Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “LinkedIn iOS App Privacy Issues and Two Other Stories You Need to Know”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “LinkedIn iOS App Privacy Issues and Two Other Stories You Need to Know”

LinkedIn iOS App Privacy Issues and Two Other Stories You Need to Know

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 04:58 AM PDT

Social Media NewsWelcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting stories. LinkedIn Reacts to iOS App Privacy Issues After Skycure Security discovered that LinkedIn sends detailed user calendar entries to its servers -- including subject, location, time of meeting and meeting notes -- the company responded, claiming the feature is opt-in, the info is sent securely over SSL and never stored or shared with a third party. "For those not familiar with our calendar feature, with your permission, we sync with your mobile device's calendar to provide i… Continue reading...


Viacom to Give Pepsi a Digital Boost With #LiveForNow Campaign [EXCLUSIVE]

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 04:17 AM PDT

Summer Partnership Between Pepsi and Viacom for Live for Now CampaignPepsi's celebrity-infused "Live for Now" global ad campaign, which launched May 7, will get digital boost this summer from media conglomerate Viacom. Viacom's Twitter accounts for MTV, VH1, CMT and Comedy Central will aid in the campaign's mission of "inviting and inspiring" people to live in the moment -- and sharing those moments on social networks with relevant hashtags. The summer partnership runs until September and builds on Pepsi's existing Live for Now hub, Pepsi Pulse, a social media-driven interactive dashboard that curates trending pop culture and entertainment news. Pepsi Pulse, which lives at Pepsi.com, also offers original content, such as deals and challenges, a… Continue reading...


Google Doodle Celebrates Drive-In Theater’s 79th Birthday

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 03:16 AM PDT

Today's Google Doodle is an animated tribute to the first drive-in movie theater, which was opened in New Jersey on June 6, 1933. An invention of Richard Milton Hollingshead, Jr., the drive-in movie theatre enabled users to watch the movie in open space, from the comfort of their cars. The drive-in theatre became very popular in the 1950ies and 1960ies, with some 4,000 drive-ins being open in the U.S. at one point, but due to real estate economics, they lost in popularity in subsequent years. A recent figure claims 366 drive-ins are open in the U.S. How do you like Google's latest doodle? Share your opinions in the comments! Bonus: Top 10 animated Google Doodles!


Mr Porter, USA Network’s ‘Suits’ Team Up for Digital Fashion Experience

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 03:10 AM PDT

Online men's retailer Mr Porter and USA Network are hosting what they promise will be a "dynamic, technologically sophisticated" live fashion show at New York City's High Line park on Tuesday, June 12. The show, set against a 60-foot LED backdrop and a view of the Hudson River, will feature around 35 looks inspired by USA's TV drama series Suits and chosen by the fashion team at Mr Porter, says Alexandra Shapiro, EVP of marketing and digital at USA. Instaprint stations will be set up around the event, which will automatically print Instagram photos taken on site with the hashtag #SuitsStyle. A pop-up shop will be in operation nearby at 72 Ganesvoort Street from 12:00 p.m. to 9:… Continue reading...


Radiation Detectors Used in Japan Crisis Available on Kickstarter [VIDEO]

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 02:37 AM PDT

Safecast radiation detectors are back on the market, as a limited number of heavily discounted handheld sensors have been made available as a gift to loyal supporters. For 13 more days, you can get your hands on a personalized Safecast X Geiger Counters on Kickstarter when you donate $400. Safecast co-founder Sean Bonner wrote on the Kickstarter page, "This is the only time and place this version will be available, and at a much lower price than the forthcoming retail version. Our way of saying THANKS!!!" Safecast formed a week after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant meltdown in March 2011, when the 9.0-magnitude Tohoku earthquake caused m… Continue reading...


How Mobile Phones Are Repairing India’s Broken Healthcare System

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 01:33 AM PDT

Though India officially calls healthcare a right for all citizens, doctor and staff absenteeism from public medical facilities prevents many citizens from accessing their legally-entitled care. Now, one non-profit has created a system that uses mobile phones to check up on healthcare workers' attendance. The Indo-Deutch Project Management Society (IDPMS) tracks SMS messages reporting staff absences sent by local patients, and maps the regions and facilities where absenteeism is prevalent. These maps are then made available to locals and policymakers. "Technology presents great potential to influence the flow of information," says Oscar Abello, senior program associate at the… Continue reading...


Forget Where You Parked? This iPhone App Reminds You

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 01:12 AM PDT

Remembering where you park in a big city can be a headache. But a new iPhone app called Find My Car Smarter works with a a small Bluetooth device that you place in your car to relieve it. The Find My Car Smarter project raised $40,177 on Kickstarter earlier this year in order to manufacture the system's Bluetooth smart devices. SEE ALSO: 6 Handy Mobile Apps for City Transit The car finder app is available in the Apple App Store for $0.99. It only works with the iPhone 4S. The Find My Car Smarter device is $25 -- or $30 with a car USB adapter. To use the app, simply sync the car plug-in with your phone once it's in the car. Upon launching… Continue reading...


Nevada Declares June 30 Social Media Day

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 08:55 PM PDT

The state of Nevada will officially recognize June 30, 2012 as Social Media Day. The proclamation joins Nevada with the state of Arizona and the cities of New York, Toronto, Dublin, Las Vegas, Reno, San Jose and San Carlos, Calif. -- all of which have recognized Social Media Day since it launched in 2010. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Secretary of State Ross Miller, signed the official proclamation, which includes the hashtag #Nevada, on May 30. Michael Tragash, who helped Reno declare Social Media Day official in 2011, attempted to get a state proclamation signed last year. This year, he teamed up with Demont Daniel, who oversaw the movement that led to the declaration of la… Continue reading...


7 Things You Didn’t Know About David Copperfield, Courtesy of Reddit

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 08:15 PM PDT

David Copperfield American illusionist David Copperfield has been described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Monday night he took to Reddit to answer questions from users about his profession. Here are the seven questions and answers that most intrigued us: 1. David Copperfield goes to Broadway shows WestingGame: What's an illusion performed by another magician that you find particularly inspiring or impressive? Magicians lose the opportunity to experience a sense of wonder. Our mind is programmed to understand how things work, to be skeptical. To experience that now is a wonderful feeling, but very rare for me. I recently saw the musical Ghost on Broadway, an… Continue reading...


Developers: Learn Who’s Playing Your Games, Increase Retention

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: Playnomics Quick Pitch: Playnomics' software shows game developers who's playing their games and helps them increase player retention. Genius Idea: Using predictive algorithms, Playnomics categorizes game players into one of eight categories to help game publishers identify how to appeal to those people. Game publishers tap into psychological principals to develop games that people can't stop playing. Using positive rewards and just enough challenge to want to keep p… Continue reading...


Mobile Advertising: The Ins and Outs of Striking a Deal

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 07:39 PM PDT

In Mashable's new video series, Behind the Launch, we're taking cameras behind the scenes at Vungle, an in-app video advertising startup. New episodes air every Monday and Wednesday, but we're running bonus footage throughout the series to provide a deeper look into the startup experience. This week on Behind the Launch, the Vungle team met with gaming company ngmoco. The ngmoco rep discusses the targeting abilities he'd like to see in mobile gaming advertising, and the two parties discuss what a potential partnership and what that might entail. Check out the extended footage above, and join the conversation on Twitter, #BehindTheLaunch. Zain… Continue reading...


The Internet Changes Wednesday, But Most People Won’t Notice

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 07:12 PM PDT

With IP addresses now depleted, the Internet Society is leading the launch of IPv6 to allow the web to continue growing. Without adopting IPv6, people surfing the web will have to go through a transitional gateway before entering a non-updated site using IPv4, making the experience slower. On launch day Wednesday, website owners are encouraged to permanently enable IPv6 -- the next generation of Internet protocol. "World IPv6 Launch Day is a lot larger than people understand," John Curran, president and CEO of the American Registry for Internet Numbers, told Mashable in an email. "IPv6 is the single largest upgrade in the history of the Internet. It's not a small decision for the maj… Continue reading...


4 Ways to Manage Online Reviews

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 06:37 PM PDT

When Carmen Popa opened her acne treatment center, Luminosity Acne Skincare in North Carolina, she quickly realized how valuable online reviews were to attracting new customers. "Clients often mentioned that it was the positive reviews that encouraged them to try out my business," she says. Research shows that online reviews strongly influence buying behavior, with nearly half of American consumers stating that they are more likely to visit a business after reading a positive online review. That makes review websites such as Yelp, Google Places, and Citysearch online archives of consumer opinions on how a business compares to similar shops. Even so, many small business own… Continue reading...


NASA Wants Your Video Time Capsules for Future Humans

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 06:09 PM PDT

What would you say to the human race in 2117? Tongal, the crowdsourced video competition website, wants to know. The site has partnered with NASA to create the, "2012 Venus Transit Video Time Capsule" contest. Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning skywatchers can see a once-in-a-hundred years occurrence when Venus passes in front of the sun. This won't happen again until 2117. "NASA wants you to take all this amazing footage and create Video Time Capsules that tell the story of this Transit to be used as a message to future citizens in 2117 as they get ready to watch the next Venus Transit," Tongal's website states. There will be five winners who will be awarded up to $10,000.… Continue reading...


Facebook Engagement Dips: 34% Spend Less Time on Site [STUDY]

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 05:48 PM PDT

One-third of Facebook users are spending less time on the site than they were just six months ago, a new survey suggests. According to findings from a poll conducted among 1,032 Americans by Reuters and research firm Ipsos, 35% of Facebook users said they are less engaged on the social network than they have been in the recent past. Only 20% of members are spending more time on the site. The study also found that four out of five Facebook members have never been influenced by ads run on the site. This indicates that marketing efforts that encourage Facebook users to buy products and services via the site may not be working. SEE ALSO: Is Facebook a Passing Fad? Nearly Half of Ame… Continue reading...


Viral ‘Privacy Notice’ on Facebook Is Fake

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 04:49 PM PDT

A so-called "Facebook Privacy Notice" claims you need to repost it to protect your privacy. The notice went viral on the network Tuesday but is, in fact, a fake. The posting is based on the idea that Facebook's recent listing as a publicly traded company will negatively affect its users' privacy. This is an untrue assumption. Both Facebook and its users are still bound to the same terms and conditions that are accepted by users when they sign up for the service. If Facebook ever significantly changed its privacy settings, it would have to notify users about the changes to those terms. Although Facebook is now a publicly traded company, that has no affect on how it treats your… Continue reading...


Twitter Users Upset Over Mixed Race Fashion Campaign

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 04:26 PM PDT

Social media users in the Philippines are up in arms over a new ad campaign by Bayo, a fashion retail brand for women. Dubbed "What's your mix?", it features five mixed-race models in an attempt to portray beauty in racial diversity. An accompanying manifesto explains the concept of the campaign. "This is just all about mixing and matching," says the manifesto, which is no longer available on the brand's Facebook page. "Nationalities, moods, personalities and of course your fashion pieces. Call it biased, but the mixing and matching of different nationalities with Filipino blood is almost a sure formula for someone beautiful and world class." Both the photos and the manifesto wer… Continue reading...


Watch Venus Cross the Sun, with Astronomers [LIVE VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 04:01 PM PDT

The transit of Venus is well underway, and we've found the best way to watch -- with astronomers and amateur stargazers, in a Google+ Hangout (embedded above). The Hangout is being led by Frasier Cain, veteran publisher of the website Universe Today. Joining Cain are special guests such as astronomer Pamela Gay and Philip Plait, author of the "Bad Astronomy" bog for Discover magazine. SEE ALSO: Transit of Venus: Share Your Photos with Mashable Can't watch just yet? Fear not -- it takes tiny Venus so long to cross in front of the sun that this Hangout is set to be an epic eight-hour marathon. That's why it's good to watch with friends -- and why it's a perfect showcase for Googl… Continue reading...


Champion Runner Helps Fallen Rival Cross Finish Line [VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 03:19 PM PDT

Like a superhero swooping in to help someone, runner Meghan Vogel came from behind during the 3,200-meter race at the high school state track meet in Ohio to help a struggling rival. Competitor Arden McMath fell multiple times Saturday because of leg cramps in the final 50 meters. But Vogel -- who an hour earlier finished first in the Division III 1,600-meter run -- lifted her and dragged her to the finish line. Vogel had been in last place when she saw the sophomore fall on the track, and she made sure they finished the race in the same positions. The moment was caught on tape and has since gone viral in the press. "What a selfless act," Paul Hunter, McMath's coach at Arlingt… Continue reading...


Mark Zuckerberg Does Not Look Thrilled with Airtime

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 02:47 PM PDT

The verdict is in on Sean Parker's new random video chat startup Airtime: It's ChatRoulette, albeit with Facebook connectivity and a slightly greater chance of running into celebrities. That much was driven home Tuesday, when a New York artist who styles himself "Ronen V." tried the service -- and immediately got one Mark Zuckerberg of Palo Alto, Calif. on the other side of his screen. Ronen was excited to meet Zuckerberg, and thanked him "for making Facebook." Zuckerberg, by the looks of things in the screenshot above, was not quite as thrilled. "After like 30 seconds he NEXTed me," Ronen told Betabeat in an email. SEE ALSO: Airtime Is a Good Idea, Says Jim Carrey [VIDEO]… Continue reading...


Has Mitt Romney’s Email Been Hacked? [UPDATED]

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 02:22 PM PDT

Mitt Romney may have had his personal Hotmail email and DropBox accounts hacked. An anonymous tipster reportedly gave Gawker the password to Romney's private Hotmail account, mittromney@hotmail.com. The hacker claims to have used brute force and guesswork to successfully answer a security question: "What is your favorite pet?" The hacker changed the password and gave it to Gawker, which is claiming not to have opened Romney's account. The hacker also said the same password works for Romney's DropBox account. The tipster didn't give the media outlet any screenshots or other methods of validating his or her claim beyond logging in to the accounts using the changed password. But he sent… Continue reading...


Relive High School in a Time Lapsed 4 Minutes [VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 02:02 PM PDT

To say goodbye to Montgomery Blair High School, senior Tolu Omokehinde spent seven months photographing his Silver Spring, Md., school and editing his footage into this four-minute film, Photographic Journey: Life at Blair. The video first appeared in Blair's Silver Chips, the student newspaper for which Omokehinde was the managing photo editor for print. "I just want to say 'Thank You' to Silver Chips," Omokehinde wrote. "Silver Chips has not only made me a better photographer, it has allowed me to meet others who also love photography and aspire to learn more and achieve great things in the field." Omokehinde says he drew his inspiration from National Geographic Nature photo… Continue reading...


Transit of Venus: Share Your Photos With Mashable

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 01:26 PM PDT

Astronomy enthusiasts across the globe are in for a treat Tuesday evening. In an extremely rare event, Venus will visibly pass between the sun and the Earth. The planet passes between Earth and the sun five times in the course of every eight years, but the passage usually isn't visible. In fact, the phenomenon won't be seen by humans again until 2117. The passage will last about six and a half hours and begins just after 6:00 p.m. ET. At least parts of the event will be visible to most locations on Earth. However, you're out of luck if you reside in eastern South America, western Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Antarctica or are on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Ven… Continue reading...


Sprint Is Next to Offer Pre-Paid iPhones [REPORT]

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 01:15 PM PDT

Sprint is reportedly next in line to offer pre-paid iPhones in the U.S., according to a new report. Sprint is gearing up to launch pre-paid iPhones under its Virgin Mobile subsidiary starting in July, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The move would allow consumers to purchase and use an iPhone without deciding between a wireless contract and a hefty price tag. The news comes just days after Leap Wireless's prepaid subsidiary Cricket Wireless announced a $55 monthly prepaid plan for the iPhone, without a two-year commitment for the device. If Virgin Mobile launches its own plan, it will become the second U.S. mobile carrier to offer the service without a wireless con… Continue reading...


85% of the World Will Have High-Speed Mobile Internet by 2017 [REPORT]

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 01:02 PM PDT

Today, 85% of the world's population has access to a mobile phone with voice and text capabilities. Five years from now, in 2017, the same amount of the global community will have access to high-speed 3G Internet through mobile phones, finds a new report from Ericsson. By 2017, there will be 9 billion mobile subscriptions. Half of the world's population will have a 4G connection, and there will be 3 billion smartphone subscriptions. To compare those numbers with today's figures, there are currently 6.2 billion mobile subscriptions held by 4.2 billion subscribers (many of whom have multiple subscriptions). At the end of 2011, there were 700 million smartphone subscriptions worldwi… Continue reading...


Want a Cheap Ultrabook? Dell’s New Inspiron Laptops Want You

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:34 PM PDT

dell-inspiron-z-640 Dell just refreshed its Inspiron line, a collection of value PCs aimed at the back-to-school and budget-conscious crowds. The highlights are clearly the Inspiron 14z and 13z machines, a pair of Ultrabooks at more accessible price points than, say, the MacBook Air. The Dell Inspiron 14z, which features a 14-inch screen, starts at $700. The 13.3-inch Inspiron 13z starts at $600, one of the cheapest Ultrabooks we've seen, price-wise. Before you ask, at those prices, the laptops are based on Intel's second-generation processors, or Sandy Bridge, rather than this year's third-generation chips (Ivy Bridge). But that's the first ingredient of the secret sauce that keeps them affordable; t… Continue reading...


Why the Freemium Model Doesn’t Work

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:22 PM PDT

Mashable OP-ED: This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication. It's common for people to spend $5 on a vanilla latte but to agonize over paying $5 a month for a web service. That's because a psychological barrier to paying for online services remains, and it's hurting both consumers and businesses. The solution that's emerged to address this customer behavior is the freemium business model. There are several shiny examples of successful freemium companies. With Evernote's billion-dollar valuation, more people will point to freemium as the business model to strive for. Unfortunately, companies like Evernote and Dropbox are the poster kids for VC-backed success and exceptions. In fact, there are really only three main cases where a freemium mo… Continue reading...


Nintendo Announces 23 Wii U Titles, Netflix and Hulu Plus Support

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:05 PM PDT

At E3 2012, Nintendo just announced that the Wii U the system will support two Wii U Game Pads, as well as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video and YouTube. On Sunday, Nintendo showed off its Wii U controller and its new social gaming network Miiverse at a pre-E3 presentation. The presentation focused primarily on games that are headed to the console, rather than the hardware itself. Nintendo urged interested users to check out its E3 website for more detailed information about how the console operates. "You'll see 23 Wii U titles on stage today," Reggie Fil-Aime, President and COO of Nintendo said at the beginning of the presentation. "That's only a small part of Wii U and 3DS ti… Continue reading...

Nintendo Screens




The opening to the Nintendo E3 showcase.

Click here to view this gallery.

Is Nickelbacking the New Rickrolling?

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:54 AM PDT

For years, Rickrolling has been an important part of viral web culture -- so much so that there was outrage when it was almost banned by accident. Over the weekend, I fell victim to a new Internet prank we're calling "Nickelbacking." Let us give you a demonstration. (NOTE: If you're in the office, plug your headphones in, or turn the volume down.) While researching Tumblr tricks for power users, I stumbled upon Secret Tumblr Tricks. Go ahead and click on that link. That's right, it's a Nickelbackroll. If this takes off -- and it does seem to be spreading virally on Tumblr -- the opening bars of "Photograph" could become as horribly familiar as those of "Never Going to Give Y… Continue reading...


Why Twitter Users Hate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 11:38 AM PDT

Scott Walker, Republican governor of Wisconsin, is facing a closely contested recall election Tuesday -- and if Twitter is any indication, he might need to start packing his bags. Tweets mentioning Walker throughout the month of May were overwhelmingly negative, according to social media analysis company Topsy Labs. Over the past 30 days, Walker's social approval rating has averaged out at -1.999, which Topsy's team calls a "very, very low rating." Narrow the analysis down to the past 16 hours, and Walker's sentiment average climbs a bit higher: -1.694. Another sentiment analysis organization, Crimson Hexagon, found that more tweets over a similar period supported Walker's opponent ra… Continue reading...


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