. The short growth cycles that adapt to both positive and negative feedback let you steer your product into the segments without wasting precious development cycles. Surprisingly, many companies aren’t really embracing customer development yet. Maybe because they’re still afraid of what lies beyond company walls. If you have not figured out how to energize or support your customer base in 21st century social networks, then you might be very cautious with customer development. So knock those walls down and begin truly embracing customers and prospects early in your development process. It's clear that users rule, but they need you to make projects affordable and scalable first. Otherwise, be prepared for a social media rotten tomato storm. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Mableen More About: contributor, development, features, Social Media, Startups, user feedback For more Business coverage:
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| Internet Overuse Could Cause Structural Brain Damage [STUDY] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 06:06 PM PST   Unlike drugs and alcohol, excess Internet usage could help your career, make you more informed and keep you up-to-date with the latest hilarious memes. But a recent (small) study by researchers in China showed that too much Internet usage — to the point that it’s an addiction — can cause structural damage to your brain. The researchers studied 17 adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) and found structural and functional interference in the part of the brain that regulates organization, possibly causing cognitive impairment similar to that caused by gambling and alcoholism. Here’s the science behind it: White matter is composed of nerve cells, while the gray matter that we hear so much about is made up of cell bodies. Myelin is a type of fat in the white part (nerve-heavy area) of the brain. This fat insulates the white matter in the brain and makes the transmission speed between nerve signals fast. The researchers took MRI scans of the subjects and used a method called fractional anisotropy (FA), which measures organization in the brain by locating the presence of white matter. The teens in the study who had been diagnosed with Internet addition showed lower FA than the typical teens. However, the study only tested 17 young people with IAD and compared them against 16 healthy control subjects. “Overall, our findings indicate that Internet addiction disorder has abnormal white matter integrity in brain regions involved in emotional generation and processing, executive attention, decision making and cognitive control,” write the authors. “The results also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction and impulse control disorders.” Internet addiction is not officially recognized as a disorder because it has yet to be classified in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), an encyclopedia of mental and cognitive-related conditions that’s a virtual bible for psychologists. But the American Journal of Psychiatry says IAD is common and should be included in the DSM-V, due out May 2013. People struggling with addiction often exhibit the same types of compulsive and impulsive behaviors. Something becomes an addiction when it interferes with daily activities and the person’s ability to enjoy life without that thing — whether drugs, gambling, Internet or some other vice. Some people might joke they’re addicted to their smartphone or computer, but there’s a difference between a constructive and enjoyable habit, and a real addiction. Are you addicted to the Internet? Take the poll below and read these symptoms from the American Journal of Psychiatry’s article about Internet addiction: “All of the variants share the following four components: 1) excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives; 2) withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible; 3) tolerance, including the need for better computer equipment, more software or more hours of use, and 4) negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation and fatigue.”
Do you think a person can be clinically addicted to the Internet? More About: addiction, internet, Mental illness, trending
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| Meme Machine: 5 Hilarious Viral Topics Trending Right Now Posted: 13 Jan 2012 05:58 PM PST   The Mashable Meme Machine is a daily look at five hilarious viral topics spreading across the web right now. Time for your daily ride on the strugglebus to your ever-loving Meme Machine. We folks here at Mashable do love a good laugh, and thankfully our comedy is sustained by our constant obsessing over the Internet. These nuggets have the pop to emerge from their own weird corners of the web, and produce some chuckles along the way. Today’s theme seems to be conflict. Conflict with the government, conflict with animals, and even conflict with ourselves (and mismanagement in a resources-based viral iPhone game). So, time to enjoy a fancy bit of schadenfreude and consume some tasty memes! Got a tip for us? Feel free to contact Brian Anthony Hernandez (@BAHjournalist), Christine Erickson (@christerickson) or Lauren Hockenson (@lhockenson). 1. Fred & Pid'gin: Don't Stop Me Now Reddit has been upvoting some great pieces of material discussing SOPA and this cartoon is no exception. With a hearty helping of pop culture in the form of that scene in the original Superman where Christopher Reeve angry-flies around the Earth to prevent his lady-love, Lois Lane, from biting the dust. Humor aside, it is eerily accurate about what the affects of SOPA could do to our Internet lives. Leave it to Reddit to drop a bunch of topical comics before blacking out. Click here to view this gallery. More About: comic, Entertainment, GIF, Meme, Meme Machine, tumblr, YouTube For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Career of the Future: Data Scientist [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 05:40 PM PST Want a job where the talent is scarce — and likely to remain that way for at least the next five years? Become a data scientist. That, at least, is the conclusion of a global survey of the number-crunching professionals by IT service company EMC. Some 63% of data scientists say the profession is going to be undermanned for the foreseeable future — and half of those see it as a serious shortage. In particular, the explosive growth of sensors — the so-called “physical Internet” — will provide organizations with an unprecedented wealth of data. But not all of them will have the capacity to turn that raw data into anything useful. Only 1/3 of respondents in the study were very confident in their company’s ability to make business decisions based on new data. “Data is the new oil,” says Andreas Weigend, Head of the Social Data Lab at Stanford and the former Chief Scientist at Amazon, in a statement. “Unfortunately, the technology has evolved faster than the workforce skills to make sense of it, and organizations across sectors must adapt to this new reality or perish.” Check out the rest of the survey data in the detailed inforgraphic below — and let us know in the comments if this is a career you’d like to pursue.   For more Business coverage:
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| Intel’s Social Cockpit: A Command Center for CES Buzz Posted: 13 Jan 2012 05:30 PM PST   LAS VEGAS — CES 2012 is likely to be remembered as the most social trade show yet. The products themselves have had a huge focus on connectedness while social chatter around the event has increased significantly since last year. For Intel, a social conversation tracker was a natural fit for the company’s booth this year. Dubbed “the Social Cockpit,” Intel’s tool is an Adobe-Air based desktop application that collects CES buzz on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs and forums. Don’t let the name fool you: There’s no control yoke or headsets. Rather the analytics tool is projected on screens in a small private room above Intel’s main booth area, serving as its team’s social command center. The Social Cockpit tracks not just hashtags, but specific topics, products and brands being discussed online. The data is updated each hour to give a sense of who’s on top throughout the day as well as a daily report to sum up social conversation, said Aaron Strout of WCG, a communications agency that helped with the project. While much of the data on Intel’s dashboard suggests widespread interest in ultrabooks, it also showed that Microsoft, Sony and Samsung were on top throughout the week. Mentions of mobile, specifically Android, were significant as well, Strout said. The Social Cockpit may not be much different from monitoring tools like Radian6 or Chartbeat, but its presence at CES shows tech giants like Intel are committed to social media. These traditionally gadget-focused companies are aiming to gain a deeper understanding of how users engage around not only their brand, but technology in general. The next step? Allowing products to be driven by this social conversation. CES 2013: The social media world awaits you. More About: CES, CES 2012, intel For more Social Media coverage:
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| After Labor Criticism, Apple Releases List of Suppliers for First Time Posted: 13 Jan 2012 05:14 PM PST   Apple released an extensive list of its suppliers for the first time ever on Friday along with its annual report on labor conditions at contract manufacturers around the world. The move reflects an apparent sensitivity to increased public criticism of the company’s level of accountability and transparency regarding where and how its gadgets are manufactured. The data depicts a company that is moving toward better working conditions, but that still makes many of its high-cost products in environments that would likely be considered untenable in many of the places where those gadgets are used. For example, the portion of suppliers in compliance with Apple’s regulations on working hours climbed to 38% in 2011 from 32% the year before. But a success rate of less than 40% would be considered a failure in, say, Cupertino — especially with the maximum manufacturing workweek set by Apple at 60 hours. The 2012 report says that more than half of workers at 93 of the audited facilities exceeded the 60-hour limit at least once during a 12-week sample period. Apple says that it addressed the issue by beginning weekly tracking of hours at “facilities where excessive work hours were commonplace,” requiring facilities to “make changes to their work shifts,” and hiring outside consultants to provide training “on factory planning to avoid excessive work hours.” The audits also found 67 facilities that used pay deductions as a disciplinary measure and 108 facilities that neglected laws regulating overtime pay. The 2012 report says that more than half of workers at 93 of the audited facilities exceeded the 60-hour limit at least once during a 12-week sample period. Apple says that it addressed the issue by beginning weekly tracking of hours at “facilities where excessive work hours were commonplace,” requiring facilities to “make changes to their work shifts,” and hiring outside consultants to provide training “on factory planning to avoid excessive work hours.” The audits also found 67 facilities that used pay deductions as a disciplinary measure and 108 facilities that neglected laws regulating overtime pay. Explosions fueled by aluminum particles injured employees at two plants in 2011, according to the report. An explosion at a Foxconn factory in Chengdu killed four employees and injured 18 more, while a blast at a Pegatron factory in Shanghai injured 59 workers. Apple says that in response it enacted new requirements for handling combustible dust that include regular airflow and ventilation testing, better fire extinguisher availability and more thorough inspections of ductwork. In other findings, Apple reported that 72 facilities lacked management procedures for labeling hazardous waste, 74 facilities lacked procedures for disposing of hazardous waste and 125 facilities lacked procedures for the handling, movement or storage of hazardous chemicals. Also on Friday, Apple released a list of suppliers representing 97% of its procurement costs, its most extensive disclosure in history. The list of more than 150 partners includes major companies such as Intel, Samsung and Seagate, the embattled Foxconn, and a host more obscure names. Lastly, Apple announced that it will become the first technology company to join the Fair Labor Association. The Fair Labor Association is a non-profit network that monitors working conditions around the world. It was co-founded by Nike after the athletic company endured a wave of criticism and boycotts over its sweatshop manufacturing centers in the ’90s. For Apple’s complete list of suppliers, click here. To read Apple’s entire 2012 supplier responsibility report, click here. What do you think of this data, Apple’s finally releasing a list of suppliers and its joining the Fair Labor Association? Let us know in the comments. More About: apple, Foxconn, trending
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| Finding Nemo Leads Charge of Classic Pixar Films Turned 3D Posted: 13 Jan 2012 03:51 PM PST Turns out that Disney loves the fishes because they’re going to be in 3D. Disney has announced that Pixar’s animated classic Finding Nemo will hit theaters this Fall for a limited, three-dimensional run. This isn’t the first time Disney has re-released 2D Pixar films in 3D. In the lead-up to Toy Story 3, the studio released Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in a 3D double feature. Finding Nemo 3D follows in the footsteps of Disney’s first 3D successes including The Lion King which earned $30 million when it was re-released in September and Beauty and the Beast which hit theaters on Jan. 13. The studio is hoping that Finding Nemo 3D will have similar success. That shouldn’t be a problem given that a film about an animated clownfish trying to find his son broke some impressive records. Finding Nemo won the 2003 Oscar for best animated feature, at release it was the highest grossing G-rated movie ever, and was named one of the 10 greatest animated films by the American Film Institute in 2008. Disney is also eyeing re-releases of The Little Mermaid and Monsters Inc. in 3D. Finding Nemo 3D will have to deal with some interesting competition. Disney isn’t the only studio getting into the 3D re-release race. Fox is re-releasing Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in February. This April, Paramount is helping Fox put out a 3D version of James Cameron’s Titanic which was the highest grossing film of all time until it was beat by the 3D film Avatar, which Cameron also directed. The films all play on a certain amount of viewer nostalgia. They also introduce classic franchises — especially in Disney’s case — to a younger audience. The question is whether the 3D updates can justify people throwing down the extra money to go see a film they already saw. The advantage of a Pixar film is that the digital nature of the source content lends itself well to 3D post-production. For certain films — especially Nemo, we’re downright excited about the possibilities. Is the 3D re-release craze exciting or frustrating? Should all classic Disney films be released in 3D or does Disney need to slow down? Sound of in the comments. More About: 3D, 3d movies, disney, Entertainment, Film, Finding Nemo 3D, pixar, the lion king, Video For more Entertainment coverage:
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| iPad 3 to Have High-Def Screen, LTE Compatibility [REPORT] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 03:18 PM PST   Another day, another rumor about the iPad 3. On Friday, Bloomberg reported that the next-generation iPad will feature a high-definition screen and be compatible with long-term evolution (LTE), a wireless network that gives users access to data more quickly. It will also allow users to move from app to app more quickly, as it will be running on a quad-core chip, according to the report. More than three sources confirmed the news, Bloomberg tweeted. The report says that Apple's manufacturing partners have increased production in Asia and will ramp up production even further in February. Production in Chinese factories is currently running on a 24-hour schedule. The next-generation iPad will also be compatible with LTE networks. The move is part of a larger trend among smartphone companies that are rolling out devices to the faster wireless network. For a look at other iPad 3 rumors, check out the gallery below. 1. Minor Upgrades iLounge recently reported that it saw a prototype of the next-generation iPad at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and that it looks just like the iPad 2, only thicker by about 1 mm. The camera in the top left corner is expected to be a bit larger than the iPad 2 and similar to the improved camera featured on the iPhone 4S. It's also been rumored that the next-generation iPad will have a high-resolution screen – possibly even double dpi -- and a stronger interior. However, the updates seen by iLounge seem to be more cosmetic than structural. Could the next-generation device be an upgrade similar to that of the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S? Click here to view this gallery. More About: apple, ipad, ipad 3, Mobile, tablets
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| Victory for SOPA Opponents: DNS Blocking Struck From Bill Posted: 13 Jan 2012 03:01 PM PST
SOPA, designed to combat digital piracy and copyright infringement, has been considered dangerous to the foundations of the Internet by many in the Internet and technology communities. As originally written, the bill would have blocked DNS requests for websites considered to be hosting content illegally. SOPA’s interference with the DNS system, which is a sort of phone book for the Internet, was considered particularly onerous by the legislation’s detractors. “After consultation with industry groups across the country,” SOPA author Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) said in a statement released by his office, “I feel we should remove DNS-blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the [U.S. House Judiciary] Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision.” The change will be considered a victory for SOPA opponents. Google, Facebook and Twitter announced their opposition to SOPA in a public letter published in November of last year. GoDaddy, an Internet domain registration service, experienced a severe public backlash when it announced it was in favor of the legislation. Smith isn’t giving up the fight against online piracy, though. “We will continue to look for ways to ensure that foreign Web sites cannot sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers,” Smith added. “Congress must address the widespread problem of online theft of America's technology and products from foreign thieves.” Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the author of the Protect IP Act (PIPA), also said in a separate statement he would be taking out the portions of his bill designed for DNS blocking and redirection Thursday. PIPA is SOPA’s sister bill in the Senate. An anti-SOPA protest is still planned for New York next Wednesday afternoon. Are you glad the DNS blocking and redirecting portion of SOPA is gone? Let us know in the comments below. More About: SOPA, stop online piracy act
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| This Web-Connected Robot Gives Your Tweets and Facebook Comments a Smell Posted: 13 Jan 2012 02:56 PM PST A company has found a way to incorporate smells into the Internet. Imagine, your significant other mentions you on Twitter and magically you smell his/her perfume. If someone tags you in a Facebook video, the scent of buttered popcorn or fruit fills the room. Olly makes an Internet with smell possible. Olly — a web-connected smelly robot — created by London and New York-based company called Mint Foundry will give all your online notifications a scent. The creators figured since the web incorporates sight and sound, it’s time to experience it in a different way. Olly would scent anything from a tweet on Twitter, Like on Instagram, to a photo tag on Facebook. As seen in the video, Olly is a compact white box that has a removable space in the back that can be filled with any scent you desire. The company suggests essential oils, fruit, perfume, cologne or a drop of gin. They can be stacked, so you can give all your online accounts a different smell. The process would involve downloading an application, signing in with a username and password into the Olly app and having the physical Olly reader. Olly is not available for purchase yet. The company is working to garner backers for the project. Would you want to experience the web with smell? Leave your thoughts in the comments. More About: Facebook, Gadgets, mashable video, Robot, Social Media, Twitter For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| Most Parents Monitor Kids on Facebook — And Have Their Passwords [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 02:47 PM PST If you think parents are keeping tabs on their kids' Facebook profile pages and pictures, you're absolutely right. According to a new infographic released by market research firm Lab42, parents are keeping a watchful eye on their child via Facebook, with many checking out their pages daily (43%). The study — which was conducted among 500 social media users – found that 92% of parents are Facebook friends with their children (of all ages) and more are turning to the site to monitor their kids' interactions. Safety was named as the top reason for looking at their profiles (40%), followed by curiosity (15%). But 55% of parents are also making sure the site isn't it interfering with homework, chores or other activities. Other top concerns include not spending enough time with friends and family (45%), the potential of meeting strangers (41%), bullying others (17%) and being a victim of bullying (16%). Meanwhile, a high majority – 72% — even have their kids' Facebook passwords. (Lab42 didn’t provide details on which age demographics for their kids fall into this category.) However, kids are also checking out their parent's Facebook pages too. In fact, they are almost equally writing on their parent's wall (54%) and commenting on photos (51%) as their parents. But even still, it's mostly the parents initiating the friend requests, with 55% sending it rather than receiving. Although most children make fun of their parents for their lack of Facebook knowledge (76%), most parents consider themselves very proficient (67%). For more stats on parent-child interactions on Facebook, check out the infographic below.   More About: cyberbullying, Facebook
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| 5 Digital Publishing App Trends to Watch in 2012 Posted: 13 Jan 2012 02:34 PM PST   Erik Loehfelm is the executive director of user experience at Universal Mind, where he leads the design team in developing new, immersive app experiences for a variety of devices. He is also a leading voice in the digital publishing industry. Follow Erik @eloehfelm and read his blog. Digital publishing grew tremendously in 2011. With the unveiling of new technologies such as the iPad 2, the iPhone 4S and Amazon's Kindle Fire, we've dramatically changed the way companies will disseminate information for years to come. But we've only begun to scratch the surface of what's possible in this space. While many industries have dipped a tentative toe in the water, most have yet to take full advantage of all the capabilities of mobile technology, and make the move from paper to digital, from passive to interactive. We predict that 2012 will see a wave of new digital publishing apps across a wide range of industries. Here are five new types of "digi-pubs" to watch for in 2012. 1. Movie Tie-InsThere are already apps and games that build on the characters and storyline of films; however, a huge amount of film content has yet to be tapped by a mobile framework. But this is just around the corner. For example, books based on children’s films essentially contain stills of the movie. With a relatively small effort, studios may start to turn children's films into interactive picture books enhanced with games and clips from the films. And considering the amount of work that goes into creating the bonus materials for a DVD, can the "making of" digi-pub for every major film be far behind? Unlike a book or a DVD, this content can also be made interactive and social. For example, an app could enable you to see all the actors' tweets or to follow them on Facebook. 2. Music AppumentariesSeveral musicians and labels have really started to embrace mobile technology to tell a deeper story and share directly with fans, and we've seen the early emergence of what some are calling the "appumentary." For example, the Jimi Hendrix – The Complete Experience app showcases pivotal moments in Jimi's life and career, streams his music and offers an interactive approach to storytelling. The This Day in Pink Floyd app contains thousands of music facts, a guide to every one of the 167 studio tracks the band officially released, as well as Pink Floyd images, quiz questions, video footage and more. The Sting 25 app offers access to Sting's seminal performances, rare photos and personal stories over the past 25 years of his music career. I anticipate that as more artists and labels embrace this new medium, we'll see an increase in digital music downloads and an explosion in new types of artist content, maybe even a new fan club paradigm with advanced and/or exclusive access to media or artist-driven content. 3. Medical Exam AppsHow many times have you been to the doctor and had them bring a laptop into the exam room? Probably not very many. While some medical practices have begun introducing some of these basic tools into their patient interactions, there's still a shocking lack of mobile technology usage in the medical industry. In 2012, the medical industry will have the opportunity to create a new paradigm for doctor/patient interaction using tablet technology. With the presentation of digital publications and apps that can distill complex medical theories and procedures into consumable bites, our understanding of conditions and treatment options will expand. Imagine your doctor sitting with you to go over some test results. With a digital records application, she could display your results on an interactive comparative chart that displays the averages of people in your area by age, race, gender, occupation or lifestyle. It could contain embedded videos of procedure descriptions. Your doctor could share access with you, enabling you to request other opinions from physicians across the world. You could tie in social experiences on community boards with people that have undergone similar procedures. All of this could be presented in an interactive and personal publication that embodies your entire medical history. 4. The Digital TextbookIn some ways, the foundational paradigms of education are in transition. There are opportunities in the education market that are huge and potentially transformative. Should students be carrying four or five textbooks to school each day? Could students purchase only certain chapters of books? Could books include text that is updated by authors in real-time? Could the concept of a "textbook" be a compilation of Wikipedia entries, content queried from Wolfram|Alpha, a professor's thoughts and musings and social network contributions? Not only is the content of today's textbooks ready to be challenged; the way this content is consumed is already in a state of transition. The introduction of e-text and Amazon's early versions of the Kindle changed how we read. No longer do we need to consume "printed" text in one form. Kindle devices and Kindle applications allow today's readers to enjoy published works in their choice of context – Kindle device, desktop, mobile app – and seamlessly switch between them. With Amazon's latest Kindle Fire tablet, consumers are now empowered with the Kindle experience on top of a mature Android platform. This platform of power and functionality will allow for new types of content presentation: interactive charts and graphs, embedded media, embedded discussions, sharing and borrowing, live discussions, etc. 5. Interactive Retail CatalogsUsing mobile technology in retail is practically a no-brainer, since investing in tech to reach consumers can pay off quickly. Brands like IKEA and Lands’ End have already begun to embrace the functionality of interacting with consumers on their mobile devices. In fact, many big-box and online retailers have begun to offer catalog apps that allow you to browse content on your iPad. However, most have simply taken their existing materials and published them in a similar form to their print counterparts. In 2012, there is a huge opportunity for retailers to bring their catalog experiences to life on the iPad. For example, shoppers should be able to build avatars and virtually try on clothes, making mobile shopping an interactive, enjoyable and functional experience. Homeowners should be able to take pictures of their living rooms and upload them to the catalog app, then "decorate" rooms with the items from the catalog. And forget paint swatches – soon you will be able to take a picture of a room, choose and try different paint colors on the walls, click to buy, and have it ready to pick up at a nearby store in 15 minutes. What are some digital publishing applications you'd like to see this year? More About: apps, contributor, digital publishing, ecommerce, Entertainment, features, medical, Mobile, predictions, Tablet
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| FTC to Investigate Google+ as Part of Wider Probe [REPORT] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 02:23 PM PST   The Federal Trade Commission will include Google+ in its ongoing probe of Google, according to a report. The FTC sees the launch of Google’s social network as relevant to its investigation into whether Google is violating antitrust laws by giving its own services favorable treatment, reports Bloomberg, which cites “two people familiar with the situation.” The FTC launched its probe into Google’s operations in June. The agency has investigated Google before, over Google Buzz privacy issues, but the FTC deems its latest probe its most comprehensive. The report comes the same week in which Google integrated its Google+ data into its search results, a move that prompted criticism from Twitter, among others, including watchdog group EPIC, which sent a complaint to the FTC urging the agency to look into the Google+ integration. Is Google+ a worthy target for investigation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. More About: FTC, Google, Twitter
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| 1 in 10 Americans Make ‘Impulse’ Donations Via Text [STUDY] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 02:06 PM PST   “Impulse decision” usually has a negative connotation — except when it comes to making charitable donations via text message. A recent study shows that almost one in 10 Americans has donated via text— and that it was an impulse donation. The Pew Research Center surveyed the response time for donations that came in via text message in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Three quarters (73%) of people surveyed who donated made their contribution the same day they heard about the campaign. And 76% said they do little research before making the donation. There are some major pluses to donating via text. No snail mailing checks or waiting on hold while you call-in to make a contribution. The speed at which money can come pouring into relief efforts with text donations could have a major impact on the recovery efforts, possibly helping solutions be implemented quicker. Those who were surveyed for this study gave to the “Text for Haiti” campaign, which was promoted by Michelle Obama in a public service announcement shortly after the quake. The campaign asked people to donate by texting “HAITI” to 9-0-9-9-9 to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross’ relief effort in Haiti. The American Red Cross had a similar program after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Currently, the Red Cross has an ongoing text donation program. Just text “REDCROSS” to the same number above (9-0-9-9-9) to make a $10 donation to the organization. Nonprofits are utilizing social media and real-time tools to make giving easier and faster. The World Food Programme released a food calculator app that lets users type in their favorite food, serving size and estimated cost and the app shows you how many children that could feed, and then make a donation. Last year, an iOS app called iSnooze was released that donates your money every time you hit the snooze button. Have you ever texted to donate? Do you prefer it to other methods? Tell us in the comments. More About: donations, haiti earthquake, michelle obama, texting For more Mobile coverage:
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| Why Google’s Social Search Is Too Much, Too Soon Posted: 13 Jan 2012 01:44 PM PST    Google’s recent change to its search engine is losing in the public opinion arena. Analysts have suggested the new feature, Google Search, plus Your World, “Pushes Google+ over Relevancy,” and “just made Bing the best search engine.” Twitter called it “bad for people.” Meanwhile, about 2,000 Mashable readers have answered the poll question, “Would you prefer that Google, etc. go back to their old ‘natural’ search methods or do you find that inclusion of this data makes it easier to find what you're looking for?” Sixty-three percent of them said they don’t want social search results. But is the idea behind “Search, plus Your World” terrible? We’re not so sure. Social connections are a potentially great way to determine relevance. That’s why Google, Bing, Blekko and DuckDuckGo have been incorporating social data into their results long before Search plus Your World arrived on the scene. And it’s hard to argue that some facets of Google’s new search feature aren’t useful. When you search for a name, for instance, the new feature returns results for the “Ben Smith” you are connected to rather than for hundreds of other men who share his name. Adding someone to a social network directly from a search results page? That saves me a step. And there are some searches for which social context is important. What I dislike about Search plus Your World isn’t that Google has more deeply integrated social data on its search results pages. It’s that the search engine has gone overboard with Google+ in a way that makes me feel like I’m being force-fed a new social network. It’s too much, too soon. Too MuchThe majority of Google’s revenue depends on people using its search engine, and most searchers choose to use Google over other search engines for one reason: it’s really good at returning relevant results. We don’t Google for the doodles, and we don’t Google for the Google+. Some of the ways that Google has integrated Google+ into its search engine interfere with its users’ primary objective of finding a specific piece of information. Social search results, for instance, often push more relevant non-Google+ results almost halfway down the page. When I search “Justin Bieber,” I see his official page, images from my network, three comments from my Google+ circles, and only then do I get to his Twitter page. He has 16 million followers on Twitter and posts frequently. He doesn’t have a Google+ page that I can find, so I don’t see any of his social properties without taking time to scroll down the page to the eighth result. When I Google myself, I get a full-page snippet of my own Google+ profile, complete with a button to update it.  I don’t have a problem with Google showing me what friends have said about a topic on its network or asking me if I want to update my Google+ profile. But I do have a problem with those results being so prominent that they make it harder for me to find the other information I’m looking for. If I want to know that much about what my friends are saying about a topic on Google+ that bad, I’ll search directly from my Google+ account. The same would go for comments made in my Twitter and Facebook networks, if they were included in Google’s social search results. It’s true that people who don’t want social results can simply hit a toggle switch to return to Google as they knew it last week (in my example above, this would make Justin Bieber’s Twitter page the fifth result), but it doesn’t make sense to me why social results can’t be incorporated less intrusively. Too SoonBy some estimates, Google+ is on track to reach 400 million users by the end of 2012. That’s twice as many as Twitter. Google hasn’t released user numbers for Google+, but analyst Paul Allen recently estimated that the site has about 62 million users worldwide. This means that no matter their potential, at this point in time, Google+ profiles are likely not the most relevant social search results. Including Google+ pages at the top of results, despite the network’s relatively low adoption levels, makes it feel like Google is using its search engine to amp up activity on its social network. But Google users have already made it clear they don’t like it when Google uses one service to turn them on to another. When Gmail-based Google Buzz launched in 2010, users complained so much about features that automatically added frequent contacts to the social network, and linked Google Reader and Picasa web albums, that Google changed these features four days after launch. Google could have launched an option for Google+ users to attach their accounts to Search rather than automatically connecting the products. It also could have waited until Google+ is more relevant before increasing the integration of its pages — in-rank with their actual relevancy — in search results. What I Want “Search, plus Your World” to BeI’m not in charge of fixing social search for Google. But if I were, here’s what I would change:
More About: Google, google search, Opinion, Search, Search plus your world, Social Media, trending, Twitter
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| A Street View for Mars: App Showcases Rover Snaps from Red Planet [PICS] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 01:32 PM PST   A new app that provides stunning images of the Martian surface taken by a NASA rover currently exploring the planet has been released for iPhone and Android devices. The free Mars Images app – created by computer scientist Mark Powell of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory – allows users to browse archived and new pictures taken from The Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover, which has been on Mars since 2004. The rover has been snapping pictures of the surface and making big discoveries, such as finding evidence that water was once on the planet, since its arrival. NASA plans to add images to the archive of Opportunity's sister rover, The Spirit. Both Spirit and Opportunity were put on Mars in January 2004 to conduct a 90-day mission of exploration, but the rovers stayed well past their mission time. Although the Spirit's mission ended in mid-2011, Opportunity continues to explore Mars's surface today. The six-wheeled vehicles – which are controlled by NASA employees on Earth – feature various cameras to take images of Mars and its surface, such as navigation, panoramic, hazard-avoidance and microscopic imager cameras to take pictures of small rocks. The app will also send pictures to directly to mobile devices once new ones become available. Image courtesy of NASA via Powellware.com
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| Comedy Central App Lets You Program Its Friday Night Line-Up Posted: 13 Jan 2012 01:13 PM PST   January is Stand-Up Month at Comedy Central — and the network is letting all you funny people program its Friday night line-up via a Facebook app, CC Stand-Up. CC Stand Up is an app attached to Comedy Central’s official Facebook page. Once users Like Comedy Central, they’ll be given access to the app which lets them vote for a series of comedians by watching short clips of their performances. The top-voted comedians will then have their pre-taped specials broadcast on Friday night at 9 p.m. Eastern Time leading up to a brand-new debut special from a featured comedian. The four premieres include Tom Papa, Kevin Hart, JB Smoove and John Mulaney, though users can vote on a huge swathe of top talent that includes pre-taped specials from Donald Glover, Aziz Ansari, Jim Gaffigan, Michael Ian Black, Chelsea Handler and more. The whole app has been built with social in mind. CC Stand Up was created by the same company, Omnigon, that built Comedy Central’s social dashboard for the Charlie Sheen Roast that blew up on Twitter. What’s more, “votes” are cast by following or “Liking” the comedian’s social profiles. Not only does this help boost those profiles but it necessitates that any participating comedians are also on Facebook or Twitter. “When you come in here and do “Like” or follow, you're liking or following the comedian themselves, not us,” says Steve Grimes, Comedy Central’s SVP of Digital Media. “You like our Facebook page to participate but after that we're really getting the audience to engage with the comedian directly.”  Comedians are getting involved as well. A news feed of tweets and comments from that week’s candidates shows them reaching out to voters and promoting their own material. “One of the main reasons why we’re so focused on these social platforms is that comedy lives on these social platforms,” Grimes says. There is also some social science around which comedians are chosen for the premier: “We took a central comedian and find comedians that are associated with them in some way, shape or form,” Grimes says. “you know, maybe he follows them on Twitter? There is some sort of social thread that connects them.” Stand Up Month is an annual tradition for Comedy Central but this is the first year that users have been the social keys to the comedy car. Grimes says the network wanted to get away from having one major showdown at the end of the month and instead focus on creating conversation and promoting a variety of artists and specials throughout the duration. Comedy Central has gone all-in when it comes to social, and CC Stand Up is just the tip of the iceberg. The network is getting ready to revamp its entire stand-up website, Jokes.com, to be more social. “The Facebook app is actually a bit of a sneak peek of what the site will look like,” Grimes says. The new stand-up site is expected to launch by late spring or early summer. Do you think Comedy Central is right to bet so heavily on social? Can networks trust us to help them program their shows? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.  More About: comedy, Facebook, Social Media
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| Apple Is the World’s Top PC Vendor — If You Consider an iPad a PC Posted: 13 Jan 2012 12:53 PM PST   A Deutsche Bank analyst has circulated a research note claiming that — if you lump iPad sales in with PCs — Apple is now the world’s top vendor. What’s more, Apple’s ascendance occurred not too long after the iPad’s release in 2010. As the company’s market share rose, all of its rivals — HP, Dell, Lenovo and Acer — started falling. They haven’t stopped since. The analyst, Chris Whitmore, sent the note after concluding that none of Apple’s rival has yet hit on a viable alternative to the iPad. “2011 was supposed to be the year of the Android tablet. One year later, Android tablets have failed to meet expectations and for the most part have been unsuccessful,” Whitmore wrote in the note, according to Fortune. “This year, tablets had a much smaller presence as vendors appear to be placing greater emphasis on Windows 8.” “We remain skeptical that Win 8 tablets will gain much traction this year,” he added. Whitmore concluded that the move away from Android to Windows 8 will take time, creating a “favorable competitive backdrop for Apple’s forthcoming iPad 3.” Whitmore, who based his chart on IDC data, isn’t the first one to assess how the PC market would look if iPads were considered part of the mix. In November, market research firm Canalys ran a similar calculation. Canalys, which did not provide data to support its findings, predicted that Apple would overtake HP as the world’s top PC maker “before the second half of 2012″ if you lumped in iPads. Update: An IDC rep has weighed in on Whitmore’s chart: “It appears the Deutsche Bank analyst simply added Apple’s iPad shipment number onto the Apple total for Q3 to make his point (conveniently ignoring tablets made by other PC manufacturers, most notably Acer). And he also didn’t bother to add in iPad shipments over the previous quarters, leading to the rather distorted hockey stick on the end of the chart. Not exactly the best analysis or presentation of the data, in my opinion.” Whitmore could not be reached for comment. So should tablets be counted PCs? Let us know what you think in the comments. Image courtesy of Flickr, THe D34n More About: apple, canalys, deutsche Bank, ipad
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| Rdio Invades Europe, Brings Unlimited Ad-Free Digital Music to Germany Posted: 13 Jan 2012 12:43 PM PST   Rdio is inching its way up to join the digital music mammoths that dominate the online and mobile streaming world — Grooveshark, Pandora, Spotify and Sony’s Music Service — not only in the U.S., but internationally. Music lovers in Germany can now listen to ad-free, unlimited streaming music provided by Rdio. Rdio has had its sight on Germany and Australia for expansion since last year. The company also has roots in Brazil and Canada. Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis launched Rdio in August 2010. One of Rdio’s top competitors, Spotify, which has been available in the U.S. for six months now, also has international ranks in Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Grooveshark — with service available in 30 languages — has a huge global audience including Russia, Japan, India, Turkey, Italy, Brazil and Germany. Sony’s Music Unlimited also has a big international with availability in 13 countries, including New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland and the U.S. Pandora, however, is only available in the U.S. Rdio offers a substantial catalog, with more than 12 million songs, and gives U.S. listeners access to free, ad-free music streams. However, there is an undisclosed cap on free listening with this deal. The company chooses not to disclose the number of songs or amount of free music users have each month, but a bar on the home screen dwindles down that users can track. New listeners in Germany will get a seven-day free trial of Rdio Unlimited with an email address or Facebook account. Pricing and plans available include Rdio Web 4.99 EUR (web only), Rdio Unlimited 9.99 EUR (web and mobile). Rdio’s expansion into German markets is just another step toward further growth. “Rdio's international expansion is an important milestone in the digital music service's plans to continue its international expansion across the globe,” the company said in a statement. Spotify is often compared to Rdio as a competitor in the U.S. One project conducted by Wired lists the top 20 artists that are exclusive to each. On Rdio, exclusive artists leading the list include Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and Bruce Springsteen. Other artists that are exclusive to Rdio include The White Stripes, Queen and Charles Mingus. Artists leading the list of artists exclusive to Spotify include My Dying Bride, Miles Davis, Candlemass, Funkadelic, The Pretty Things, and maudlin of the Well with two exclusive albums closing out the list. More About: Business, internet, Music, music streaming, pandora, rdio, sony, spotify For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Beautiful Time-Lapse Video Takes You Around the World in 6,237 Photos Posted: 13 Jan 2012 12:17 PM PST
This stunning time-lapse video puts you in the passenger seat of one man’s almost year-long adventure across 17 countries. In it, you’ll see 6,237 pictures spliced together to create several beautiful, fast-paced montages that surely will make you want to pack your suitcase and take a trip this year. Equipped with a Panasonic Lumix GF-1 camera, San Francisco-based Kien Lam quit his job, bought a plane ticket to London and then spent 343 days traversing the globe and snapping photos along the way. Wanting to inspire others to travel, Lam returned home and whipped up the 290-second video, which was edited in Adobe Lightroom, Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro. “To capture the spirit of the trip, I took time-lapse photographs at practically every city I traveled to,” he told to Mashable in an email. “Each two-second scene is comprised of about 40 to 60 photographs.” Music from his brother William Lam complements the visuals in the clip. The song, “Places and Faces,” will be available to buy on iTunes and Amazon on Jan. 15. To learn more about Kien Lam’s trip or get notified when the Logic Pro-produced song is out, visit his travel blog. Fun fact: Lam rode in 19 planes, 58 buses and 18 boats during his trip. Mashable has featured other badass time-lapse videos in the past. Below, you’ll find galleries filled with nature- and design-related clips. 1. Oak TreeShort but sweet, this video encompasses all four seasons with photographs taken of an oak tree as it changes during a year. Click here to view this gallery. 1. Tim PotterHere you can see how an HTML5 website is created by building upon the wireframe in Photoshop - from "concept to comp," as the designer states. Click here to view this gallery. More About: travel, trending, viral video, viral-video-of-the-day For more Entertainment coverage:
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| How to Plan Your Social Integration Strategy Posted: 13 Jan 2012 12:05 PM PST   Brian Sullivan is vice president of client services at Gigya, where he advises clients on implementing social technology. Gigya offers websites a suite of social technology like social login, comments, game mechanics and a social identity management platform. No longer does a business wonder whether its site should contain social components and functionality. The utility of social plugins on websites has been established. Now the question is how to implement social technologies correctly — merely adding technologies like social login, sharing, commenting and game mechanics is not enough. Unfortunately, the web is ripe with sites that offer social implementations that miss the mark. And often, businesses suffer from a "set it and forget" mentality, in which a product manager will slap a Facebook Like button on his sites and declare the business's website now social. Quite frankly, that is not enough. Instead, for marketers and IT professionals, it's critical to ask “why do we have this technology?" and "how do we define success?" For a vast majority of sites, some combination of social plugins is worth the effort. The best way to figure out what works for your site is to test, test and test again. Be it A/B or multivariate testing, here are my thoughts on why testing is so important, and how to get the most from your site's social technology. Which Social Login Provider Should I Choose?Testing your site's social functionality starts with testing your social login providers. You can go to any number of sites across the web that only offer Facebook Connect for social login. (My company’s CEO, Patrick Salyer, explains why multiple online personas make it imperative that companies offer social logins beyond Facebook Connect.) When I'm helping clients conduct these tests, I almost always find that a great way to start is by offering user-sets different login options to determine which social network APIs should be implemented. Sure, Facebook will almost always be the dominant player in share-of-logins, but we've seen the other players account for up to a combined 60% share of social logins. Are you willing to throw away those users and the insight that comes with them? There's huge value in adding a mix of other login options such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google and Yahoo. We know from reviewing our client base that one set of social login providers that works for one site doesn't necessarily work for another. Sure, you don't need to run a test to realize LinkedIn probably doesn't work for a site targeting preteens, but do you have a higher than expected number of visitors that prefer to use Google? You won't know until you test. Additionally, if your site has a user base in other markets like Europe, South America or Asia, you may also want to offer login through various international social networks like Vkontakte, Orkut, RenRen or Mixi to ensure your site appeals to global users. The only way to accurately find out which of these networks and identity providers should be offered is through testing. What Is the Best Testing Strategy?A/B testing is a great place to start finding out what does and doesn't work for your site. A/B testing means having one control group and one variant group (sites often overlook the need for a second control group, which we’ll call “C”) to establish that the control group has a large enough sample size. Rather than use a formula used in hypothesis testing, I prefer to use convergence testing. Convergence testing effectively means "A/B/C" testing, where A and C offer the same login options, and B offers a different set of login options. The "convergence" part means that A and C will eventually yield similar conversion rates (conversion in this case being whether users logged in or not). If A and C have no variable other than the being presented to different user sets, they should quickly see the same results. If the result varies it means you haven't seen enough traffic to reach convergence (the point at which both controls yield the same result), and you should keep the test running until you do. B poses a different set of login options placed in a different order from A and C. That's the delta you're looking for. Keep in mind that a successful A/B test is any test that yields insight into visitor behavior. If the change you introduce from testing yields a 2% decrease in conversion rates, the test was still successful – you learned the lesson quickly and now have confidence that your control is still the best way to go. In today's business climate, it's crucial for sites to integrate with social networks and, with focused testing, to capitalize on that integration to realize a number of benefits. For example, by discovering 30% of your site's users prefer to share via Twitter versus Facebook, you would likely offer Twitter as a prominent authentication option. While Facebook almost always leads in number of logins, Twitter tends to drive the most referral traffic per share of any social network (data my company has collected shows that shares from Twitter drive five click-backs, on average). Chances are that you probably would want to take advantage of that valuable referral traffic, and the only way to effectively optimize your site for Twitter sharing is through testing. The above just scratches the surface of ways to better leverage social via testing. The key concept to remember is that in order to ensure successful testing, you need to let the process run until you see convergence. Keep that in mind and you'll be well on your way toward making the best use of your site's social technology. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, arakonyunus More About: contributor, Facebook, facebook connect, features, linkedin, social plugins, Twitter For more Business coverage:
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| Lawmakers to Homeland Security: Monitor More Social Media Posted: 13 Jan 2012 11:42 AM PST
According to Reuters, Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) wrote a letter to DHS Intelligence Chief Caryn Wagner pressing her to more carefully monitor users’ posts on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Meehan is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s subcommittee for intelligence and counter-terrorism, while Speier is the subcommittee’s highest ranking Democrat. A Homeland Security spokesman told Reuters that the DHS currently monitors social media only “within the clearly defined parameters articulated” in published department privacy guildelines. That suggests the DHS already monitors social media to some extent. According to Reuters, the DHS’ current list of watched websites include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others. However, none of the publicly accessible DHS privacy guidelines, save a white paper on the EINSTEIN hacking detection system, mention the words “social,” “Facebook,” “Twitter” or “Internet.” The DHS may be currently applying privacy guidelines not specific to Internet users to their online monitoring approach. In the letter, the two representatives said they “believe it would be advantageous for DHS and the broader Intelligence Community to carefully parse the massive streams of data from various social media outlets to identify current or emerging threats to our homeland security.” The fear of the DHS becoming too invasive isn’t lost on the pair. The letter confirmed that monitoring social media networks would raise “privacy and civil liberties concerns,” and the representatives considered the idea of establishing guidelines which balance privacy issues with DHS’ mission of sniffing out threats to national security. Meehan told Retuers in an e-mail that a December congressional hearing “examined the evolving terrorist use of social media and effective intelligence and law enforcement responses.” He also said that “if terrorists are operating in Pakistan or communicating through social media sites like Facebook, we need to remain vigilant. “Yet there are important civil liberties questions involving U.S. government monitoring of social media and Americans’ Internet traffic. We are seeking answers on the Department’s guidelines and procedures to ensure Americans’ civil liberties are safeguarded.” The Department of Homeland Security was not available for comment. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, adventtr More About: congress, Facebook, Social Media, trending, Twitter
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| ARM Shrugs Off Intel’s First Smartphone Posted: 13 Jan 2012 10:59 AM PST   LAS VEGAS — For the past several years, almost every smartphone, tablet or other mobile device has used a microprocessor based on the computer chip technology of U.K.’s ARM Holdings. That has finally changed with the unveiling at CES of the first mass-market smartphone that packs Intel technology, and it definitely won’t be the last. So how does ARM feel about the new competitor encroaching on its effective monopoly? Pretty nonchalant, actually. At least that was the impression we got from Jeff Chu, ARM’s director of consumer client computing, when he spoke the Mashable at the show. Chu for the most part shrugged off Intel’s official entry into mobile computing, noting that vast swaths of the mobile ecosystem have been optimized for ARM. “We [have] 50+ processors on the market today that are in hundreds of phone models and hundreds of different tablets, with a billion apps running on them,” Chu said. “You’re bringing something different in there — does that make sense or not? Will they have apps? Maybe. Can they win on some benchmarks? Maybe, depending on how you spin it. But does it make sense to make that change?” Breaking ARMChu’s right when he says the mobile world of today all ARM, all the time. ARM doesn’t make chips per se — it licenses its chip architecture to chipmakers such as Samsung and Nvidia, who then make customized processors for the likes of Apple and HTC. Intel’s architecture, known as x86, is made strictly by Intel, and the company’s chips power every Windows PC shipping today. Moving the x86 architecture over to smartphones is something Intel tried to do before, and failed. The company had big plans for its Atom line of low-power processors, but they never gained traction. This time, though, Intel has real partners in the form of Lenovo and Motorola, with the first device officially announced, the Lenovo K800, and Android phone coming to China in the spring. I got a chance to spend some time with the K800, and I was impressed how it rendered high-res graphics smoothly in a Call of Duty-style game. However, Intel itself admitted it had worked directly with the game creator to optimize performance for the phone, and it’s not known if games made generally for the Android platform would run as well. “What does x86 then bring coming down into the phone market?” Chu asks. “They’re not bringing in low power consumption. They’re not bringing in a new level of sophistication. What is it they’re bringing in other than it’s x86?” Performance QuestionsIntel would argue that it’s performance. During Intel CEO Paul Otellini’s keynote, he showed multiple graphs that appeared to show Intel’s mobile chip (codenamed Medfield) outperforming competitors on browsing, javascript and graphics. Some independent tests appear to support the assertion. The specs don’t worry Chu, however. “I think they showed a similar chart with Moorestown (a chip that was part of Intel’s previous stab at the mobile market) a couple of years ago,” Chu says. “It’s hard to really say what it is because there’s no detail in there. But you can pick different benchmarks. It’s like car commercials — greater power than X, Y and Z, and greater gas mileage than A, B and C.” The Other Battlefront: PCsAlthough Chu is aloof about Intel’s first smartphone, he lights up when talking about ARM-based chips taking a bite out of x86 in its traditional category — Windows machines. Microsoft had announced last year it was developing the coming new version, Window 8, for ARM devices, and announced a number of partners at CES 2012. “The interesting thing is the PC space,” says Chu. “The advantage of ARM ecosystem moving into the PC ecosystem is it’s bringing in new entrants, new competition, low power consumption, always-on always connected mindset and the competition associated with it. You’re bringing all of that into a space that’s been highly uncompetitive for a while.” So two monopolies in electronics are being shattered: Intel’s on PCs and ARM’s on mobile devices. What are you looking forward to in the coming months and years in both categories? Let us know in the comments. BONUS: Intel Technology on Display at CESIntel's Booth at CES 2012 A good chunk of Intel's booth is dedicated to Ultrabooks, the thin, light laptops that are the PC equivalent of a MacBook Air. Click here to view this gallery. More About: ARM Holdings, CES, CES 2012, intel, Medfield For more Mobile coverage:
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| 8 Rumors About the iPad 3: What It Could Look Like, When It Could Arrive Posted: 13 Jan 2012 10:26 AM PST 1. Minor UpgradesiLounge recently reported that it saw a prototype of the next-generation iPad at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and that it looks just like the iPad 2, only thicker by about 1 mm. The camera in the top left corner is expected to be a bit larger than the iPad 2 and similar to the improved camera featured on the iPhone 4S. It's also been rumored that the next-generation iPad will have a high-resolution screen – possibly even double dpi -- and a stronger interior. However, the updates seen by iLounge seem to be more cosmetic than structural. Could the next-generation device be an upgrade similar to that of the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S? Click here to view this gallery. The tech industry and its user base love to buzz about the arrival of new Apple products, and the next-generation iPad is likely to be the next big product unveiled by the company. Speculations about a February or March announcement date have been circulating throughout the web for some time now, and since that's in line with the company's product launch cycle, we wouldn't be surprised if this rumor holds true. But there's no guarantee that the latest tablet from Apple will even be called an iPad 3 — there's always the possibility of Apple releasing an iPad HD with only a few updates from the iPad 2. In fact, a recent report from iLounge noted that a prototype of the new version of the Apple tablet was at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show – you just wouldn't know because it looks almost identical to the iPad 2. However, will it have Siri? Will it be unveiled on Steve Jobs’s birthday, Feb. 24? Will previous models be cheaper? For a full run down of the latest rumors, check out the gallery above. UPDATE: Bloomberg recently reported that the next-generation iPad will be faster – running on a quad-core chip – feature a high-definition screen and be compatible with long- term evolution (LTE), a wireless network that gives users access to data more quickly. More About: apple, ipad, iPad 2, ipad 3, siri, trending For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| 5 Strategies for Creating Magnetic Online Content Posted: 13 Jan 2012 09:58 AM PST   Frank Marquardt is director of content strategy at The Barbarian Group, a digital services and creation company. Find him on Twitter @tralition. Traditional advertising worked through distraction — an interruption to our sitcom, a page between magazine articles, a banner teasing our attention at the top of a webpage. Then entertainment channels fragmented as digital moved to the center of culture. "The goal now is to attract rather than distract, to engage rather than intrude," as eMarketer puts it in its Top Digital Trends for 2012 report. The result? Brands are content publishers. And the Holy Grail of brand-produced content is magnetic content — an emerging buzzword eMarketer describes as a form of marketing that "involves blurring the lines between content and advertising," and calls out as one of the top trends for 2012. The Role of Magnetic Content in Your Marketing MixMagnetic content is content that's good — content that gets people's attention with great story or outright hilarity. It's the sort of thing people want to engage with and share. As one element of a brand's broader content marketing strategy, magnetic content is the premium stuff: It can powerfully augment the everyday flow of comments and questions and links you're sharing in your social media channels, garnering earned media attention that drives interest in your brand and builds audience for it. But how do you do it right? Here are five strategies to get you started defining magnetic content for your 2012 marketing mix. 1. Make It Brand-RelevantProperly produced magnetic content manifests your brand strategy. If there's no relevance to your brand, there's no magnetism for your brand, so you want the content to reflect your brand aspiration and engage around its promise. Denny's web series “Always Open” features comedian David Koechner conducting short interviews of fellow comics like Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Sarah Silverman in a Denny's booth at a live, working restaurant. The quirky questions and silly interactions don't open any new doors, but they meet Denny's millennial target through recognizable actors and goofy situations, evoking a cultural sensibility toward diners as places where people come together and talk and eat in a casual environment. 2. Connect Across TimeThe most magnetic content lives over time, building community around an experience — think of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or Seinfeld. But that doesn't mean it has to be episodic. In fact, you can maximize your impact if you design your content experience to live as a platform. Look at Lancome's Visions of Beauties, which invites people from around the world to share what beauty is to them through photos, videos, and tweets. As a crowdsourced campaign, Lancome has set up an aspirational, brand-resonant experience around beauty that anybody can participate in as a contributor or voyeur. The seductive, elegant interface speaks to a global audience. The experience evolves over time, bringing people together across space to weave together a story about the very thing Lancome's products aspire to: beauty. The brand promise becomes the story, linking the brand's global audience. 3. Extend Across MediaThe Internet makes it easy to extend excellent content, creating a transmedia (multi-platform) experience that builds off an initial execution to offer many different ways to engage. Hornbach, a German home improvement and DIY chain, created the 10-minute film The Infinite House, to introduce the launch of its online stores. While the video itself is a masterful story that speaks of Hornbach's core values of loyalty, friendship, and neighborliness, it served as one piece of a broader experience that included Facebook profiles of the film's characters and construction manuals for the furniture featured in the film. These extensions from the video provide ways for people to immerse themselves more deeply in the story and engage in a richer experience with the brand. 4. Inspire PeopleMagnetic content doesn't have to offer something inspiring, but, when done well, inspiration can have an enormous effect. It can root the content in the brand's values and associate the brand with a meaningful stand. Levi's Now Is Our Time plays with this idea, pulling together brand values of pioneering, freedom, and equality to connect with its young, independent-minded customer. The campaign extends across multiple media, but the film that provides a framework and platform for a series of crowdsourced philanthropic fundraising hits an emotionally resonant note that's fresh and unexpected, especially from a brand: "Your life is your life. Don't let it be clubbed into dank submission. Be on the watch. There are ways out. There is light somewhere. It may not be much light, but it beats the darkness. Be on the watch. The gods will offer you chances. Know them. Take them." 5. Draw From the EverydaySome of the best ideas are taken from everyday experience. Everybody relates to meeting friends in a diner; we all have personal experiences of beauty. Finding ideas that can produce magnetic content only means thinking hard about what a brand, product, or service stands for, and how we might relate it interestingly to our experiences. Consider how IKEA Sweden communicated its promise of "better sleep for everyone." It commissioned six Swedish musicians to modernize classic lullabies — a simple idea, harmonizing perfectly with the product's promise. Then IKEA took the idea a step further, extending beyond the simple lullaby (which it later sold as an album on iTunes, with an album cover that looked a lot like a banner for IKEA) to commission six different artists, each of whom created a music video for a lullaby, featuring IKDEA beds. The lullabies aired on the radio and a website provided a place to watch the music videos and read about the artists and their beds. Magnetic Content Tells a StoryThe best magnetic content begins with a strong, compelling idea. It offers a platform and extension that goes beyond a simple, dead-end execution, and creates conversation around an experience that is relevant to your brand. But that doesn't mean the content is about your brand primarily, or even secondarily. The story must come first. Magnetic content is always about human experience. It is an attractor because it is fundamentally and meaningfully social. And its power lies in the degree to which it reflects and expands people's vision of themselves. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DSGpro More About: blogging, brands, Business, content, content marketing, contributor, features, Marketing, Video, YouTube For more Business coverage:
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| Malware Attack Targets U.S. Government Agencies [VIDEO] Posted: 13 Jan 2012 09:31 AM PST Sykipot, malware believed to originate in China, has been used to target smart cards in the Pentagon and other government agencies. According to security researcher AlienVault, a new variant of Sykipot is targeting the cards government employees use to access secure networks and servers. “The attackers use a spear phishing campaign to get their targets to open a PDF attachment which then deposits the Sykipot malware onto their machine (the attackers here took advantage of a zero-day exploit in Adobe),” according to AlienVault. Check out the video above to learn more. Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, rubenhi More About: malware, mashable video, U.S. government
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