 HTTPS Becomes Default for Gmail |   | Wed 13 Jan | In an effort to increase security for Gmail users, in 2008 Google has added the option to always use HTTP Secure (HTTPS) when accessing Gmail. However, this option was disabled by default; Google’s reasoning for this was the fact that HTTPS makes your email access slower. Now, Google has decided that internet connections for most of its users are fast and stable enough to turn this option on by default. If you like, you can stil turn the option off; simply choose “Don’t always use https” from the Settings menu. Google will still use HTTPS on the login page, but will then switch back to unsecured connection, which could make the service a tiny bit faster. Of course, you should do this only while connected to a network that you fully trust. Tags: email, gmail, Google, security, web  |  |
| Estimated Nexus One Sales: Only 20,000 Units in the First Week | | Wed 13 Jan | While we don’t have any solid numbers on Nexus One sales just yet, we can take an educated guess. And if we base that guess on Flurry, which monitors usage of over 10,000 developers’ applications on iPhone and Android platforms, the results are less than stellar. According to Flurry, only about 20,000 Nexus Ones were sold in its first week on the market. It was outsold by Droid by more than 12 times, myTouch 3G by 3 times and iPhone 3GS by 80 times. Here’s how the folks at Flurry came with this number: “To estimate first week sales totals for the Nexus One, myTouch 3G, Droid and iPhone 3GS, Flurry detected new handsets within its system, and then made adjustments to account for varying levels of Flurry application penetration by handset. Flurry additionally crosschecked its estimates against Apple actual sales, released for iPhone 3GS, which totaled more than one million units over the three days, June 19 – 21, 2009. Flurry first week sales estimates can be found in the table below.”
Nexus One was a highly anticipated mobile phone, but Google didn’t spend millions of dollars advertising it, opting for a sort of a soft launch for the device. It’s also sold directly to the consumers through Google’s website, which may be an innovative approach, but it can also hurt sales. Motorola, on the other hand, had spent close to 100 million dollars advertising the Droid, and if Flurry’s numbers are correct, it definitely shows the difference a good advertising campaign can make. [Image courtesy of Flurry] Reviews: Google  | |
| Facebook and McAfee Want to Protect You From Malware | | Wed 13 Jan | In the past year, there was an alarmingly large number of Facebook-related scams, viruses, phishing attempts and malware attacks. And though most of these haven’t happened due to Facebook’s error, it’s still very much their problem. Today, Facebook and McAfee announced a partnership and a program to help Facebook users protect their computers from malware. If you’re expecting something revolutionary, though, you’ll be disappointed. It’s essentially a 30% discount on McAfee Internet Security suite. To get it, visit the the Protect Your PC tab on the McAfee Page on Facebook. After you become a fan of McAfee, you can download a six-month subscription to McAfee security software for free, and you’ll get a discount on the regular price once those six months are over. However, to enroll with the program (which is only available in selected countries including the US, UK, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy and Spain), you will have to supply your credit card number; your card will be charged at the end of the 6-month period. Reviews: Australia, Facebook Tags: facebook, malware, McAfee, social media, social networking  | |
| Haiti Earthquake: Twitter Pictures Sweep Across the Web [PHOTOS] | | Tue 12 Jan | An outpouring of well wishes and support for the Haitian people has swept the web in the wake of a devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. And just like the Eureka earthquake, tweets have quickly spread moving and gut-wrenching TwitPics of the disaster. Photos taken by journalist @CarelPedre on his mobile phone are providing a glimpse into the devastation that has slammed the Caribbean nation. Another Twitter user, @MarvinAdy, shared those pictures through TwitPic, resulting in tens of thousands of view and countless retweets. There are also thousands of Facebook and Twitter updates on the disaster appearing every minute. The web has been moved by the plight of the Haitian people. Social media has quickly become the first place where millions react to large-scale catastrophes. Our best wishes go out to the victims of this devastating natural disaster, as well as their families. Below is a collection of the most retweeted pictures coming out of Haiti, courtesy of TwitPic. Haiti Earthquake in Pictures Reviews: Facebook, Twitpic, Twitter Tags: haiti, twitpic, twitter  | |
| ViVu Simplifies Video Conferencing and Participation | | Tue 12 Jan | This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Name: ViVu Quick Pitch: ViVu is an emerging leader in creating innovative and easy-to-use solutions for live video participation. Genius Idea: ViVu is a cloud-hosted Video-as-a-Service platform that makes it easy for businesses or groups to create events like training sessions and meetings. Much like competing services WebEx and GoToMeeting, ViVu is designed to make multi-party video conferences or presentations easy and interactive. The system is designed so that if you’re giving a presentation, you can take an audio or video question from someone who is tuning in.
We also like that ViVu lets you integrate things like Twitter messages into a presentation or event — or you can just monitor these updates on the administrative end and choose to keep them private. ViVu also has built-in analytical information that can be especially useful if you’re running a webinar. A single-license of ViVu is $49.99 a month, but it includes unlimited meetings with up to 25 participants. You can try the service for free for 30 days. What services do you use for online meetings or conferences? Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platform for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest – use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (please see website for official rules and guidelines).? Reviews: PHP, Twitter, video Tags: video conferencing, vivu  | |
| Google Reclaims a Slice of its ?Don?t Be Evil? Mystique | | Tue 12 Jan | Google?s well-known corporate motto of ?don?t be evil? has become a bit of a punchline in recent times. No longer the innocent David against the ruthless Goliath (Microsoft), many have taken a more watchful eye towards the search giant, its vast ambitions, and the seemingly infinite amount of data it seeks to collect about us. This afternoon though, by standing up to censorship in China, Google reclaimed some of the mystique that once made it so special. In the growth market that everyone is after (and Google still trails significantly in), the company is putting principles ahead of profit. Writing on the Google blog today, the company?s Senior Vice President David Drummond said, ?we launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open Internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor some results,? a position that was met with plenty of criticism at the time. However, now that it?s seen the breadth of Chinese censorship by way of implied state sponsored attacks and surveillance of Google products, the company has been prompted to action, declaring in as straight forward a way as possible that ?we have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn.? Mind you, if Google?s ultimately successful, they do stand to gain plenty ?- a search engine operating in a free and open market is more profitable than one in a closed and censored one. But we think it?s unlikely that China will essentially reverse course on some of its fundamental values in a matter of weeks, and as such, Google will likely feel pain to its bottom line in the short-term, especially if competitors like Baidu, Microsoft, and Yahoo don?t take a similar position. It?s too soon to give Google a standing ovation ? we?ll wait and see what kind of agreement, if any, they?re able to strike with the Chinese government before full adulation. But at least for a day or two, we can once again think of Google as a company that stands for more than a never ending quest for market share and profit. Reviews: Google Tags: china, Google, Political  | |
| The Global Implications of Google?s Stand Against Chinese Censorship | | Tue 12 Jan | Google dropped a bombshell today, declaring that it won’t censor Chinese search results after sophisticated attacks on the Gmail accounts of Chinese human activists. This opens the door not only for China to kick Google out of its country, but for a renewal of the battle over censorship and government oppression in China. I’m going to divide this analysis of the ramifications of Google’s decision into three sections: what this means for China, the impact of the decision on global politics, and its potential effect on censorship itself. What It Means for China: Not Much Google may be taking a stand and threatening to pull out, but we predict that it won’t be enough to sway the Chinese government to let the Google China search engine run unfiltered, even if world governments apply strong pressure. Let me make it clear: China has a long and disturbing history of censorship. I could link to hundreds of examples, but I think you get the picture. Google isn’t the U.S. Government; it doesn’t have the political or technological leverage to make the Chinese government to do anything. Even the U.S. Government has limited influence, due to the economic ties between the two nations and our large debt to the Asian nation. To think that China would change its rules and allow its citizens unfiltered access to what it believes is objectionable content (e.g. porn), as well as information and images on its greatest atrocities, is absurd. China backing off would weaken its iron-grip hold and open it up to more calls for the abolition of censorship inside its borders. The end result is that Google will likely be gone from China and censorship will continue, at least in the short term. Only if Google agrees to some less-restricted censorship rules will the search engine be allowed to stay. China’s about to feel some heat from the rest of the world, though. The Global Censorship Debate Has Been Reignited Google pulling out of China won’t be the end of the issue. Members of Congress have been very critical of not only China’s censorship and human rights violations, but of Google for complying with Chinese censors. Now lawmakers and governments worldwide have another reason to speak out if China kicks Google out. The criticism will mount from institutions, organizations, and governments worldwide over China’s decision. Google’s positioning it so that this is China’s decision, not Google’s, over whether the search engine stays operational within the nation’s borders. This is a smart move on their part and places China in an uncomfortable position. The world will also begin to focus on the specifics of the attack on Google’s infrastructure. Who was targeted? How deep of a role did China play? What information do they have? What actions can be taken against China? In the end though, China is a sovereign nation with one of the world’s largest economies. There will be a lot of head-butting over the next few weeks, but we doubt that anything more severe than condemnations will be issued. The posturing and criticism will, however, return the spotlight on China and its questionable practices. That is a good thing. The debate has been reignited, which will make us question once again what China is doing on the web and beyond. The State of Censorship The world’s focus on major issues comes and goes. It was red-hot on Iran during the Iran Election Crisis and has been on and off when it comes to Chinese censorship and their human rights violations. Today’s move places the spotlight back on China and the state of censorship, at least for the next few weeks. The 24/7 news cycle will analyze all of the angles, especially if China does end up kicking Google out. The more information that comes out, the more pressure that will be placed on China. Even though Google will likely be a casualty of the censorship war, it will not have been taken down in vain. Activists will be reinvigorated, new information will be revealed, and the fight against oppression will continue. How the war will turn out or when it will end is anybody’s guess. We haven’t even come close to seeing the full implications of Google’s decision. You can bet though that the effect will be felt for years to come in political, social, and technological circles worldwide. Reviews: Google, Iran Tags: censorship, china, Google, politics  | |
| Twitter CEO Defends Stats: Today Will Be Our Highest Usage Day Ever | | Tue 12 Jan | Has Twitter?s growth really stopped, as we postulated yesterday? Not so fast says Twitter CEO Evan Williams. In a tweet this evening, Williams says that ?Across all metrics that matter, yesterday was Twitter’s highest-usage day ever (and today will be bigger).? While he doesn?t say what those metrics are, one can assume he?s talking about tweet volume ? certainly the greatest measure of how active Twitter?s userbase is, as well as crucial to creating value in the site?s search partnerships with Google and Microsoft. So why then are services like Compete and Quantcast showing Twitter in a state of perpetual flatline? The theory that seemed to get the most support yesterday was that users are simply accessing the site in ways other than Twitter.com ? on mobile handsets and on third-party desktop clients. Still, it?s possible that Twitter isn?t adding new users at the same clip it was in the first half of 2009, but rather, those that have clung to the service are using it more actively than ever before. That also makes sense given that Twitter becomes considerably more interesting as you follow more people and more people follow you. Nonetheless, perhaps the demise of Twitter has been greatly exaggerated. Reviews: Google, Twitter Tags: twitter  | |
| HUGE: Google Considers Pulling Out of China in the Name of Free Speech | | Tue 12 Jan | In a lengthy blog post today, Google announced that it would no longer censor its Chinese search engine, even if it means pulling out of China entirely. This comes in the wake of a wide-ranging attack on its infrastructure targeting Chinese human rights activists. In the post, Google outlined in rather striking detail a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” that occurred last month, targeting around 20 companies. In its investigation, the search giant found that the attackers’ primary objective was accessing Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. It also found that dozens of other Gmail accounts owned by human rights activists worldwide were compromised, most likely due to phishing scams or malware. Google wouldn’t say it, but implications are that the Chinese government had something to do with these attacks. As a result of the attacks, Google has decided to reassess its presence in China. The Chinese government and Google have fought over censorship before, but currently the search engine does block certain results (such as images of the Tiananmen Square massacre). Now Google’s making it clear that it won’t comply with China’s demands any longer. Here’s the key paragraph from the Google post: “These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.” Google has taken a very public stand against censorship, albeit one that is years overdue. How this series of events plays out could not only affect Google and the tech community, but global politics as a whole. Additional Coverage - The Global Implications of Google?s Stand Against Chinese Censorship - Google Reclaims a Slice of its ?Don?t Be Evil? Mystique Reviews: Gmail, Google Tags: censorship, china, Google, trending  | |
| Look At Us, We Formed a Band: Birds Rock Out in Mashup [VIDEO] | | Tue 12 Jan | This little gem — which makes creative use of the YouTube Doubler Beta — has been making its way across the illustrious interwebs today: birds totally jamming together to create a truly epic metal song. What do you get when you cross a percussionist cockatiel with rooster with a flair for screamo? One of the best — if not slightly insufferable — animal mashups of this blighted month of January. This vid also alerted us to the existence of the YouTube Doubler which has apparently been in existence for roughly a year. Regardless, we’re going to be playing with this toy for the next hour or so. In the meantime, enjoy the crow show. Note: Play these videos together. We’ve disabled auto-play. Tags: humor, viral video  | |
| Star Trek Moves into WoW Territory With New Online Game | | Tue 12 Jan | The Star Trek fan’s equivalent of World of Warcraft is now playable thanks to an open beta test — and you don’t even have to spend $60 to buy the game as long as you can put up with a few bugs. While Star Trek had become a struggling franchise in recent years, the blockbuster movie reboot from J.J. Abrams that hit last May renewed interest online and elsewhere. Right now the easiest way to get a key to play Star Trek Online is to sign up for an account at gamer download mecca FilePlanet, but more choices will come. Virtual worlds of one kind or another have always been part of Mashable’s territory, but positive news on that subject has been slowly drying up. Maybe Second Life didn’t turn out to be the revolution a lot of people hoped it would be, but that alternate reality social life is still going strong in the video gaming world. Games like this are hardly mainstream, though. World of Warcraft’s creators brag that the game has 11.5 million subscribers, but quite a few of those gamers primarily play in Asian Internet cafes, which are a whole different world. It’s true that there’s a chance Star Trek is now a big enough franchise to push social gaming in a persistent, virtual world into the limelight; interest is only going to grow with the recent announcement that a sequel is coming in the summer of 2012. But the problem is that this Star Trek Online game is actually based mostly on material from the ’90s TV series, not the new movie. It’s also PC-only software (most mainstream folks play on the web or on game consoles), so its niche is obvious: computer gaming geeks who grew up on The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine. Chances are you’ll be waiting a little while longer for these sorts of games to escape the hardcore gamer ghetto. It’s a pity, though. There’s a lot of potential there. Reviews: Mashable Tags: atari, beta, cryptic studios, gaming, MMO, mmorpg, Star Trek, star trek online, video games, virtual world, world of warcraft  | |
| 5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest | | Tue 12 Jan | Clay McDaniel is the principal and co-founder of social media marketing agency, Spring Creek Group. Find him via @springcreekgrp on Twitter. One of the best ways to drive engagement and build word of mouth traffic about your brand is to run a contest via social media channels. Not only does it engage consumers with your brand in a fun and exciting way, it results in a treasure-trove of customer information, preferences, and feedback you can then mine to improve your business. And, best of all, launching an online contest can be very inexpensive. However, there is a subtle art to social contests. Your brand needs to appear neither too “cheesy” nor too “salesy,” and you must deliver a prize that people really want. This can be a standard product or gift card, or a “notoriety” prize, such as publishing a winner?s video. What?s more, the contest itself has to be fun and easy to participate in. Few prizes are worth doing something extremely boring, monotonous, or complicated. Here are five specific strategies you can follow to launch and manage a social contest, and leverage it to deliver real business value. 1. Define Your Marketing Goal Every contest you launch should meet a specific marketing goal. Do you want to drive awareness of a new product or service? Collect a list of customers interested in a specific product segment? Encourage new participants to use your company?s social networking channels? There are many valid reasons to launch a contest, but it?s important to know ahead of time what you?re trying to accomplish. This goal will set the tone for your contest strategy. 2. Get Creative Here’s the fun part: Creating your contest. The sky?s the limit when it comes to the type of contests you can launch. Here are a few ideas: - A video contest inviting users to create a new commercial for one of your products - A user-generated content contest that awards the best ?personal experience stories? - A photo contest related to your product or service - A product invention contest with a large cash prize Of course, your contest can be short and offer a small prize, or longer and more involved. Check out the Startup Nation Home Based 100 business creation competition that received thousands of entries and high-profile sponsors for an idea of just how big a contest can become. 3. Leverage Social Channels The best part about online contests is how easy it is to take them viral, encourage participation, and link them into your social marketing activities. Promote your contest via Facebook, Twitter, your company blog, and all other social channels, as well as via traditional marketing channels such as print, e-mail, and in-store signage. Just search the word contest on Twitter to see hundreds of contests going on right now. The best contests are intensely social by nature, because people like to play games and contests together, and most people love to share the chance to win a cool prize with friends and family. Ensure your contest is easily sharable by embedding ?share this? links on the contest site, on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and everywhere else people will come across it. Use a social media tracking tool like Meteor Solutions to see which people and sites are sharing your contest, then promote your contest more heavily to those communities. Make sure your contest spreads like wildfire by encouraging easy ?copy/paste? sharing using the Bit.ly URL shortener for the links to your contest location online. Most importantly, allow the contest participants to vote to choose the winner, which keeps the audience interacting with one another and engaged long after each person has submitted their entry. 4. Finish the Contest Everyone loves a winner, so make sure you don?t let your contest drag on too long. A typical social contest runs about four weeks ?- longer, of course, if it?s more complex (e.g. programming a software algorithm or inventing a new product). When the winner is chosen, do a PR push to publicize their win. Of course, use Facebook and Twitter to promote the winner like mad. Go back to your social media tracking software and find out which people and social sites are talking most about the winner, then post comments on those networks to drive even more interest in the winner. 5. Measure the Contest Of course launching a contest wasn?t just for fun, it was to achieve a specific marketing goal. So after the contest is done, you need to measure the impact it had on brand engagement, clickthrough to your site, conversion, and bottom-line sales. Again, you can use your social media tracking tool to measure all of these success metrics. Find out whether your contest drove as much traffic to your site as you had hoped, and whether this traffic resulted in conversion, however you may measure that (e.g. purchases, newsletter subscriptions, Twitter followers, etc.). Many brands have done a great job with social contests. Spring Creek Group, for example, created a social media contest to drive interest and traffic during the launch of the Microsoft Bing search engine last summer. Bing launched The Bing Jingle Contest, and invited people to upload user-generated video ?jingles? about Bing to their official YouTube channel. Bing then promoted the videos via its Facebook Page, Twitter updates, and other social channels. The video with the most views and highest ratings would be crowned the winner, with the creator receiving a $500 gift card. Overall, the contest garnered 27 video entries, over 238,000 views, 550 comments on the videos, and 2,200 tweets. The word of mouth generated by the contest was phenomenal, and was covered by many top blogs. The contest took on a life of its own, generating both defenders and detractors over the winning video. More Great Contest Examples Marin Software’s Biggest Search Geek Contest: This is a fun and very popular contest, now in its second year, that pits smart search marketers against one another for a free pass to SMX West — double points for creating a cool B2B social contest. #TriviaTues: Fancast, Comcast?s competitor to Hulu, promotes #TriviaTues, a weekly trivia event where Twitter users who follow @FancastTrivia and answer twenty trivia questions can win free DVDs, movie tickets, and t-shirts. Moonfruit’s Win a Macbook Pro Everyday for 7 Days: Moonfruit, provider of do-it-yourself web site building tools for small businesses, recently completed this hugely successful contest. You can see results and entries on their web site. More business resources from Mashable: - The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration - HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI - HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs - HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy - HOW TO: Use a Start Page to Stay Organized - HOW TO: Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry - 5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses Images courtesy of iStockphoto, adventtr, WendellFranks Reviews: Bing, Facebook, Hulu, Twitter, YouTube, bit.ly, iStockphoto Tags: bing, business, contest, Contests, facebook, MARKETING, moonfruit, small business, social media, social networks, twitter, youtube  | |
| It?s Official: Yahoo Sells Zimbra to VMware | | Tue 12 Jan | Virtualization software maker VMware has just acquired Zimbra, an open-source alternative to the popular Microsoft Exchange. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, although the price is likely much lower than the original $350 million Yahoo paid for it in 2007. Rumors of the deal began to surface a week ago, but Yahoo has been looking to unload Zimbra for months now. Zimbra has essentially acted as an independent unit since its 2007 acquisition. Why would Yahoo sell Zimbra? It’s been growing (86 percent mailbox growth, according to Zimbra), so the more likely reason is a lack of synergy between Zimbra and Yahoo Mail, especially in terms of business e-mail sync. The company does use some Zimbra technology in Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Calendar, but it will still have the right to utilize that technology even after the deal is complete. Why would VMware buy Zimbra? From what we can tell, VMware is looking to “up the stack” in order to integrate and promote its software more deeply with businesses. Integration with VMware’s vSphere cloud operating system seems like an immediate synergy. In the end, it seems that Yahoo got the technology it wanted, and that VMware has a new weapon in its quest for more business customers. Reviews: Zimbra Tags: acquisition, business, Microsoft Exchange, vmware, Yahoo, zimbra  | |
| Harvard Teams Up With Foursquare For Collegiate Check-Ins | | Tue 12 Jan | It’s hip to be square. Foursquare, that is. The esteemed academic institution Harvard has partnered with Foursquare to create a campus-based game that rewards students with badges and points for exploring the school and surrounding places of interest. The news hails from the Harvard Gazette, which describes a partnership that essentially tacks an official Harvard-specific game with a special collegiate badge on the existing Foursquare functionality and purpose. The primary idea behind the collaboration is to encourage students to connect more with friends and professors through location-based game play, as well as to inspire campus visitors to explore the grounds and uncover tips or share to-dos. If you think about it, tapping into the hyper-local university scene is brilliant. Think about freshman still trying to acclimate to a new campus. They can use the app and game to uncover the university hot spots, find the best social gatherings (maybe even a great kegger), bond with their peers and actually learn a thing or two about social media in real-life context. We think it’s genius. For another look at a university getting creative with Foursquare, check out what UNC Charlotte is playing with. [img credit: Stephanie Mitchell, Harvard Staff Photographer] Reviews: Foursquare Tags: foursquare, Harvard, higher education, Mobile 2.0, social media, social networking  | |
| Conan Wins the Hearts and Minds of the Internet | | Tue 12 Jan | The ongoing saga revolving around NBC?s late night lineup took a sharp turn toward its climax this afternoon, with Conan O?Brien issuing a statement to tell ?people of earth? that he will resign as host of The Tonight Show if it?s moved to a later time slot. The response has been overwhelming, with the news topping Twitter?s trending topics, and users quickly voicing their support with ?Team Conan? and #teamconan tweets. Here’s a look at the huge spike in Conan tweets this afternoon: Beyond Conan apparently having plenty of fan support (and Jay Leno?s fans perhaps not yet on the Twitter bandwagon), the transparency and sincerity of Conan?s statement certainly isn?t hurting the cause. The comedian apparently spent all night writing it, and manages to be both grateful, truthful and deeply loyal to The Tonight Show institution, all while making NBC look like one of the more evil entities to grace the face of the earth. My favorite part: ?My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction.? Good luck with NBC trying to shuffle its lineup, with or without Conan, with words like that coming from someone who has been one of the network?s most visible personalities for 15 years. Here’s a look at the sentiment of tweets about the situation, courtesy of Crimson Hexagon: The Twitterverse is clearly on Conan’s side. Reviews: Twitter Tags: conan o'brien, jay leno, media, nbc, television, trending, twitter  | |
| Post-Avatar Depression Hits Thousands of Fans [VIDEO] | | Tue 12 Jan | Avatar may be one of the biggest grossing movies of all time, but it’s got a lot of fans feeling super blue (pun wholly intended). CNN just came out with an extremely detailed report on the intense depression that Avatar is causing among a certain segment of fans, fans who psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser describes as “lonely to begin with. They’re seeing Avatar, they’re lonely people, a lot of them don’t have a lot going on in their lives right now… The movie opened up a portal for them to express their depression.” These fans are turning to online forums — some of which have thousands of posts on how to deal with the cinema-induced sadness — to express their distress. Here’s a few excerpts from the CNN report: “Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it.. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in ‘Avatar.’ ” - Mike “When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed … gray. It was like my whole life, everything I’ve done and worked for, lost its meaning…It just seems so … meaningless. I still don’t really see any reason to keep … doing things at all. I live in a dying world.” - Ivar Hill, 17, Sweden In short, people are depressed because their own lives don’t measure up to the fantasy, a phenomenon Kaiser likens to the ennui one feels after seeing a romance movie if one happens to be unattached and dissatisfied. CNN goes on to examine how the 3D technology only served to deepen the depression, as the realistic landscape of the film seems almost within reach, even though it doesn’t actually exist. Well, if that’s the case, entertainment buffs better start popping the Prozacs as mainstream TV stations go 3D, and holograms are incorporated into standard award show fare. Has anyone out there experienced post-Avatar depression? Reviews: Pandora Tags: avatar, Film, trending, video  | |
| TwitPic Contest Looks to Fill Your Empty Cupholder With Gum | | Tue 12 Jan | If you take a picture of your empty cupholder and tweet it @DentyneGum via TwitPic with the hashtag #emptycupholder, Dentyne will send you a free “limited edition” bottle of gum. Although there have been Twitter promotions from many companies before (they’ve proven successful enough that they keep coming), this one is distinguished somewhat by the use of TwitPic. Other promotions have just asked you to retweet something to receive a prize. The idea is that a little more involvement and creativity should go a long way, and when you participate you provide Dentyne free exposure to all your followers. A person who is very concerned about his or her Twitter image probably won’t participate for fear of being labeled a spammer, but your average Twitter user won’t have any qualms about it. A few weeks ago we learned that Pepsi is skipping the Super Bowl commercial tradition, instead investing $20 million in a crowd-sourced social media campaign that could include something similar to what Dentyne is doing. It’d be premature to say that social media will supplant traditional advertising completely, but it’s become clear that social media campaigns are essential components of any sales strategy. Reviews: Twitpic, Twitter Tags: advertising, dentyne, free, gum, promotion, twitpic, twitter  | |
| M.I.A.?s New Single: ?Down Like Your Internet Connection? | | Tue 12 Jan | British Sri Lankan music artist M.I.A.’s next big single will be called “Down Like Your Internet Connection,” a song about arguing with Verizon tech support to get her cable Internet and wireless up and running. M.I.A. has been known to tech geeks for years; she jump-started her career by spreading the first singles from her debut album, Arular, online. The album wasn’t out yet, but savvy web users could track the songs down with the help of blogs and file-sharing services. The artist is known for putting heavy words to light music, but this is a far cry from songs about child soldiers and immigration politics. When you’ve been on the phone with tech support for several hours, you might start to see it as a sort of war, though. M.I.A. was trying to get her broadband working when she decided mid-crisis that she should ask the support people to help her out with her music. “Ten phone calls later, I have Internet that sticks and a song,” she said. Rolling Stone reports that the song actually features Filipino Verizon tech support workers singing the hook. The album ? which was made in collaboration with producer Blaqstarr ? will be released this summer. If “Down Like Your Internet Connection” is the first single, it will probably hit several weeks earlier. “I Fight the Ones That Fight Me” is another revealed song, but the album itself still doesn’t have a name. [via Switched] Tags: album, blaqstarr, down like your internet connection, m.i.a., mia, music, single, tech support, verizon  | |
| Starbucks Most Popular U.S. Chain According to Mobile Check-In Data | | Tue 12 Jan | Loopt, the location-based mobile application that was a precursor to Foursquare, reports that Starbucks is sitting pretty at the top of the checkin food chain in 2010. Loopt did some creative manipulation of its wealth of place data and put together a list of the 75 most popular chains based on checkin volume over the past few weeks. Starbucks is far and away the most popular chain with a checkin volume that is nearly 32 times that of In-N-Out Burger (which ranks 54th on the list). It also looks as if New Year’s resolutions are inspiring people to either hit the gym more frequently or at least publicly assert that they are doing so, as 24-Hour Fitness is burning the rest of the competition in the number five spot. On that same note, Subway ranks pretty high up on the list, but its checkin share is dwarfed by McDonald’s. Clearly you want to have your cake and to eat it, too. According to Loopt CEO Sam Altman, to come up with this data set, the company “normalize(s) the number of checkins per chain by dividing all of them by a chosen reference (In-N-Out, which is approximately representative of the average). The thought here is that, for example, 8,739 checkins doesn’t mean much to anyone, but 2.45 is a good indicator of relative popularity.” Slicing checkins to determine relative chain popularity is certainly a very interesting way to look at the Loopt data, whether or not it’s 100 percent reflective of societal shopping and eating trends. The fact that people are willing to publicly share what they’re doing and where they’re doing it en masse means that the most popular places are the places at which people want to be seen. Making that extra checkin effort is a net positive for the business, and clearly Starbucks is riding high on the checkin wave. We’ve published the full list below, so take a look at the results and let us know what you think of the results. Most Popular Chains [img credit: dianaschnuth] Tags: Food, loopt, MARKETING, Mobile 2.0, starbucks  | |
| Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting | | Tue 12 Jan | Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from tech companies with neuroscientists, Zen teachers, and others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when registering. Tweeting is easy. Tweeting and using social media with balance and effectiveness — not so easy. Zen teachings have much to offer those of us who wish to make our time on social networks more rewarding and productive. We all have days when we engage social media with a focus and sense of direction that enriches our work and life. We find useful content and have good communication with friends, while also attending to other tasks we need to accomplish. We have other days, however, when we lose focus, and get overwhelmed and lost on social media, and find ourselves at the end of the day usually with more stress, and wondering what we actually accomplished. Below are the top four Zen lessons to help you get the most positivity and productivity out of your social media experience. 1. Approach With a Beginner?s Mind ?In the beginner?s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s, there are few.? ? Zen Master Suzuki Roshi It seems that more and more people are claiming to be experts of one kind or another, and many of them are using social media. In fact, recent reports suggest that there are now over 15,700 people claiming to be social media experts on Twitter. There is nothing wrong with experts. I am sure many who claim to be are quite skilled and knowledgeable. However, the question is not only how much we know, but how much are we willing to learn from our time on social media? The person who thinks he ?knows? or is an ?expert? is often less open to new learning. In the age of social media, things change so fast that what we knew about a subject yesterday may not apply to today. What matters is less about what we knew in the past, and much more about how open we are to learning today. This applies especially to social media. Lesson: Rather than focus on what you know when engaging in social media, focus on what you can learn. 2. Give What You Want to Receive Zen student asks, “I am very discouraged. What should I do?”" Zen teacher responds, “encourage others.” There are countless ways that social media can help us with everything from our business to our social life. However, while there is much to gain from social media, we could also say there is much to give to social media too. From a Zen perspective, it is important to give what we wish to receive. Want to find more customers for your business on Twitter or Facebook? Help others find customers for their business. Feel like you deserve more praise online? Praise others more. Want more people responding to your tweets? Respond to their tweets more. Tired of reading meaningless tweets? Make the effort to post meaningful ones yourself. If we approach social media focused exclusively on what we can gain or what we think we should get, we set up a division in our relationships, one that often ends up preventing us from receiving the very thing we seek. When we give what we want to receive, it changes the dynamic such that, ironically, we are more likely to get what we seek. Lesson: Focus not only what you can gain but also what you can give. 3. Only Add Useful Content ?Do not speak unless you can improve on silence.? — Zen saying The tools of social media give us countless ways to share content with people across the world. They do very little, however, to ensure that content is useful or purposeful. There is often the belief that to be active and effective on social media one has to post consistently, letting people know throughout the day what we are doing and thinking. However, just as great music is in part the relationship between sound and silence, we could say that for Twitter and Facebook updates, what matters is not just the content of our posts, but also the amount of space between them. I am sure we all likely follow people on Twitter who may not tweet everyday, but when they do, we are excited to read what they post. It is the quality of their tweets that matters more than the quantity of them. Lesson: Post not to fill empty space, but to add value. 4. See Differently ?Look out from the frameless window of a long pause. Let the images come to you rather than chasing outward after them…. If you want to see differently, you’ll have to look differently.? — Ji Aoi Isshi A key element to Zen is to focus not only what exists in the external world, but to also be attentive to the internal lens from which we view it. If a cup is filled half way with water, one person could see it as half empty, another as half full. The cup, however, is what it is. In the same way, we can have a million followers on Twitter, then look at Ashton Kutcher who has over 4 million, and think, ?I am way behind? and approach the service with the desire to ?catch up.? Or we can have 20 followers, and think, ?Cool, twenty people want to read my tweets,? and engage with Twitter from a positive state of mind. The number of followers we have often has little to do with the positive or negative attitude with which we approach the service. What matters is less about our number of followers, and much more about how we ?see? or ?look? — the mental approach we take. Lesson: Focus more on the mental approach you take, and less on comparing yourself with others. Conclusion Of course we are going to use social media, but the real challenge is doing so effectively. There is an old Zen story about a man riding a horse that is galloping very quickly. Seeing him, a woman asks, ?Where are you going in such a hurry?? To which the man replies, ?I have no idea. Ask the horse!? There are likely days that if someone asked us what we were doing, we might reply, ?I have no idea. Ask Twitter and Facebook!? When we let the horse, or social media, direct us, we get overwhelmed and unfocused, and our time is not spent well. Twitter and Facebook are incredible tools, but making the most of our time on them requires paying attention to the mental approach we take. When we engage them with a beginner?s mind, a desire to give, a focus on adding useful content, and a positive state of mind, we will likely have more days guiding the horse than the opposite. More social media resources from Mashable: - The Tao of Tweeting - How Social Media Has Changed Us - 3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology - 5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships - 4 Steps for Effective Online Networking [img credit: euart] Images courtesy of iStockphoto, webphotographeer, tmarvin, mevans, gchutka Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto Tags: facebook, List, Lists, philosophy, social media, tips, twitter  | |
| Facebook?s ?Reply by E-mail? Feature Now Live For Everyone | | Tue 12 Jan | Facebook has just rolled out the ability for users to reply to comments through e-mail, a feature it began testing last month. The feature is straightforward. Anytime you get a notification e-mail about a comment on a status update, a photo or a wall post, you can simply reply via e-mail and the post will show up on Facebook. The social network is able to filter out unrelated text like your e-mail signature. As we noted in our previous coverage, this move is about more than meets the eye. While it?s a useful feature, it also means Facebook is sacrificing short-term pageviews (by forcing you to log in) for more user interaction. The same can?t yet be said for Facebook?s mail system, which isn?t getting the reply-by-e-mail functionality with this update. Reviews: Facebook Tags: facebook  | |
| Does Walmart Want to be the Next Netflix ? Again? | | Tue 12 Jan | Vudu is in ?meaningful? acquisition discussions with a potential buyer: superstore retail chain Walmart, according to Peter Kafka at All Things Digital Vudu is an HD-streaming and DVD movie and TV show rental service that’s a cross between Netflix and iTunes, but is currently mostly reliant on partnerships with TV set manufacturers like LG, Sanyo, Toshiba and Sharp for distribution. The company has failed to attract widespread consumer attention and rumors suggest it’s been looking to sell its service. While a seemingly unlikely buyer, especially given the nature of Vudu’s TV manufacturer partner relationships, Walmart could be interested in acquiring the company in the hopes of turning around a failed four-year history in the online and DVD rentals space. Walmart could also expose Vudu’s arguably superior HD-streaming experience to a much larger audience. Kafka writes: “After trying for two years to compete with Netflix?s DVD-by-mail business, Wal-Mart gave up in 2005 and agreed to send its customers directly to Netflix (NFLX). In 2007, with the backing of all the big studios and tech help from Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), the retailer tried to launch a download service, a la Apple?s (AAPL) iTunes. But it abandoned that effort in less than a year. Meanwhile, sources say Vudu has been seeking a buyer?in the form of either a big-box retailer or an electronics manufacturer?for some time without success. Internet executive Mark Jung ran the company for a year but left in November 2008; founder Alain Rossmann became interim CEO when Jung left and has kept the title since then. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Vudu has raised at least $21 million from Benchmark Capital and Greylock Partners. I?m told that when the company was marketing itself last fall, it was looking for a sale price of $50 million or more. But it may not have much leverage to command a premium.” Should Walmart live by the adage that the third time is a charge, then we can expect to see it go head-to-head with Apple and Netflix and attempt to become an entertainment conglomerate. Of course, it will also have to mitigate deals with the same movie studios that are putting Netflix new release rentals on pause and appease TV set makers already supporting Vudu. Tags: business, Film, tv, vudu, WalMart  | |
| Google Docs Adds Support for File Storage | | Tue 12 Jan | Ever wanted to use your Google account as a storage system? Now you can. Google has announced that it will be rolling out a new feature to Google Docs over the next few weeks: the ability to upload files of any type to store in Google Docs. For years, services like Box.net and Dropbox have offered the ability to store files in the cloud that can then be shared with other individuals or accessed easily from other computers. Google has offered Picasa Web Album users the ability to purchase additional storage space for photos, but now that space can be shared across Google Docs, Gmail and Picasa. Free users will get 1 GB of storage to store non-Google Docs files. Google’s pricing is competitive — $0.25 a gigabyte per year (so $5 gets you 20 GB of storage space). The only middling detail is that files can’t be larger than 250 MB. That means that Google Docs and the Google cloud will be perfectly fine for most users, but for individuals who need to frequently share or access files above 250 MB, this probably isn’t going to be the solution for you. Google is also going to allow users to search for shared or uploaded files using Google’s document search, and common file types will be viewable in the Google Docs viewer. This is a move that users have been asking for for quite some time — and with a competitive additional storage option, we’re sure it will be popular. Even for competing storage and collaboration systems, this offers an opportunity to distinguish features and offerings that Google might not match. What do you think about Google finally adding the ability to store different file types in Google Docs? Will you purchase additional storage options or will you stick with other solutions? Let us know! Reviews: Box.net, Dropbox, Gmail, Google, Google Docs, Picasa Tags: file storage, Google, google docs  | |
| ?Glee? Returns For a Second Season With an Online Twist | | Tue 12 Jan | If you’re a fan of the TV show Glee, you can start jumping (or singing) for joy: Fox has officially renewed the series for a second season. Not only that, but Glee will be going on a nationwide casting search next month that will include an Internet twist. The producers of Glee are seeking to fill three new roles for the second season of the show and they will be accepting online submissions from amateurs and professionals between the ages of 16 and 26. More details will be announced soon. Online casting calls aren’t exactly new, but the fact that such a big show — Glee was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards last month — is willing to at least entertain the idea of finding someone without using the standard agency process is kind of cool. Granted, our cynical side fully expects the roles to be cast with professionals, regardless of how the audition tapes find their way to producers, but it’s still a nice touch. Glee has had a strong Internet following since its pilot debuted last May (and was subsequently available for free from iTunes). In August, Fox even tried to add Twitter commentary to reruns of Glee and the sci-fi show Fringe, although that turned out to be a better idea in theory than in practice. Are you a fan of Glee? What do you think about using the Internet to find new talent for network TV series? Let us know! Tags: GLEE, media, music, television, tv  | |
| Real-Time Ads Coming to Google Street View? | | Tue 12 Jan | Imagine this: You’re strolling virtually through your favorite Google Street View destination, when suddenly you notice an animated ad on one of the billboards beside the street. “Buy product X,” it beckons you, replacing the obsolete ad that was originally on the billboard when the Google Street View car took the picture. This might very well turn into a reality. Google has been granted a patent named “Claiming Real Estate in Panoramic or 3D Mapping Environments for Advertising,” detailing “techniques for identifying groups of features in an online geographic view of a real property and replacing and/or augmenting the groups of features with advertisement.” The idea is ingenious, really. Most of those obsolete ads on billboards serve very little purpose in the virtual world of Street View, but if one could replace them with up-to-date advertisements, they could be another source of income for the giant from Mountain View. Of course, there’s a jungle of legal obstacles that Google would have to solve before actually going through with this. Who owns the virtual billboards? And what about the companies who paid for the original ads on them? ReadWriteWeb points out some of the possible issues, but one thing is certain: Google’s strategy of amassing virtual real estate will pay off one way or another. Reviews: Google Tags: advertising, Google, street view  | |
| Amtrak to Add Free Wi-Fi on High-Speed Trains | | Tue 12 Jan | Buses, cars, planes and now even Amtrak trains offer Wi-Fi for web work or play during travel. Amtrak has just confirmed that they will be providing free wireless Internet access on trains. The company is in the process of reviewing free Wi-Fi trials, but they expect to launch the service on all high-speed Acela Express trains ? which operate in the Northeast Corridor ? by March, according to a report from Wired. The Wi-Fi service will initially be free, and eventually rolled out to other regions (though no timelines are set), but charges could come at a later date. What those costs are we don’t know, but CEO Joseph Boardman states, “Pricing may change depending on customer response, system performance and costs.” While the news of free Wi-Fi on Acela Express trains is certainly welcome, we have to wonder whether the quality will be improved from the subpar performance of early trials some travelers reported. Boardman also confirmed that the fleet of cars and locomotives will be upgraded, which could also influence the quality of the Wi-FI experience. Ultimately Amtrak is making the train and service improvements to boost revenue, which they project to grow by $4.3 million over the next five years. [img credit: statosphere] Tags: amtrak, business, free wifi, wifi  | |
| Mobile Analytics Firm Flurry Picks Up $7 Million in Funding | | Tue 12 Jan | Mobile analytics firm Flurry just raised $7 million in a Series B funding round. Mobile analytics firms are a hot commodity right now, with both AdMob and Quattro getting acquired by Google and Apple respectively in the last 60 days. Flurry, whose stats we’ve covered in the past, actively tracks the iPhone and Android platforms, looking at usage patterns and trends. As the App Store surpasses 3 billion downloads and Android continues to gain steam, mobile usage information will become increasingly valuable to both developers and advertisers. Reviews: Android, iPhone Tags: android, flurry, iphone, mobile analytics, money, money-finance  | |
| Why Facebook?s Privacy Changes are Detrimental to Users | | Tue 12 Jan | Though Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says that public is the new ?social norm,? many members who use the social network for professional and business reasons have lost the ability to conduct certain actions privately as a result of changes made to the settings. And despite this being a reflection and a catalyst of our social activities becoming more public through the likes of Twitter and other sites, not having the option to control certain aspects in some ways is detrimental to the way we use the site and has the potential to deter users from using the site freely. Public Activity, Pages, Friend Lists Without Control Changes to Facebook’s privacy settings mean that you can no longer hide your name, profile picture, networks, friends list, current city, and perhaps more importantly, the Pages that you are a ?fan” of from being broadcast on your wall. The changes also include your activity (liking or commenting, becoming friends, writing on a wall, etc.). In some ways this is great for Facebook and can be beneficial to users — for example, being able to see all the activity of those you’re connected to can potentially make it easier to find new friends. However, there are many reasons why you might not want others to see your activity. One of the biggest reasons is that it could be taken out of context by friends, co-workers, or business partners. You might think twice about your engagement on other profiles knowing it will appear on your wall. Broadcasting Without Context The fact that this information is being displayed is not just a problem because it removes the ability to control the privacy of your engagement with users and Pages, but also because it is being broadcast without context. Someone that stumbles onto your wall only sees the record of the action without knowing the reasoning behind it. For example, as a journalist that uses the network for reporting, I have joined Facebook Pages or groups to gain contacts for reporting. With the previous settings, I was able to hide my joining the group from being broadcast to my network. However, now it gets posted onto my wall automatically and could easily be taken out of context. If I join a political or advocacy group strictly because I am trying to find sources, it might appear to my friends and colleagues that I joined the group because I support the cause. We simply might not want to broadcast these certain activities, in both our personal and professional lives. In some ways, we may now be discouraged to friend certain people because we don’t want our boss to think we’re crossing the line with a source, or your wife to think that you’re flirting with an old friend by commenting on her wall. Conclusion Facebook is pushing itself to become more public than ever, and that has a lot of potential upsides. However, they should continue to keep users in mind by giving them options to control the information being broadcast. It’s hard to tell what impact this will have on users, but it has the potential to decrease activity rather than increase it. Sure, people aren’t forced to use the platform, but Facebook has become part of our everyday lives. Longtime users accustomed to previous privacy options are being alienated when those choices are taken away. What do you think? Have you had issues with the new settings? How are you dealing with them? More Facebook resources from Mashable - How Facebook Dominated in 2009 - Facebook: 5 Predictions for 2010 - HOW TO: Organize an Event on Facebook - HOW TO: Integrate Facebook With Your Blog - Facebook Pages vs Facebook Groups: What?s the Difference? - HOW TO: Manage a Facebook Group - HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on Facebook Reviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: facebook, facebook privacy settings, privacy, trending  | |
| Adding Up the Real Costs of Nexus One | | Tue 12 Jan | Nexus One is a great phone, and one of the best Android-based handsets on the market. But Google’s strategy of selling it directly through its website brings a couple of unwanted side effects. First, if that $530 price for the unsubsidized, unlocked Nexus One seems steep to you, maybe you’ll think differently after you see Google’s early termination fee (ETF) for the subsidized version: $350. Sure, pretty much every subsidized phone comes with an ETF. But this is Google’s termination fee, which may come in addition to the carrier’s own ETF, which, for example, is $200 in the case of T-Mobile. PC World ran through Google’s Nexus One terms of sale, but here’s the quick rundown, coming directly from big G: “You agree to pay Google an equipment subsidy recovery fee (the ‘Equipment Recovery Fee’) equal to the difference between the full price of the Nexus handheld device without service plan and the price you paid for the Nexus handheld device if you cancel your wireless plan prior to 120 days of continuous wireless service. For example, if the full price of the Nexus handheld device without service plan was $529 USD and the price you paid for the Nexus handheld device was $179 USD with a service plan, the Equipment Recovery Fee you pay will be $350 USD in the event you cancel within the first 120 days of carrier service.” …and the ugly part: “Please note that the Equipment Recovery Fee is imposed by Google and not your chosen carrier and is in addition to any early termination fees that may be charged by your chosen carrier in connection with termination of your wireless plan prior to fulfillment of your chosen carrier?s service agreement term.” This could be some sort of misunderstanding, but a couple of days have passed since the double fee issue was discovered, and Google has remained silent about the matter. As it stands now, it seems that if you terminate your Nexus One contract within the first 120 days of service, you’ll have to pay two different ETFs which is both confusing and expensive. Furthermore, since the Nexus One is manufactured by HTC, sold by Google, and you have to use it on a mobile network, such as T-Mobile, it can be hard to decide who you should complain to in case of problems. As complaints inevitably mount up, users are often unable to figure out who’s responsible. None of these are deal breakers, but are definitely issues one should be aware of before purchasing the phone. Google may have offered us the most advanced Android handset on the market, but they haven’t worked out all the details just yet. Reviews: Android, Google Tags: trending  | |
| RUMOR: Apple Orders a Lot of 10.1 Inch Screens, Removes Old Multitouch Website | | Tue 12 Jan | The Apple Tablet rumor mill is warming up for what seems to be one of the biggest launches in Apple’s history, second perhaps only to the unveiling of the iPhone. This morning, we’re greeted by two interesting rumors. First, TG Daily claims that an “anonymous designer” complained to them that it’s currently nearly impossible to order a 10.1 LCD or OLED screen from any Asian manufacturer, because Apple has pre-ordered them all. It makes sense: If Apple plans to move a million and a half (as some predict) units every quarter, they need all the screens they can get. This rumor supports the now prevailing opinion that the fabled tablet will have a 10.1 inch screen, but will it be LCD or OLED? Or both? We can’t be sure right now. Also, MacRumors has noticed that the website of a company Apple had bought five years ago, Fingerworks, is no longer online. Fingerworks is a gesture recognition company, and it’s possible that some of its technology will be used (or at least it’s similar to the multitouch technology) in the upcoming tablet. Apple may have opted to remove the site to avoid any confusion, but for us, it’s just another tiny piece of the puzzle, suggesting that the unicorn tablet is actually coming (or will at least be announced) later this month. Tags: apple, multitouch, Tablet  | |
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