Innovative design and unique features cool iPhone 4 cases are easily under the media spotlight or becomes the subject of immediate discussion once there are introduce to the market. This round, we want to reveal the success secret of iPhone cases product launch formula.
For our cool iPhone 4 cases 2011 collections, the Griffin Elan Form + Chilewich series is surely one of our awesome iPhone 4 case. It's a two-piece design with a top frame that completely snaps over the iPhone body. A classic design element that promised a better protection for your iPhone. The case body is made of polycarbonate and covered with the trademarked woven vinyl textile.
The unique features of this cool Griffin Elan Form iPhone 4 cases are what we should look for when going for shopping. Obviously, this Griffin product comes with a hybrid design that fits iPhone 4 models from all carriers (iPhone 4 and Verizon iPhone 4). Not many iPhone 4 cases are design for both blue or red camp users in mind! The outer shell of Sandy Chilewich's trademarked Mini Basketweave woven vinyl textile surely a iconic feature that only available here. This is a perfect combination that showcase to make the best use of designer's trademarked and functionality.
Color: Light Gray, Light Gold and Dark Walnut
Available: iPhone 4 / Verizon iPhone 4
You pay: $39.99
Our score: 9.1/10
This Griffin Elan Form + Chilewich iPhone casefeature a slim body design with two layers of protection for your iPhone 4. This is yet another big name designer enter the ever hot iPhone cases businesses. Chilewich and Griffin collaboration is a landmark project to showcase how technology, interior design and materials can work together to create awesome and beautiful products to maintain their industry and market leader status.
Well, this is just the beginning of the war of iPhone cases market for 2011 and beyond. Meanwhile we are waiting for the arrival of iPhone 5, we're already seeing shadow of some interesting iPhone 5 cases getting market attention!! Before entering the exciting 2012, we are expecting more excitement from Spring, Autumn and Winter collections of coolest iPhone 4 cases or maybe the iPhone 5 by the end of 2011!!
Posted by S.Webex
Labels: cool iPhone 4 cases 2011 collections, designer cool iphone 4 cases, Elan Form iPhone 4 cases, iPhone 5 cases
Monday, June 13, 2011
Lee's new-look Better Communication Results blog - Do we HAVE to social media?
Lee's new-look Better Communication Results blog - Do we HAVE to social media?
In This Issue...
* Do we HAVE to social media?
* More Recent Articles
rip_and_rollI HAD an interesting discussion with a client yesterday about the 'Rip & Roll' kerfuffle that occurred recently.
[Ads delivered by FeedBlitz]
Synopsis: Billboards and bus shelter ads appeared in Brisbane showing two gay men, one of which was holding a condom. Pretty quickly the outdoor advertisement company, adShel, started receiving complaint phone calls about the ads from members of the public.
At the same time, Brisbane City Council also started receiving complaints from members of the public, as did the Advertising Standards Authority.
adShel, sensitive to local cultures, took the step to remove the adverts. This act prompted a storm of protest in the Twittersphere and on Facebook where one of the models in the original adverts set up a campaign to get the adverts reinstated. (Tim Mumbrella makes some good points.)
But then the truth came out: the phone calls were not from Bruce and Kylie Public, but were in fact part of an orchestrated campaign run by the Australian Christian Lobby up in Brisbane. So adShel put the posters back up. What is not clear is what role social media had to play in adShel's decision, if any. Just because there was a large amount of noise in the echo chamber doesn't mean that adShel listened to it.
Now, take that train of thought and apply it to the recent Burson-Marsteller cock-up (Neville Hobson has great coverage, and the Daily Beast also makes for interesting reading). B-M's facebook page at the time of being 'outed' was full of spleen-venting from those outside of the company. B-M have now pushed those ventings down the timeline and out of sight by creating a lot of status updates announcing job vacancies in its various US offices. They have moved the conversation on.
For a while things were ugly on their wall, but through their own efforts it has largely moved off the front page (but not off of Google's yet).
So here's my thoughts (two of them):
1. Having a Facebook Page where you allow comments from others opens you up to potential criticism (as it equally opens you up to having evangelists and fans coming unrequested to your aid, as they did for B-M and have done in countless previous instances for other organisations);
2. By adShel not having a place where the conversation could be taken to, the conversation happened on other people's turf, BUT FACEBOOK SCRAPED THEM UP ANYWAY. Below is an auto-generated Facebook Page about adShel; you will note how Facebook has scraped people's comments about it. In the screen grab you will also note that the Page is created from the comments and status updates of friends of mine. Therefore what you would see if you typed in 'adShel' into your Facebook search bar would differ, but still reflect what your friends are saying; and friends, as any psychologist will tell you, are your principle source of your opinions.
screen grab of adShel auto-generated Page on facebook
Conclusion
The conclusion? Whether you like it or not, the conversations are happening around you. Whether you choose to participate or not is entirely up to you and your communications strategy (and yes, I have come back to the view that n0t all companies need to be on Facebook), but I still maintain that if you want to reserve your digital space and influence the conversation, you should be social mediarising. Probably on Facebook.
In This Issue...
* Do we HAVE to social media?
* More Recent Articles
rip_and_rollI HAD an interesting discussion with a client yesterday about the 'Rip & Roll' kerfuffle that occurred recently.
[Ads delivered by FeedBlitz]
Synopsis: Billboards and bus shelter ads appeared in Brisbane showing two gay men, one of which was holding a condom. Pretty quickly the outdoor advertisement company, adShel, started receiving complaint phone calls about the ads from members of the public.
At the same time, Brisbane City Council also started receiving complaints from members of the public, as did the Advertising Standards Authority.
adShel, sensitive to local cultures, took the step to remove the adverts. This act prompted a storm of protest in the Twittersphere and on Facebook where one of the models in the original adverts set up a campaign to get the adverts reinstated. (Tim Mumbrella makes some good points.)
But then the truth came out: the phone calls were not from Bruce and Kylie Public, but were in fact part of an orchestrated campaign run by the Australian Christian Lobby up in Brisbane. So adShel put the posters back up. What is not clear is what role social media had to play in adShel's decision, if any. Just because there was a large amount of noise in the echo chamber doesn't mean that adShel listened to it.
Now, take that train of thought and apply it to the recent Burson-Marsteller cock-up (Neville Hobson has great coverage, and the Daily Beast also makes for interesting reading). B-M's facebook page at the time of being 'outed' was full of spleen-venting from those outside of the company. B-M have now pushed those ventings down the timeline and out of sight by creating a lot of status updates announcing job vacancies in its various US offices. They have moved the conversation on.
For a while things were ugly on their wall, but through their own efforts it has largely moved off the front page (but not off of Google's yet).
So here's my thoughts (two of them):
1. Having a Facebook Page where you allow comments from others opens you up to potential criticism (as it equally opens you up to having evangelists and fans coming unrequested to your aid, as they did for B-M and have done in countless previous instances for other organisations);
2. By adShel not having a place where the conversation could be taken to, the conversation happened on other people's turf, BUT FACEBOOK SCRAPED THEM UP ANYWAY. Below is an auto-generated Facebook Page about adShel; you will note how Facebook has scraped people's comments about it. In the screen grab you will also note that the Page is created from the comments and status updates of friends of mine. Therefore what you would see if you typed in 'adShel' into your Facebook search bar would differ, but still reflect what your friends are saying; and friends, as any psychologist will tell you, are your principle source of your opinions.
screen grab of adShel auto-generated Page on facebook
Conclusion
The conclusion? Whether you like it or not, the conversations are happening around you. Whether you choose to participate or not is entirely up to you and your communications strategy (and yes, I have come back to the view that n0t all companies need to be on Facebook), but I still maintain that if you want to reserve your digital space and influence the conversation, you should be social mediarising. Probably on Facebook.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Pocket-Sized Bluetooth Speaker Delivers Astonishing Sound”
Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Pocket-Sized Bluetooth Speaker Delivers Astonishing Sound”
* Pocket-Sized Bluetooth Speaker Delivers Astonishing Sound
* Find Out When Your Favorite Bands Are Playing While On The Go
* Wimbledon Finals To Be the First 3D Broadcast on the BBC
* Paramount Offers Twitter Users Advanced Tickets to Super 8
* Steve Jobs Proposes Spaceship-Shaped Cupertino Campus [VIDEO]
* Foursquare Checkin Could Land You a Trip to Space
* Facebook’s Automated Photo Tagging Prompts EU Probe
* Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Now Available for Pre-Order at Best Buy
* Facebook Privacy Probe, Verizon Blocks Tethering, iOS 5 Jailbroken: This Morning’s Top Stories
* Google Releases Stable Version of Chrome 12
* Why Augmented Reality Is Poised To Change Marketing
* The UN Takes a Bite Out of Social Innovation
* Investor Relations Tool Helps Fortune 500 Companies Get Social
* Facebook Turns On Facial Recognition For Tagging By Default
* WordPress.com Comments Gain Support for Facebook & Twitter Logins
* Twitter Automates Link Shortening for Its Web App
* Spirit Airlines Cashes in on Weinergate
* Why Apps, Not Apple, Are Killing BlackBerry
* Can a Gmail Tool Make Us More Considerate Email Senders?
* Louis Vuitton Takes Checkins to China
* NBC’s The Voice Treats iTunes Sales As Viewer Votes
* LinkedIn App Lets You Play Tetris With Your Network Profiles
* Join Us for Mashable’s Social Media Day Celebration in NYC
* Twitter-Based iPhone Photo App Puts Emphasis On Who You’re With
* 6 New & Innovative Social Media Campaigns to Learn From
* 10 Eco-Friendly Accessories for a Greener Office [PICS]
* HOW TO: Have the Cancer Talk
* Woman Gets Facebook Friend Sleeve Tattoo [VIDEO]
* 9 Beautiful One-Page Websites for Design Inspiration
* Mashable Teams With PepsiCo To Find Europe’s Most Promising Startups
Pocket-Sized Bluetooth Speaker Delivers Astonishing Sound
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 08:04 AM PDT
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging … now that's positivenergy™.
Product: Soundmatters foxL v2.2 Bluetooth Speaker
Price: $199
What It’s Good For: Taking high fidelity along with you in a palm-sized package.
Who It’s Good For: Frequent travelers who own Bluetooth devices and like to listen to music; well-heeled audiophiles who appreciate great sound in a small form factor.
Limitations: No auto-off function, pricey.
Bottom Line: Hold this hotshot in your hand and feel its incredible power. Such sound has never shoehorned itself into such tiny speakers and been worthy of such praise. Even though you get a lot of original technology for your money, it’s pretty expensive at $199.
A Close-Up Look At The Soundmatters foxL v2.2 Bluetooth Speaker
There are plenty of Bluetooth speakers in the world, but none are like the foxL v2.2. Even though it’s a mere 5.6 inches wide, this 9.5-oz speaker rocks some downright amazing sound.
Although it feels like metal, Soundmatters has constructed the speaker out of something it calls “glass-filled composite,” otherwise known as fiberglass, the same thing surfboards are made of. That makes it lighter than it would be if it were built entirely of metal. That light weight and its small size practically beg you to take it with you on your next trip.
We can thank ex-NASA engineer and actual rocket scientist Dr. Godehard Guenther for the clever ideas that went into this product. Revered in the audio industry, he’s figured out unique ways to get maximum sound out of the smallest amount of space.
The speaker’s two 25mm drivers are powered by four digital amplifiers, pumping out a total of 8 watts of power, which is a lot for a speaker of this size. Dr. Guenther has freed up space inside the speaker by moving the “BassBattery” toward the outside, where it’s also utilized as a moving part that he calls a “moving wall radiator” that generates a surprising amount of bass.
Let’s put it through its paces. After four hours of charging a battery that’ll run for about five hours on a charge, the foxL was ready to go, its Bluetooth radio pairing up almost immediately with a laptop, iPhone and iPad 2. If you don’t want to use Bluetooth, you can plug any audio device with a standard headphone jack into the foxL’s auxiliary port.
So what is the overall effect of all this serious engineering? Astonishing sound, that’s what. It’s a kick to turn this thing on and hold it in your hand, feeling it rocking your arm from fingertips to elbow with its vigorous sound.
But it’s when you put it on a solid surface that its true nature is revealed. There’s actually enough bass pumping out of its little drivers to make you feel like moving your feet. Even though its optimal listening distance is about three feet away, it sounds good from further out, too. Plug it into an AC outlet or USB port, and suddenly it’s running on twice the wattage than the battery, giving it a noticeable increase in oomph. It’s remarkable.
It also performs admirably as a speakerphone, and if you have it linked to a smartphone via Bluetooth, when a call comes in it immediately turns into speakerphone mode, letting you answer the call with a slightly awkward routine of pressing and holding a Bluetooth button. And its built-in mic faithfully reproduces your voice, sounding better than most speakerphones I’ve used.
Summing up, if you can afford it, you’ll want to take this whippersnapper along with you on your next adventure. It’s beautifully designed, pumps out plenty of clean sound even at low volume and plays loud enough to entertain a rowdy crowd.
Come along on a tour of the foxL Bluetooth speaker in this gallery:
Palm-Sized
[Palm-Sized]
The white button just above the Soundmatters logo is the one you push to answer the phone.
Back
[Back]
Behind that grille is the battery that doubles as a mini subwoofer, and it does a great job of enhancing the bass in this tiny unit. On the right are the two volume controls.
Left Side
[Left Side]
The 3.5mm mini jack on the top is for an external subwoofer. Below that is a LED charge indicator, and at the bottom, a mini USB port.
Kickstand In Use
[Kickstand In Use]
The speaker stands up perfectly well on its own without using the kickstand, but it's welcome nonetheless.
Right Side
[Right Side]
The top port is an auxiliary port where you can connect any audio device with a 3.5mm plug. The bottom port is for power from the AC adapter.
Bulging Drivers
[Bulging Drivers]
The two 25mm dome speakers are pushed out toward the front, to give the inside of the speaker more room for bass to resonate.
foxL Diagram
[foxL Diagram]
Here are the details of the foxL Bluetooth Speaker. This graphic is courtesy of Soundmatters.
Series Supported by Energizer®
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging. Energizer® has always been designed with performance and responsibility in mind … now that's positivenergy™.
More About: audio, foxL bluetooth speaker, Gadget of the Day Series, ipad, iphone, ipod, review, speakerphone
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Find Out When Your Favorite Bands Are Playing While On The Go
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT
Songkick, a service that informs you when your favorite bands are playing, is out with a new mobile app that makes it easy to track concerts and plan music-filled nights out.
A kind of concert-going social network, Songkick, lets you track bands from Last.fm, Pandora and iTunes, get email alerts when your top acts are playing near you, buy tickets to shows and create show calendars that you can export to Google Calendar, Outlook or iCal.
The iPhone/iPod touch app [iTunes link], available for free from the iTunes store, takes that functionality and puts it in your pocket, a much more natural fit for the avid concert-goer. Yes, email alerts are awesome when it comes to planning a show-heavy weekend, but what about when you’re out and about and want to hit up a show? The app seems much more intuitive.
After installing the app, preexisting users can sign in and access all their saved artists, shows, etc. The app will scan your iTunes, and from that data — taking location into account — compile a list of shows you might be interested in attending.
You can also scroll through a list of your favorite artists and see which ones are touring. You can then create a personalized concert calendar, and be alerted via push notifications when your favorite bands are playing. You can also look up ticket info, venue location, show time, lineup, etc., and tell friends about shows via Twitter, Facebook and email. Shows are tracked in more than 70 countries, and you can change the location setting when you travel.
Granted, this app isn’t exactly revolutionary. SuperGlued‘s iPhone and Android apps do something very similar (like scanning your iTunes), as do specialized apps like Festival Explorer Austin Edition, which was designed for SXSW. There’s also GigKick, which connects to your Songkick profile to display upcoming shows.
Still, Songkick’s app is pretty slick and offered me some accurate show recommendations for the upcoming weekend, so it’s likely to become a standby app on my iPhone, at least. Although I do wish the app included song previews, like some of its competitors.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Stephan Geyer
More About: App, concert, iOS, iphone, iPod Touch, mobile app, music, songkick, startup
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Wimbledon Finals To Be the First 3D Broadcast on the BBC
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 07:35 AM PDT
Like it or not, 3D is coming. The BBC has succumbed to the latest trend, announcing its first 3D broadcast: this year’s Wimbledon finals.
The broadcast will include both men’s and women’s singles finals, which are taking place over the first weekend in July, and will only be shown on the BBC HD channel — free to cable or satellite subscribers, as well as customers with Freeview HD boxes.
Of course, users will need a 3D-enabled TV, as well as 3D glasses to be able to watch the finals in their full glory.
This is just a trial for the BBC, but the company has high hopes for 3D. "This is a hugely important experiment for us and I'm pleased that we have the opportunity to show some of our stunning sports coverage to our audiences, in 3D for free," said BBC’s George Entwistle in a statement.
It’s becoming more common to air 3D TV broadcasts in the UK; Sky 3D has been showing live sporting events as well as movies and entertainment in 3D for some time now.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Marc Di Luzio
More About: 3D, 3D broadcast, bbc, television, tv, wimbledon
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Paramount Offers Twitter Users Advanced Tickets to Super 8
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 07:19 AM PDT
Paramount Pictures’s Super 8 is ramping up its social media marketing efforts before it hits U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday, first by premiering the first full-length trailer on Twitter, and now with promotions on Foursquare and Twitter.
Paramount is offering the latter’s users advanced showings through the hashtag #Super8Secret, which the company is also pushing as a Promoted Trend. There is, of course, nothing secret about the promotion, and that’s the point; Paramount has essentially guaranteed that the movie will be trending on opening day, thanks to all of the advanced reviews on Twitter.
As we’ve seen before, however, the film will still have to stand on its own merits; Twitter can just as persuasively keep moviegoers out of theaters as it can bring them in.
More About: advertising, Film, MARKETING, paramount pictures, social media, Super 8, twitter
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Steve Jobs Proposes Spaceship-Shaped Cupertino Campus [VIDEO]
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:32 AM PDT
Steve Jobs presented his plans for a giant, spaceship-shaped campus to the Cupertino City Council Tuesday.
“Apple is growing like a weed,” he said. “And as you know, we’ve always been in Cupertino.”
The company has staff scattered in rented buildings throughout the city. The plan for the future campus puts 12,000 to 13,000 employees inside a single four-story oval building.
Jobs, fresh off of WWDC, made a convincing case for what he calls “a shot at building the best office building in the world.”
By moving parking underground, 80% of the 150-acre property will be landscaped. Apple has hired the lead arborist from Stanford to fill it with 6,000 trees, and the company will build its own “energy center” power source.
Apple also pays more taxes than any other company in Cupertino, Jobs reminded the somewhat starstruck council.
“We’d like to continue to stay here and pay taxes,” he said. “Because if we can’t, we have to go someplace like Mountain View.”
More About: apple, cupertino, office
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Foursquare Checkin Could Land You a Trip to Space
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:21 AM PDT
Foursquare has partnered with 7-Eleven and the team behind Paramount Pictures’ forthcoming film Super 8 to send users on a mission to space.
From now until June 30, Foursquare users ages 14 and up can check in to a U.S. 7-Eleven location for a chance to win tickets to Super 8 (every 88th checkin), a Zero-G experience, which enables participants to float and move about as if they were in space on a modified Boeing 727 (every 88,888th checkin), and even a trip to space via Space Adventures’ Suborbital Spaceflight program if 888,888 checkins are made.
(Maybe you’ll be the second person to check in to space.)
Entering is as simple as checking in at a 7-Eleven using Foursquare’s apps for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows 7, Palm or Ovi, and clicking through the “Unlocked Special” to the registration form.
In terms of prizes, it’s one of the more creative Foursquare promotions we’ve seen to date.
More About: 7-Eleven, foursquare, Super 8
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Facebook’s Automated Photo Tagging Prompts EU Probe
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:06 AM PDT
European Union data-protection regulators will probe Facebook after it started a global rollout of its new face-recognition photo-tagging system.
The new feature “recognizes” faces in photos, shortening the often tedious tagging process, which enables users to connect a face in a photo with an actual friend on Facebook. The process is now semi-automated: Facebook provides suggestions for individuals in photos, and the user chooses to accept or reject them.
The feature is enabled by default, but it can be disabled by customizing your privacy settings.
However, European Union regulators think that this feature is a potential privacy risk. "Tags of people on pictures should only happen based on people's prior consent and it can't be activated by default," said Gerard Lommel, a Luxembourg member of the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party.
In the past, EU regulators have scrutinized companies such as Microsoft (for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows) as well as Google and Yahoo for storing data search queries for too long. Facebook, too, was criticized for not doing enough to protect the privacy of its users.
What do you think? Is this feature a privacy risk? Should it be enabled by default?
[via Bloomberg Businessweek]
More About: face recognition, facebook, photo tagging, privacy
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Now Available for Pre-Order at Best Buy
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 05:20 AM PDT
The revised, ultra-thin version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is now available for pre-order at Best Buy.
Some New York City shoppers will also be able to actually buy the device, which is coming (in limited quantities) to the Union Square Best Buy store.
The dual-core powered, Android 3.1 Wi-Fi device comes in two colors: white and metallic gray (Best Buy also mentions a “metallic gray black” variant but we’re not sure if that differs from the regular metallic gray one). The 10.1-inch screen boasts 1280×800 pixels, and the tablet also has a 3-megapixel back camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats.
The pride of owning the thinnest Android tablet on the market will cost you $599 if you choose the 32 GB version, while the 16 GB version of the device costs $499.
More About: galaxy tab, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Tab
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Facebook Privacy Probe, Verizon Blocks Tethering, iOS 5 Jailbroken: This Morning’s Top Stories
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 05:20 AM PDT
Social Media News
Welcome 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. We're keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today.
Facebook Turns On Facial Recognition For Tagging By Default
As Facebook rolls out its Tag Suggestions feature, which uses facial recognition to suggest tags for friends in users’ photos, the social networking site is simultaneously enabling facial recognition as a default privacy setting, provoking an EU probe in the process.
Verizon Blocks 4G Tethering
The FCC has received a complaint arguing that Verizon Wireless shouldn’t be allowed to block tethering apps, which enable consumers to connect to the Internet on their computers and mobile devices through their phones’ 4G wireless data network.
iOS 5 Successfully Jailbroken
iPhone owners have already begun jailbreaking the mobile software Apple released at WWDC Monday, iOS 5.
Google Releases Stable Version of Chrome 12
Google Chrome 12 is now the stable release of Google's web browser, bringing several improvements in security, privacy and graphics capabilities.
Further News
* The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is now available for pre-order.
* Twitter has announced that links shared on Twitter.com will be automatically shortened using the service's t.co URL shortener.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59
More About: first to know series
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Google Releases Stable Version of Chrome 12
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 02:50 AM PDT
Google Chrome 12 is now the stable release of Google’s web browser, bringing several improvements in security, privacy and graphics capabilities.
Chrome now checks downloaded files for malware, and Google claims it has designed the feature in such a way that it doesn’t have to know which URLs you visited or which files you downloaded to be able to detect malicious files.
You can now also fine tune the data that websites store on your computer, including Flash Player's Local Shared Objects (also known as Flash cookies), directly from Chrome.
On the graphics front, Chrome 12 includes support for hardware-accelerated 3D CSS, which enables some nifty effects such as rotating and scaling videos. Try this Chrome Experiment to see some of the new features in action.
Finally, Chrome 12 brings several minor improvements such as an improved interface for setting a homepage and searching for Chrome Apps directly from the address bar.
Google Chrome 12 is available at www.google.com/chrome. Existing users will be automatically updated to the new version in the next couple of days.
More About: browser, chrome, Chrome 12, Google, google chrome, web browser
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Why Augmented Reality Is Poised To Change Marketing
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 11:25 PM PDT
Sam Travis Ewen is the CEO and founder of Interference Incorporated, a non-traditional marketing agency, and is co-founder of Supertou.ch an immersive technology company focused on bringing human computer interaction (HCI) to real-world environments.
If you’ve read Daniel Suarez's techno thriller Daemon or William Gibson's Spook Country, then you’ve encountered a world where there is no dividing line between physical and virtual realities. This vision is also advanced in the films Blade Runner, Minority Report or Children of Men which feature floating screens and active surfaces that come alive at a gesture or command. While this may seem like fantasy, those in business and marketing need to start paying attention to how real this all becoming.
The fields of augmented reality, projection mapping and Kinect hacking are where some of the most exciting work is happening. The changes are occurring so rapidly and in such variety that it is hard to keep up. But what many startups, hackers, corporations and tech artists are creating — a hybrid between computer interactivity, data, social media and how those relate to our physical world — is not only mind-blowing, but it is also a teaser for what media and communication experiences will look like in the near future.
Here is a taste of what’s going on.
Augmented Reality
Remember when AR was all about little black-and-white codes that made pretty little animations play on your webcam? It seemed like a fun trick back then, and a few brands (Lego, best of all, and maybe Ray-Ban for an honorable mention) used it to create new ways to digest their products or play simple games.
Actually, there was very little 'reality' being augmented with those. But now that the concept has matured, we’re starting to see a very different AR come to life. With your phone's camera becoming the input device, apps are popping up that let you view a building in your city and find out if there is available office space for rent in it, make newspapers, magazines and outdoor imagery come to life, get translation on the fly or see a person's social profile as they pass you on the street.
As our desire to check in and share location-related media grows, we’re going to see the ability to overlay those actions on real space through these tools and new ones coming.
Where to start:
* Rofo on junaio: AR Real Estate application for cities (above)
* Aurasma from Autonomy: Activating still visuals
* Lego Retail AR: See how the product will look when built
* TAT Augmented ID: Social profiling via AR
Projection Mapping
Projection mapping has been around for a few years now, but it is starting to come into its own with some high profile stunts. Projection mapping software looks at the shape of an object and creates a 3D map of it, allowing an artist to overlay imagery — usually on a large surface or structure.
Why is this interesting? Because it provides the ability to change the experience of a physical object creatively, so at one point the object was one thing, and then right in front of your eyes it appears to be another. Ralph Lauren made a recent splash with this tech at a high profile event, projecting a 3D spectacle on the facades of flagship stores in New York and London.
Infiniti and Toyota have used the technique effectively to make their cars defy the laws of nature at private events. Others have used it to augment architecture and living spaces in such dramatic ways that you would have to touch them to see if the change was real or simply a visual trick. If all the structures around us were a canvas, imagine what we could do with them.
Where to start:
* Ralph Lauren: “4D Experience”
* Mr. Beam: “Living Room”
* Infiniti: “Journey of Inspiration”
* Toyota Auris: “Get Your Energy Back”
Kinect Hacking
On November 4, 2010, Microsoft took a major step toward reasserting itself as a leader in future tech. The release of the Kinect for its Xbox system, — and how the Kinect was adopted by the creative/hacker community — has ushered in a new era for augmented reality.
Why is the Kinect so innovative? It’s not really breaking new ground, technology-wise. But it’s the way in which it combines existing tech — a multi-array microphone, an RGB camera, an infrared depth sensor — that makes it smarter and cheaper than preceding attempts. Perhaps more importantly, it’s hackable. And recognizing the innovation that could come of this, Microsoft is due to release an SDK that will allow the curious and the research-minded alike to tinker with ease.
In just a few short months, developers have used the Kinect to create everything from optical camouflage to body-controlled light shows. Beyond the novelty, the practical implications of tying gestures to computer control are abundant.
Here are a few impressive examples of Kinect hacks in action:
* Phil Reyneri: Kinect Light/Laser Control
* blabblabLab: Be Your Own Souvenir
* Controlling A Humanoid Robot via Kinect
* Coverflow
* Become Your Own Superhero
These technologies (and a variety of others) are radically changing the way the physical and digital worlds interface. Because media and marketing are moving ever closer to the technologies that feature (and often reward) user engagement and user creation, these innovative types of input/output mechanisms will directly lead us into a new era of active and reactive brand communication and experience.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Jason McDermott.
More About: 3D projection mapping, Augmented Reality, business, kinect, Kinect hacking, MARKETING, Sam Ewen, tech, technology
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The UN Takes a Bite Out of Social Innovation
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:36 PM PDT
un image
The UN Social Innovation Summit took place in New York on June 6, and it had its fair share of controversy.
The summit was partly about how to improve corporate social responsibility (i.e., big business making philanthropy a part of its operation) and partly on how emerging technologies can revolutionize social good.
Of course, with so much on the line, the many speakers took impassioned and sometimes opposing views on how to tackle those two topics. Mashable attended the summit and took some notes while we were at it. Here are some brief highlights from the UN’s Social Innovation Summit.
The afternoon kicked off with a panel on healthcare innovation. From the start, the main problems were questions of efficiency, efficacy and how to scale.
Kathy Pickus, the VP of the Abbott Fund, summed up the panel’s main point: Corporations can make “a long-term sustainable difference by overlaying business practices with causes.” Non-profits cannot operate solely on good will; they also need business strategies that don’t rely on fundraising and donations. Pickus went on to say that because of their charitable actions, “businesses are now finding themselves at tables they weren’t previously invited to,” including government task forces both nationally and internationally.
The second panel was about creating a socially responsible technology enterprise. Here, the real barn-burner was Nicholas Negroponte, the founder and chairman of One Laptop Per Child. In his comments, Negroponte lambasted the idea of applying business models to philanthropy, saying: “Sustainability is a bad word because it’s a sign of small thinking, of an economic model that runs all by itself.”
Negroponte said that social good campaigns aiming for modest returns — improving literacy by 10%, for example — were also small-minded, and he asked the audience to think bigger. “If you have to measure the result, it’s not worth doing.” He also pointed out that the U.S. spends approximately $2 billion each day on war. Negroponte said the cost of three and half days of war could give a computer to every single child in Afghanistan.
Contrapuntally, Jonathan Teplitz, J.P. Morgan’s COO of Global IT, announced a web portal called Match.com (not that match.com). The site would match up specialists and experts, including J.P. Morgan’s own staff, with international non-profits and causes that need but can’t afford top-notch digital support.
Most of the panels were largely on-message — brands need to cooperate, adopt new technologies, make causes a key part of their identity — with some sparks flying out of a panel on media activism. In that panel, Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post called for an app to let us users know when they were ethically and mentally veering off course.
Nancy Lublin, the CEO of DoSomething.org, lauded mobile as the next big tool while comparing her signing Katy Perry in the shower to corporations funding celebrity charity projects like Madonna opening schools in Africa. In other words, Lublin feels corporations should put money behind experts with deep knowledge of their core issues as opposed to stars that view it more as a hobby or part-time job.
Alec Ross, the Senior Advisor for Innovation at the U.S. Department of State, said that in the wake of social media’s role in the Arab spring, “The 21st century is a lousy time to have control.” He said the age of one white guy in a red tie talking to another white guy in a red tie about what to do was effectively over as social tools empowered everyday people across the globe.
What do you think of these claims and ideas? What is business’ role in social good? What’s next for social innovation? Let us know in the comments.
You can watch a recap of the summit here.
More About: charity, corporate social responsibility, csr, non-profit, social innovation, social media, UN, un social innovation summit
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Investor Relations Tool Helps Fortune 500 Companies Get Social
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 09:02 PM PDT
StockTwits, the Twitter app-turned-social network for investors, is targeting investor relations professionals at Fortune 500 companies with the release of StockTwits IR Suite.
The suite is intended to help corporations better monitor, distribute and measure news through social media.
Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Ford are among 50 public companies that have already added social media to the workflow of IR departments by way of the StockTwits IR Suite.
StockTwits IR Suite is comprised of three components. The Verified Ticker Page lets corporations assume control of their ticker symbol on StockTwits and put their best faces forward with links to their blogs, YouTube channels or SlideShare presentations.
The Social Dashboard is where IR professionals manage their corporate social messaging and track how their messages are spreading.
The final piece, “Social Distribution” as StockTwits calls it, offers users a simple way to push each message out to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, along with financial portals such as CNNMoney, Reuters and Yahoo Finance.
“It’s a disruptive tool to help public companies disseminate news in real-time,” StockTwits co-founder and CEO Howard Lindzon explains.
Investor relations professionals — the internal corporate staffers tasked with communicating with shareholders and investors — have not readily embraced social media for communication purposes, Lindzon says. This is partly due to law compliance concerns as well as a general lack of understanding of how social media impacts their companies, he explains.
“We have to think about IR as corporate communications,” Lindzon asserts. “There’s power in finding out what users who follow company tickers want.”
“This is like training wheels,” he adds, indicating that the tool will give web-wary IR folks a way to dip their feet in to the social pool. “It’s the smartest way to listen in to a group of investors,” says Lindzon.
The suite also includes a Social Compliance upgrade costing $99 per month. This feature appends the necessary legal disclaimers in all of the messages shared via StockTwits. The add-on is meant to monetize the otherwise free offering by providing public corporations with peace of mind.
Prior to Wednesday’s release, StockTwits has been testing these IR services in private beta with 50 public companies.
StockTwits has raised $8.6 million in funding over the course of its three-year history. It hopes to become the Facebook of finance and has roughly 100,000 users.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Michael Menard
More About: finance, financial services, fortune 500, investor relations, social media, StockTwits
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Facebook Turns On Facial Recognition For Tagging By Default
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:31 PM PDT
If you have a bunch of tag-happy Facebook friends, you may want to read this. Facebook has been rolling out a facial recognition feature that makes it easier to tag friends in snaps, and it has introduced this feature as a default setting.
We first heard about Tag Suggestions back in December.
The feature basically means that whenever you're offered the chance to tag groups of your friends in an album, Facebook will use its facial recognition technology to group similar faces together and automatically suggest the friend you should tag them with.
The option has been rolling out to international users over the past few months, and according to a report from Sophos, the social networking site has been making the facial recognition feature a default setting. Facebook explained the rollout in a post on Tuesday.
If you don’t want Facebook to suggest you when your friends go to tag everyone in that picture from last week’s naked mud-wrestling pool party, here’s how you disable the feature:
1. Go to your privacy settings.
2. Click “Customize settings.”
3. Scroll down to “Things others share.”
4. Find “Suggest photos of me to friends.”
5. Edit accordingly.
Although this is an easy fix, we can see some privacy-focused users getting peeved about the option being turned on without their knowledge. And this wouldn’t be the first time Facebook has turned on a feature without users’ consent (heck, we even wrote an entire guide to Facebook’s privacy features).
What do you think of this latest change?
UPDATE: European Union data-protection regulators will be investigating the new feature and its privacy implications.
More About: facebook, Photos, privacy, social media, tag-suggestion, trending
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WordPress.com Comments Gain Support for Facebook & Twitter Logins
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 06:27 PM PDT
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Visitors to WordPress.com blogs can now leave comments with their Twitter or Facebook accounts.
It’s a small new feature on the surface, but it opens up a lot more commenting opportunities for WordPress.com blogs. Third-party commenting systems such as Disqus and Echo have allowed users to authenticate with their Twitter or Facebook accounts for quite some time, but this is a big move for the hosted blogging platform.
In the blog entry announcing the new feature, WordPress.com’s Scott Berkun points out a nice feature of the new login system: Users can stay logged in to multiple services at the same time. This is especially handy for users that might want to comment using Twitter or Facebook on some sites but want to use their WordPress.com account for others.
Comments from Twitter or Facebook accounts aren’t pumped back into those social services, though. Instead, the logins simply act as a way to authenticate users. In the future, WordPress.com might work toward also giving users the option to publish or share comments back on Facebook or Twitter.
For self-hosted WordPress.org users, comments suggest that Facebook and Twitter comment authentication might be coming via a future update to the JetPack plugin developed by Automattic.
More About: comment systems, facebook, twitter, WordPress, WordPress.com
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Twitter Automates Link Shortening for Its Web App
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:31 PM PDT
Twitter has announced that links shared on Twitter.com will be automatically shortened using the service’s t.co URL shortener.
Links of any length will be cut down to a tidy number of characters — 19, to be precise — and an ellipsis when the sender clicks the Tweet button.
Although each link is assigned a unique t.co link ID, the links will appear on Twitter as abbreviated versions of their originals so users always have some idea of where their next click will take them — a smart move on Twitter’s part given the number of URL-shortened spam or scam links that have made the rounds on the microblogging platform over the past year or so.
Still, you can expect to see plenty of other URL shorteners floating around Twitter — especially ones like Hootsuite that give their users a full analytics rundown for each link. Twitter said users can still use any third-party link-shortening services on Twitter.com.
Here’s what the automated URL shortening will look like on the web app:
More About: link shortener, twitter, url shortener, URL shortening
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Spirit Airlines Cashes in on Weinergate
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 03:58 PM PDT
Most marketers are steering clear of the Anthony Weiner lewd photo scandal. Spirit Airlines isn’t one of them.
The brand sent an email to its customers Tuesday afternoon with the following message: “Check out our Weiner Sale boasting fares just too hard to resist! This scandalous sale is no secret so get socially connected … book now before this sale gets hacked!”
Spirit’s homepage offers more Weiner puns. If you’re curious, here’s the link.
Spirit, which doesn’t do much in the way of traditional advertising, has leveraged news topics before for maximum social media buzz. In 2009, the airline ran an “Eye of the Tiger Sale” to cash in on the Tiger Woods scandal. Spirit’s homepage featured a tiger driving an SUV into a fire hydrant to promote its $9 fare sale.
The airline has also had some fun with acronyms. In February 2010, it ran a promo called MUFF to diving destinations. MUFF, of course, stood for Many Unbelievable Fantastic Fares. That was preceded by a MILF promo (“Many Islands, Low Fares.”)
Image courtesy of Flickr, David Boyle
More About: Anthony Weiner, Spirit Airlines
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Why Apps, Not Apple, Are Killing BlackBerry
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 03:38 PM PDT
Apple just announced free cloud storage and a slew of cool new features for iOS 5. Google announced a tap and pay system for Android phones earlier this week. And what has RIM, the third major smartphone player, done for us lately?
Well, there’s BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). The company has focused its commercials, display advertising and legal efforts on the feature that provides limitless instant chat between its customers.
This feature lost some of its residual glitz, however, after group messaging apps emerged, enabling BBM-like capabilities between different platforms. When Apple announced that it would be including iMessage — BBM for Apple products, essentially — in its iOS 5, any residual glitz BBM may have retained was washed away.
The fact that BBM has some competition only adds to RIM’s woes. According to data from Nielsen, the BlackBerry OS market share has been in steady decline compared to iOS and Android since June 2010, before the first notable group messaging app launched (GroupMe in August 2010).
How to explain BlackBerry’s decline? Part of it has to do with how far behind the OS is falling in the app game. About a year ago, Apple had up to 20 times the number of app downloads as RIM. At that point, RIM still had more market share than either Apple or Android.
BlackBerry apps are typically the last version that companies like Shazam, Instapaper or Pandora develop. They’re often also more expensive than their counterparts on other platforms. If you’re a BlackBerry owner, you get to pay $4.99 to play Angry Farm while your friends are playing Angry Birds for $0.99 on iOS and Android. When everyone else is raving about their free Netflix app that streams movies to their phones, you have to settle for Movela Netflix Queue Manager, which costs $4.99 and doesn’t stream anything.
Most app developers consider coding for BlackBerry OS to be a pain. “[With] BlackBerry, the API changes a lot between the major versions [of the OS]…The code needs to optimized for each version,” explains Narayan Babu, the CEO and CTO of app developer Dextera. “Another major problem with BlackBerry is that the devices have very diverse specs, right from the form factor and screen resolution, to components like Wi-Fi, GPS and the touchscreen.”
Even though RIM CEO Jim Balsillie claimed BlackBerry’s relatively skeletal app selection was a strategy last November (“You don’t need an app for the web”), it seems to be becoming a problem. Apps may once have been viewed as tricks for showing off a new smartphone. Now they are so indispensable that Apple is starting to borrow their best features for iOS 5. In other words, there’s a feedback loop. More apps makes the OS itself stronger.
Back when other phones lacked security, a solid calendar and reliable email capabilities, RIM’s phones thrived based on solid basic features. Now, as other smartphones have nearly matched RIM’s security and practical business functions, that foothold may be weakening. A 2010 survey found that although RIM still provides the majority of corporate cellphones, Apple OS and Android are fast gaining market share in the enterprise space.
In short, BlackBerry phones need something — other than solid basic functions — worth talking about. RIM announced Tuesday that it had acquired social gaming company Scoreloop, a departure from its calendar- and communication-enhancing previous acquisitions. That’s a start.
More About: android, apple, blackberry, icloud, iOS 5, RIM
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Can a Gmail Tool Make Us More Considerate Email Senders?
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:54 PM PDT
If our friends, family members and contacts knew that we were drowning in unread emails, would they wait until the madness died down to send us email? Courteous.ly, a new service for Gmail users, hopes that the answer is yes.
Courteous.ly is the product of a new research project at Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing. It was developed to make email inboxes more socially considerate spaces.
Give Courteous.ly access to your Gmail account and it will analyze your email patterns, the state of your inbox, your unread message count, total messages and your sent mail volume to determine your current level of email traffic.
The service provides you with a link to share with friends or include in your email signature. That link will direct contacts to a page that indicates whether your email load is low, normal or high.
You can specify what Courteous.ly measures, and you can have the app instruct senders to put [whenever] in the subject line to reach you at a more opportune time, once your email load has gone down. You can also tick a box so an email that contains nothing but a one-sentence question in the subject line jumps right to the top of your inbox.
The upshot is that email senders will respect your time with brief, one-sentence emails or messages sent at your convenience. You will, in theory, then reward the sender with your complete attention and a response.
“I think we're really good at the etiquette part when we have the cues that allow us to be polite," Georgia Tech Assistant Professor and Courteous.ly developer Eric Gilbert says. "Courteous.ly helps manage expectations and lets people choose to send mail when it's best for you.”
Could this simple solution to a very common problem actually make us more considerate email senders? Gilbert will be monitoring users' accounts over the next several months to measure the tool’s actual impact on email loads.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Tim Morgan
More About: Courteous.ly, email, Georgia Tech, gmail
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Louis Vuitton Takes Checkins to China
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:26 PM PDT
Louis Vuitton, which has already utilized Foursquare for location-based marketing efforts in the U.S. and UK, is launching a similar experiment in Beijing.
The luxury manufacturer has partnered with Chinese checkin service Jiepang for its travel exhibition at the National Museum of China. Those who check in to the exhibition using Jiepang’s mobile app between June 9 and August 30 will receive a branded virtual badge, and can also peruse Louis Vuitton’s profile page for tips and information about the brand and conceptual design.
It’s an experimental move for the fashion brand, given that location-based services are have only just sprung up in China, about two years after similar services became popular in the West, as research from IHS iSuppli indicates.
Now about 50 location-based apps are vying for a lead in the market. Jiepang is one of the largest, with 1 million registered users to date.
More About: china, location-based marketing, louis vuitton, MARKETING
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NBC’s The Voice Treats iTunes Sales As Viewer Votes
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:01 PM PDT
Traditionally, talent shows like American Idol have relied on text-based audience votes to decide on the winning crooner. NBC’s The Voice plans to marry democracy to commerce — by taking votes via sales on iTunes.
After Tuesday night’s live show, fans can vote one of four ways: 1). Via phone. 2). Via the NBC Live app. 3). Online at NBC.com. 4). By buying the songs that the artists perform on the show from iTunes (all available from Universal Republic Records). Of course, that means anyone buying the tunes is participating in the vote, whether they know it or not.
“This new voting opportunity reflects the reality of music lovers who vote every day for their favorite artists by downloading and purchasing their music,” said Paul Telegdy, executive vice president, alternative programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios in a statement.
The whole deal reflects the Billboard charts model, at least in part (Billboard has tons of charts reflecting different metrics), equating sales with popularity. Although we would have liked to see other digital players (such as Amazon) factored in, this is an interesting idea all the same.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, shulz
More About: itunes, MARKETING, music, television, the-voice
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LinkedIn App Lets You Play Tetris With Your Network Profiles
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 01:16 PM PDT
LinkedIn has shown its whimsical side once again with a new app that lets you play Tetris with pictures of people in your network.
Called DropIn, the game mimics Tetris, but uses head shots instead of blocks. Writing in LinkedIn’s blog, Matthew Shoup, the site’s technical marketing manager, said he created the app to celebrate Tetris’ 27th birthday, which was on Monday. He said he also wanted to showcase how easy it is to implement the LinkedIn Platform Javascript API.
The app also integrates your contacts’ latest updates. “DropIn takes the classic Tetris experience to a professional level,” Shoup writes. “Rotate and stack your LinkedIn connections' faces, while discovering the fresh content they're sharing online. There's never been a more relevant and productive time to play games at work.” You can try the app here.
Known as a networking site for businesspeople, LinkedIn has displayed a less buttoned-down image of late with a series of satiric training videos sponsored by FedEx and, most recently, a Connection Timeline that visualizes your connections over the years.
LinkedIn isn’t alone in seeing the social networking potential in Tetris. The game was recently celebrated in an app for backpack maker Eastpak that did the same thing DropIn does, only with your Facebook friends.
More About: apps, eastpak, facebook, linkedin, Tetris
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Join Us for Mashable’s Social Media Day Celebration in NYC
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:57 PM PDT
Social Media Day is Mashable‘s global celebration of the technological advancements that enable everyone to connect with real-time information and communicate from miles apart. It’s a global event that will be recognized by Mashable readers throughout the world with local Meetups on June 30.
Here in NYC, we’re ringing in our second-annual Social Media Day with a huge event at Brooklyn Bowl. There will be free bowling from 6 to 7 p.m. and networking all night. We hope to fill the 600-capacity venue, so come join us for a night of socializing with your online community offline!
West Coasters, stay tuned for an announcement about our San Francisco Social Media Day event later this week.
NYC Social Media Day Details
Date: Thursday, June 30, 2011
Time: 6 to 9 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211
RSVP: Meetup, Facebook Event, Plancast
Hashtag: #smday
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As a bonus, all Social Media Day attendees are invited to stay for DJ Questlove‘s Bowl Train show. He’ll play at 11 p.m., helping Social Media Day 2011 to go out with a bang.
We can’t wait to celebrate our biggest and best Social Media Day yet. Hope to see you there!
Interested in Social Media Day NYC event sponsorship opportunities? Email us at sponsorships@mashable.com.
Not in NYC? Attend a Social Media Day Meetup Near You »
More About: community, mashable meetup, questlove, smday, social media day
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Twitter-Based iPhone Photo App Puts Emphasis On Who You’re With
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:43 PM PDT
Path, maker of the “personal network” app for iPhone, just launched a new app that provides another alternative to the traditional social network — the “interaction network.”
With [iTunes link] for iPhone, released Tuesday, encourages you to share who you are with — that is, physically next to — by providing a stylized photo. The app serves up photos of the people you follow, and their interactions, in a visual timeline.
The application is built on top of Twitter, making it an extension of your Twitter social graph.
On With, the friends you are with the most will rise to the top of your profile. The closer the friendship — based on your posted interactions — the more benefits.
“At Path, above all we believe in empowering simple design, quality craftsmanship, and creative freedom,” the startup explains in a post announcing the new application. “At a recent hackathon, we discussed an idea that we thought to be fairly powerful: A fun, simple way to share who you are with. The idea seemed to have legs.”
Indeed it does. Here’s why: Big or small, the moments that make up our days are often more poignant when they’re shared with other people.
We share these moments publicly through photos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and some of us share them privately via Path. But that means the visual of the moment itself overshadows the people making the moment happen. With, on the other hand, tips the scale toward the relationships formed by those moments. That’s why the startup likes to call the app “authentic”.
With is also quite nice to look at. The app could be a bit more intuitive, but once you figure out that you’re meant to post who you’re with by tagging your Twitter friends, snap a photo and apply a lens, you’ll get it.
Or perhaps you’ll get it just by seeing the interactions of your Twitter friends, which are already waiting for you after you log in. The Twitter social graph and the single sign-on feature are two of With’s strongest qualities — the moment you log in with your Twitter account, you have something stunning to look at.
Path insists that it remains dedicated to its primary iPhone application, but With has the all right ingredients to be a more commercial and social success.
More About: iphone app, Mobile 2.0, Path, With
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6 New & Innovative Social Media Campaigns to Learn From
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:17 PM PDT
The Social Media for Business Leaders Series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, the leading social media marketing software for marketers to publish, manage, measure and engage across the social web. Request a demo here.
We’re always on the lookout for innovative social media campaigns at Mashable. This week we scoured the web and our Twitter feeds to find some of the most interesting campaigns out there.
From utilizing online video in an inventive way to creating a unique presence on Facebook, these six social media campaigns are some of the most original pieces of work as of late. Let us know about your favorite recent social media campaigns in the comments below.
1. Intel: Targeting a Digitally Savvy Audience
Ad agency Amsterdam Worldwide unveiled the first in a series of blogger films, called "Visual Life," for technology brand Intel back in January 2011. The series showcases top bloggers discussing how they use technology and how it has transformed their work.
The first video of the series documented the work of fashion blogger and photographer Scott Schumann, The Sartorialist. The video garnered nearly a quarter of a million views in its first two weeks and has been viewed more than 850,000 times on YouTube and the Intel site, helping increase Intel's YouTube channel views by 200%.
The video went viral when it was embedded on The Sartorialist blog, but also gained a lot of views from Facebook, The Cool Hunter and mobile devices. This campaign has done quite well, as it targets a digital savvy audience that is interested in learning about how top bloggers are utilizing photo and video technologies. Such viewers are more likely to share the videos with their social graphs, increasing the virality of the series.
This week, the campaign launched its most recent video (embedded above), which documents the role technology plays for two young Chinese wedding photographers, Kitty and Lala.
Overall, the series takes on a lifestyle approach that is uncommon for tech brands, focusing on the effects that technology has had on each video’s featured subject, both personally and professionally.
2. The Century Council: Using YouTube Ads for a Good Cause
In April, The Century Council, a national non-profit organization dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking, teamed up with a bipartisan group of 23 attorneys general from around the country to release a creative public service announcement (PSA) in conjunction with Alcohol Awareness Month. The attorneys general each taped an animated or radio version of the PSA that encouraged kids to say “yes” to a healthy lifestyle and “no” to underage drinking. The animated version of the PSA leads attorneys general through many scenes depicting the type of behavior that the council is promoting.
The campaign, called “Ask, Listen, Learn,” has proven to be an amazing success, garnering millions of views via The Century Council’s YouTube Channel. Much of this success was due to smart ad placements on YouTube.
“Utilizing YouTube’s TrueView ad format, we worked with Google’s specialists to buy keywords likely to rack up traffic fast within our core demographic,” says Ralph Blackman, president & CEO of The Century Council. “For example, two of our top five Ad Group Themes were ‘first dance Justin Bieber youtube’ and ‘Baby lyrics Justin Bieber YouTube.’ Utilizing YouTube’s TrueView format, we were less concerned with ad waste and more concerned with impact, as disinterested users were more likely to skip through the ads, resulting in no cost to us.”
“Our main goals were to get our message across to kids nationwide and to put the participating attorneys general in front of their youngest constituents,” says Blackman. “In that regard, we considered our ad buy an enormous success. We racked up more than 2.5 million views over the campaign, had all of our videos frequently embedded, and had website traffic at 11 times its normal levels. Our view-through rate hovered at around 25%, with daily views anywhere from 60,000 to 125,000. Many attorneys general afterward said they were surprised at the reach it delivered as well — constituents frequently mentioned seeing their PSAs.”
3. Johnson’s Baby Canada: Offering Low-Value Prizes for High Return
Johnson’s Baby Canada tripled its Facebook fan count in just three weeks with a baby photo contest that offered users the chance to have their little ones featured on the Johnson’s site.
For Johnson’s Canada, offering a low-value prize (placing a baby’s photo on its website) yielded high returns in fans and engagement. Besides tripling its fan base, it also garnered more than 1 million visits to the Facebook application, more than 3.5 million photo views, and more than half a million votes. The brand benefited from entrants who shared through their social graphs to rally votes; there was an average of 10 clicks per shared link.
The campaign was developed by Edelman Digital on the Strutta contest platform and was available in English and French, as it was targeted towards a Canadian audience.
4. Ford Fiesta: Behind-the-Scenes Product Placement
Car manufacturer Ford, product placement company Stone Management and online marketing agency Wpromote, recently teamed up to launch a behind-the-scenes social media campaign in conjunction with the forthcoming Tom Hanks film Larry Crowne.
The campaign promotes the Ford Fiesta via product placement and features Hanks’ assistant Bo Stevenson, also known as “FiestaBo.” During the filming of “Larry Crowne,” Stevenson and Stone Management took videos and pictures of behind-the-scenes action, which would later be used as engaging content for both the movie and the new Ford Fiesta. The content was then posted to YouTube and Facebook. The YouTube channel has received more than 70,000 video views, and the Facebook Page has garnered nearly 16,000 Likes.
In the embedded via above, Stevenson explains the campaign as a “social media experiment” that attempts to give fans a true behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work in Hollywood. As Stevenson assists Tom Hanks, viewers get to see what it’s like to drive Hanks to work every morning, fetch a typewriter for Hanks to make old-school script changes and chat with the other actors on set.
While the success of the campaign is mediocre, we’re more impressed with the innovative approach to product placement. As the film wasn’t car-centric, Wpromote and Stone Management needed to launch a creative way to showcase that the Ford Fiesta was key to the movie’s filming. Highlighting the daily life of Tom Hanks’ assistant as he drove around in the lime green Fiesta was an inventive way to do just that.
5. Samsung: Driving Engagement and Sharing
Created by social media agency Ignite Social Media, Samsung TV’s “Like It, Reveal It, Win It” campaign features a weekly product giveaway on Facebook that incentivizes users to participate regularly and invite friends to join them.
After “liking” Samsung TV’s Facebook Page, users are able to enter to win Samsung products by unlocking pixels, which can be done by recommending the contest to friends. The more pixels a user unlocks, the more chances he or she has to win the hidden weekly prize, a Samsung TV-related product. The contest also dynamically incorporates hidden Easter-egg prizes that can be unlocked instantly.
Unlike a standard contest, where users enter once and then leave the page, this campaign actively engages fans on a weekly basis and gives them a reason to invite more of their network to the page.
Facebook fan acquisition is Samsung’s key goal with this campaign. The company saw an increase of more than 12,000 new fans within the first week and a half, and reports that growth seems to be accelerating as the contest continues and entrants reach out to their networks.
6. Mello Yello: Relaunching with an Existing Fan Base
Remember that citrusy soda from your childhood called Mello Yello? Well, it still exists, and it’s doing what it can to make a comeback.
Mello Yello recently relaunched its brand under the campaign “They Call Me Mello Yello,” which circles around retro kitsch and a remake of Donovan’s 1966 hit song. The brand is utilizing social media, especially Facebook, to spread its message.
After discovering a consumer-created Facebook Page for Mello Yello, marketing agency BFG Communications identified the owner of the page, contacted him and worked with him to transition it to an official brand page. At that point, BFG worked with Mello Yello to develop a brand voice by creating a character sketch that would become the framework for the tone, language and topics the brand would use on Facebook. This distinct voice officially came to life as the brand took on management of the Facebook Page in August 2010, focusing on posting fun content, answering fan questions and responding to comments.
The Facebook Page features a Retro Smooth Photo Generator, which enables users to transform a photo of themselves (by uploading or using their webcam) from “not so smooth” to “smooth,” using a hipster-feeling photo filter. The Page also features a Smooth Quiz, where users can find out just how suave they really are. For a limited time, users can also download the free “Mellow Yellow” remix.
“The goal was to reach 10,000 fans by the end of 2010,” a brand representative told Mashable. “Without any gimmicks or ads, we surpassed that goal within one month of content and community management. The Page continues to grow, and currently has around 78,000 fans. It is also notable that about 80% of the Page’s fans are 24 or younger, showing that the brand is reaching a new generation of fans, not just the consumers who remember Mello Yello from the early ’80s. Many brands focus on bells and whistles to attract a social media audience. The Mello Yello experience shows that personality, content and responsiveness, while simpler, can go a long way and lead to long term engagement.”
Your Picks
The Internet is a massive abyss that’s not easily traversed — consequently, it’s inevitable that we’ve overlooked some amazing campaigns. Feel free to school us by sharing the details of your favorite social media campaigns in the comments below.
Disclosure: Ford is a Mashable sponsor.
Series supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub
The Social Media for Business Leaders Series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, the leading social media marketing software for marketers to publish, manage, measure and engage across all their social channels. The Awareness Social Marketing Hub is leveraged by companies of all sizes including Sony, MLB, American Cancer Society, and Starwood Hotels. Request a demo here.
Download a complimentary ebook from Awareness: A Marketer’s Guide to Social Media: Developing and Implementing a Social Media Marketing Strategy.
More Business Resources from Mashable:
- Social Media Marketing: 5 Lessons From Business Leaders Who Get It
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More About: digital marketing, facebook, intel, MARKETING, online marketing, samsung, social media, social media for business leaders series, social media marketing, youtube
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10 Eco-Friendly Accessories for a Greener Office [PICS]
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 11:49 AM PDT
You maintain green habits at home, but are you as conscientious in the office? We’ve found 10 great accessories that will help you stay eco-friendly even when you hit your workplace.
From clever trash bins to reusable cutlery to designer paper clips, these objects will add some environmentally-friendly credentials to your office, and hopefully inspire your colleagues to go a little green as well.
Take a look through the photo gallery of planet-loving choices and let us know in the comments below which ones you would like to take to work.
1. BASKETBIN
[1. BASKETBIN]
A great, green solution to stick under your desk, the BASKETBIN has a small, dishwasher-safe cup clipped inside for your messy food waste, leaving the body of the bin free for your paper to be recycled.
Cost: Approx $65
2. Foldable Battery Box
[2. Foldable Battery Box ]
Stick this handy box in a prominent position and it will help everyone remember to recycle their dead batteries.
Cost: $2
3. Staple-less Stapler
[3. Staple-less Stapler]
Saving staples from ending up in the landfill might seem like a small thing, but every little thing helps. These staple-less staplers also mean you'll never run out of supplies again.
Cost: $16 for a set of two
4. Tapi
[4. Tapi ]
Tapi converts your faucet into a mini drinking fountain. Putting one in your office will mean a lot less plastic in the world.
Cost: $9.95 for a set of two
5. Perpetual Calendar
[5. Perpetual Calendar]
This perpetual calendar saves money and paper. Plus, it looks pretty swish.
Cost: $40
6. Dine-Ink Pen Utensil Set
[6. Dine-Ink Pen Utensil Set]
It's bad to use disposable cutlery. This re-usable set is perfect for your office drawer and will fit onto most pens for desktop dining.
Cost: $9.99
7. Hu2 Eco Reminders
[7. Hu2 Eco Reminders]
Described as "sustainable habit reminders," Hu2 offers a range of wall decals to place around light switches and power sockets to help you remember to turn them off.
Cost: Varies, from approx $16
8. Desktop Bamboo Dry Erase Board
[8. Desktop Bamboo Dry Erase Board]
How much paper do you use writing notes, to-do lists and phone messages? This dry erase board is the eco option for your desktop.
Cost: $13
9. Porcelain Travel Mugs
[9. Porcelain Travel Mugs]
These gorgeous double-insulated travel mugs should give you the incentive to ditch your cardboard cup habit forever.
Cost: $21
10. Rock Paper Scissors Clips
[10. Rock Paper Scissors Clips]
These rock-paper-scissors-themed clips are a great alternative to paper clips and are a lot less likely to get chucked.
Cost: $13 for 30
More About: design, eco, gadgets, gallery, green, List, Lists, office, office accessories, tech
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HOW TO: Have the Cancer Talk
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 11:16 AM PDT
cancer image
No one likes to have the sex talk with their kids, but it can be equally hard for kids to have “The Cancer Talk” with their parents. F–k Cancer, an organization that promotes awareness around early detection, launched a campaign to get kids talking to their parents.
Kids can log on to the website, which lets users send personalized celebrity voicemails that set up a time to talk about cancer in person. It’s a simple tool, but it’s one that takes a lot of pressure off children. Users can choose voicemails from Fran Drescher or Michael Winslow and fill in personalized details about the parent such as age, whether they smoke or drink, and body weight. The questions are appropriately light with fun multiple choice options like measuring your parent’s weight as “super-scrawnsville (tiny)” or “A little on the chubby side. Kind of like a Doughboy.”
The organization won’t send kids in alone, providing cheat sheets, information and tips on specific cancers and how to speak to their parents about a potentially tricky topic. To break the ice, F-Cancer has posted a slew of celebrity videos talking about their own awkward sex-talk conversations with their parents. There are videos from Adrian Grenier, Terrell Owens, Perez Hilton, Deepak Chopra and more. The general message is that even though awkward conversations are tough, they come from a good place and have a huge impact.
In fact, F-Cancer claims that parents are more willing to take the advice of their children over their partners, friends and even medical professionals. If found early, 90% of cancers can be treated. The charity is hoping that “The Cancer Talk” helps make Generation Y the first generation to end late stage cancer diagnoses by accomplishing three goals. Families can have frank discussions about their cancer history, identify personal risks and early warning signs, and encourage relatives to stay on top of their regular cancer screenings every year.
It can be tough for kids to give their parents advice, especially around difficult topics like cancer. F-Cancer is using humor and a light touch to empower children to make a difference, but is it the right approach? Let us know what you think of the project and the role kids can play in making a difference.
More About: cancer, cancer talk, charity, f cancer, fuck cancer, health, let's f cancer, non-profit, sex talk, social good, social media
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Woman Gets Facebook Friend Sleeve Tattoo [VIDEO]
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:58 AM PDT
Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks.
Friends are a many splendored thing — and it’s natural to carry them in one’s heart throughout one’s ever-storied life. It seems a little extreme, however, to tattoo them on one’s arm.
Apparently, this woman (from what we can tell from the video), saw fit to tattoo her 152 Facebook friends on her arm. Granted, this could all be some kind of publicity stunt — remember that guy who got Ray-Bans tattooed on his face? Then again, T-Pain got a Facebook “Like” button on his arm, and who are we to question trends set by T? (Except auto-tune. That was just bad.)
Say what you will about the prudence of this tat-enthusiast’s decision, at least she adhered to Dunbar’s Number.
SEE ALSO: 10 Great Geeky Tattoos [PICS]
More About: facebook, t-pain, tattoo, trending, video, viral video, viral-video-of-day, youtube
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9 Beautiful One-Page Websites for Design Inspiration
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:37 AM PDT
Single-page websites have been commonplace on the web for a few years now. First made popular by designers seeking a clean, simple way to showcase portfolios, the one-page website now has a number of uses, including advertising software and promoting events. It’s a great way to have a large impact with a small amount of content.
Below, we’ll take a look at 9 great one-page websites, explore how they’re used and what makes them so awesome. Get ready to be inspired!
1. Blacktie
[1. Blacktie]
The designers over at Blacktie have put together a slick portfolio showcasing some of their best works. What we love most about Blacktie is its bold color palette and smooth navigation. Browsing the portfolio feels responsive and snappy. Changing the background color to white (via the links at the top right) dramatically changes the feel of the portfolio. It's also a nice touch to feature screenshots on the devices for which they were created.
2. Corpus
[2. Corpus]
Corpus is a content management system that's a little more "cerebral." Type, color and illustrations combine to set a mood that feels more suited to academia than web development. However, that's just the feeling that Corpus is aiming for. Its web app is focused on inspiring creativity and freedom of expression without the limitations of a content management system. The site offers just enough information to pique one's interest: There's just a brief introduction, a short list of features, logos of existing clients, and a large, centrally located email for further inquiries.
3. Think Green Meeting
[3. Think Green Meeting]
Think Green Meeting is a conferencing service for the environmentally conscious. It's a unique and accurate look at the benefits of digitizing your workplace. The site has some great interactive components like the grid of automobiles and airplanes that vanish when moused-over. It's a cool metaphor for the reduction in cost and emissions which the company stands for. Other great elements include the earthy, natural color palette and large, tightly-spaced headings juxtaposed by spacious body copy to give the site a very clean, modern and sophisticated feel.
4. Owl Concept
[4. Owl Concept]
Owl Concept is an example of a one-page site that takes advantage of the screen real estate afforded it. Upon visiting the site you see a large photographic backgorund in cool colors with a subtle grid overlay in bold colors. It's visually impressive. Click on the portfolio link to the far right, however, and distractions slide away and you are presented with two carousels of featured works on a white background (hover effects complement the rollover effect on the navigation menu), with the header, navigation and footer remaining in place for consistency.
5. Captain Wallace
[5. Captain Wallace]
Here's an idea - how about designing your website to directly mirror the UI and illustrative style of the application it's promoting? That's exactly what the designers of the Captain Wallance iPhone/iPad application have done. The site is fun and immediately draws you in with its soft color palette, large, friendly type and cheery illustrations. It's almost impossible to look at this site without wanting to at least try out the touch app for preschoolers. You get an immediate feel for the application, its straightforward interface, and the lovely illustrations of animals you'll encounter while adventuring with the Captain.
6. Head 2 Heart
[6. Head 2 Heart]
Single-page sites aren't just for iOS apps and portfolios. A number of non-profit organizations are starting to utilize these high-impact, user-friendly sites as brochures for a number of causes and programs. Head 2 Heart is a fundraising campaign by newly-forned NGO Collyde, which aims to raise money for programs dedicated to providing clean water, medical care, and promoting a safe environment for young girls in developing countries. Head 2 Heart takes you on a cleverly illustrated journey as you step through the side-scrolling website via the bottom navigation. It presents factoids and talking points along the way, explaining the goals of the organization and eventually bringing you to a donation page and list of additional ways you can support the cause.
7. Kickoff App
[7. Kickoff App]
Kickoff App is collaboration software for Macs. The site developers do a great job capturing that Apple feel in everything from the typography, the icons, the arrangement of the screenshots and the grid that makes up the underlying structure. Sometimes innovation in design isn't necessary. Sometimes what you really need is a just a solid layout that's easily recognizable for what it is. This gives users a sense of familiarity and clearly promotes your product with minimal distraction. Kickoff App's website does a great job doing just that.
8. Garbageman
[8. Garbageman]
Garbageman is an iPhone/iPad app from Doubleleft. The goal is simple: Clean the city and earn money. We like the fun illustrations that tie in with the look and feel of the app along with the large slideshow. The layout is simple and the content minimal, giving you just enough information to get a good impression of the game and how it works without overloading you with too many details. Finding the balance on just the right amount of content is an important consideration when choosing whether to build a single-page site or something more complex. Doubleleft's Garbageman page is an example of single-page content done well.
9. Enzo Li Volti
[9. Enzo Li Volti]
Until recently, doing sophisticated typography on the web was over-complicated at best. But as web font technogies and delivery services improve, more and more designers are getting creative with text. Italian designer Enzo Li Volti lets layout and typography do all of the talking on his personal website. Breaking from the traditional thumbnail and screenshot portfolio with just a series of links, Li Volti creates his work of art with letters and font faces. We love the bold simplicity of this site, which would look just as great as a poster on the wall.
More About: case study, landing page, one page site, social media, web
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Mashable Teams With PepsiCo To Find Europe’s Most Promising Startups
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:14 AM PDT
Mashable has once again teamed up with PepsiCo to help find promising new startups with a new twist: We're looking for emerging tech companies based in Europe.
Much like last year's PepsiCo10, Mashable will be participating as a media partner, meaning we'll be reaching out to our community to help find the best ideas.
We'll also be participating in the process of helping PepsiCo select the companies that will ultimately present for a chance to become one of the startups that pilots a project with a brand like Pepsi, Gatorade, Tropicana or Quaker (below, several of last year's winners talk about their projects with me at a panel at SXSW).
Last year's PepsiCo10 featured startups looking to change everything from how you pay at restaurants to how you wait in line at amusement parks to how you wake up in the morning. This year, PepsiCo is looking specifically for companies within the areas of social media, mobile marketing, place based technology, digital video, gaming and learning technologies.
Other partners of the program include Highland Capital Partners, Omnicom Media Group and Weber Shandwick. You can learn more in the video below and on the PepsiCo10 website. Stay tuned to Mashable in the coming weeks for more news about the program.
About PepsiCo10
Last Year’s Winners Speak at SXSW
More About: mashable, pepsico
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* Pocket-Sized Bluetooth Speaker Delivers Astonishing Sound
* Find Out When Your Favorite Bands Are Playing While On The Go
* Wimbledon Finals To Be the First 3D Broadcast on the BBC
* Paramount Offers Twitter Users Advanced Tickets to Super 8
* Steve Jobs Proposes Spaceship-Shaped Cupertino Campus [VIDEO]
* Foursquare Checkin Could Land You a Trip to Space
* Facebook’s Automated Photo Tagging Prompts EU Probe
* Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Now Available for Pre-Order at Best Buy
* Facebook Privacy Probe, Verizon Blocks Tethering, iOS 5 Jailbroken: This Morning’s Top Stories
* Google Releases Stable Version of Chrome 12
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* The UN Takes a Bite Out of Social Innovation
* Investor Relations Tool Helps Fortune 500 Companies Get Social
* Facebook Turns On Facial Recognition For Tagging By Default
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* Twitter-Based iPhone Photo App Puts Emphasis On Who You’re With
* 6 New & Innovative Social Media Campaigns to Learn From
* 10 Eco-Friendly Accessories for a Greener Office [PICS]
* HOW TO: Have the Cancer Talk
* Woman Gets Facebook Friend Sleeve Tattoo [VIDEO]
* 9 Beautiful One-Page Websites for Design Inspiration
* Mashable Teams With PepsiCo To Find Europe’s Most Promising Startups
Pocket-Sized Bluetooth Speaker Delivers Astonishing Sound
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 08:04 AM PDT
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging … now that's positivenergy™.
Product: Soundmatters foxL v2.2 Bluetooth Speaker
Price: $199
What It’s Good For: Taking high fidelity along with you in a palm-sized package.
Who It’s Good For: Frequent travelers who own Bluetooth devices and like to listen to music; well-heeled audiophiles who appreciate great sound in a small form factor.
Limitations: No auto-off function, pricey.
Bottom Line: Hold this hotshot in your hand and feel its incredible power. Such sound has never shoehorned itself into such tiny speakers and been worthy of such praise. Even though you get a lot of original technology for your money, it’s pretty expensive at $199.
A Close-Up Look At The Soundmatters foxL v2.2 Bluetooth Speaker
There are plenty of Bluetooth speakers in the world, but none are like the foxL v2.2. Even though it’s a mere 5.6 inches wide, this 9.5-oz speaker rocks some downright amazing sound.
Although it feels like metal, Soundmatters has constructed the speaker out of something it calls “glass-filled composite,” otherwise known as fiberglass, the same thing surfboards are made of. That makes it lighter than it would be if it were built entirely of metal. That light weight and its small size practically beg you to take it with you on your next trip.
We can thank ex-NASA engineer and actual rocket scientist Dr. Godehard Guenther for the clever ideas that went into this product. Revered in the audio industry, he’s figured out unique ways to get maximum sound out of the smallest amount of space.
The speaker’s two 25mm drivers are powered by four digital amplifiers, pumping out a total of 8 watts of power, which is a lot for a speaker of this size. Dr. Guenther has freed up space inside the speaker by moving the “BassBattery” toward the outside, where it’s also utilized as a moving part that he calls a “moving wall radiator” that generates a surprising amount of bass.
Let’s put it through its paces. After four hours of charging a battery that’ll run for about five hours on a charge, the foxL was ready to go, its Bluetooth radio pairing up almost immediately with a laptop, iPhone and iPad 2. If you don’t want to use Bluetooth, you can plug any audio device with a standard headphone jack into the foxL’s auxiliary port.
So what is the overall effect of all this serious engineering? Astonishing sound, that’s what. It’s a kick to turn this thing on and hold it in your hand, feeling it rocking your arm from fingertips to elbow with its vigorous sound.
But it’s when you put it on a solid surface that its true nature is revealed. There’s actually enough bass pumping out of its little drivers to make you feel like moving your feet. Even though its optimal listening distance is about three feet away, it sounds good from further out, too. Plug it into an AC outlet or USB port, and suddenly it’s running on twice the wattage than the battery, giving it a noticeable increase in oomph. It’s remarkable.
It also performs admirably as a speakerphone, and if you have it linked to a smartphone via Bluetooth, when a call comes in it immediately turns into speakerphone mode, letting you answer the call with a slightly awkward routine of pressing and holding a Bluetooth button. And its built-in mic faithfully reproduces your voice, sounding better than most speakerphones I’ve used.
Summing up, if you can afford it, you’ll want to take this whippersnapper along with you on your next adventure. It’s beautifully designed, pumps out plenty of clean sound even at low volume and plays loud enough to entertain a rowdy crowd.
Come along on a tour of the foxL Bluetooth speaker in this gallery:
Palm-Sized
[Palm-Sized]
The white button just above the Soundmatters logo is the one you push to answer the phone.
Back
[Back]
Behind that grille is the battery that doubles as a mini subwoofer, and it does a great job of enhancing the bass in this tiny unit. On the right are the two volume controls.
Left Side
[Left Side]
The 3.5mm mini jack on the top is for an external subwoofer. Below that is a LED charge indicator, and at the bottom, a mini USB port.
Kickstand In Use
[Kickstand In Use]
The speaker stands up perfectly well on its own without using the kickstand, but it's welcome nonetheless.
Right Side
[Right Side]
The top port is an auxiliary port where you can connect any audio device with a 3.5mm plug. The bottom port is for power from the AC adapter.
Bulging Drivers
[Bulging Drivers]
The two 25mm dome speakers are pushed out toward the front, to give the inside of the speaker more room for bass to resonate.
foxL Diagram
[foxL Diagram]
Here are the details of the foxL Bluetooth Speaker. This graphic is courtesy of Soundmatters.
Series Supported by Energizer®
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging. Energizer® has always been designed with performance and responsibility in mind … now that's positivenergy™.
More About: audio, foxL bluetooth speaker, Gadget of the Day Series, ipad, iphone, ipod, review, speakerphone
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Find Out When Your Favorite Bands Are Playing While On The Go
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT
Songkick, a service that informs you when your favorite bands are playing, is out with a new mobile app that makes it easy to track concerts and plan music-filled nights out.
A kind of concert-going social network, Songkick, lets you track bands from Last.fm, Pandora and iTunes, get email alerts when your top acts are playing near you, buy tickets to shows and create show calendars that you can export to Google Calendar, Outlook or iCal.
The iPhone/iPod touch app [iTunes link], available for free from the iTunes store, takes that functionality and puts it in your pocket, a much more natural fit for the avid concert-goer. Yes, email alerts are awesome when it comes to planning a show-heavy weekend, but what about when you’re out and about and want to hit up a show? The app seems much more intuitive.
After installing the app, preexisting users can sign in and access all their saved artists, shows, etc. The app will scan your iTunes, and from that data — taking location into account — compile a list of shows you might be interested in attending.
You can also scroll through a list of your favorite artists and see which ones are touring. You can then create a personalized concert calendar, and be alerted via push notifications when your favorite bands are playing. You can also look up ticket info, venue location, show time, lineup, etc., and tell friends about shows via Twitter, Facebook and email. Shows are tracked in more than 70 countries, and you can change the location setting when you travel.
Granted, this app isn’t exactly revolutionary. SuperGlued‘s iPhone and Android apps do something very similar (like scanning your iTunes), as do specialized apps like Festival Explorer Austin Edition, which was designed for SXSW. There’s also GigKick, which connects to your Songkick profile to display upcoming shows.
Still, Songkick’s app is pretty slick and offered me some accurate show recommendations for the upcoming weekend, so it’s likely to become a standby app on my iPhone, at least. Although I do wish the app included song previews, like some of its competitors.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Stephan Geyer
More About: App, concert, iOS, iphone, iPod Touch, mobile app, music, songkick, startup
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Wimbledon Finals To Be the First 3D Broadcast on the BBC
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 07:35 AM PDT
Like it or not, 3D is coming. The BBC has succumbed to the latest trend, announcing its first 3D broadcast: this year’s Wimbledon finals.
The broadcast will include both men’s and women’s singles finals, which are taking place over the first weekend in July, and will only be shown on the BBC HD channel — free to cable or satellite subscribers, as well as customers with Freeview HD boxes.
Of course, users will need a 3D-enabled TV, as well as 3D glasses to be able to watch the finals in their full glory.
This is just a trial for the BBC, but the company has high hopes for 3D. "This is a hugely important experiment for us and I'm pleased that we have the opportunity to show some of our stunning sports coverage to our audiences, in 3D for free," said BBC’s George Entwistle in a statement.
It’s becoming more common to air 3D TV broadcasts in the UK; Sky 3D has been showing live sporting events as well as movies and entertainment in 3D for some time now.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Marc Di Luzio
More About: 3D, 3D broadcast, bbc, television, tv, wimbledon
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Paramount Offers Twitter Users Advanced Tickets to Super 8
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 07:19 AM PDT
Paramount Pictures’s Super 8 is ramping up its social media marketing efforts before it hits U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday, first by premiering the first full-length trailer on Twitter, and now with promotions on Foursquare and Twitter.
Paramount is offering the latter’s users advanced showings through the hashtag #Super8Secret, which the company is also pushing as a Promoted Trend. There is, of course, nothing secret about the promotion, and that’s the point; Paramount has essentially guaranteed that the movie will be trending on opening day, thanks to all of the advanced reviews on Twitter.
As we’ve seen before, however, the film will still have to stand on its own merits; Twitter can just as persuasively keep moviegoers out of theaters as it can bring them in.
More About: advertising, Film, MARKETING, paramount pictures, social media, Super 8, twitter
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Steve Jobs Proposes Spaceship-Shaped Cupertino Campus [VIDEO]
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:32 AM PDT
Steve Jobs presented his plans for a giant, spaceship-shaped campus to the Cupertino City Council Tuesday.
“Apple is growing like a weed,” he said. “And as you know, we’ve always been in Cupertino.”
The company has staff scattered in rented buildings throughout the city. The plan for the future campus puts 12,000 to 13,000 employees inside a single four-story oval building.
Jobs, fresh off of WWDC, made a convincing case for what he calls “a shot at building the best office building in the world.”
By moving parking underground, 80% of the 150-acre property will be landscaped. Apple has hired the lead arborist from Stanford to fill it with 6,000 trees, and the company will build its own “energy center” power source.
Apple also pays more taxes than any other company in Cupertino, Jobs reminded the somewhat starstruck council.
“We’d like to continue to stay here and pay taxes,” he said. “Because if we can’t, we have to go someplace like Mountain View.”
More About: apple, cupertino, office
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Foursquare Checkin Could Land You a Trip to Space
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:21 AM PDT
Foursquare has partnered with 7-Eleven and the team behind Paramount Pictures’ forthcoming film Super 8 to send users on a mission to space.
From now until June 30, Foursquare users ages 14 and up can check in to a U.S. 7-Eleven location for a chance to win tickets to Super 8 (every 88th checkin), a Zero-G experience, which enables participants to float and move about as if they were in space on a modified Boeing 727 (every 88,888th checkin), and even a trip to space via Space Adventures’ Suborbital Spaceflight program if 888,888 checkins are made.
(Maybe you’ll be the second person to check in to space.)
Entering is as simple as checking in at a 7-Eleven using Foursquare’s apps for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows 7, Palm or Ovi, and clicking through the “Unlocked Special” to the registration form.
In terms of prizes, it’s one of the more creative Foursquare promotions we’ve seen to date.
More About: 7-Eleven, foursquare, Super 8
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Facebook’s Automated Photo Tagging Prompts EU Probe
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:06 AM PDT
European Union data-protection regulators will probe Facebook after it started a global rollout of its new face-recognition photo-tagging system.
The new feature “recognizes” faces in photos, shortening the often tedious tagging process, which enables users to connect a face in a photo with an actual friend on Facebook. The process is now semi-automated: Facebook provides suggestions for individuals in photos, and the user chooses to accept or reject them.
The feature is enabled by default, but it can be disabled by customizing your privacy settings.
However, European Union regulators think that this feature is a potential privacy risk. "Tags of people on pictures should only happen based on people's prior consent and it can't be activated by default," said Gerard Lommel, a Luxembourg member of the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party.
In the past, EU regulators have scrutinized companies such as Microsoft (for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows) as well as Google and Yahoo for storing data search queries for too long. Facebook, too, was criticized for not doing enough to protect the privacy of its users.
What do you think? Is this feature a privacy risk? Should it be enabled by default?
[via Bloomberg Businessweek]
More About: face recognition, facebook, photo tagging, privacy
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Now Available for Pre-Order at Best Buy
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 05:20 AM PDT
The revised, ultra-thin version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is now available for pre-order at Best Buy.
Some New York City shoppers will also be able to actually buy the device, which is coming (in limited quantities) to the Union Square Best Buy store.
The dual-core powered, Android 3.1 Wi-Fi device comes in two colors: white and metallic gray (Best Buy also mentions a “metallic gray black” variant but we’re not sure if that differs from the regular metallic gray one). The 10.1-inch screen boasts 1280×800 pixels, and the tablet also has a 3-megapixel back camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats.
The pride of owning the thinnest Android tablet on the market will cost you $599 if you choose the 32 GB version, while the 16 GB version of the device costs $499.
More About: galaxy tab, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Tab
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Facebook Privacy Probe, Verizon Blocks Tethering, iOS 5 Jailbroken: This Morning’s Top Stories
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 05:20 AM PDT
Social Media News
Welcome 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. We're keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today.
Facebook Turns On Facial Recognition For Tagging By Default
As Facebook rolls out its Tag Suggestions feature, which uses facial recognition to suggest tags for friends in users’ photos, the social networking site is simultaneously enabling facial recognition as a default privacy setting, provoking an EU probe in the process.
Verizon Blocks 4G Tethering
The FCC has received a complaint arguing that Verizon Wireless shouldn’t be allowed to block tethering apps, which enable consumers to connect to the Internet on their computers and mobile devices through their phones’ 4G wireless data network.
iOS 5 Successfully Jailbroken
iPhone owners have already begun jailbreaking the mobile software Apple released at WWDC Monday, iOS 5.
Google Releases Stable Version of Chrome 12
Google Chrome 12 is now the stable release of Google's web browser, bringing several improvements in security, privacy and graphics capabilities.
Further News
* The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is now available for pre-order.
* Twitter has announced that links shared on Twitter.com will be automatically shortened using the service's t.co URL shortener.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59
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Google Releases Stable Version of Chrome 12
Posted: 08 Jun 2011 02:50 AM PDT
Google Chrome 12 is now the stable release of Google’s web browser, bringing several improvements in security, privacy and graphics capabilities.
Chrome now checks downloaded files for malware, and Google claims it has designed the feature in such a way that it doesn’t have to know which URLs you visited or which files you downloaded to be able to detect malicious files.
You can now also fine tune the data that websites store on your computer, including Flash Player's Local Shared Objects (also known as Flash cookies), directly from Chrome.
On the graphics front, Chrome 12 includes support for hardware-accelerated 3D CSS, which enables some nifty effects such as rotating and scaling videos. Try this Chrome Experiment to see some of the new features in action.
Finally, Chrome 12 brings several minor improvements such as an improved interface for setting a homepage and searching for Chrome Apps directly from the address bar.
Google Chrome 12 is available at www.google.com/chrome. Existing users will be automatically updated to the new version in the next couple of days.
More About: browser, chrome, Chrome 12, Google, google chrome, web browser
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Why Augmented Reality Is Poised To Change Marketing
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 11:25 PM PDT
Sam Travis Ewen is the CEO and founder of Interference Incorporated, a non-traditional marketing agency, and is co-founder of Supertou.ch an immersive technology company focused on bringing human computer interaction (HCI) to real-world environments.
If you’ve read Daniel Suarez's techno thriller Daemon or William Gibson's Spook Country, then you’ve encountered a world where there is no dividing line between physical and virtual realities. This vision is also advanced in the films Blade Runner, Minority Report or Children of Men which feature floating screens and active surfaces that come alive at a gesture or command. While this may seem like fantasy, those in business and marketing need to start paying attention to how real this all becoming.
The fields of augmented reality, projection mapping and Kinect hacking are where some of the most exciting work is happening. The changes are occurring so rapidly and in such variety that it is hard to keep up. But what many startups, hackers, corporations and tech artists are creating — a hybrid between computer interactivity, data, social media and how those relate to our physical world — is not only mind-blowing, but it is also a teaser for what media and communication experiences will look like in the near future.
Here is a taste of what’s going on.
Augmented Reality
Remember when AR was all about little black-and-white codes that made pretty little animations play on your webcam? It seemed like a fun trick back then, and a few brands (Lego, best of all, and maybe Ray-Ban for an honorable mention) used it to create new ways to digest their products or play simple games.
Actually, there was very little 'reality' being augmented with those. But now that the concept has matured, we’re starting to see a very different AR come to life. With your phone's camera becoming the input device, apps are popping up that let you view a building in your city and find out if there is available office space for rent in it, make newspapers, magazines and outdoor imagery come to life, get translation on the fly or see a person's social profile as they pass you on the street.
As our desire to check in and share location-related media grows, we’re going to see the ability to overlay those actions on real space through these tools and new ones coming.
Where to start:
* Rofo on junaio: AR Real Estate application for cities (above)
* Aurasma from Autonomy: Activating still visuals
* Lego Retail AR: See how the product will look when built
* TAT Augmented ID: Social profiling via AR
Projection Mapping
Projection mapping has been around for a few years now, but it is starting to come into its own with some high profile stunts. Projection mapping software looks at the shape of an object and creates a 3D map of it, allowing an artist to overlay imagery — usually on a large surface or structure.
Why is this interesting? Because it provides the ability to change the experience of a physical object creatively, so at one point the object was one thing, and then right in front of your eyes it appears to be another. Ralph Lauren made a recent splash with this tech at a high profile event, projecting a 3D spectacle on the facades of flagship stores in New York and London.
Infiniti and Toyota have used the technique effectively to make their cars defy the laws of nature at private events. Others have used it to augment architecture and living spaces in such dramatic ways that you would have to touch them to see if the change was real or simply a visual trick. If all the structures around us were a canvas, imagine what we could do with them.
Where to start:
* Ralph Lauren: “4D Experience”
* Mr. Beam: “Living Room”
* Infiniti: “Journey of Inspiration”
* Toyota Auris: “Get Your Energy Back”
Kinect Hacking
On November 4, 2010, Microsoft took a major step toward reasserting itself as a leader in future tech. The release of the Kinect for its Xbox system, — and how the Kinect was adopted by the creative/hacker community — has ushered in a new era for augmented reality.
Why is the Kinect so innovative? It’s not really breaking new ground, technology-wise. But it’s the way in which it combines existing tech — a multi-array microphone, an RGB camera, an infrared depth sensor — that makes it smarter and cheaper than preceding attempts. Perhaps more importantly, it’s hackable. And recognizing the innovation that could come of this, Microsoft is due to release an SDK that will allow the curious and the research-minded alike to tinker with ease.
In just a few short months, developers have used the Kinect to create everything from optical camouflage to body-controlled light shows. Beyond the novelty, the practical implications of tying gestures to computer control are abundant.
Here are a few impressive examples of Kinect hacks in action:
* Phil Reyneri: Kinect Light/Laser Control
* blabblabLab: Be Your Own Souvenir
* Controlling A Humanoid Robot via Kinect
* Coverflow
* Become Your Own Superhero
These technologies (and a variety of others) are radically changing the way the physical and digital worlds interface. Because media and marketing are moving ever closer to the technologies that feature (and often reward) user engagement and user creation, these innovative types of input/output mechanisms will directly lead us into a new era of active and reactive brand communication and experience.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Jason McDermott.
More About: 3D projection mapping, Augmented Reality, business, kinect, Kinect hacking, MARKETING, Sam Ewen, tech, technology
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The UN Takes a Bite Out of Social Innovation
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:36 PM PDT
un image
The UN Social Innovation Summit took place in New York on June 6, and it had its fair share of controversy.
The summit was partly about how to improve corporate social responsibility (i.e., big business making philanthropy a part of its operation) and partly on how emerging technologies can revolutionize social good.
Of course, with so much on the line, the many speakers took impassioned and sometimes opposing views on how to tackle those two topics. Mashable attended the summit and took some notes while we were at it. Here are some brief highlights from the UN’s Social Innovation Summit.
The afternoon kicked off with a panel on healthcare innovation. From the start, the main problems were questions of efficiency, efficacy and how to scale.
Kathy Pickus, the VP of the Abbott Fund, summed up the panel’s main point: Corporations can make “a long-term sustainable difference by overlaying business practices with causes.” Non-profits cannot operate solely on good will; they also need business strategies that don’t rely on fundraising and donations. Pickus went on to say that because of their charitable actions, “businesses are now finding themselves at tables they weren’t previously invited to,” including government task forces both nationally and internationally.
The second panel was about creating a socially responsible technology enterprise. Here, the real barn-burner was Nicholas Negroponte, the founder and chairman of One Laptop Per Child. In his comments, Negroponte lambasted the idea of applying business models to philanthropy, saying: “Sustainability is a bad word because it’s a sign of small thinking, of an economic model that runs all by itself.”
Negroponte said that social good campaigns aiming for modest returns — improving literacy by 10%, for example — were also small-minded, and he asked the audience to think bigger. “If you have to measure the result, it’s not worth doing.” He also pointed out that the U.S. spends approximately $2 billion each day on war. Negroponte said the cost of three and half days of war could give a computer to every single child in Afghanistan.
Contrapuntally, Jonathan Teplitz, J.P. Morgan’s COO of Global IT, announced a web portal called Match.com (not that match.com). The site would match up specialists and experts, including J.P. Morgan’s own staff, with international non-profits and causes that need but can’t afford top-notch digital support.
Most of the panels were largely on-message — brands need to cooperate, adopt new technologies, make causes a key part of their identity — with some sparks flying out of a panel on media activism. In that panel, Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post called for an app to let us users know when they were ethically and mentally veering off course.
Nancy Lublin, the CEO of DoSomething.org, lauded mobile as the next big tool while comparing her signing Katy Perry in the shower to corporations funding celebrity charity projects like Madonna opening schools in Africa. In other words, Lublin feels corporations should put money behind experts with deep knowledge of their core issues as opposed to stars that view it more as a hobby or part-time job.
Alec Ross, the Senior Advisor for Innovation at the U.S. Department of State, said that in the wake of social media’s role in the Arab spring, “The 21st century is a lousy time to have control.” He said the age of one white guy in a red tie talking to another white guy in a red tie about what to do was effectively over as social tools empowered everyday people across the globe.
What do you think of these claims and ideas? What is business’ role in social good? What’s next for social innovation? Let us know in the comments.
You can watch a recap of the summit here.
More About: charity, corporate social responsibility, csr, non-profit, social innovation, social media, UN, un social innovation summit
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Investor Relations Tool Helps Fortune 500 Companies Get Social
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 09:02 PM PDT
StockTwits, the Twitter app-turned-social network for investors, is targeting investor relations professionals at Fortune 500 companies with the release of StockTwits IR Suite.
The suite is intended to help corporations better monitor, distribute and measure news through social media.
Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Ford are among 50 public companies that have already added social media to the workflow of IR departments by way of the StockTwits IR Suite.
StockTwits IR Suite is comprised of three components. The Verified Ticker Page lets corporations assume control of their ticker symbol on StockTwits and put their best faces forward with links to their blogs, YouTube channels or SlideShare presentations.
The Social Dashboard is where IR professionals manage their corporate social messaging and track how their messages are spreading.
The final piece, “Social Distribution” as StockTwits calls it, offers users a simple way to push each message out to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, along with financial portals such as CNNMoney, Reuters and Yahoo Finance.
“It’s a disruptive tool to help public companies disseminate news in real-time,” StockTwits co-founder and CEO Howard Lindzon explains.
Investor relations professionals — the internal corporate staffers tasked with communicating with shareholders and investors — have not readily embraced social media for communication purposes, Lindzon says. This is partly due to law compliance concerns as well as a general lack of understanding of how social media impacts their companies, he explains.
“We have to think about IR as corporate communications,” Lindzon asserts. “There’s power in finding out what users who follow company tickers want.”
“This is like training wheels,” he adds, indicating that the tool will give web-wary IR folks a way to dip their feet in to the social pool. “It’s the smartest way to listen in to a group of investors,” says Lindzon.
The suite also includes a Social Compliance upgrade costing $99 per month. This feature appends the necessary legal disclaimers in all of the messages shared via StockTwits. The add-on is meant to monetize the otherwise free offering by providing public corporations with peace of mind.
Prior to Wednesday’s release, StockTwits has been testing these IR services in private beta with 50 public companies.
StockTwits has raised $8.6 million in funding over the course of its three-year history. It hopes to become the Facebook of finance and has roughly 100,000 users.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Michael Menard
More About: finance, financial services, fortune 500, investor relations, social media, StockTwits
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Facebook Turns On Facial Recognition For Tagging By Default
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:31 PM PDT
If you have a bunch of tag-happy Facebook friends, you may want to read this. Facebook has been rolling out a facial recognition feature that makes it easier to tag friends in snaps, and it has introduced this feature as a default setting.
We first heard about Tag Suggestions back in December.
The feature basically means that whenever you're offered the chance to tag groups of your friends in an album, Facebook will use its facial recognition technology to group similar faces together and automatically suggest the friend you should tag them with.
The option has been rolling out to international users over the past few months, and according to a report from Sophos, the social networking site has been making the facial recognition feature a default setting. Facebook explained the rollout in a post on Tuesday.
If you don’t want Facebook to suggest you when your friends go to tag everyone in that picture from last week’s naked mud-wrestling pool party, here’s how you disable the feature:
1. Go to your privacy settings.
2. Click “Customize settings.”
3. Scroll down to “Things others share.”
4. Find “Suggest photos of me to friends.”
5. Edit accordingly.
Although this is an easy fix, we can see some privacy-focused users getting peeved about the option being turned on without their knowledge. And this wouldn’t be the first time Facebook has turned on a feature without users’ consent (heck, we even wrote an entire guide to Facebook’s privacy features).
What do you think of this latest change?
UPDATE: European Union data-protection regulators will be investigating the new feature and its privacy implications.
More About: facebook, Photos, privacy, social media, tag-suggestion, trending
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WordPress.com Comments Gain Support for Facebook & Twitter Logins
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 06:27 PM PDT
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Visitors to WordPress.com blogs can now leave comments with their Twitter or Facebook accounts.
It’s a small new feature on the surface, but it opens up a lot more commenting opportunities for WordPress.com blogs. Third-party commenting systems such as Disqus and Echo have allowed users to authenticate with their Twitter or Facebook accounts for quite some time, but this is a big move for the hosted blogging platform.
In the blog entry announcing the new feature, WordPress.com’s Scott Berkun points out a nice feature of the new login system: Users can stay logged in to multiple services at the same time. This is especially handy for users that might want to comment using Twitter or Facebook on some sites but want to use their WordPress.com account for others.
Comments from Twitter or Facebook accounts aren’t pumped back into those social services, though. Instead, the logins simply act as a way to authenticate users. In the future, WordPress.com might work toward also giving users the option to publish or share comments back on Facebook or Twitter.
For self-hosted WordPress.org users, comments suggest that Facebook and Twitter comment authentication might be coming via a future update to the JetPack plugin developed by Automattic.
More About: comment systems, facebook, twitter, WordPress, WordPress.com
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Twitter Automates Link Shortening for Its Web App
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:31 PM PDT
Twitter has announced that links shared on Twitter.com will be automatically shortened using the service’s t.co URL shortener.
Links of any length will be cut down to a tidy number of characters — 19, to be precise — and an ellipsis when the sender clicks the Tweet button.
Although each link is assigned a unique t.co link ID, the links will appear on Twitter as abbreviated versions of their originals so users always have some idea of where their next click will take them — a smart move on Twitter’s part given the number of URL-shortened spam or scam links that have made the rounds on the microblogging platform over the past year or so.
Still, you can expect to see plenty of other URL shorteners floating around Twitter — especially ones like Hootsuite that give their users a full analytics rundown for each link. Twitter said users can still use any third-party link-shortening services on Twitter.com.
Here’s what the automated URL shortening will look like on the web app:
More About: link shortener, twitter, url shortener, URL shortening
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Spirit Airlines Cashes in on Weinergate
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 03:58 PM PDT
Most marketers are steering clear of the Anthony Weiner lewd photo scandal. Spirit Airlines isn’t one of them.
The brand sent an email to its customers Tuesday afternoon with the following message: “Check out our Weiner Sale boasting fares just too hard to resist! This scandalous sale is no secret so get socially connected … book now before this sale gets hacked!”
Spirit’s homepage offers more Weiner puns. If you’re curious, here’s the link.
Spirit, which doesn’t do much in the way of traditional advertising, has leveraged news topics before for maximum social media buzz. In 2009, the airline ran an “Eye of the Tiger Sale” to cash in on the Tiger Woods scandal. Spirit’s homepage featured a tiger driving an SUV into a fire hydrant to promote its $9 fare sale.
The airline has also had some fun with acronyms. In February 2010, it ran a promo called MUFF to diving destinations. MUFF, of course, stood for Many Unbelievable Fantastic Fares. That was preceded by a MILF promo (“Many Islands, Low Fares.”)
Image courtesy of Flickr, David Boyle
More About: Anthony Weiner, Spirit Airlines
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Why Apps, Not Apple, Are Killing BlackBerry
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 03:38 PM PDT
Apple just announced free cloud storage and a slew of cool new features for iOS 5. Google announced a tap and pay system for Android phones earlier this week. And what has RIM, the third major smartphone player, done for us lately?
Well, there’s BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). The company has focused its commercials, display advertising and legal efforts on the feature that provides limitless instant chat between its customers.
This feature lost some of its residual glitz, however, after group messaging apps emerged, enabling BBM-like capabilities between different platforms. When Apple announced that it would be including iMessage — BBM for Apple products, essentially — in its iOS 5, any residual glitz BBM may have retained was washed away.
The fact that BBM has some competition only adds to RIM’s woes. According to data from Nielsen, the BlackBerry OS market share has been in steady decline compared to iOS and Android since June 2010, before the first notable group messaging app launched (GroupMe in August 2010).
How to explain BlackBerry’s decline? Part of it has to do with how far behind the OS is falling in the app game. About a year ago, Apple had up to 20 times the number of app downloads as RIM. At that point, RIM still had more market share than either Apple or Android.
BlackBerry apps are typically the last version that companies like Shazam, Instapaper or Pandora develop. They’re often also more expensive than their counterparts on other platforms. If you’re a BlackBerry owner, you get to pay $4.99 to play Angry Farm while your friends are playing Angry Birds for $0.99 on iOS and Android. When everyone else is raving about their free Netflix app that streams movies to their phones, you have to settle for Movela Netflix Queue Manager, which costs $4.99 and doesn’t stream anything.
Most app developers consider coding for BlackBerry OS to be a pain. “[With] BlackBerry, the API changes a lot between the major versions [of the OS]…The code needs to optimized for each version,” explains Narayan Babu, the CEO and CTO of app developer Dextera. “Another major problem with BlackBerry is that the devices have very diverse specs, right from the form factor and screen resolution, to components like Wi-Fi, GPS and the touchscreen.”
Even though RIM CEO Jim Balsillie claimed BlackBerry’s relatively skeletal app selection was a strategy last November (“You don’t need an app for the web”), it seems to be becoming a problem. Apps may once have been viewed as tricks for showing off a new smartphone. Now they are so indispensable that Apple is starting to borrow their best features for iOS 5. In other words, there’s a feedback loop. More apps makes the OS itself stronger.
Back when other phones lacked security, a solid calendar and reliable email capabilities, RIM’s phones thrived based on solid basic features. Now, as other smartphones have nearly matched RIM’s security and practical business functions, that foothold may be weakening. A 2010 survey found that although RIM still provides the majority of corporate cellphones, Apple OS and Android are fast gaining market share in the enterprise space.
In short, BlackBerry phones need something — other than solid basic functions — worth talking about. RIM announced Tuesday that it had acquired social gaming company Scoreloop, a departure from its calendar- and communication-enhancing previous acquisitions. That’s a start.
More About: android, apple, blackberry, icloud, iOS 5, RIM
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Can a Gmail Tool Make Us More Considerate Email Senders?
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:54 PM PDT
If our friends, family members and contacts knew that we were drowning in unread emails, would they wait until the madness died down to send us email? Courteous.ly, a new service for Gmail users, hopes that the answer is yes.
Courteous.ly is the product of a new research project at Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing. It was developed to make email inboxes more socially considerate spaces.
Give Courteous.ly access to your Gmail account and it will analyze your email patterns, the state of your inbox, your unread message count, total messages and your sent mail volume to determine your current level of email traffic.
The service provides you with a link to share with friends or include in your email signature. That link will direct contacts to a page that indicates whether your email load is low, normal or high.
You can specify what Courteous.ly measures, and you can have the app instruct senders to put [whenever] in the subject line to reach you at a more opportune time, once your email load has gone down. You can also tick a box so an email that contains nothing but a one-sentence question in the subject line jumps right to the top of your inbox.
The upshot is that email senders will respect your time with brief, one-sentence emails or messages sent at your convenience. You will, in theory, then reward the sender with your complete attention and a response.
“I think we're really good at the etiquette part when we have the cues that allow us to be polite," Georgia Tech Assistant Professor and Courteous.ly developer Eric Gilbert says. "Courteous.ly helps manage expectations and lets people choose to send mail when it's best for you.”
Could this simple solution to a very common problem actually make us more considerate email senders? Gilbert will be monitoring users' accounts over the next several months to measure the tool’s actual impact on email loads.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Tim Morgan
More About: Courteous.ly, email, Georgia Tech, gmail
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Louis Vuitton Takes Checkins to China
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:26 PM PDT
Louis Vuitton, which has already utilized Foursquare for location-based marketing efforts in the U.S. and UK, is launching a similar experiment in Beijing.
The luxury manufacturer has partnered with Chinese checkin service Jiepang for its travel exhibition at the National Museum of China. Those who check in to the exhibition using Jiepang’s mobile app between June 9 and August 30 will receive a branded virtual badge, and can also peruse Louis Vuitton’s profile page for tips and information about the brand and conceptual design.
It’s an experimental move for the fashion brand, given that location-based services are have only just sprung up in China, about two years after similar services became popular in the West, as research from IHS iSuppli indicates.
Now about 50 location-based apps are vying for a lead in the market. Jiepang is one of the largest, with 1 million registered users to date.
More About: china, location-based marketing, louis vuitton, MARKETING
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NBC’s The Voice Treats iTunes Sales As Viewer Votes
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:01 PM PDT
Traditionally, talent shows like American Idol have relied on text-based audience votes to decide on the winning crooner. NBC’s The Voice plans to marry democracy to commerce — by taking votes via sales on iTunes.
After Tuesday night’s live show, fans can vote one of four ways: 1). Via phone. 2). Via the NBC Live app. 3). Online at NBC.com. 4). By buying the songs that the artists perform on the show from iTunes (all available from Universal Republic Records). Of course, that means anyone buying the tunes is participating in the vote, whether they know it or not.
“This new voting opportunity reflects the reality of music lovers who vote every day for their favorite artists by downloading and purchasing their music,” said Paul Telegdy, executive vice president, alternative programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios in a statement.
The whole deal reflects the Billboard charts model, at least in part (Billboard has tons of charts reflecting different metrics), equating sales with popularity. Although we would have liked to see other digital players (such as Amazon) factored in, this is an interesting idea all the same.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, shulz
More About: itunes, MARKETING, music, television, the-voice
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LinkedIn App Lets You Play Tetris With Your Network Profiles
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 01:16 PM PDT
LinkedIn has shown its whimsical side once again with a new app that lets you play Tetris with pictures of people in your network.
Called DropIn, the game mimics Tetris, but uses head shots instead of blocks. Writing in LinkedIn’s blog, Matthew Shoup, the site’s technical marketing manager, said he created the app to celebrate Tetris’ 27th birthday, which was on Monday. He said he also wanted to showcase how easy it is to implement the LinkedIn Platform Javascript API.
The app also integrates your contacts’ latest updates. “DropIn takes the classic Tetris experience to a professional level,” Shoup writes. “Rotate and stack your LinkedIn connections' faces, while discovering the fresh content they're sharing online. There's never been a more relevant and productive time to play games at work.” You can try the app here.
Known as a networking site for businesspeople, LinkedIn has displayed a less buttoned-down image of late with a series of satiric training videos sponsored by FedEx and, most recently, a Connection Timeline that visualizes your connections over the years.
LinkedIn isn’t alone in seeing the social networking potential in Tetris. The game was recently celebrated in an app for backpack maker Eastpak that did the same thing DropIn does, only with your Facebook friends.
More About: apps, eastpak, facebook, linkedin, Tetris
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Join Us for Mashable’s Social Media Day Celebration in NYC
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:57 PM PDT
Social Media Day is Mashable‘s global celebration of the technological advancements that enable everyone to connect with real-time information and communicate from miles apart. It’s a global event that will be recognized by Mashable readers throughout the world with local Meetups on June 30.
Here in NYC, we’re ringing in our second-annual Social Media Day with a huge event at Brooklyn Bowl. There will be free bowling from 6 to 7 p.m. and networking all night. We hope to fill the 600-capacity venue, so come join us for a night of socializing with your online community offline!
West Coasters, stay tuned for an announcement about our San Francisco Social Media Day event later this week.
NYC Social Media Day Details
Date: Thursday, June 30, 2011
Time: 6 to 9 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211
RSVP: Meetup, Facebook Event, Plancast
Hashtag: #smday
View Larger Map
As a bonus, all Social Media Day attendees are invited to stay for DJ Questlove‘s Bowl Train show. He’ll play at 11 p.m., helping Social Media Day 2011 to go out with a bang.
We can’t wait to celebrate our biggest and best Social Media Day yet. Hope to see you there!
Interested in Social Media Day NYC event sponsorship opportunities? Email us at sponsorships@mashable.com.
Not in NYC? Attend a Social Media Day Meetup Near You »
More About: community, mashable meetup, questlove, smday, social media day
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Twitter-Based iPhone Photo App Puts Emphasis On Who You’re With
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:43 PM PDT
Path, maker of the “personal network” app for iPhone, just launched a new app that provides another alternative to the traditional social network — the “interaction network.”
With [iTunes link] for iPhone, released Tuesday, encourages you to share who you are with — that is, physically next to — by providing a stylized photo. The app serves up photos of the people you follow, and their interactions, in a visual timeline.
The application is built on top of Twitter, making it an extension of your Twitter social graph.
On With, the friends you are with the most will rise to the top of your profile. The closer the friendship — based on your posted interactions — the more benefits.
“At Path, above all we believe in empowering simple design, quality craftsmanship, and creative freedom,” the startup explains in a post announcing the new application. “At a recent hackathon, we discussed an idea that we thought to be fairly powerful: A fun, simple way to share who you are with. The idea seemed to have legs.”
Indeed it does. Here’s why: Big or small, the moments that make up our days are often more poignant when they’re shared with other people.
We share these moments publicly through photos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and some of us share them privately via Path. But that means the visual of the moment itself overshadows the people making the moment happen. With, on the other hand, tips the scale toward the relationships formed by those moments. That’s why the startup likes to call the app “authentic”.
With is also quite nice to look at. The app could be a bit more intuitive, but once you figure out that you’re meant to post who you’re with by tagging your Twitter friends, snap a photo and apply a lens, you’ll get it.
Or perhaps you’ll get it just by seeing the interactions of your Twitter friends, which are already waiting for you after you log in. The Twitter social graph and the single sign-on feature are two of With’s strongest qualities — the moment you log in with your Twitter account, you have something stunning to look at.
Path insists that it remains dedicated to its primary iPhone application, but With has the all right ingredients to be a more commercial and social success.
More About: iphone app, Mobile 2.0, Path, With
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6 New & Innovative Social Media Campaigns to Learn From
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:17 PM PDT
The Social Media for Business Leaders Series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, the leading social media marketing software for marketers to publish, manage, measure and engage across the social web. Request a demo here.
We’re always on the lookout for innovative social media campaigns at Mashable. This week we scoured the web and our Twitter feeds to find some of the most interesting campaigns out there.
From utilizing online video in an inventive way to creating a unique presence on Facebook, these six social media campaigns are some of the most original pieces of work as of late. Let us know about your favorite recent social media campaigns in the comments below.
1. Intel: Targeting a Digitally Savvy Audience
Ad agency Amsterdam Worldwide unveiled the first in a series of blogger films, called "Visual Life," for technology brand Intel back in January 2011. The series showcases top bloggers discussing how they use technology and how it has transformed their work.
The first video of the series documented the work of fashion blogger and photographer Scott Schumann, The Sartorialist. The video garnered nearly a quarter of a million views in its first two weeks and has been viewed more than 850,000 times on YouTube and the Intel site, helping increase Intel's YouTube channel views by 200%.
The video went viral when it was embedded on The Sartorialist blog, but also gained a lot of views from Facebook, The Cool Hunter and mobile devices. This campaign has done quite well, as it targets a digital savvy audience that is interested in learning about how top bloggers are utilizing photo and video technologies. Such viewers are more likely to share the videos with their social graphs, increasing the virality of the series.
This week, the campaign launched its most recent video (embedded above), which documents the role technology plays for two young Chinese wedding photographers, Kitty and Lala.
Overall, the series takes on a lifestyle approach that is uncommon for tech brands, focusing on the effects that technology has had on each video’s featured subject, both personally and professionally.
2. The Century Council: Using YouTube Ads for a Good Cause
In April, The Century Council, a national non-profit organization dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking, teamed up with a bipartisan group of 23 attorneys general from around the country to release a creative public service announcement (PSA) in conjunction with Alcohol Awareness Month. The attorneys general each taped an animated or radio version of the PSA that encouraged kids to say “yes” to a healthy lifestyle and “no” to underage drinking. The animated version of the PSA leads attorneys general through many scenes depicting the type of behavior that the council is promoting.
The campaign, called “Ask, Listen, Learn,” has proven to be an amazing success, garnering millions of views via The Century Council’s YouTube Channel. Much of this success was due to smart ad placements on YouTube.
“Utilizing YouTube’s TrueView ad format, we worked with Google’s specialists to buy keywords likely to rack up traffic fast within our core demographic,” says Ralph Blackman, president & CEO of The Century Council. “For example, two of our top five Ad Group Themes were ‘first dance Justin Bieber youtube’ and ‘Baby lyrics Justin Bieber YouTube.’ Utilizing YouTube’s TrueView format, we were less concerned with ad waste and more concerned with impact, as disinterested users were more likely to skip through the ads, resulting in no cost to us.”
“Our main goals were to get our message across to kids nationwide and to put the participating attorneys general in front of their youngest constituents,” says Blackman. “In that regard, we considered our ad buy an enormous success. We racked up more than 2.5 million views over the campaign, had all of our videos frequently embedded, and had website traffic at 11 times its normal levels. Our view-through rate hovered at around 25%, with daily views anywhere from 60,000 to 125,000. Many attorneys general afterward said they were surprised at the reach it delivered as well — constituents frequently mentioned seeing their PSAs.”
3. Johnson’s Baby Canada: Offering Low-Value Prizes for High Return
Johnson’s Baby Canada tripled its Facebook fan count in just three weeks with a baby photo contest that offered users the chance to have their little ones featured on the Johnson’s site.
For Johnson’s Canada, offering a low-value prize (placing a baby’s photo on its website) yielded high returns in fans and engagement. Besides tripling its fan base, it also garnered more than 1 million visits to the Facebook application, more than 3.5 million photo views, and more than half a million votes. The brand benefited from entrants who shared through their social graphs to rally votes; there was an average of 10 clicks per shared link.
The campaign was developed by Edelman Digital on the Strutta contest platform and was available in English and French, as it was targeted towards a Canadian audience.
4. Ford Fiesta: Behind-the-Scenes Product Placement
Car manufacturer Ford, product placement company Stone Management and online marketing agency Wpromote, recently teamed up to launch a behind-the-scenes social media campaign in conjunction with the forthcoming Tom Hanks film Larry Crowne.
The campaign promotes the Ford Fiesta via product placement and features Hanks’ assistant Bo Stevenson, also known as “FiestaBo.” During the filming of “Larry Crowne,” Stevenson and Stone Management took videos and pictures of behind-the-scenes action, which would later be used as engaging content for both the movie and the new Ford Fiesta. The content was then posted to YouTube and Facebook. The YouTube channel has received more than 70,000 video views, and the Facebook Page has garnered nearly 16,000 Likes.
In the embedded via above, Stevenson explains the campaign as a “social media experiment” that attempts to give fans a true behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work in Hollywood. As Stevenson assists Tom Hanks, viewers get to see what it’s like to drive Hanks to work every morning, fetch a typewriter for Hanks to make old-school script changes and chat with the other actors on set.
While the success of the campaign is mediocre, we’re more impressed with the innovative approach to product placement. As the film wasn’t car-centric, Wpromote and Stone Management needed to launch a creative way to showcase that the Ford Fiesta was key to the movie’s filming. Highlighting the daily life of Tom Hanks’ assistant as he drove around in the lime green Fiesta was an inventive way to do just that.
5. Samsung: Driving Engagement and Sharing
Created by social media agency Ignite Social Media, Samsung TV’s “Like It, Reveal It, Win It” campaign features a weekly product giveaway on Facebook that incentivizes users to participate regularly and invite friends to join them.
After “liking” Samsung TV’s Facebook Page, users are able to enter to win Samsung products by unlocking pixels, which can be done by recommending the contest to friends. The more pixels a user unlocks, the more chances he or she has to win the hidden weekly prize, a Samsung TV-related product. The contest also dynamically incorporates hidden Easter-egg prizes that can be unlocked instantly.
Unlike a standard contest, where users enter once and then leave the page, this campaign actively engages fans on a weekly basis and gives them a reason to invite more of their network to the page.
Facebook fan acquisition is Samsung’s key goal with this campaign. The company saw an increase of more than 12,000 new fans within the first week and a half, and reports that growth seems to be accelerating as the contest continues and entrants reach out to their networks.
6. Mello Yello: Relaunching with an Existing Fan Base
Remember that citrusy soda from your childhood called Mello Yello? Well, it still exists, and it’s doing what it can to make a comeback.
Mello Yello recently relaunched its brand under the campaign “They Call Me Mello Yello,” which circles around retro kitsch and a remake of Donovan’s 1966 hit song. The brand is utilizing social media, especially Facebook, to spread its message.
After discovering a consumer-created Facebook Page for Mello Yello, marketing agency BFG Communications identified the owner of the page, contacted him and worked with him to transition it to an official brand page. At that point, BFG worked with Mello Yello to develop a brand voice by creating a character sketch that would become the framework for the tone, language and topics the brand would use on Facebook. This distinct voice officially came to life as the brand took on management of the Facebook Page in August 2010, focusing on posting fun content, answering fan questions and responding to comments.
The Facebook Page features a Retro Smooth Photo Generator, which enables users to transform a photo of themselves (by uploading or using their webcam) from “not so smooth” to “smooth,” using a hipster-feeling photo filter. The Page also features a Smooth Quiz, where users can find out just how suave they really are. For a limited time, users can also download the free “Mellow Yellow” remix.
“The goal was to reach 10,000 fans by the end of 2010,” a brand representative told Mashable. “Without any gimmicks or ads, we surpassed that goal within one month of content and community management. The Page continues to grow, and currently has around 78,000 fans. It is also notable that about 80% of the Page’s fans are 24 or younger, showing that the brand is reaching a new generation of fans, not just the consumers who remember Mello Yello from the early ’80s. Many brands focus on bells and whistles to attract a social media audience. The Mello Yello experience shows that personality, content and responsiveness, while simpler, can go a long way and lead to long term engagement.”
Your Picks
The Internet is a massive abyss that’s not easily traversed — consequently, it’s inevitable that we’ve overlooked some amazing campaigns. Feel free to school us by sharing the details of your favorite social media campaigns in the comments below.
Disclosure: Ford is a Mashable sponsor.
Series supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub
The Social Media for Business Leaders Series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, the leading social media marketing software for marketers to publish, manage, measure and engage across all their social channels. The Awareness Social Marketing Hub is leveraged by companies of all sizes including Sony, MLB, American Cancer Society, and Starwood Hotels. Request a demo here.
Download a complimentary ebook from Awareness: A Marketer’s Guide to Social Media: Developing and Implementing a Social Media Marketing Strategy.
More Business Resources from Mashable:
- Social Media Marketing: 5 Lessons From Business Leaders Who Get It
- HOW TO: Optimize Text Ads for Search
- 7 Unique Eco-Friendly Company Transportation Alternatives
- HOW TO: Write a Standout Job Description
- How JetBlue's Social Media Strategy Took Flight
More About: digital marketing, facebook, intel, MARKETING, online marketing, samsung, social media, social media for business leaders series, social media marketing, youtube
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10 Eco-Friendly Accessories for a Greener Office [PICS]
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 11:49 AM PDT
You maintain green habits at home, but are you as conscientious in the office? We’ve found 10 great accessories that will help you stay eco-friendly even when you hit your workplace.
From clever trash bins to reusable cutlery to designer paper clips, these objects will add some environmentally-friendly credentials to your office, and hopefully inspire your colleagues to go a little green as well.
Take a look through the photo gallery of planet-loving choices and let us know in the comments below which ones you would like to take to work.
1. BASKETBIN
[1. BASKETBIN]
A great, green solution to stick under your desk, the BASKETBIN has a small, dishwasher-safe cup clipped inside for your messy food waste, leaving the body of the bin free for your paper to be recycled.
Cost: Approx $65
2. Foldable Battery Box
[2. Foldable Battery Box ]
Stick this handy box in a prominent position and it will help everyone remember to recycle their dead batteries.
Cost: $2
3. Staple-less Stapler
[3. Staple-less Stapler]
Saving staples from ending up in the landfill might seem like a small thing, but every little thing helps. These staple-less staplers also mean you'll never run out of supplies again.
Cost: $16 for a set of two
4. Tapi
[4. Tapi ]
Tapi converts your faucet into a mini drinking fountain. Putting one in your office will mean a lot less plastic in the world.
Cost: $9.95 for a set of two
5. Perpetual Calendar
[5. Perpetual Calendar]
This perpetual calendar saves money and paper. Plus, it looks pretty swish.
Cost: $40
6. Dine-Ink Pen Utensil Set
[6. Dine-Ink Pen Utensil Set]
It's bad to use disposable cutlery. This re-usable set is perfect for your office drawer and will fit onto most pens for desktop dining.
Cost: $9.99
7. Hu2 Eco Reminders
[7. Hu2 Eco Reminders]
Described as "sustainable habit reminders," Hu2 offers a range of wall decals to place around light switches and power sockets to help you remember to turn them off.
Cost: Varies, from approx $16
8. Desktop Bamboo Dry Erase Board
[8. Desktop Bamboo Dry Erase Board]
How much paper do you use writing notes, to-do lists and phone messages? This dry erase board is the eco option for your desktop.
Cost: $13
9. Porcelain Travel Mugs
[9. Porcelain Travel Mugs]
These gorgeous double-insulated travel mugs should give you the incentive to ditch your cardboard cup habit forever.
Cost: $21
10. Rock Paper Scissors Clips
[10. Rock Paper Scissors Clips]
These rock-paper-scissors-themed clips are a great alternative to paper clips and are a lot less likely to get chucked.
Cost: $13 for 30
More About: design, eco, gadgets, gallery, green, List, Lists, office, office accessories, tech
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HOW TO: Have the Cancer Talk
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 11:16 AM PDT
cancer image
No one likes to have the sex talk with their kids, but it can be equally hard for kids to have “The Cancer Talk” with their parents. F–k Cancer, an organization that promotes awareness around early detection, launched a campaign to get kids talking to their parents.
Kids can log on to the website, which lets users send personalized celebrity voicemails that set up a time to talk about cancer in person. It’s a simple tool, but it’s one that takes a lot of pressure off children. Users can choose voicemails from Fran Drescher or Michael Winslow and fill in personalized details about the parent such as age, whether they smoke or drink, and body weight. The questions are appropriately light with fun multiple choice options like measuring your parent’s weight as “super-scrawnsville (tiny)” or “A little on the chubby side. Kind of like a Doughboy.”
The organization won’t send kids in alone, providing cheat sheets, information and tips on specific cancers and how to speak to their parents about a potentially tricky topic. To break the ice, F-Cancer has posted a slew of celebrity videos talking about their own awkward sex-talk conversations with their parents. There are videos from Adrian Grenier, Terrell Owens, Perez Hilton, Deepak Chopra and more. The general message is that even though awkward conversations are tough, they come from a good place and have a huge impact.
In fact, F-Cancer claims that parents are more willing to take the advice of their children over their partners, friends and even medical professionals. If found early, 90% of cancers can be treated. The charity is hoping that “The Cancer Talk” helps make Generation Y the first generation to end late stage cancer diagnoses by accomplishing three goals. Families can have frank discussions about their cancer history, identify personal risks and early warning signs, and encourage relatives to stay on top of their regular cancer screenings every year.
It can be tough for kids to give their parents advice, especially around difficult topics like cancer. F-Cancer is using humor and a light touch to empower children to make a difference, but is it the right approach? Let us know what you think of the project and the role kids can play in making a difference.
More About: cancer, cancer talk, charity, f cancer, fuck cancer, health, let's f cancer, non-profit, sex talk, social good, social media
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Woman Gets Facebook Friend Sleeve Tattoo [VIDEO]
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:58 AM PDT
Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks.
Friends are a many splendored thing — and it’s natural to carry them in one’s heart throughout one’s ever-storied life. It seems a little extreme, however, to tattoo them on one’s arm.
Apparently, this woman (from what we can tell from the video), saw fit to tattoo her 152 Facebook friends on her arm. Granted, this could all be some kind of publicity stunt — remember that guy who got Ray-Bans tattooed on his face? Then again, T-Pain got a Facebook “Like” button on his arm, and who are we to question trends set by T? (Except auto-tune. That was just bad.)
Say what you will about the prudence of this tat-enthusiast’s decision, at least she adhered to Dunbar’s Number.
SEE ALSO: 10 Great Geeky Tattoos [PICS]
More About: facebook, t-pain, tattoo, trending, video, viral video, viral-video-of-day, youtube
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9 Beautiful One-Page Websites for Design Inspiration
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:37 AM PDT
Single-page websites have been commonplace on the web for a few years now. First made popular by designers seeking a clean, simple way to showcase portfolios, the one-page website now has a number of uses, including advertising software and promoting events. It’s a great way to have a large impact with a small amount of content.
Below, we’ll take a look at 9 great one-page websites, explore how they’re used and what makes them so awesome. Get ready to be inspired!
1. Blacktie
[1. Blacktie]
The designers over at Blacktie have put together a slick portfolio showcasing some of their best works. What we love most about Blacktie is its bold color palette and smooth navigation. Browsing the portfolio feels responsive and snappy. Changing the background color to white (via the links at the top right) dramatically changes the feel of the portfolio. It's also a nice touch to feature screenshots on the devices for which they were created.
2. Corpus
[2. Corpus]
Corpus is a content management system that's a little more "cerebral." Type, color and illustrations combine to set a mood that feels more suited to academia than web development. However, that's just the feeling that Corpus is aiming for. Its web app is focused on inspiring creativity and freedom of expression without the limitations of a content management system. The site offers just enough information to pique one's interest: There's just a brief introduction, a short list of features, logos of existing clients, and a large, centrally located email for further inquiries.
3. Think Green Meeting
[3. Think Green Meeting]
Think Green Meeting is a conferencing service for the environmentally conscious. It's a unique and accurate look at the benefits of digitizing your workplace. The site has some great interactive components like the grid of automobiles and airplanes that vanish when moused-over. It's a cool metaphor for the reduction in cost and emissions which the company stands for. Other great elements include the earthy, natural color palette and large, tightly-spaced headings juxtaposed by spacious body copy to give the site a very clean, modern and sophisticated feel.
4. Owl Concept
[4. Owl Concept]
Owl Concept is an example of a one-page site that takes advantage of the screen real estate afforded it. Upon visiting the site you see a large photographic backgorund in cool colors with a subtle grid overlay in bold colors. It's visually impressive. Click on the portfolio link to the far right, however, and distractions slide away and you are presented with two carousels of featured works on a white background (hover effects complement the rollover effect on the navigation menu), with the header, navigation and footer remaining in place for consistency.
5. Captain Wallace
[5. Captain Wallace]
Here's an idea - how about designing your website to directly mirror the UI and illustrative style of the application it's promoting? That's exactly what the designers of the Captain Wallance iPhone/iPad application have done. The site is fun and immediately draws you in with its soft color palette, large, friendly type and cheery illustrations. It's almost impossible to look at this site without wanting to at least try out the touch app for preschoolers. You get an immediate feel for the application, its straightforward interface, and the lovely illustrations of animals you'll encounter while adventuring with the Captain.
6. Head 2 Heart
[6. Head 2 Heart]
Single-page sites aren't just for iOS apps and portfolios. A number of non-profit organizations are starting to utilize these high-impact, user-friendly sites as brochures for a number of causes and programs. Head 2 Heart is a fundraising campaign by newly-forned NGO Collyde, which aims to raise money for programs dedicated to providing clean water, medical care, and promoting a safe environment for young girls in developing countries. Head 2 Heart takes you on a cleverly illustrated journey as you step through the side-scrolling website via the bottom navigation. It presents factoids and talking points along the way, explaining the goals of the organization and eventually bringing you to a donation page and list of additional ways you can support the cause.
7. Kickoff App
[7. Kickoff App]
Kickoff App is collaboration software for Macs. The site developers do a great job capturing that Apple feel in everything from the typography, the icons, the arrangement of the screenshots and the grid that makes up the underlying structure. Sometimes innovation in design isn't necessary. Sometimes what you really need is a just a solid layout that's easily recognizable for what it is. This gives users a sense of familiarity and clearly promotes your product with minimal distraction. Kickoff App's website does a great job doing just that.
8. Garbageman
[8. Garbageman]
Garbageman is an iPhone/iPad app from Doubleleft. The goal is simple: Clean the city and earn money. We like the fun illustrations that tie in with the look and feel of the app along with the large slideshow. The layout is simple and the content minimal, giving you just enough information to get a good impression of the game and how it works without overloading you with too many details. Finding the balance on just the right amount of content is an important consideration when choosing whether to build a single-page site or something more complex. Doubleleft's Garbageman page is an example of single-page content done well.
9. Enzo Li Volti
[9. Enzo Li Volti]
Until recently, doing sophisticated typography on the web was over-complicated at best. But as web font technogies and delivery services improve, more and more designers are getting creative with text. Italian designer Enzo Li Volti lets layout and typography do all of the talking on his personal website. Breaking from the traditional thumbnail and screenshot portfolio with just a series of links, Li Volti creates his work of art with letters and font faces. We love the bold simplicity of this site, which would look just as great as a poster on the wall.
More About: case study, landing page, one page site, social media, web
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Mashable Teams With PepsiCo To Find Europe’s Most Promising Startups
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:14 AM PDT
Mashable has once again teamed up with PepsiCo to help find promising new startups with a new twist: We're looking for emerging tech companies based in Europe.
Much like last year's PepsiCo10, Mashable will be participating as a media partner, meaning we'll be reaching out to our community to help find the best ideas.
We'll also be participating in the process of helping PepsiCo select the companies that will ultimately present for a chance to become one of the startups that pilots a project with a brand like Pepsi, Gatorade, Tropicana or Quaker (below, several of last year's winners talk about their projects with me at a panel at SXSW).
Last year's PepsiCo10 featured startups looking to change everything from how you pay at restaurants to how you wait in line at amusement parks to how you wake up in the morning. This year, PepsiCo is looking specifically for companies within the areas of social media, mobile marketing, place based technology, digital video, gaming and learning technologies.
Other partners of the program include Highland Capital Partners, Omnicom Media Group and Weber Shandwick. You can learn more in the video below and on the PepsiCo10 website. Stay tuned to Mashable in the coming weeks for more news about the program.
About PepsiCo10
Last Year’s Winners Speak at SXSW
More About: mashable, pepsico
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Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “The 4 Biggest Stories in Tech, Social Media & Business This Morning”
Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “The 4 Biggest Stories in Tech, Social Media & Business This Morning”
* The 4 Biggest Stories in Tech, Social Media & Business This Morning
* Pawngo Launches Internet Pawnshop for the Upper Classes
* HTC Blows Away Predictions, Reports May Sales of $1.42 Billion
* Apple Blesses Twitter, Makes It the Social Network on iOS Devices
* Google, Facebook, Mozilla & Others Rev Up for IPv6
* PlayStation Vita: First Impressions [PHOTOS]
* 4 Social Video Lessons Brands Can Learn From Hollywood
* Wristband + iOS App = Silent Alarm System
* Say Hello to PlayStation Vita, Sony’s Next PSP
* Sony’s E3 Announcements: 3D, PlayStation Move & More [LIVE VIDEO]
* HANDS-ON: iTunes in the Cloud [PICS]
* Texts, Tweets & To Dos: What’s New in iOS 5
* 7 Services That Apple Just Challenged or Changed
* Rep. Weiner Meant To Send Lewd Photo as Direct Message
* 30+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
* Who Owns the Advertising Space in an Augmented Reality World?
* Neil Young Releases 26-Year-Old Music Video for “Amber Jean”
* Rep. Weiner Admits Tweeting Lewd Picture
* TuneCore CEO: Apple Has Just Monetized Pirated Content
* A Look Inside HP’s Social Good Machine
* Evernote Hits 10 Million Users
* Halo 4 Is Coming: Here’s the Trailer [VIDEO]
* iTunes To Finally Get Wireless Syncing With iOS 5
* HOW TO: Optimize Text Ads for Search
* Blackbird Blackbird’s Latest Music Video May Remind You of Your Last Relationship
* Apple’s iMessage Is Like BBM for iOS
* Deep Twitter Integration Coming to iOS 5
* iOS by the Numbers: 200M Devices, 25M iPads & 14B App Downloads
* Xbox Live Getting Live TV, YouTube & Bing Voice Search
* Mac OS X Lion Coming This July for $29
The 4 Biggest Stories in Tech, Social Media & Business This Morning
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:06 AM PDT
Social Media News
Welcome 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. We're keeping our eyes on four particular stories of interest today.
Apple Unveils iCloud, iOS 5 & More
At its developer conference Monday, Apple announced its much-anticipated iCloud service; that the next version of Mac OS X, Lion, will be out in July for $29.99; that its next-generation mobile software, iOS 5, will be deeply integrated with Twitter, offer wireless syncing, its own messaging service and newsstand, and more.
Rep. Weiner Admits to Tweeting Lewd Picture
Admitting that he had "not been honest with myself, my family and my constituents," Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed at a press conference Monday that he sent a lewd photo via Twitter and that he had since lied about his account being hacked.
HTC Reports Strong May Sales
HTC says it generated $1.42 billion in sales in May, which is more than double than the same month in 2010 and a solid improvement from April's $1.35 billion.
Xbox Live Getting Live TV, YouTube & Voice Search
Microsoft unveiled a redesigned version of Xbox Live at E3 Monday, one that includes more voice commands, YouTube integration and live television.
Further News
* Tuesday is World IPv6 Day, and Google is leading the charge to test and adopt the new Internet Protocol.
* As expected, former CBS Evening News anchor Kate Couric has signed a multiyear contract with Disney/ABC Television Group to host her own nationally syndicated talk show and join the ABC News team.
* Sony's next-generation handheld gaming system, the PlayStation Vita, made its official debut at E3 Monday.
* Microsoft has released a trailer for Halo 4.
* Note-taking platform Evernote now has more than 10 million registered users, up 67% from January.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59
More About: apple, first to know series
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Pawngo Launches Internet Pawnshop for the Upper Classes
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:03 AM PDT
People have been pawning their jewels and wares for cash for hundreds of years. Pawngo launches Tuesday as a new alternative to the brick-and-mortar pawnshop, targeting a more well-to-do clientele in need of big-ticket loans.
Pawngo lets online denizens use their valuables as collateral to secure short-term loans for up to $250,000 — and all without leaving the comfort of their own homes. The startup has loaned more than $1.3 million to beta testers prior to its launch.
“Our system lets you use the items you already own to get a loan that won't get you into trouble down the road,” Pawngo co-founder and CEO Todd Hills says.
Would-be pawners describe the items they’d like to pawn, upload photos and enter their contact information. Pawngo follows up with a loan offer or estimate for buying the item in a few hours, using real-time and historic pricing data to determine resale value. Should the user accept the offer, he then prints the prepaid FedEx shipping label and sends the item to Pawngo for confirmation. After that, Pawngo wires the funds to the user’s bank account.
The startup issues what it calls “short-term, low-interest” loans — up to six months at 3% to 6% interest — from $250 to $100,000. It stores and insures all the items in its care and returns them to the user once the loan is paid off.
By taking the pawnshop off the streets and on to the web, Pawngo hopes to lessen the stigma associated with walking into a sketchy pawnshop. The idea would appeal to an audience who would otherwise avoid pawning their collectables.
Pawngo comes from Lightbank, the investment vehicle of Groupon co-founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, and online pawnbroker Internet Pawn. It’s raised $2.3 million in funding across Series A and B rounds.
More About: lightbank, pawngo, startup
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HTC Blows Away Predictions, Reports May Sales of $1.42 Billion
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:57 AM PDT
If you still need proof that Android as a platform is a good choice for phone and tablet manufacturers, you needn’t look much farther than the success story of Taiwanese company HTC.
HTC said its sales for May reached $1.42 billion, which is more than double than the same month in 2010 and a solid improvement from April’s $1.35 billion, Reuters reports.
HTC entered the smartphone arena with Windows Mobile devices (the company currently also produces Windows Phone 7 smartphones), but its sales really took off in 2009 when it shifted its focus on Android-based smartphones. Recently, HTC posted its Q1 2011 earnings, reporting 9.7 million units shipped, a 192% year-over-year increase, and revenues of $3.63 billion, a 174% year-over-year increase.
The company’s own Q2 predictions forecast a 103 – 113% year-over-year increase in shipments and a 97% year-over-year increase in revenue.
HTC’s first tablet, the Android-based flyer, has recently hit the U.S. market, and the company plans to launch several high-end Android-based smartphones in the near future, including the HTC Sensation and the HTC Evo 3D.
[HTC via Reuters]
More About: android, htc, smartphones, tablets
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Apple Blesses Twitter, Makes It the Social Network on iOS Devices
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:20 PM PDT
Jack Dorsey may have trouble defining Twitter, the information network he helped to create, but Apple seems less confused.
The highly valued technology company has built Twitter into iOS 5, essentially making it the default social graph and social network on Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
“We hear from a lot of our customers on iPhone, and iPad and iPod Touch that they love Twitter, so we want to make it even easier for all of our customers to use Twitter on iOS products,” Scott Forstall said during the WWDC 2011 keynote.
When iOS 5 is released this fall, device users will able to sign in to their Twitter accounts once and then tweet with a single tap from Apple’s applications — Camera, Photos, Safari, Contacts, YouTube and Maps — and third-party applications that support the single sign-on capability.
Twitter: The Social Network On iOS Devices
Apple launched a music social network in iTunes called Ping in September of last year. At launch, Ping had Facebook integration, but a disagreement between the two companies resulted in Facebook integration being removed, much to the detriment of Ping’s success.
But Apple’s complicated relationship history with Facebook paved the way for its new intimate romance with Twitter.
Facebook is in no way integrated in iOS 5, nor is its familiar blue logo is nowhere to be found in Apple’s promotional materials. Twitter, by contrast, is everywhere. It will soon be the social layer of iOS, enabling users to turn individual actions such as snapping a photo or reading an article into instant social activities.
“Building Twitter into iOS 5 truly creates the easiest way to share everything that's happening in your world. Take a picture, tap “Tweet,’”Dorsey said of the news. “Tweeting has never been simpler.”
The implications are vast. Twitter will essentially become the default social network for iOS users. It’s as if Apple reached down in a God-like fashion, grabbed Twitter with its almighty hand and lifted it up to the social networking heavens.
Facebook’s social graph may reign supreme today — many consider Facebook to own the social graph — but Apple will play a huge role in equalizing the playing field.
Look no further than the Contacts integration as proof. iOS users who perform the single sign-on with Twitter can automatically have their contact records updated with the Twitter avatars and usernames of their Twitter friends.
“Want to mention or @reply to a friend? Contacts applies your friends' Twitter usernames and profile pictures. So you can start typing a name and iOS 5 does the rest,” Apple explains. “You can even add a location to any tweet, no matter which app you're tweeting from.”
If you want your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad to become an instantly social device, use Twitter, so sayeth the almighty Apple. Never before has Twitter’s value proposition sounded so simple.
Twitter in iOS 5
[Twitter in iOS 5]
Tweet From Safari, YouTube & Maps
[Tweet From Safari, YouTube & Maps]
Tweet a Photo
[Tweet a Photo]
More About: apple, facebook, iOS 5, twitter, WWDC 2011
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Google, Facebook, Mozilla & Others Rev Up for IPv6
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 10:38 PM PDT
Tuesday is World IPv6 Day, and Google is leading the charge to test and adopt the new Internet Protocol.
IPv6 is the web’s solution to “the Internet is running out of addresses” dilemma that’s been floating around for a few months.
In January, Google, the Internet Society, and several other web companies announced World IPv6 Day, when each organization would enable IPv6 addresses on their websites for a 24-hour period. Now, that list of organizations has grown to more than 400 tech companies, including Facebook, Mozilla, Bing, YouTube and many others.
These companies’ services have been tweaked, upgraded and prepared for the IPv6 changes. The 24-hour test period will allow the above organizations to ensure bug-free IPv6 support.
Most users won’t likely notice the test, says Google. The company estimates that around .05% of systems involved, especially home network equipment such as routers, may not revert to IPv4 after the tests. Affected users might find some of the aforementioned sites slow or unresponsive.
IPv6 is the sixth revision to the Internet Protocol and is the successor to IPv4. Both protocols provide the unique IP addresses necessary for Internet-connected devices to communicate. However, IPv6 utilizes 128-bit Internet addresses. IPv4 and IPv6 run as parallel networks, so exchanging data between these protocols requires special gateways.
image courtesy of iStockphoto user ahlobystov.
More About: Google, IPv4, IPv6
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PlayStation Vita: First Impressions [PHOTOS]
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 10:09 PM PDT
Sony’s next-generation handheld gaming system, the PlayStation Vita, has finally made its official debut. How does it stack up against Apple, Nintendo and the rest of the competition?
We had an extended chance to play with the PlayStation Vita at Sony’s E3 press conference in Los Angeles. After going topsy-turvy while shooting robots in Little Deviants and shooting baddies in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, we have a few thoughts on Sony’s new gaming system and where it fits into the gaming ecosystem.
Here are our first impressions of the PlayStation Vita:
* The Vita feels big but light in your hands. It’s significantly bigger than an iPhone or even a Droid X or an HTC Evo, but it’s easy to carry. The casing is made of plastic, so it doesn’t have the nice feel of glass or aluminum, but this doesn’t actually detract from the Vita experience.
* The controls are nice. The analog sticks are smooth, and we had no problem with the touchscreen controls. The killer feature, though, is the touch interface on the back of the device, which opens up a ton of new gaming possibilities. Apple should take notice.
* The screen resolution is killer. We loved playing games on the device. We could definitely watch movies on this thing.
* LittleBIG Planet for Vita has some fun game play. Unlike some of the other games we played, it really knows how to combine the analog and touchscreen controls for a seamless experience.
* The tennis game we played though can be played with just touchscreen controls or just analog controls. Sure, you can use both, but there’s no point. Games need to figure out how to integrate the two control inputs.
* The $249 price tag will scare some people off, but it’s affordable for a handheld gaming system of this quality. Still, only true gamers will be dropping money for this, especially when the so many high-quality smartphones with gaming capabilities are on the market.
* The front- and back-facing cameras make for some interesting augmented reality gameplay. Little Deviants is a good example of how to make augmented reality gaming work, though you won’t want to play that game on the train or the bus station.
* The biggest question: Is the Vita better than the Nintendo 3DS? While Nintendo’s implementation of 3D on the portable is actually pretty good, the Vita feels like a system with more power. If you’re a more casual gamer, you’ll want the 3DS, and if you’re more on the hardcore side, you should get the Vita.
* Does the Vita bring enough to the table to warrant getting it if you already have a smartphone? It’s all about paying for a deeper gaming experience. The Vita isn’t cheap, and its games will cost more than the standard mobile game. What you get in return are games with greater gameplay and more replay value. Once again, this is a device the hardcore gaming crowd will love, but we don’t think there’s enough to get the casual gaming crowd interested.
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
AT&T Is PlayStation Vita's 3G Partner
[AT&T Is PlayStation Vita's 3G Partner]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
LittleBIG Planet
[LittleBIG Planet]
Street Fighter X Tekken
[Street Fighter X Tekken]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
PlayStation Vita Station
[PlayStation Vita Station]
More About: e3, NGP, playstation, PlayStation Vita, sony
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4 Social Video Lessons Brands Can Learn From Hollywood
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 08:50 PM PDT
Chris Schreiber is director of marketing at social video advertising company Sharethrough. A leading expert on social content strategy, Chris will be co-presenting a two-hour workshop on viral video later this month at the Cannes Lions festival, entitled “Making Videos Go Viral: Creative, Social, and Technological Techniques.”
Summer blockbuster season is upon us, and we’re already starting to see some truly innovative social video campaigns coming out of Hollywood. In many ways, movie studios are leading the charge when it comes to social video advertising, using groundbreaking interactive features, creative distribution strategies and original content to successfully drive huge amounts of viewership and sharing. Brands looking to up their social video game will benefit from closely watching Hollywood’s creative approach to online video marketing.
Here are four things that brands can learn from Hollywood when it comes to social video.
1. Think Content, Not Ads
Getting people to watch and share your content requires some fundamental shifts in how marketers think about video advertising. Sharing has to be the starting point when developing content. Hollywood gets it: Great content is their currency. This is one reason why movie trailers were shared 184% more than the industry average for brand video content over the last quarter, as measured by Sharethrough's distribution network.
For example, to promote the new Muppets movie, Disney released a short original video called “Green With Envy,” a parody of the Rom-Com genre. It has more than 1.4 million views on YouTube alone.
2. Mix It Up
While television and much of online video advertising inventory is limited to 15 or 30-second videos, social video advertising allows for distribution of video content of varied lengths and styles. Hollywood is taking full advantage of the flexibility of this medium to mix in “red band” (read: racy or R-rated) trailers, long-form trailers, interactive videos and viral videos along with their standard trailers to keep things interesting.
For example, a recent red-band trailer for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo did a fantastic job of stirring up buzz. The shaky camera — evoking a sense that the video is a bootleg — added to the intrigue and exclusivity. Many in the marketing and film worlds have expressed their belief that this “bootleg” was created by Sony as part of a campaign intended to go viral. If that’s the case, they’ve even gone so far as to remove it from YouTube on copyright grounds.
Another great example of non-standard content is an amazing interactive YouTube video page for Kung Fu Panda 2, featuring a mix of fun videos of Jack Black and the animated main character, Po. The page's videos have generated millions of views and nearly 4 million Likes on their Facebook page.
Brands should look to mirror this approach and come up with different versions of the same themed content to reach different audiences and prevent fatigue.
3. Look for Social Distribution
In the old model of TV advertising, demographics ruled. Now, film marketers are going one step further in search of an audience with social influence that is most likely to watch and share their content. For example, Hollywood was early to experiment with the distribution of movie trailers in social games on Facebook, and they are trailblazing the emerging trans-media distribution world. Integrating brand video content into social media is critical to maximize sharing.
With the launch of Facebook’s recent program that enables brands to distribute their videos into over 300 social games (and provides Facebook Credits to users who watch them), any brand marketer can take a page from Hollywood’s play book and get their content in front of hundreds of millions of socially active consumers.
Another good example of cross-media promotion was the addition of an ad for the film Super 8 as a playable level inside the hit video game Portal 2. Game review site Kotaku released a YouTube video about the trailer, which has generated hundreds of thousands of views to go along with the millions of people who played the game.
4. Use Social Analytics to Test Content
Movie marketers were some of the first to embrace social metrics such as “sharethrough rate” — the rate at which a video is shared — in order to quantify success. Data collected from sharethrough rates now help movie studios make informed decisions about which trailers to use for online advertising campaigns, which demographics to include in campaign targeting and even potential markets for film releases. Brands are also beginning to use social metrics as a proxy for the overall success of their campaigns. They should look to further use sharing data to optimize their creative assets and distribution strategies, as well as test new markets for their products.
More About: business, Hollywood, MARKETING, social media, trending, video, viral
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Wristband + iOS App = Silent Alarm System
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 08:07 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: LARK
Quick Pitch: LARK is a silent "un-alarm" clock, sleep sensor and personal sleep coach designed by sleep experts.
Genius Idea: Wake up in silence.
A few years ago, Julia Hu was sleep deprived. She was attending MIT for grad school and had recently moved in with her boyfriend. Each morning, he would unintentionally wake her when his alarm would go off an hour-and-a-half before she needed to be up.
Hu’s sleep deprivation inspired her to use her engineering education to create a product that could make the world happier and healthier through better sleep.
One week ago, Hu’s mission came to fruition with the release of LARK, a wireless wristband, device dock, online portal and iOS silent alarm system.
Sleepers don the wristband at night; it wirelessly talks to the iOS application to track your sleep patterns across thousands of data points as you sleep. You’ll wake up to a gentle nudge from the vibration of the wristband, and be greeted with data on how well you slept and how often you awoke in the night.
“Our goal is to help people realize how critical sleep is to their health and well-being,” Hu says.
Hu, LARK’s CEO and founder, spent more than 1.5 years developing the patent-pending system with a team of sleep scientists and fellow classmates. The business was moved to Palo Alto, incubated and later backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
The self-motivated types can buy the basic package for $129, but those that need a little more encouragement and sleep development will need to shell out an additional $60. For $189, LARK Pro buyers get the seven-day sleep assessment and Personal Sleep Coach to track their sleep goals and change their bad habits.
“Giving people an understanding of how they sleep naturally motivates them to sleep better,” says Hu. “Competitive feelings arise, so people will make small adjustments and later see the effects of these behaviors on their sleep. We think you can be personally coached to better sleep,” she asserts.
LARK, available for purchase online, will also be sold in every Apple store in North America beginning June 14.
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark
Microsoft BizSpark
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
More About: Alarm Clock, bizspark, iOS app, LARK, lightspeed venture partners, spark-of-genius, startup, technology
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Say Hello to PlayStation Vita, Sony’s Next PSP
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 07:05 PM PDT
Sony has just lifted the curtain on the PlayStation Vita, the company’s next-generation portable gaming device.
The device, originally codenamed “NGP,” made its debut at Sony’s E3 press conference in Los Angeles. The device looks exactly like the prototypes that leaked earlier this year.
The PSP’s successor includes a high-resolution, 5-inch OLED touchscreen (960 x 544 pixels), two analog sticks, rear touch controls, 6-axis motion sensors and dual front- and back-facing cameras. The device is supposed to run a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor.
The Vita also comes with 3G and WiFi connectivity. AT&T will be the Vita’s exclusive 3G launch partner (much to the disappointment of the audience).
The PlayStation Vita hits the market sometime during this year’s holiday season. It will cost $249 for the Wi-Fi version and $299 for the 3G version. Some of the titles in development for the Vita include LitteBIG Planet, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Street Fighter X Tekken and Ruin.
More About: NGP, playstation, PlayStation NGP, PlayStation Vita, PSP, sony, sony playstation
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Sony’s E3 Announcements: 3D, PlayStation Move & More [LIVE VIDEO]
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 05:54 PM PDT
Sony has kicked off its E3 press conference with a message for its customers: “You are the lifeblood of the company.”
During its E3 event, Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO Jack Tretton addressed the PlayStation Network hack controversy. He thanked third-party developers and retailers for their support since the original PlayStation. “You gave us retail space when the PlayStation brand wasn’t even there,” he said.
To consumers, Tretton had one simple message: “You are the lifeblood of the company. Without you, there is no PlayStation.”
The press conference is live right now. Check out all the action in the livestream we’ve embedded.
More About: e3, gaming, playstation 3, playstation network, PS3, PSN, sony
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HANDS-ON: iTunes in the Cloud [PICS]
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 05:05 PM PDT
At WWDC on Monday, Apple officially unveiled its much anticipated iTunes in the Cloud feature.
The feature will be part of iCloud, which will formally launch alongside iOS 5 this fall, but users can get a taste of some of features today.
iTunes in the Cloud allows users to access songs, albums, music videos, apps and books that were previously purchased but that don’t exist locally on a user’s device. That means if you don’t have a copy of an album on your iPhone or iPad but you really want to hear your favorite song, you can just redownload the track from your account free of charge rather than having to sync with your Mac or PC.
In the fall, Apple will also introduce an iTunes Match service that will make it easy for users to gain cloud access to all the music they haven’t purchased on iTunes for just $25 a year. Starting today, however, users can take advantage of the larger “access your iTunes purchases” feature.
GSM iPhone 4 owners (sorry Verizon folks) and iPod touch or iPad users running iOS 4.3.1 or higher will now see a new “Purchased” tab in the iTunes app in iOS. iTunes 10.3 beta brings that functionality to the Mac or PC.
We’ve spent some time with iTunes in the Cloud and put together this gallery to show off the major features in this early preview. On the outset, we have to say we’re impressed at how easy it was to browse through our purchase history and download single tracks or complete albums at the push of a button, both on the iPhone and on the Mac.
I have a large iTunes collection, and many of my purchases are not on my MacBook Pro. Some aren’t even on my iMac but are instead archived on an old iPod video. Thanks to iTunes in the cloud, I can redownload content I purchased years ago, including bonus and exclusive track, for free.
Purchased Button
[Purchased Button]
In the iTunes app in iOS 4, a new "Purchased" button now appears on the bottom of the application.
You can choose to see all music or just the songs/albums not on your current device
Recent Purchases
[Recent Purchases]
In addition to browsing alphabetically, you can see the most recent 50 items purchased from iTunes.
Artist View
[Artist View]
Selecting an artist name will bring up a listing of every album or partial album you have from that artist.
iTunes includes music videos as well as songs in the mix, scrolling below the album section will show music videos
.
Download Screen
[Download Screen]
The download screen for an album gives the user the opportunity to download individual songs or the entire album in one action.
Purchased Section in iTunes
[Purchased Section in iTunes]
The iTunes 10.3 and 10.5 betas have a new feature in the iTunes Store sidebar, "Purchases."
Album View
[Album View]
Just like in iOS, users can download individual tracks or full albums at the press of a button.
Album View, Partially Downloaded
[Album View, Partially Downloaded]
A nice touch is that iTunes recognizes if you already have some of the items from an album in your iTunes library.
In my case, I because I downloaded some of the pre-order tracks for this album on a different computer, only those tracks will be downloaded.
App Purchases and Downloads
[App Purchases and Downloads]
Just like music and books, users can browse their app purchases and past downloads by device type, name or download date.
More About: apple, icloud, iOS, itunes, itunes-in-the-cloud, trending
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Texts, Tweets & To Dos: What’s New in iOS 5
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 03:59 PM PDT
The latest version of iOS 5 has finally been announced, and it has a bundle of new features — more than 200, by Apple’s count.
Several of the new features were poached from the best of Apple’s own app store, including reading queue apps like Instapaper, group messaging apps like GroupMe and photo editing apps. There’s also a lot of integration with Apple’s new cloud service iCloud.
The iOS 5 beta software won’t be available to users — at least, those who aren’t in the iOS Developer program — until this fall. At that point, it will be free to download for owners of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, or the iPod touch (third and fourth generations). We’ve highlighted the most exciting new features below.
Notification Center
With iOS 5, Apple has essentially added a personalized news feed to all of its devices. The feed, which Apple calls the “Notification Center,” can be customized to display things like the current weather, a stock ticker, new emails, texts and friend requests. The feed can be accessed by swiping the top of the screen. You’ll be able to view it while the device is lock mode, much as iOS 4 displays the time and push notifications while locked.
iMessage
iMessage is BBM for Apple products. Like BlackBerry’s once distinguishing feature, it allows you to send unlimited instant messages to other users and to see whether recipients have read them or are typing a response. The new feature allows group messaging as well as photo, video, location and contact sharing. It’s expected to put a dent into the thriving group messaging app startups. The advantage that those apps still have is the ability to instant message phones with multiple operating systems. For now, Apple’s messages can only be sent to others who are using iOS, on iPhones and iPads.
Newsstand
Newsstand is a folder that holds your magazine and newspaper app subscriptions. All purchases go directly to that folder, which displays them on a virtual newsstand, and new issues are automatically downloaded and delivered there. Your newspaper subscriptions will arrive in time for breakfast.
Reminders
Reminders is iOS 5′s to-do list app. The feature includes an option to make items location based. Your phone will, for instance, remind you to pick up the milk when you are at the grocery store. You can sync reminders with iCal, Outlook and iCloud so that a change in one program automatically updates the others.
Deep Twitter Integration
On iOS 5, you can directly tweet from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube or maps. Twitter will also work together with contacts in the operating system, making it easy to find a friend’s Twitter handles when you start typing a name. This level of integration is still notably missing for Facebook.
Camera and Photos
Apple iOS makes the iPhone a better camera. You can now open the Camera app directly from the lock screen, which makes it easier to point and click quickly. The app also has more of the features of a regular digital camera: grid lines, single-tap focus and exposure locks. The volume-up button now works as a shutter button.
Apple has also built photo-editing capabilities into its Photos app. This means you can crop, rotate, enhance, and remove red-eye without leaving your camera roll. With iCloud, it’s also possible to automatically load new photos to your desktop, if you prefer to edit them there.
Safari
Apple’s mobile web browser now includes a feature that mimics the capabilities of popular reading queue app Instapaper. Its “Reading List” lets you save articles you want to read later. iCloud pushes these articles to all of your iOS devices, much as Instapaper’s separate desktop and mobile apps allow you to read articles that you save on the go.
Other Features Worth Noting
* PC Free: You no longer need a computer to set up and activate an iOS device. With iCloud, you can even back up the data without tethering it to a PC or Mac.
* Calendar: The iOS calender now has year view.
* Game Center: Game center now has profile pictures and friend recommendations
* Wi-Fi Sync: Every time you connect your iOS device to a power source, it will automatically back up any new media to iPhones.
* Video Mirroring: Stream whatever is on your iPad to your Apple TV.
More About: apple, icloud, iOS 5
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7 Services That Apple Just Challenged or Changed
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 03:30 PM PDT
Apple unveiled a heaping helping of news at WWDC 2011, the Apple developers' conference, on Monday. And, as always when innovations come to light, we’ve been thinking about what preexisting services would be disrupted.
From its camera to the cloud, Apple announced some big news regarding its next product iterations. Here’s our rundown of which apps and services are likely feeling a bit threatened at present.
Facebook
[Facebook]
Well, not exactly killed, but snubbed, for sure. Apple has added Twitter everywhere in iOS 5, so you can tweet contacts, articles, YouTube videos and many more elements, without having to do any cut-and-pasting.
Instapaper
[Instapaper]
There's a new offline reading feature called Reading List built in to Safari, which spells major trouble for services such as Read It Later, Instapaper and Readability (which Apple previously rejected). In fact, when Steve Jobs announced this feature, Instapaper creator Marco Arment tweeted in dismay.
Camera+
[Camera+]
Apple has also beefed up its camera offering, making it easier to access, and adding a grid and editing features. This seems a challenge to pre-existing photo apps -- although Instagram and the like will likely be fine, as Apple is not adding any filters. (Note: Apple previously pulled an update of Camera+ from the app store for including the ability to use the volume button to take snaps, a feature the new camera will include.)
Blackberry Messenger
[Blackberry Messenger]
Apple unveiled iMessage, a new texting service that works between iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. You can send SMS, photos, videos and so on from your iPad now. It also offers receipts, so you know messages have been sent, and a notification that someone is typing a response — just as you would get in IM. Anyone looking to switch from Blackberry to iPhone has fewer excuses now.
MobileMe
[MobileMe]
MobileMe, Apple's previous syncing service, will be shutting down in June of 2012. Previous users will be able to move their MobileMe mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to iCloud.
Google Docs
[Google Docs]
Documents can be stored in iCloud, too.
Amazon Cloud Player & Google Music Beta
[Amazon Cloud Player & Google Music Beta]
Unlike the above offerings, Apple was able to score the licenses necessary to store music in the cloud, sans uploading, with iTunes in the Cloud. It also introduced iTunes Match, which will let users to store non-iTunes music in the cloud as well.
More About: Amazon Cloud Player, apple, blackberry, camera, cloud, facebook, gallery, google-music-instant, icloud, Instapaper, itunes, itunes-match, mobileme, twitter
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Rep. Weiner Meant To Send Lewd Photo as Direct Message
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:55 PM PDT
We may have never found out about the lewd photo of Rep. Anthony Weiner had he simply avoided a rudimentary Twitter mistake: sending a direct message instead of a public @reply.
In the Monday press conference where Weiner admitted to sending the now infamous photo (confirming that it is of him), the congressman said, "Last Friday night I tweeted a photograph of myself that I intended to send as a direct message as part of a joke to a woman in Seattle. Once I realized I had posted to Twitter, I panicked, I took it down and said I had been hacked. I then continued to stick to that story which was a hugely regrettable mistake.”
While that's far from an uncommon mistake on Twitter -– doing so is only a matter of a couple keystrokes in some apps and the company offers a relatively long how-to in its support section –- this is certainly the biggest "DM fail" we can think of (at least in terms of resulting media circus).
That's not to say other high profile organizations haven't been embarrassed by Twitter mistakes before. Earlier this year, a Chrysler employee was terminated after dropping the f-bomb on the automaker's Twitter account, while a Red Cross social media specialist tweeted drunk on the organization's behalf on account of a HootSuite slip up.
Image courtesy of Flickr, David Boyle
More About: Anthony Weiner, twitter
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30+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:34 PM PDT
social_media_events_guide1
Every week, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences.
Here are some tips on how to network, share your information and promote your event using social media:
* The Future of Event Planning and Social Media
* HOW TO: Plan and Promote Events with Social Media
* 35+ Ways to Find and Plan Events Online
* 8 Ways to Create Paperless Business Cards
* 5 Useful iPhone Apps for Business Networking
Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.
June 5-9, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The 2011 Semantic Technology Conference (SemTech) is the world's largest educational conference for the community of executives, technologists, researchers, investors and customers who are involved with semantic technologies. The SemTech conference draws together more than 1,000 forward-thinking technology and business leaders from around the world, representing the entire marketplace of vendors, developers, researchers, start-ups, investors and customers. SemTech 2011 features five days of presentations, panels, tutorials, announcements, new company/product launches, and conversations. It’s a place for new learning, professional networking, and business development. For details and registration, visit the site. Register and use the promo code MASH to save 15%.!
June 6-8, 2011, Boston, MA: The Art & Science of Integrating Traditional & Social Media Marketing – Measure Up, is the world's most comprehensive cross-dimensional view of marketing measurement best practices. With a focus on return on investment (ROI) as it relates to the integration of traditional, online and mobile activities; specifically, social media, this event explores analytics across the entire marketing mix and incorporates those results into marketing strategies and tactics to drive higher revenue, profit and brand share. Register and use the promo code XU2308MASH and save 10%!
June 6, 2011, New York, NY: It’s time to make plans for Realtime NY 11, a full-day immersion entirely about business on the mobile, social and realtime web. Learn how innovative executives from brands like McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Delta, Citibank, IBM, and the NHL are using realtime tools to listen and respond to customers, create new opportunities and build bottom-line value. Realtime, mobile and social technologies fundamentally change how consumers and businesses interact. At The Realtime Conference you’ll see real case studies about real brands and meet the social media business pioneers who are driving real value. 10 hours of hardcore learning and networking. Plus wi-fi, power, breakfast, lunch and cocktails. Register with the promo code MASHABLE to save 20%
June 6-7,2011, New York, NY: Federated Media presents The Conversational Marketing Summit: Leading agencies, marketers, platforms and entrepreneurs come together for our industry’s most rigorous and thought-provoking annual 2-day gathering, the Conversational Marketing Summit, to benefit from a discussion about what we've learned so far and get a jump on what the future has to offer. We aim to bridge the innovations of the internet with the practice of marketing. Please join us! More information and registration details at http://www.federatedmedia.net/events – Register with promo code CmMash to save 15%!
June 7-8, 2011, Munich, Germany: a4uexpo Europe is the largest pan European Affiliate and Performance Marketing Conference. With over 1000 delegates, a diverse conference programme, a focus on quality, knowledge transfer and unparalleled networking opportunities with delegates and key industry figures from around the world, a4uexpo Europe is a must attend educational and networking event. Whether a new or established affiliate, agency, entrepreneur, search specialist, merchant or network – a4uexpo is the conference for those serious about making an impact in Affiliate and Performance Marketing. Register with the promo code MASHABLE25 and save €25 on a full conference pass for a4uexpo Europe.
June 7-8, 2011, Seattle, WA: Join the most accomplished search marketers in the world – Search Marketing Expo – SMX Advanced Seattle. Check out the full agenda, featuring two days of experts-only sessions, keynotes and the highest-level networking anywhere. Don't wait – SMX Advanced has sold out 4 years running. Register with partner code smx100mashable and you'll save $100 and secure your spot.
June 8, 2011, Singapore: With the phenomenal growth of apps worldwide, Asia is the next big market to watch out for. Planet of the Apps Asia is the leading event dedicated to mobile applications in Asia. The two day conference plus a dedicated masterclass day brings together the mobile application ecosystem in one location. The event will shine on a light on the latest innovations and showcase the latest solutions in the world of mobile applications. Be part of this definitive event and network with professionals from all around the globe.
June 14, 2011, London, UK: 20 social media experts will be speaking at the Social Media Results Conference – From Engagement To ROI. Procter & Gamble, Barclaycard, Nokia, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, MTV Networks UK & Ireland, Mothercare, Lonely Planet, American Airlines, Kodak Ltd, Comic Relief, Vue Entertainment, Cisco Europe, Phones 4u Limited and many more will be discussing their real-world, actionable social media insights on how to drive the customer journey with consistently genuine interaction and fully integrated, targeted social media campaigns. Click here to download/view the conference program.
June 15-18, 2011, Nairobi, Kenya: The spotlight in AfriTech Kenya 2011 will be on "Brand building using a digital platform". It’s projected to be the largest gathering of digital media gurus and industry shapers in the African continent. The conference will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on June 15-18, 2011. Outstanding business luminaries, philanthropists, government decision-makers and investors will be participating during this four day historic summit. For more information and to register, please visit afri-tech.com.
June 15-16, 2011, New York, NY: “Exploring the State of NOW” – The 140 Characters Conference: New York City (#140conf) will be taking place June 15-16, 2011 at the 92nd Street Y, where we will continue to explore the effects of the real-time web on both business and on people. This event is expected to be the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on both business and "we" the people. #140conf exposes you to the power the Internet has to disrupt businesses, change lives and create serendipity. You will leave with a fresh outlook on how the real time web can be used in your business or personal life to actually do something meaningful. Register TODAY and take advantage of the "Early Bird" prices.
June 16, 2011, London, UK: The Augmented Reality Summit is designed to explore this new dynamic reality and provide delegates with the perfect opportunity to uncover Augmented Reality in full and explore the opportunity's AR brings any brand or company. The AR Summit is positioned at the forefront of this exciting continually developing new industry. Whether you are a Brand, Advertiser or Agency, Technology provider or Developer looking to meet key industry figures, keep up with the latest developments, technology's & tools or simply to network with other from the world of AR – Register and use the promo code ARMASH to save 25%!
June 20-21, New York, NY: At the new ALL FOR ONE Marketing Show presented by DM Days, you'll learn how Domino's, FreshDirect, Grey New York and other top companies maximize ROI by leveraging customer insight and data to successfully integrate marketing channels. You'll walk away with concrete examples of successful campaigns from marketing experts and thought leaders. Register with the promo code DM730 and save $200!
June 20, 2011, New York, NY: Games for Change is the leading global advocate for supporting and making games for social impact. The Games for Change Festival is the largest gaming event in New York City and the only international event uniting "games for change" creators, the public, civil society, academia, the gaming industry and media. Register before April 15th and save 30%!
June 21-22, 2011, New York, NY: The Second Annual Corporate Social Media Summit is 'the' event for big business using social media. This year we have speakers from Dell, Best Buy, Kodak, Coca-Cola, Southwest Airlines and many more. They will share best practice to help your company leverage the power of social media for better marketing, customer engagement and enhance profitability. The conference is designed for corporates like you – and our agenda is based on three months of research with your peers. Download a brochure here for all the info you need. Register and use the promo code MASH11 to save 10%.
June 21-22, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Digital Content Monitization West 2011 is a unique opportunity to find out how to drive revenue and profitability from different content and formats across a wide variety of channels. 60+ senior level speakers from will help you sort out the best short and medium term strategies for delivering revenue through digital content. With its focus on west coast industries, you’ll dig deep into how the film, music and games sectors are driving new sources of revenue. Plus the publishing, sports, TV and news sectors will provide detailed information about how to monetize rich media content. Register online at dcm-west.com and use the promo code DCM MASH for early booking discounts.
June 23 - 24, 2011, Chicago, IL: SOCIAL CUSTOMER 2011 is a high-level executive summit that focuses on using smart social CRM programs to improve customer loyalty, enhance brand experience and increase revenue. Hear from game-changing organizations such as Chicago Bulls, Verizon, PepsiCo, Dell, Bloomberg, Rosetta Stone, H&R Block, Godiva, Dominos Pizza and more! Also hear our keynote presentation by Becky Carroll, Social Media Correspondent, NBC 7 / SAN DIEGO, Author, THE HIDDEN POWER OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. Organizations must embrace today's empowered customers, so if you are a business leader who is looking to deliver world-class experience via social networks, this event is the #1 place to be. Join the conversation and register today (Save $200 with the promo code SYX243).
June 27-29, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The Future of Web Apps (FOWA) is coming to Vegas. After successfully running shows in Miami and London, the conference hits Vegas for the first time in June. A conference for web developers and entrepreneurs, there are 3 days of jam packed web fun including a day of workshops and 2 conference days of two tracks. As well as App Clinics and Expo Area, you can learn and network with people who have passion for the web! Register with the code FOWA_MASHABLE and receive 10% off our 2 day conference passes.
June 28-29, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Produced by AllFacebook, AF Expo is your how-to guide for Facebook marketing and development. This two-day event is your inside look at Facebook innovations and technology issues jointly impacting marketers and social developers. Packed with case studies and real-world perspectives, AF Expo offers attendees a sneak peek at the latest Facebook data, demographics and design issues. Our experts include Tamara Mendelsohn (Director of Marketing, Eventbrite), Joseph Adolf (Manager, Digital Marketing, JetBlue Airways), Mark Rose (VP Product, Visa), Clara Shih (author, The Facebook Era), and many more. Register with promo code MASH to save 15
July 14-16, 2011, Dallas, TX: The Big Design Conference is an intense day of learning within the scope of Strategy, Social Media, User Experience, Gaming, Mobile, Usability, Design, and Code Development. Experts from across the country will gather to present theories, research, experiences, and best practices to students, professionals, and executives looking to stay on the bleeding edge. Experts include Beverly Robertson (President, National Civil Rights Museum), Russ Unger (Director of UX, Happy Cog), Jeremy Johnson (Director of UX, Game Stop), Brian Sullivan (Usability Principal, Sabre), Joshua Clark (author of Tapworthy), Jared Spool (Founder, User Interface Engineering), and many more. Mashable readers receive 20% off conference registration by using the code MASHABLE during the checkout process.
July 27-29, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Join us at the premiere of ePharma Summit West, the sister event to The ePharma Summit, the largest, longest running and most respected digital marketing event for the Life Sciences Industry. Network and join the conversation with hundreds of fellow thought leaders from top Pharma, Biotech, Device and Health Science companies. Register as a Mashable reader with the promo code XP1656MASH and save 10%.
August 1-3, 2011, San Antonio, TX: The eduWeb Conference is the event for you to meet, share, explore, and learn from your higher education peers on topics including mobile apps, branding, web site analytics, social media strategic planning, and web development. eduWeb offers four tracks: marketing communications; design and development; social media; and information architecture. Register with the promo code 11Mash and save $50!
September 6-8, 2011, Cleveland, OH: At Content Marketing World, you'll learn how to transform your marketing department into a storytelling factory, engaging your prospects and customers in all the right channels with the right messages– including social, mobile, email, online and even print and in-person strategies. Through 24+ breakout sessions and amazing keynotes led by worldwide experts, you'll get the tools you need to be a successful content marketer. Plus, you'll experience the best of what Cleveland has to offer, starting with our opening night reception at the infamous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Register and use the promo code mash to receive $100 off the current price of a ticket.
September 11-14, 2011, Denver, CO: Come join the best and brightest of the iOS development community at 360|iDev, the first iOS developer event to be held by the developer community! Speakers include many leading community members, and app store success stories. With over 40 sessions, including hands-on training the sunday before the conference, 360|iDev offers more content than any other iOS developer event in the world. Register and use the promo code iosmash to save 20% of the ticket price.
September 12-13, 2011, Renaissance Glendale, Phoenix, AZ: The third Social Media Optimization Summit event, presented by Multifamilypro, brings together small to mid-sized business owners with an interest in putting social media to work successfully within their organizations in ways that are proven to generate results. The event offers two full days of intensive, hands-on workshops from the intermediate to advanced level, led by top social media experts. The unique "See it. Hear it. Do it." approach allows attendees to learn by doing, and begin immediately applying newly-acquired skills and knowledge while the event is underway. See what others are saying about the event and register now at optimizationsummits.com and use discount code Mashable to save $100!
September 20, 2011, Chicago, IL: Federated Media presents Signal Chicago: The Marketing in Real Time Conversation. We will be focusing on the theme of “Marketing in Real Time.” From “real time bidding” on new demand-side and exchange platforms to “real time messaging” of location-based services, marketing has time-shifted into the present tense. A new suite of tools and services have evolved which enable the marketer to have conversations with customers in real time, creating both challenges and opportunities.Please join us! More information and registration details at http://www.federatedmedia.net/events – Register with promo code SIGMash to save 15%
Sept 21-22, 2011, London, UK: ad:tech London is the UK’s essential free to attend event for professionals seeking to stay ahead of the latest interactive media, advertising and marketing trends. The event unites advertisers, media owners and agencies to harness the power of digital and deliver real marketing ROI. Alongside the exhibition, there is also a conference featuring 100+ international speakers for serious digital innovators and marketers. Mashable readers can take 20% off their conference ticket price. Register online now with the promo code MASH11 at www.ad-techlondon.co.uk.
September 26-29, 2011, Kaua’i, HI: Search and Social Hawaii is an elite conference unlike any other that will provide you with the strategies and complete know how to thrive in this ever changing environment. Each day begins with morning sessions around the hottest topics. With Keynote Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. and speakers from corporations such as Real Networks, Network Solutions, AT&T, Microsoft Bing and Logitech. Afternoons are spent in a relaxed environment including planned activities in which individual attendees can get to know speakers and each other on a more personal level continuing the discussion and building long lasting relationships. Register and use the promo code SSWootMash to save 10%.
September 29-October 1, 2011, Atlanta, GA: As pet owners, bloggers, consumer brands and those connected to the industry – including veterinarians – continue to build upon social media & marketing, pet social media education & networking is an extremely important aspect to mobilizing efforts and to address the challenges faced by pet owners. Whether you use YouTube, Twitter, Dog/Catbook or online forums to gather & share information about pets, it's increasingly important for this community to have a face-to-face forum. Established in 2009, the BarkWorld Conference & Expo is the only pet social media conference covering ALL facets of social media & pet education. Our 2011 annual conference will focus on many topics, including: how to take great photos your pet & use it online, how to build/design a blog & monetize, mobile applications, metrics/SEO, pet food demonstrations, promoting your pet/business via social media and using online forums. Join us for this 2 ½ day conference. You'll be amazed with the information you'll walk away with and the new connections you'll make; your well-trained, leashed, pet is welcome. Register with the promo code MASH2011 to receive a 25% discount.
October 1-6, Boston, MA: At DMA2011, you – and 10,000 marketing peers from around the world – will find everything you need to develop and execute the real-time integrated marketing campaigns that drive measurable bottomline results for your brand. Listen to 300+ marketing experts and gurus talk about social, mobile, mail, search, data, attribution, and more. Plus, you'll find hundreds of technologies in the Exhibit Hall, the only one of its kind in the world! Register now with the promo code AN504 and SAVE $250!
October 5-6, 2011, Seattle, WA: The first annual Seattle Interactive Conference is a two-day event celebrating the convergence of online technology, creativity, and emerging trends in one of the world’s most innovative cities. SIC brings together entrepreneurs, developers and online business professionals from throughout the U.S. and beyond for a powerful combination of in-depth presentations, networking opportunities, and uniquely Seattle social events. Attendees have the rare opportunity to explore disruptive technologies and business models with visionary thinkers and peers in areas ranging from online commerce and social media to gaming, interactive advertising, entertainment, and much more.
October 9-11, 2011, Scottsdale, AZ: Join 200 of your advertising and PR agency friends at BOLO 2011. This event champions the marketing stalwarts, showing you how to leverage today’s digital marketing trends and technologies for economic advantage. Hear from industry thought leaders such as Scott Stratton, President of UnMarketing, and Jay Baer, author of The Now Revolution. From analytics and targeting to social media and agency management, the topics are cutting-edge and chosen to help your agency stay ahead of the curve in digital. Register now with the promo code MASHABLE for 10% off.
October 17-18, 2011, New York, NY: Pivot is the only conference focused purely on how major brands, agencies, marketers and content creators can succeed by understanding, accessing and influencing the emerging Social Consumer. Hosted by Brian Solis, a noted social marketing consultant to major brands worldwide and author of Engage, the self-help handbook for winning the new marketing game, Pivot delivers two full days of unique content and experiences that illuminate the altered marketing landscape, delivered by transformational thinkers, technologists, entrepreneurs and entertainers. Register with the promo code MASH20 and save 20%!
October 26-27, 2011, Sofia, Bulgaria: The only digital industry event for Central and Eastern Europe and one of industry’s premier events in Europe. At the Webit Expo & Conference, more than 6000 people from the CE Europe’ digital ecosystem gather together. Amazing line up of world renowned international and local speakers in the conference programme and some of the top service and technology providers among the exhibitors. Webit Conference programme includes The Main Stage (inspiring keynotes from the leading digital companies in the world), Webit Dev Camp (where platform owners meet the developers of CEE), eGov Summit (regional government officials and world CEOs in discussion on e-gov, e-health, etc), The Creative Lounge (the world’s creative minds gathered together). Register with the promo code WEBMASH and save 10%!
November 3-5, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: BlogWorld & New Media is the first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event dedicated to blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. BlogWorld conference attendees enjoy more than 120 cutting-edge educational sessions presented by industry leaders, while New Media Expo provides the only industry-wide new media marketplace for networking, online business and marketing resources. Social Media Business Summit, exclusive to BlogWorld, is the world's largest social media business conference where business owners, marketing executives and global brands learn strategies, tools and technologies to grow their businesses with social media. Register at blogworldexpo.com with the promo code MASH20 to save 20% off the ticket price!
November 16-18, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The WOMMA Summit is the only word of mouth marketing conference where research and measurement integrate with online social media and offline conversations. The Summit is a year-end review of BEST and NEXT practices in word or mouth and social media marketing in addition to future trends. WOMMA Summit showcases through leadership from some of the innovative and forward thinking. Go to www.womma.org to learn more about the event and use code WOMMASummitMASH when registering for the event.
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Who Owns the Advertising Space in an Augmented Reality World?
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:09 PM PDT
[Augmented Reality Image]
John C. Havens is EVP of social media at Porter Novelli and the author of Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to Maximize Value and Build their Brand. He speaks regularly about augmented reality and emerging technology.
Look up in Times Square and you'll see the earliest version of a banner ad. Real estate developers pay massive sums to secure air rights for the empty space above buildings. Monetizing by building up (as opposed to out) in crowded areas like Manhattan, they also get to dictate what advertisements appear in the air that they control.
Augmented reality (AR) has made it possible for this same paradigm of advertising to exist via your smartphone. Multiple apps feature the ability for ads to appear on your mobile screen as miniature virtual billboards assigned to GPS coordinates. Brands can tag the real world via this “Outernet,” and if they sponsor the AR browser you're using, in essence they own the virtual air rights (VARs) for everything you see.
Eyebrawl
So what's to keep multiple brands from owning the same virtual space? Currently, nothing. Services like Tagwhat let anyone create video, photo or text messages they can attach to specific coordinates. But just like the desktop web, top AR browsers like Junaio and Layar are becoming augmented equivalents of Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Smart brands will also encourage the use of a preferred browser via value-added incentives for users. Imagine the year 2013, where the official SXSW mobile app is enhanced with AR browser Junaio. Attendees will download the app, as it's the only way to see exclusive video content available on the virtual banners behind speakers. Brands will sponsor the app, and attendees will be entertained between panels with clickable content they can share with their social graph.
Google's Vision for Goggles
[Google Goggles]
Google Goggles is a paradigm shifter for how we'll all come to look at the world, and has evolved to become the dominant player in visual search. In the same way it guides your online queries, Google wants to help define what you see in the real world and monetize the process.
It's impossible to underestimate the impact of visual search. Once the general public gets used to navigating their physical environment with tools like Goggles, all of what we see and share will become searchable data. And when we combine consumer preference with predictive technology, Google will be able to serve visual experiences that benefit consumers and advertisers because of their unique specificity.
In this way, Google will own the virtual air rights within Goggles. However they decide to define this visual version of AdWords, brands will flock to invest so that their messages will come into a consumer's vision at the perfect place and time. Coupled with its new Offers technology, virtual incentives will only increase.
Like most technologies, people will only adopt Goggles when there is enough utility or value. QR codes and apps like stickybits have paved the way for people to get comfortable with “screening” the real world.
Bing Bling
Here's a sticky wicket regarding virtual air rights — who's to say ads appearing in the virtual arena need to match ads appearing in reality?
Here's an example. Bing's augmented reality maps let you see the world as if you were walking through it, versus looking at a photo from above. Picture a bus stop where in the real world you see a poster with an ad for Coke, but in Bing’s virtual version, the poster shows an ad for Pepsi.
Google filed for a patent along these lines in early 2010 that would allow it to sell ads in the Street View feature of Google Maps, potentially replacing signage that was originally photographed. And as most geeks feel the next step for AR is a wearable display (your smartphone as glasses, as seen here from company EON Reality), the importance of virtual real estate may quickly supplant actual signage for advertisers. This is especially true when virtual signage could be switched dynamically for individual eye traffic depending on a viewer's preferences.
"I like what Bing Maps has done, as it offers a glimpse into what virtual advertising may soon look like," says Gabe Greenberg, director of social and emerging media at Microsoft. "The industry might debate if consumers will want to be presented with ads in this format, but if the experience presents the ads in a way that makes sense for the augmented reality experience and the user's intention, this could be a powerful advertising tool for tomorrow's marketplace."
Microsoft's Kinect technology is also a game-changer when it comes to how ads might get served in the virtual arena. In the future, consumers may enable data collection about their behavior on the couch. In this way, they could see ads in the real world (via their AR-enabled phones) that mirror their media preferences in the living room — sort of like a more targeted version of product placement. These preferences could inhabit shop windows, billboards or posters on bus stops.
Monetizing the Matrix
"We think virtual advertising is a fascinating topic and potentially poised for high growth," says Anna Bager, vice president of the IAB Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. "And just as the IAB helped define the taxonomy of web advertising via banners, we will be ready to work with industry leaders to provide a value-added vision for the virtual future. While this is an exciting new advertising medium for brands, consumers will only want messages on an opt-in basis."
Bager raises a significant point — VARs will also apply to individuals. Etiquette around privacy will evolve, so consumers will dictate if or when their data can be shared. Consumer actions in real time (aided by facial recognition tech like Viewdle) may become the stuff of Facebook Sponsored Stories 2.0. And right now, people can't opt out of Sponsored Stories. This logic muddies privacy issues as well as the question of where Facebook should be able to monetize. If Coke makes money when someone scans me in real time via augmented reality, should I get a cut? The answer will likely be yes, but Facebook might only reward me with virtual currency rather than real money.
Once these issues are sorted out, there will be multiple benefits to AR-enhanced image recognition. Here are a few:
* At a business conference, you'll scan the room to recognize people you want to meet.
* At a club, you'll scan the room to see who you might want to date. And forget sending them a drink — “bump” them some FarmVille cash via your NFC-enabled mobile to make a first impression.
* At the supermarket, you'll scan shelves, to only see products that match your preferences — e.g. if your child has a peanut allergy, breakfast cereals you need to avoid will literally disappear.
* At a retail store, brands will modify end caps and shelf talkers to adapt to your preferences.
Advertisers have put messages in our field of vision for decades. The paradigm of virtual air rights simply extends that practice via augmented reality. The life-as-product-placement model means ads will evolve to become content we choose to experience on our own terms. What's still to be worked out is who gets the rights to what.
Disclosure: Microsoft is a client of the author’s company.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Jason McDermott.
More About: advertising, Augmented Reality, business, MARKETING, Mobile 2.0
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Neil Young Releases 26-Year-Old Music Video for “Amber Jean”
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:46 PM PDT
Each Monday, Mashable highlights an exclusive new video or song. Check out all our Music Monday picks.
We usually premiere new videos on Music Monday, but this week, we have a vintage treat from the legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young.
Young’s new album, A Treasure, drops on June 14. A live album, the disc includes songs that were recorded during Young’s 1984 and 1985 U.S. tours — five tracks of which were previously unreleased.
The above video, featuring the song “Amber Jean,” is the only full-length video from the album and was filmed during the Nashville Now TV show on September 20, 1984.
Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young might be awesome, but Neil Young as Neil Young ain’t bad, either.
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Rep. Weiner Admits Tweeting Lewd Picture
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:32 PM PDT
Admitting that he had “not been honest with myself, my family and my constituents,” Rep. Anthony Weiner has confessed at a press conference that he sent via Twitter the picture that has captivated Washington for the past week — and that he lied about his account being hacked.
“I regret not being honest about this,” Weiner said in a tearful statement. “I was embarrassed, I was humiliated. I was trying to protect my wife. I was trying to protect myself from shame.”
He claimed to have tweeted the picture on May 27 to Seattle student Gennette Cordova “as a joke” but then “panicked” and removed the tweet from his Twitter account. Cordova, however, doesn’t understand what joke that would be. “Am I the only one still confused?” she tweeted during the press conference.
“Once I realized I had posted it on Twitter I panicked, I took it down and said I’d been hacked,” Weiner explained.
Weiner said he has had “cursory direct message contact” with Cordova and that she was not one of the women he was having an online relationship with.
Weiner said he has had online relationships with six unnamed women on Facebook and his wife knew about them in general — but she did not know until this morning that he had lied about his Twitter account being hacked. He said he had never met the women in person and the relationships had been entirely based on conversations on the Internet, conducted from his home computer rather than a government machine. All the women had received inappropriate photos from Weiner. He claimed not to know the ages of the women and they had all claimed they were adults.
“It’s always true in social media that you are relying on those characterizations, and I took them at their characterizations,” he said.
“This was me doing a dumb thing, doing it repeatedly and then lying about it,” Weiner said. His wife was not standing by his side, and he broke down several times when mentioning her.
Weiner insisted that he would not be resigning and would be “fighting very hard” to persuade his constituents that he should be re-elected in 2012.
More About: facebook, pictures, politics, twitter, Weiner
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TuneCore CEO: Apple Has Just Monetized Pirated Content
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:21 PM PDT
At WWDC 2011, Steve Jobs unveiled iTunes in the Cloud and “one more thing” goodie iTunes Match, a move that TuneCore CEO and founder Jeff Price believes will monetize piracy and reset the music industry.
iTunes in the Cloud will allow users to download any songs purchased in iTunes to all of their devices, at no extra charge (up to 5GB of music). Once the service is launched — likely Monday — any music purchased on iTunes from here will be synced automatically.
While this is all well and good — and a long time coming — the real clincher here is iTunes Match, which will automatically, and in a matter of minutes, match songs that you ripped to songs in the store and add them to your library. You won’t have to pay for each individual song, but you will have to shell out about $25 a year for the ability to have your library available.
“This puts together a model that allows people to make money off of pirated music,” says Price, pointing out that users who pirate music will end up paying for it anyway if they decide to go with iTunes Match, putting money back in the hands of rights holders.
“The gap between those two things have never been bridged before — the needs of the consumer and the rights holders,” he adds, pointing out how the service benefits both parties, while recent products like Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music Beta launched without label participation, and consequently, reimbursement.
Jobs did not mention revenue split during the conference, but the rumors say that publishers will garner 12% of the revenue, major labels will get 58% and Apple will keep 30%. Price also tells us that all bands on iTunes using TuneCore will be available on both iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match.
“Napster trained people to download music and listen to it on their computers,” he says. “This new service will help people become more comfortable with the idea of streaming their music. And that’s what resets the whole music industry. Reeducating the consumers on how to listen to music.”
In that respect, Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud could be just the thing that finally legitimizes the likes of music subscription services like Rdio, MOG and Spotify. “It’s great to see Apple bringing more awareness to online music streaming,” says a rep from Grooveshark. “We certainly don’t view iCloud as competitive to us, because the service that iCloud offers really isn’t the same as Grooveshark.”
What do you think of Price’s assertions? Is change really afoot in the music industry?
Photo courtesy of Flickr, karindalziel
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A Look Inside HP’s Social Good Machine
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:44 PM PDT
hp image
HP is launching three social good campaigns aimed at improving health tech in developing countries. Best known for its printers and laptops, the company has become an increasingly active player in international philanthropy.
Instead of throwing cash at causes, HP is trying to improve systemic problems like infrastructure and scale. It’s one thing to give a non-profit money; it’s another to help it expand its reach and efficiency at the same time. HP is doing this by tweaking its technology to help solve issues and by devoting company expertise where it is most needed.
HP’s two most recent campaigns focus on malaria detection and counterfeit drugs in Africa. HP partnered with Ping to equip workers in Botswana with smartphones to collect malaria data, notify the Ministry of Health about outbreaks, and tag data and disease surveillance with a GPS coordinate. If successful, the network of data will make up a geographic map of disease transmission in the country to speed up response time and scale up net coverage.
hp map image
The tech company is also tackling counterfeit drugs by adapting one of its own technologies. HP tracks when its parts and technology are being counterfeited. With some subtle tweaks, that same technology is being used to see when drugs and prescriptions are falsely labeled all through basic texting and SMS. The program, in partnership with mPedigree, a non-profit base in Ghana, puts a scratch-off code on each box of medicine. Buyers can then text that code to a system that returns, within 10 seconds, whether the medication is real or fake.
Finally, HP is testing a mobile health monitoring solution in Singapore. For eight weeks, 100 patients in Singapore hospitals will wear a watch-like device that transmits clinical data like 24-hour blood pressure readings and heartbeat patterns, all sent wirelessly back to the hospital.
HP’s social outreach and international philanthropy walk the fine line between corporate social responsibility and self promotion. The smartphones used to track malaria will all be HP Palm Pre’s, but the technology will actually help save lives. Its message extends to HP’s employees who are all given four hours per month to volunteer their expertise. In fact, HP has built its own web-portal complete with regional directors to pair up HP experts with non-profits and causes that need specialized help.
hp programs image
One way HP has managed to run these programs efficiently is through partnerships. The idea is to start the ball rolling on solutions and hand them off to local authorities and NGOs that can best implement them. For example, the counterfeit medicine will be powered by HP technology, but will eventually be handed off to local government for maintenance. There is some possibility that these solutions can be replicated to be sold in other regions, but the idea is more about solving problems using HP technology than turning a profit.
Sometimes, HP’s philanthropy has actually led to a new consumer product. One project aimed at creating simple access to the Internet in India resulted in HP’s DreamScreen.
It all sounds like a win-win, but what do you make of HP’s efforts? Are expertise, technology and infrastructure more important than fundraising? What do you think of HP’s philanthropic ideas? Sound off in the comments.
More About: africa, business, charity, corporate social responsibility, csr, health, HP, non-profit, social good, tech, technology
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Evernote Hits 10 Million Users
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:24 PM PDT
Note-taking platform Evernote has surpassed 10 million registered users. That number is up 67% from January when the startup reported 6 million users.
The nearly three-year-old startup now has 424,736 paying users — premium plans cost $5 per month. Seventy-five percent of its users are accessing Evernote on two or more platforms: 46% use Evernote on two devices, 18% use it on three devices, 7% use it on four devices and 4% are using the note-taking apps on five or more devices.
“Ten million users seemed like an inconceivable number when we were getting ready to launch the service into open beta less than three years ago,” founder and CEO Phil Libin says. “Well, it wasn't literally inconceivable; we actually put it on business plans and investor pitch decks and everything.”
Evernote has been undergoing a social makeover recently, adding Facebook and Twitter sharing capabilities to its web, Mac, Windows and Android apps. The startup most recently updated its Chrome browser extension with improved article clipping technology.
More About: evernote, startup
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Halo 4 Is Coming: Here’s the Trailer [VIDEO]
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:16 PM PDT
Microsoft saved the best for last at its E3 press conference, confirming that Halo 4 is in development by unveiling the first teaser trailer for the game.
The minute-long trailer starts with a view of the nervous system and mind of Master Chief, the franchise’s star character, who quickly bursts out of a pod and jumps directly into space combat.
Halo 4 will hit store shelves sometime during holiday 2012. The franchise, which is now in its tenth year, is also debuting a remastered version of the original game, complete with updated graphics, reworked levels and new multiplayer options.
Check out the teaser for Halo 4 and let us know in the comments what you think of it.
[Video via WinRumors]
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iTunes To Finally Get Wireless Syncing With iOS 5
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:06 PM PDT
At the WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple announced that users can now sync and backup their iOS devices wirelessly.
Apple has been promising some sort of wireless PC-free syncing solution for quite some time, but the company has now officially confirmed that the new feature will be introduced with iOS 5.
In iOS 5, the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch will automatically find iTunes on a Wi-Fi network and automatically sync and backup apps, contacts and media. This is similar to what Google does with its Android OS, with the exception, of course, that Apple still has an actual program that users can use to monitor backups and programs.
Apple also announced that users who want to be completely PC free can perform cloud backups to the new iCloud service.
Image courtesy of thisismynext.com
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HOW TO: Optimize Text Ads for Search
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:00 PM PDT
The Future of Search Series is supported by SES San Francisco Conference & Expo, the leading search, social and display conference. From August 15-19, get five days of education, inspiration and conversations with marketing experts across the digital space. Save 20% with the code MASH20.
Text ads aren’t sexy. They look bland, aren’t colorful and often read like they’re being shouted by annoying salespeople. But the simple fact is that many businesses use them to drive site traffic and sales.
We spoke with Michael Gold, search engine optimization specialist and co-founder of Midtown SEO, about how marketers can optimize their text ads to make them more appealing to search engine users. Check out his tips below.
Use Groups of Related Keywords
There are a number of best practices when setting up your search campaigns, and you can use tools, such as the Google AdWords Keyword Tool, to research and choose the best keywords.
When you’ve settled on your set of keywords, create advertisements that focus on each group of related keywords. “A unique advertisement should be written for each group of closely related keywords,” Gold advises. “Those keywords that match text in the advertisement will be displayed in bold, hopefully catching the search engine users' attention.”
In the Neiman Marcus and Forever 21 ads above, the user searched for keywords “Stuart Weitzman Sandals” and “Discount Fashion,” respectively. The two retailers included these keywords in their ads, so those words are highlighted, drawing a bit more attention to them.
Create a Clear Offer
“The text in the ad should create a clear offer,” says Gold. “The search engine user should know what to expect once they click on the link. Some examples of appealing offers are a free report, a free trial, a way to request information or a way to buy a retail product.”
When showcasing a specific offer, make sure you choose an appropriate destination URL, so that the user lands on a page that describes the same details. If a particular offer, pricing plan or special is outlined in your ad, make sure that information is visible on the landing page. If users do not immediately find what they are looking for, they may leave your website out of confusion.
In the example above, search engine users are offered “40% off organic granola” by advertiser Wai Lana Yoga. Once interested users click through to the website, they immediately find an offer for 40% off Wai Lana’s Little Yogis Granola. The offer is clearly communicated in the ad, and the landing page also communicates the same deal.
Communicate an Urgent Call-to-Action
“The offer should include a call-to-action that creates a sense of urgency by using scarcity or an expiration date,” says Gold. “People are more likely to react if there is a deadline.”
The EyeBuyDirect.com ad above communicates a clear call-to-action (“Buy 1 Get 1 Free”) and reads that the sale is a limited-time offer. In the other example above, Nick’s Towing Service takes an urgent situation (the need to have a car towed) and makes contacting the company easy, noting that operators are available at all hours of the day.
Focus on a Purchase-Ready Audience
“The text and tone of the ad should focus on people who are already considering the offer or are ready to buy, not people who are doing general research or are already loyal customers,” says Gold. “This will help to cut down on paid clicks from search engine users who probably aren't interested in responding to the advertisement.”
In the Ray-Ban ad above, a simple deal on free shipping for orders over $125 is offered to push potential consumers to click and buy. This sort of offer would probably be appealing to a search engine user already on the brink of purchasing, but it may not appeal to someone at the early stages of research.
Consult with Your Social Media Team
With Twitter’s character limit and the short attention spans of Internet users, social media marketers are well-versed in conveying their messages in short form. Gold recommends that search marketers consult with their company’s social media team to get a feel for which messaging types and specific phrases appeal to their audience.
“We usually get input on the search engine ad text from the people who handle social media for our clients, because they already know the short-form text content that resonates well with the target audience,” explains Gold.
Consulting with these short-form masters is just one more way to make your text ads more appropriate for your target audience.
Conduct Split Tests
“Experiment with multiple copies of an ad to see which gets the best results,” advises Gold. After testing a few ads, choose the one that performs best and run with it.
In the example above, L.L.Bean is currently split-testing two ads for the search term “hiking boots.”
Your Tips
The above tips provide a guide on how to optimize text ads for search. For all of the search engine marketers in the audience, please let us know which tips you’d add to the list in the comments below.
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More Search Resources from Mashable:
- How Semantic Search Is Redefining Traditional & Social Media
- The Future of Social Search
- How Google & Bing Keep Spam Out of Search
- HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Advanced Social Media Search
- 4 Winning Strategies for Social Media Optimization
Image courtesy of Flickr, Bourn Design & iStockphoto, hidesy
More About: Adwords, digital marketing, Future of Search Series, google adwords, MARKETING, online marketing, Search, search marketing, text ads
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Blackbird Blackbird’s Latest Music Video May Remind You of Your Last Relationship
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:53 AM PDT
Each Monday, Mashable highlights an exclusive new video or song. Check out all our Music Monday picks.
“Pure” is a new video from experimental electro/psych-pop band Blackbird Blackbird and director Eli Stonberg featuring love, loss and skateboarding.
Founded in San Francisco by Mikey Maramag, Blackbird Blackbird is a rather prolific band that largely flies below the radar (pun intended). Still, the band has managed to capture the ear of outlets like The Hype Machine, Pitchfork, and The Fader.
Stonberg is a similarly talented, yet still-to-be-widely-discovered director. Although he also worked with the likes of Passion Pit and Nada Surf, he is perhaps best known for the interactive coloring book video that he made for the band Au Revoir Simone’s song, “Knight of Wands,” which was a finalist for the MTV OMA for “Most Innovative Music Video.”
The song, “Pure,” comes off of Blackbird Blackbird’s EP Let’s Move On Together (the band currently has two, full-length albums).
“Pure is a song inspired by my girlfriend at the time,” says Maramag. “It’s a song about taking a leap of faith into uncharted territories or unknown pleasures. It is also inspired by the fear of falling in love and the heartache of leaving a loved one or relationship due to unexpected obstacles in life.”
Although “Pure” already has a music video, Stonberg was taken with the song, so he reached out to Maramag to execute his own spin on the visuals — a multi-shot vid of a skateboarder tooling around in the rain.
“I wanted to create an anatomical study of a skateboarder’s motions,” says Stonberg. “When a skater attempts a trick, we usually think of their front foot doing most of the work. It slides and kicks violently to make the board spin or ollie. I was interested in what the other body parts were doing at that same moment.”
Maramag found the idea to be the perfect complement to his song about the chaotic nature of relationships. “In addition to the feeling of floating that the song gives the listener, the clips that Eli organized flow together in a complex but nonetheless visually connected sequence,” he says. “This is kind of how I imagined ‘pure’ to be: chaotic and directionless but simultaneously sequential and balanced.”
Sound like a pretty apt metaphor for love.
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Apple’s iMessage Is Like BBM for iOS
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:41 AM PDT
Imagine being able to seamlessly message friends from any of your devices. That will be a reality with the launch of iMessage for iOS 5.
It’s like BlackBerry Messenger for iOS. iMessage will let users communicate easily between iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. This service will include text messages, photos, videos, contacts and group messaging, with intriguing new features like the ability to show delivery receipts, read receipts (shown in-line) and indicate when another person is typing. In many ways, the service is similar to iChat.
iMessage will be supported via 3G and Wi-Fi, and conversations will be synced across all of your iOS devices, so you can pick up a conversation started on your iPhone on your iPad. The service will also support iOS 5′s new push notification system, whereby texts will no longer interrupt your games or other running apps; they’ll appear unobtrusively at the top of the screen. You can swipe from the top for more details and tap the notification to go to the app.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, subjug
More About: imessage, ipad, iphone, iPod Touch, WWDC 2011
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Deep Twitter Integration Coming to iOS 5
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:25 AM PDT
Apple will be deeply integrating Twitter across iOS 5, the next major version of its OS for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Twitter integration was one of the rumored announcements leading up to WWDC, and Apple has delivered.
Users can associate a Twitter account in the iOS settings and other apps will automatically gain access to Twitter integration using the app, which means users no longer have to log in or manually add an account each time. Moreover, apps like Mail, Contacts, YouTube and Camera will all have extensive levels of Twitter integration.
Users will be able to send tweets directly from the Camera app or photo album (using Twitter’s new native photo uploading features), as well as within the YouTube app. Additionally, users can grab photographs for their contacts if the person has an associated Twitter account.
The fact that this is built-in at an OS level also means that it will make things easier for developers who want to build deeper Twitter integration into their app experiences.
Image courtesy of This is My Next
More About: apple, iOS, iOS 5, twitter
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iOS by the Numbers: 200M Devices, 25M iPads & 14B App Downloads
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:17 AM PDT
Apple has sold 25 million iPads in the first 14 months after its release, Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS software for Apple, revealed at the WWDC keynote.
Forstall revealed a slew of additional metrics to highlight the success of Apple devices, iOS, iBooks and iTunes. Altogether, Apple has sold more than 200 million iOS devices, which Forstall said makes the company’s mobile operating system number one ahead of Android and RIM with more than 44% of the market.
Here are some additional stats Forstall discussed:
* Users have downloaded more than 15 billion songs from iTunes.
* Users have downloaded/purchased more than 130 million books from iBooks.
* There are now more than 425,000 iOS apps; 90,000 of them are specifically for the iPad.
* Users have downloaded more than 14 billion iOS apps.
* Apple has paid out more than $2.5 billion to iOS developers.
* There are now 225 million people with iTunes accounts.
* There are 50 million Game Center users.
Image courtesy of This is my next
More About: apple, Apple iPad, apps, iOS, ipad, WWDC 2011
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Xbox Live Getting Live TV, YouTube & Bing Voice Search
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:16 AM PDT
Microsoft has unveiled a redesigned version of Xbox Live — one that includes more voice commands, YouTube integration and live television.
At its annual E3 press conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft demonstrated the simplified UI, which can be navigated almost entirely through voice commands that will allow for searching through games and accessing online content.
Search on Xbox Live is now powered by Bing. Rather than typing in queries through the controller, Microsoft has opted for voice search. Bing Voice Search lets users flip through movie and game libraries. It doesn’t yet include full web search.
Microsoft also announced that it has finally integrated YouTube into Xbox Live, making it possible to view videos from the world’s largest video website. Microsoft already has Hulu Plus and Netflix on Xbox Live.
The biggest announcement though is the inclusion of live TV on Xbox Live. Thanks to Microsoft partners such as SKY in the UK, Xbox Live now live streams video content. One of Microsoft’s first partners is Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which was announced on stage by UFC President Dana White.
The new Xbox Live is scheduled to debut sometime in late summer or early fall. Stay tuned to Mashable for photos and videos from Microsoft’s press conference and E3.
More About: kinect, microsoft, xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Kinect, XBox live, youtube
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Mac OS X Lion Coming This July for $29
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:03 AM PDT
During Monday’s WWDC keynote, Apple officially unveiled Mac OS X Lion. The next major version of Mac OS X will be out in July as a Mac App Store exclusive for just $29.99.
As we’ve noted in our past previews, Mac OS X Lion will bring many of the best elements of iOS to the Mac.
Some of the highlights of Mac OS X Lion include:
* Multitouch gestures
* Full screen applications
* Mission Control
* Auto Save and Versioning
* Launchpad
* Auto Resume of apps
* Mac App Store — now with in-app purchase
* AirDrop – P2P Wi-Fi networks
* Newly designed Apple Mail
* Better Search
Apple is clearly pricing Mac OS X in such a way that most users will probably upgrade. Rather than selling the OS in stores, it will only be available in the Mac App Store. The 4 GB download might be excessive for some, but having installed every past version of the Lion Developer Preview, I can say it isn’t terrible. Moreover, this ensures that users can install Mac OS X Lion on every Mac they own without having to buy another license.
Mac OS X Server will now be an in-app purchase rather than a separate version.
An updated developer preview will become available later today. Will you upgrade to Mac OS X Lion? Let us know in the comments.
More About: apple, mac, mac os x lion, WWDC 2011
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* Who Owns the Advertising Space in an Augmented Reality World?
* Neil Young Releases 26-Year-Old Music Video for “Amber Jean”
* Rep. Weiner Admits Tweeting Lewd Picture
* TuneCore CEO: Apple Has Just Monetized Pirated Content
* A Look Inside HP’s Social Good Machine
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* Halo 4 Is Coming: Here’s the Trailer [VIDEO]
* iTunes To Finally Get Wireless Syncing With iOS 5
* HOW TO: Optimize Text Ads for Search
* Blackbird Blackbird’s Latest Music Video May Remind You of Your Last Relationship
* Apple’s iMessage Is Like BBM for iOS
* Deep Twitter Integration Coming to iOS 5
* iOS by the Numbers: 200M Devices, 25M iPads & 14B App Downloads
* Xbox Live Getting Live TV, YouTube & Bing Voice Search
* Mac OS X Lion Coming This July for $29
The 4 Biggest Stories in Tech, Social Media & Business This Morning
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:06 AM PDT
Social Media News
Welcome 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. We're keeping our eyes on four particular stories of interest today.
Apple Unveils iCloud, iOS 5 & More
At its developer conference Monday, Apple announced its much-anticipated iCloud service; that the next version of Mac OS X, Lion, will be out in July for $29.99; that its next-generation mobile software, iOS 5, will be deeply integrated with Twitter, offer wireless syncing, its own messaging service and newsstand, and more.
Rep. Weiner Admits to Tweeting Lewd Picture
Admitting that he had "not been honest with myself, my family and my constituents," Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed at a press conference Monday that he sent a lewd photo via Twitter and that he had since lied about his account being hacked.
HTC Reports Strong May Sales
HTC says it generated $1.42 billion in sales in May, which is more than double than the same month in 2010 and a solid improvement from April's $1.35 billion.
Xbox Live Getting Live TV, YouTube & Voice Search
Microsoft unveiled a redesigned version of Xbox Live at E3 Monday, one that includes more voice commands, YouTube integration and live television.
Further News
* Tuesday is World IPv6 Day, and Google is leading the charge to test and adopt the new Internet Protocol.
* As expected, former CBS Evening News anchor Kate Couric has signed a multiyear contract with Disney/ABC Television Group to host her own nationally syndicated talk show and join the ABC News team.
* Sony's next-generation handheld gaming system, the PlayStation Vita, made its official debut at E3 Monday.
* Microsoft has released a trailer for Halo 4.
* Note-taking platform Evernote now has more than 10 million registered users, up 67% from January.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59
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Pawngo Launches Internet Pawnshop for the Upper Classes
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:03 AM PDT
People have been pawning their jewels and wares for cash for hundreds of years. Pawngo launches Tuesday as a new alternative to the brick-and-mortar pawnshop, targeting a more well-to-do clientele in need of big-ticket loans.
Pawngo lets online denizens use their valuables as collateral to secure short-term loans for up to $250,000 — and all without leaving the comfort of their own homes. The startup has loaned more than $1.3 million to beta testers prior to its launch.
“Our system lets you use the items you already own to get a loan that won't get you into trouble down the road,” Pawngo co-founder and CEO Todd Hills says.
Would-be pawners describe the items they’d like to pawn, upload photos and enter their contact information. Pawngo follows up with a loan offer or estimate for buying the item in a few hours, using real-time and historic pricing data to determine resale value. Should the user accept the offer, he then prints the prepaid FedEx shipping label and sends the item to Pawngo for confirmation. After that, Pawngo wires the funds to the user’s bank account.
The startup issues what it calls “short-term, low-interest” loans — up to six months at 3% to 6% interest — from $250 to $100,000. It stores and insures all the items in its care and returns them to the user once the loan is paid off.
By taking the pawnshop off the streets and on to the web, Pawngo hopes to lessen the stigma associated with walking into a sketchy pawnshop. The idea would appeal to an audience who would otherwise avoid pawning their collectables.
Pawngo comes from Lightbank, the investment vehicle of Groupon co-founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, and online pawnbroker Internet Pawn. It’s raised $2.3 million in funding across Series A and B rounds.
More About: lightbank, pawngo, startup
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HTC Blows Away Predictions, Reports May Sales of $1.42 Billion
Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:57 AM PDT
If you still need proof that Android as a platform is a good choice for phone and tablet manufacturers, you needn’t look much farther than the success story of Taiwanese company HTC.
HTC said its sales for May reached $1.42 billion, which is more than double than the same month in 2010 and a solid improvement from April’s $1.35 billion, Reuters reports.
HTC entered the smartphone arena with Windows Mobile devices (the company currently also produces Windows Phone 7 smartphones), but its sales really took off in 2009 when it shifted its focus on Android-based smartphones. Recently, HTC posted its Q1 2011 earnings, reporting 9.7 million units shipped, a 192% year-over-year increase, and revenues of $3.63 billion, a 174% year-over-year increase.
The company’s own Q2 predictions forecast a 103 – 113% year-over-year increase in shipments and a 97% year-over-year increase in revenue.
HTC’s first tablet, the Android-based flyer, has recently hit the U.S. market, and the company plans to launch several high-end Android-based smartphones in the near future, including the HTC Sensation and the HTC Evo 3D.
[HTC via Reuters]
More About: android, htc, smartphones, tablets
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Apple Blesses Twitter, Makes It the Social Network on iOS Devices
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:20 PM PDT
Jack Dorsey may have trouble defining Twitter, the information network he helped to create, but Apple seems less confused.
The highly valued technology company has built Twitter into iOS 5, essentially making it the default social graph and social network on Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
“We hear from a lot of our customers on iPhone, and iPad and iPod Touch that they love Twitter, so we want to make it even easier for all of our customers to use Twitter on iOS products,” Scott Forstall said during the WWDC 2011 keynote.
When iOS 5 is released this fall, device users will able to sign in to their Twitter accounts once and then tweet with a single tap from Apple’s applications — Camera, Photos, Safari, Contacts, YouTube and Maps — and third-party applications that support the single sign-on capability.
Twitter: The Social Network On iOS Devices
Apple launched a music social network in iTunes called Ping in September of last year. At launch, Ping had Facebook integration, but a disagreement between the two companies resulted in Facebook integration being removed, much to the detriment of Ping’s success.
But Apple’s complicated relationship history with Facebook paved the way for its new intimate romance with Twitter.
Facebook is in no way integrated in iOS 5, nor is its familiar blue logo is nowhere to be found in Apple’s promotional materials. Twitter, by contrast, is everywhere. It will soon be the social layer of iOS, enabling users to turn individual actions such as snapping a photo or reading an article into instant social activities.
“Building Twitter into iOS 5 truly creates the easiest way to share everything that's happening in your world. Take a picture, tap “Tweet,’”Dorsey said of the news. “Tweeting has never been simpler.”
The implications are vast. Twitter will essentially become the default social network for iOS users. It’s as if Apple reached down in a God-like fashion, grabbed Twitter with its almighty hand and lifted it up to the social networking heavens.
Facebook’s social graph may reign supreme today — many consider Facebook to own the social graph — but Apple will play a huge role in equalizing the playing field.
Look no further than the Contacts integration as proof. iOS users who perform the single sign-on with Twitter can automatically have their contact records updated with the Twitter avatars and usernames of their Twitter friends.
“Want to mention or @reply to a friend? Contacts applies your friends' Twitter usernames and profile pictures. So you can start typing a name and iOS 5 does the rest,” Apple explains. “You can even add a location to any tweet, no matter which app you're tweeting from.”
If you want your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad to become an instantly social device, use Twitter, so sayeth the almighty Apple. Never before has Twitter’s value proposition sounded so simple.
Twitter in iOS 5
[Twitter in iOS 5]
Tweet From Safari, YouTube & Maps
[Tweet From Safari, YouTube & Maps]
Tweet a Photo
[Tweet a Photo]
More About: apple, facebook, iOS 5, twitter, WWDC 2011
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Google, Facebook, Mozilla & Others Rev Up for IPv6
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 10:38 PM PDT
Tuesday is World IPv6 Day, and Google is leading the charge to test and adopt the new Internet Protocol.
IPv6 is the web’s solution to “the Internet is running out of addresses” dilemma that’s been floating around for a few months.
In January, Google, the Internet Society, and several other web companies announced World IPv6 Day, when each organization would enable IPv6 addresses on their websites for a 24-hour period. Now, that list of organizations has grown to more than 400 tech companies, including Facebook, Mozilla, Bing, YouTube and many others.
These companies’ services have been tweaked, upgraded and prepared for the IPv6 changes. The 24-hour test period will allow the above organizations to ensure bug-free IPv6 support.
Most users won’t likely notice the test, says Google. The company estimates that around .05% of systems involved, especially home network equipment such as routers, may not revert to IPv4 after the tests. Affected users might find some of the aforementioned sites slow or unresponsive.
IPv6 is the sixth revision to the Internet Protocol and is the successor to IPv4. Both protocols provide the unique IP addresses necessary for Internet-connected devices to communicate. However, IPv6 utilizes 128-bit Internet addresses. IPv4 and IPv6 run as parallel networks, so exchanging data between these protocols requires special gateways.
image courtesy of iStockphoto user ahlobystov.
More About: Google, IPv4, IPv6
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PlayStation Vita: First Impressions [PHOTOS]
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 10:09 PM PDT
Sony’s next-generation handheld gaming system, the PlayStation Vita, has finally made its official debut. How does it stack up against Apple, Nintendo and the rest of the competition?
We had an extended chance to play with the PlayStation Vita at Sony’s E3 press conference in Los Angeles. After going topsy-turvy while shooting robots in Little Deviants and shooting baddies in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, we have a few thoughts on Sony’s new gaming system and where it fits into the gaming ecosystem.
Here are our first impressions of the PlayStation Vita:
* The Vita feels big but light in your hands. It’s significantly bigger than an iPhone or even a Droid X or an HTC Evo, but it’s easy to carry. The casing is made of plastic, so it doesn’t have the nice feel of glass or aluminum, but this doesn’t actually detract from the Vita experience.
* The controls are nice. The analog sticks are smooth, and we had no problem with the touchscreen controls. The killer feature, though, is the touch interface on the back of the device, which opens up a ton of new gaming possibilities. Apple should take notice.
* The screen resolution is killer. We loved playing games on the device. We could definitely watch movies on this thing.
* LittleBIG Planet for Vita has some fun game play. Unlike some of the other games we played, it really knows how to combine the analog and touchscreen controls for a seamless experience.
* The tennis game we played though can be played with just touchscreen controls or just analog controls. Sure, you can use both, but there’s no point. Games need to figure out how to integrate the two control inputs.
* The $249 price tag will scare some people off, but it’s affordable for a handheld gaming system of this quality. Still, only true gamers will be dropping money for this, especially when the so many high-quality smartphones with gaming capabilities are on the market.
* The front- and back-facing cameras make for some interesting augmented reality gameplay. Little Deviants is a good example of how to make augmented reality gaming work, though you won’t want to play that game on the train or the bus station.
* The biggest question: Is the Vita better than the Nintendo 3DS? While Nintendo’s implementation of 3D on the portable is actually pretty good, the Vita feels like a system with more power. If you’re a more casual gamer, you’ll want the 3DS, and if you’re more on the hardcore side, you should get the Vita.
* Does the Vita bring enough to the table to warrant getting it if you already have a smartphone? It’s all about paying for a deeper gaming experience. The Vita isn’t cheap, and its games will cost more than the standard mobile game. What you get in return are games with greater gameplay and more replay value. Once again, this is a device the hardcore gaming crowd will love, but we don’t think there’s enough to get the casual gaming crowd interested.
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
AT&T Is PlayStation Vita's 3G Partner
[AT&T Is PlayStation Vita's 3G Partner]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
LittleBIG Planet
[LittleBIG Planet]
Street Fighter X Tekken
[Street Fighter X Tekken]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
PlayStation Vita
[PlayStation Vita]
PlayStation Vita Station
[PlayStation Vita Station]
More About: e3, NGP, playstation, PlayStation Vita, sony
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4 Social Video Lessons Brands Can Learn From Hollywood
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 08:50 PM PDT
Chris Schreiber is director of marketing at social video advertising company Sharethrough. A leading expert on social content strategy, Chris will be co-presenting a two-hour workshop on viral video later this month at the Cannes Lions festival, entitled “Making Videos Go Viral: Creative, Social, and Technological Techniques.”
Summer blockbuster season is upon us, and we’re already starting to see some truly innovative social video campaigns coming out of Hollywood. In many ways, movie studios are leading the charge when it comes to social video advertising, using groundbreaking interactive features, creative distribution strategies and original content to successfully drive huge amounts of viewership and sharing. Brands looking to up their social video game will benefit from closely watching Hollywood’s creative approach to online video marketing.
Here are four things that brands can learn from Hollywood when it comes to social video.
1. Think Content, Not Ads
Getting people to watch and share your content requires some fundamental shifts in how marketers think about video advertising. Sharing has to be the starting point when developing content. Hollywood gets it: Great content is their currency. This is one reason why movie trailers were shared 184% more than the industry average for brand video content over the last quarter, as measured by Sharethrough's distribution network.
For example, to promote the new Muppets movie, Disney released a short original video called “Green With Envy,” a parody of the Rom-Com genre. It has more than 1.4 million views on YouTube alone.
2. Mix It Up
While television and much of online video advertising inventory is limited to 15 or 30-second videos, social video advertising allows for distribution of video content of varied lengths and styles. Hollywood is taking full advantage of the flexibility of this medium to mix in “red band” (read: racy or R-rated) trailers, long-form trailers, interactive videos and viral videos along with their standard trailers to keep things interesting.
For example, a recent red-band trailer for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo did a fantastic job of stirring up buzz. The shaky camera — evoking a sense that the video is a bootleg — added to the intrigue and exclusivity. Many in the marketing and film worlds have expressed their belief that this “bootleg” was created by Sony as part of a campaign intended to go viral. If that’s the case, they’ve even gone so far as to remove it from YouTube on copyright grounds.
Another great example of non-standard content is an amazing interactive YouTube video page for Kung Fu Panda 2, featuring a mix of fun videos of Jack Black and the animated main character, Po. The page's videos have generated millions of views and nearly 4 million Likes on their Facebook page.
Brands should look to mirror this approach and come up with different versions of the same themed content to reach different audiences and prevent fatigue.
3. Look for Social Distribution
In the old model of TV advertising, demographics ruled. Now, film marketers are going one step further in search of an audience with social influence that is most likely to watch and share their content. For example, Hollywood was early to experiment with the distribution of movie trailers in social games on Facebook, and they are trailblazing the emerging trans-media distribution world. Integrating brand video content into social media is critical to maximize sharing.
With the launch of Facebook’s recent program that enables brands to distribute their videos into over 300 social games (and provides Facebook Credits to users who watch them), any brand marketer can take a page from Hollywood’s play book and get their content in front of hundreds of millions of socially active consumers.
Another good example of cross-media promotion was the addition of an ad for the film Super 8 as a playable level inside the hit video game Portal 2. Game review site Kotaku released a YouTube video about the trailer, which has generated hundreds of thousands of views to go along with the millions of people who played the game.
4. Use Social Analytics to Test Content
Movie marketers were some of the first to embrace social metrics such as “sharethrough rate” — the rate at which a video is shared — in order to quantify success. Data collected from sharethrough rates now help movie studios make informed decisions about which trailers to use for online advertising campaigns, which demographics to include in campaign targeting and even potential markets for film releases. Brands are also beginning to use social metrics as a proxy for the overall success of their campaigns. They should look to further use sharing data to optimize their creative assets and distribution strategies, as well as test new markets for their products.
More About: business, Hollywood, MARKETING, social media, trending, video, viral
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Wristband + iOS App = Silent Alarm System
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 08:07 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: LARK
Quick Pitch: LARK is a silent "un-alarm" clock, sleep sensor and personal sleep coach designed by sleep experts.
Genius Idea: Wake up in silence.
A few years ago, Julia Hu was sleep deprived. She was attending MIT for grad school and had recently moved in with her boyfriend. Each morning, he would unintentionally wake her when his alarm would go off an hour-and-a-half before she needed to be up.
Hu’s sleep deprivation inspired her to use her engineering education to create a product that could make the world happier and healthier through better sleep.
One week ago, Hu’s mission came to fruition with the release of LARK, a wireless wristband, device dock, online portal and iOS silent alarm system.
Sleepers don the wristband at night; it wirelessly talks to the iOS application to track your sleep patterns across thousands of data points as you sleep. You’ll wake up to a gentle nudge from the vibration of the wristband, and be greeted with data on how well you slept and how often you awoke in the night.
“Our goal is to help people realize how critical sleep is to their health and well-being,” Hu says.
Hu, LARK’s CEO and founder, spent more than 1.5 years developing the patent-pending system with a team of sleep scientists and fellow classmates. The business was moved to Palo Alto, incubated and later backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
The self-motivated types can buy the basic package for $129, but those that need a little more encouragement and sleep development will need to shell out an additional $60. For $189, LARK Pro buyers get the seven-day sleep assessment and Personal Sleep Coach to track their sleep goals and change their bad habits.
“Giving people an understanding of how they sleep naturally motivates them to sleep better,” says Hu. “Competitive feelings arise, so people will make small adjustments and later see the effects of these behaviors on their sleep. We think you can be personally coached to better sleep,” she asserts.
LARK, available for purchase online, will also be sold in every Apple store in North America beginning June 14.
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark
Microsoft BizSpark
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
More About: Alarm Clock, bizspark, iOS app, LARK, lightspeed venture partners, spark-of-genius, startup, technology
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Say Hello to PlayStation Vita, Sony’s Next PSP
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 07:05 PM PDT
Sony has just lifted the curtain on the PlayStation Vita, the company’s next-generation portable gaming device.
The device, originally codenamed “NGP,” made its debut at Sony’s E3 press conference in Los Angeles. The device looks exactly like the prototypes that leaked earlier this year.
The PSP’s successor includes a high-resolution, 5-inch OLED touchscreen (960 x 544 pixels), two analog sticks, rear touch controls, 6-axis motion sensors and dual front- and back-facing cameras. The device is supposed to run a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor.
The Vita also comes with 3G and WiFi connectivity. AT&T will be the Vita’s exclusive 3G launch partner (much to the disappointment of the audience).
The PlayStation Vita hits the market sometime during this year’s holiday season. It will cost $249 for the Wi-Fi version and $299 for the 3G version. Some of the titles in development for the Vita include LitteBIG Planet, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Street Fighter X Tekken and Ruin.
More About: NGP, playstation, PlayStation NGP, PlayStation Vita, PSP, sony, sony playstation
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Sony’s E3 Announcements: 3D, PlayStation Move & More [LIVE VIDEO]
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 05:54 PM PDT
Sony has kicked off its E3 press conference with a message for its customers: “You are the lifeblood of the company.”
During its E3 event, Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO Jack Tretton addressed the PlayStation Network hack controversy. He thanked third-party developers and retailers for their support since the original PlayStation. “You gave us retail space when the PlayStation brand wasn’t even there,” he said.
To consumers, Tretton had one simple message: “You are the lifeblood of the company. Without you, there is no PlayStation.”
The press conference is live right now. Check out all the action in the livestream we’ve embedded.
More About: e3, gaming, playstation 3, playstation network, PS3, PSN, sony
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HANDS-ON: iTunes in the Cloud [PICS]
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 05:05 PM PDT
At WWDC on Monday, Apple officially unveiled its much anticipated iTunes in the Cloud feature.
The feature will be part of iCloud, which will formally launch alongside iOS 5 this fall, but users can get a taste of some of features today.
iTunes in the Cloud allows users to access songs, albums, music videos, apps and books that were previously purchased but that don’t exist locally on a user’s device. That means if you don’t have a copy of an album on your iPhone or iPad but you really want to hear your favorite song, you can just redownload the track from your account free of charge rather than having to sync with your Mac or PC.
In the fall, Apple will also introduce an iTunes Match service that will make it easy for users to gain cloud access to all the music they haven’t purchased on iTunes for just $25 a year. Starting today, however, users can take advantage of the larger “access your iTunes purchases” feature.
GSM iPhone 4 owners (sorry Verizon folks) and iPod touch or iPad users running iOS 4.3.1 or higher will now see a new “Purchased” tab in the iTunes app in iOS. iTunes 10.3 beta brings that functionality to the Mac or PC.
We’ve spent some time with iTunes in the Cloud and put together this gallery to show off the major features in this early preview. On the outset, we have to say we’re impressed at how easy it was to browse through our purchase history and download single tracks or complete albums at the push of a button, both on the iPhone and on the Mac.
I have a large iTunes collection, and many of my purchases are not on my MacBook Pro. Some aren’t even on my iMac but are instead archived on an old iPod video. Thanks to iTunes in the cloud, I can redownload content I purchased years ago, including bonus and exclusive track, for free.
Purchased Button
[Purchased Button]
In the iTunes app in iOS 4, a new "Purchased" button now appears on the bottom of the application.
You can choose to see all music or just the songs/albums not on your current device
Recent Purchases
[Recent Purchases]
In addition to browsing alphabetically, you can see the most recent 50 items purchased from iTunes.
Artist View
[Artist View]
Selecting an artist name will bring up a listing of every album or partial album you have from that artist.
iTunes includes music videos as well as songs in the mix, scrolling below the album section will show music videos
.
Download Screen
[Download Screen]
The download screen for an album gives the user the opportunity to download individual songs or the entire album in one action.
Purchased Section in iTunes
[Purchased Section in iTunes]
The iTunes 10.3 and 10.5 betas have a new feature in the iTunes Store sidebar, "Purchases."
Album View
[Album View]
Just like in iOS, users can download individual tracks or full albums at the press of a button.
Album View, Partially Downloaded
[Album View, Partially Downloaded]
A nice touch is that iTunes recognizes if you already have some of the items from an album in your iTunes library.
In my case, I because I downloaded some of the pre-order tracks for this album on a different computer, only those tracks will be downloaded.
App Purchases and Downloads
[App Purchases and Downloads]
Just like music and books, users can browse their app purchases and past downloads by device type, name or download date.
More About: apple, icloud, iOS, itunes, itunes-in-the-cloud, trending
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Texts, Tweets & To Dos: What’s New in iOS 5
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 03:59 PM PDT
The latest version of iOS 5 has finally been announced, and it has a bundle of new features — more than 200, by Apple’s count.
Several of the new features were poached from the best of Apple’s own app store, including reading queue apps like Instapaper, group messaging apps like GroupMe and photo editing apps. There’s also a lot of integration with Apple’s new cloud service iCloud.
The iOS 5 beta software won’t be available to users — at least, those who aren’t in the iOS Developer program — until this fall. At that point, it will be free to download for owners of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, or the iPod touch (third and fourth generations). We’ve highlighted the most exciting new features below.
Notification Center
With iOS 5, Apple has essentially added a personalized news feed to all of its devices. The feed, which Apple calls the “Notification Center,” can be customized to display things like the current weather, a stock ticker, new emails, texts and friend requests. The feed can be accessed by swiping the top of the screen. You’ll be able to view it while the device is lock mode, much as iOS 4 displays the time and push notifications while locked.
iMessage
iMessage is BBM for Apple products. Like BlackBerry’s once distinguishing feature, it allows you to send unlimited instant messages to other users and to see whether recipients have read them or are typing a response. The new feature allows group messaging as well as photo, video, location and contact sharing. It’s expected to put a dent into the thriving group messaging app startups. The advantage that those apps still have is the ability to instant message phones with multiple operating systems. For now, Apple’s messages can only be sent to others who are using iOS, on iPhones and iPads.
Newsstand
Newsstand is a folder that holds your magazine and newspaper app subscriptions. All purchases go directly to that folder, which displays them on a virtual newsstand, and new issues are automatically downloaded and delivered there. Your newspaper subscriptions will arrive in time for breakfast.
Reminders
Reminders is iOS 5′s to-do list app. The feature includes an option to make items location based. Your phone will, for instance, remind you to pick up the milk when you are at the grocery store. You can sync reminders with iCal, Outlook and iCloud so that a change in one program automatically updates the others.
Deep Twitter Integration
On iOS 5, you can directly tweet from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube or maps. Twitter will also work together with contacts in the operating system, making it easy to find a friend’s Twitter handles when you start typing a name. This level of integration is still notably missing for Facebook.
Camera and Photos
Apple iOS makes the iPhone a better camera. You can now open the Camera app directly from the lock screen, which makes it easier to point and click quickly. The app also has more of the features of a regular digital camera: grid lines, single-tap focus and exposure locks. The volume-up button now works as a shutter button.
Apple has also built photo-editing capabilities into its Photos app. This means you can crop, rotate, enhance, and remove red-eye without leaving your camera roll. With iCloud, it’s also possible to automatically load new photos to your desktop, if you prefer to edit them there.
Safari
Apple’s mobile web browser now includes a feature that mimics the capabilities of popular reading queue app Instapaper. Its “Reading List” lets you save articles you want to read later. iCloud pushes these articles to all of your iOS devices, much as Instapaper’s separate desktop and mobile apps allow you to read articles that you save on the go.
Other Features Worth Noting
* PC Free: You no longer need a computer to set up and activate an iOS device. With iCloud, you can even back up the data without tethering it to a PC or Mac.
* Calendar: The iOS calender now has year view.
* Game Center: Game center now has profile pictures and friend recommendations
* Wi-Fi Sync: Every time you connect your iOS device to a power source, it will automatically back up any new media to iPhones.
* Video Mirroring: Stream whatever is on your iPad to your Apple TV.
More About: apple, icloud, iOS 5
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7 Services That Apple Just Challenged or Changed
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 03:30 PM PDT
Apple unveiled a heaping helping of news at WWDC 2011, the Apple developers' conference, on Monday. And, as always when innovations come to light, we’ve been thinking about what preexisting services would be disrupted.
From its camera to the cloud, Apple announced some big news regarding its next product iterations. Here’s our rundown of which apps and services are likely feeling a bit threatened at present.
[Facebook]
Well, not exactly killed, but snubbed, for sure. Apple has added Twitter everywhere in iOS 5, so you can tweet contacts, articles, YouTube videos and many more elements, without having to do any cut-and-pasting.
Instapaper
[Instapaper]
There's a new offline reading feature called Reading List built in to Safari, which spells major trouble for services such as Read It Later, Instapaper and Readability (which Apple previously rejected). In fact, when Steve Jobs announced this feature, Instapaper creator Marco Arment tweeted in dismay.
Camera+
[Camera+]
Apple has also beefed up its camera offering, making it easier to access, and adding a grid and editing features. This seems a challenge to pre-existing photo apps -- although Instagram and the like will likely be fine, as Apple is not adding any filters. (Note: Apple previously pulled an update of Camera+ from the app store for including the ability to use the volume button to take snaps, a feature the new camera will include.)
Blackberry Messenger
[Blackberry Messenger]
Apple unveiled iMessage, a new texting service that works between iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. You can send SMS, photos, videos and so on from your iPad now. It also offers receipts, so you know messages have been sent, and a notification that someone is typing a response — just as you would get in IM. Anyone looking to switch from Blackberry to iPhone has fewer excuses now.
MobileMe
[MobileMe]
MobileMe, Apple's previous syncing service, will be shutting down in June of 2012. Previous users will be able to move their MobileMe mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to iCloud.
Google Docs
[Google Docs]
Documents can be stored in iCloud, too.
Amazon Cloud Player & Google Music Beta
[Amazon Cloud Player & Google Music Beta]
Unlike the above offerings, Apple was able to score the licenses necessary to store music in the cloud, sans uploading, with iTunes in the Cloud. It also introduced iTunes Match, which will let users to store non-iTunes music in the cloud as well.
More About: Amazon Cloud Player, apple, blackberry, camera, cloud, facebook, gallery, google-music-instant, icloud, Instapaper, itunes, itunes-match, mobileme, twitter
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Rep. Weiner Meant To Send Lewd Photo as Direct Message
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:55 PM PDT
We may have never found out about the lewd photo of Rep. Anthony Weiner had he simply avoided a rudimentary Twitter mistake: sending a direct message instead of a public @reply.
In the Monday press conference where Weiner admitted to sending the now infamous photo (confirming that it is of him), the congressman said, "Last Friday night I tweeted a photograph of myself that I intended to send as a direct message as part of a joke to a woman in Seattle. Once I realized I had posted to Twitter, I panicked, I took it down and said I had been hacked. I then continued to stick to that story which was a hugely regrettable mistake.”
While that's far from an uncommon mistake on Twitter -– doing so is only a matter of a couple keystrokes in some apps and the company offers a relatively long how-to in its support section –- this is certainly the biggest "DM fail" we can think of (at least in terms of resulting media circus).
That's not to say other high profile organizations haven't been embarrassed by Twitter mistakes before. Earlier this year, a Chrysler employee was terminated after dropping the f-bomb on the automaker's Twitter account, while a Red Cross social media specialist tweeted drunk on the organization's behalf on account of a HootSuite slip up.
Image courtesy of Flickr, David Boyle
More About: Anthony Weiner, twitter
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30+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:34 PM PDT
social_media_events_guide1
Every week, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences.
Here are some tips on how to network, share your information and promote your event using social media:
* The Future of Event Planning and Social Media
* HOW TO: Plan and Promote Events with Social Media
* 35+ Ways to Find and Plan Events Online
* 8 Ways to Create Paperless Business Cards
* 5 Useful iPhone Apps for Business Networking
Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.
June 5-9, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The 2011 Semantic Technology Conference (SemTech) is the world's largest educational conference for the community of executives, technologists, researchers, investors and customers who are involved with semantic technologies. The SemTech conference draws together more than 1,000 forward-thinking technology and business leaders from around the world, representing the entire marketplace of vendors, developers, researchers, start-ups, investors and customers. SemTech 2011 features five days of presentations, panels, tutorials, announcements, new company/product launches, and conversations. It’s a place for new learning, professional networking, and business development. For details and registration, visit the site. Register and use the promo code MASH to save 15%.!
June 6-8, 2011, Boston, MA: The Art & Science of Integrating Traditional & Social Media Marketing – Measure Up, is the world's most comprehensive cross-dimensional view of marketing measurement best practices. With a focus on return on investment (ROI) as it relates to the integration of traditional, online and mobile activities; specifically, social media, this event explores analytics across the entire marketing mix and incorporates those results into marketing strategies and tactics to drive higher revenue, profit and brand share. Register and use the promo code XU2308MASH and save 10%!
June 6, 2011, New York, NY: It’s time to make plans for Realtime NY 11, a full-day immersion entirely about business on the mobile, social and realtime web. Learn how innovative executives from brands like McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Delta, Citibank, IBM, and the NHL are using realtime tools to listen and respond to customers, create new opportunities and build bottom-line value. Realtime, mobile and social technologies fundamentally change how consumers and businesses interact. At The Realtime Conference you’ll see real case studies about real brands and meet the social media business pioneers who are driving real value. 10 hours of hardcore learning and networking. Plus wi-fi, power, breakfast, lunch and cocktails. Register with the promo code MASHABLE to save 20%
June 6-7,2011, New York, NY: Federated Media presents The Conversational Marketing Summit: Leading agencies, marketers, platforms and entrepreneurs come together for our industry’s most rigorous and thought-provoking annual 2-day gathering, the Conversational Marketing Summit, to benefit from a discussion about what we've learned so far and get a jump on what the future has to offer. We aim to bridge the innovations of the internet with the practice of marketing. Please join us! More information and registration details at http://www.federatedmedia.net/events – Register with promo code CmMash to save 15%!
June 7-8, 2011, Munich, Germany: a4uexpo Europe is the largest pan European Affiliate and Performance Marketing Conference. With over 1000 delegates, a diverse conference programme, a focus on quality, knowledge transfer and unparalleled networking opportunities with delegates and key industry figures from around the world, a4uexpo Europe is a must attend educational and networking event. Whether a new or established affiliate, agency, entrepreneur, search specialist, merchant or network – a4uexpo is the conference for those serious about making an impact in Affiliate and Performance Marketing. Register with the promo code MASHABLE25 and save €25 on a full conference pass for a4uexpo Europe.
June 7-8, 2011, Seattle, WA: Join the most accomplished search marketers in the world – Search Marketing Expo – SMX Advanced Seattle. Check out the full agenda, featuring two days of experts-only sessions, keynotes and the highest-level networking anywhere. Don't wait – SMX Advanced has sold out 4 years running. Register with partner code smx100mashable and you'll save $100 and secure your spot.
June 8, 2011, Singapore: With the phenomenal growth of apps worldwide, Asia is the next big market to watch out for. Planet of the Apps Asia is the leading event dedicated to mobile applications in Asia. The two day conference plus a dedicated masterclass day brings together the mobile application ecosystem in one location. The event will shine on a light on the latest innovations and showcase the latest solutions in the world of mobile applications. Be part of this definitive event and network with professionals from all around the globe.
June 14, 2011, London, UK: 20 social media experts will be speaking at the Social Media Results Conference – From Engagement To ROI. Procter & Gamble, Barclaycard, Nokia, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, MTV Networks UK & Ireland, Mothercare, Lonely Planet, American Airlines, Kodak Ltd, Comic Relief, Vue Entertainment, Cisco Europe, Phones 4u Limited and many more will be discussing their real-world, actionable social media insights on how to drive the customer journey with consistently genuine interaction and fully integrated, targeted social media campaigns. Click here to download/view the conference program.
June 15-18, 2011, Nairobi, Kenya: The spotlight in AfriTech Kenya 2011 will be on "Brand building using a digital platform". It’s projected to be the largest gathering of digital media gurus and industry shapers in the African continent. The conference will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on June 15-18, 2011. Outstanding business luminaries, philanthropists, government decision-makers and investors will be participating during this four day historic summit. For more information and to register, please visit afri-tech.com.
June 15-16, 2011, New York, NY: “Exploring the State of NOW” – The 140 Characters Conference: New York City (#140conf) will be taking place June 15-16, 2011 at the 92nd Street Y, where we will continue to explore the effects of the real-time web on both business and on people. This event is expected to be the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on both business and "we" the people. #140conf exposes you to the power the Internet has to disrupt businesses, change lives and create serendipity. You will leave with a fresh outlook on how the real time web can be used in your business or personal life to actually do something meaningful. Register TODAY and take advantage of the "Early Bird" prices.
June 16, 2011, London, UK: The Augmented Reality Summit is designed to explore this new dynamic reality and provide delegates with the perfect opportunity to uncover Augmented Reality in full and explore the opportunity's AR brings any brand or company. The AR Summit is positioned at the forefront of this exciting continually developing new industry. Whether you are a Brand, Advertiser or Agency, Technology provider or Developer looking to meet key industry figures, keep up with the latest developments, technology's & tools or simply to network with other from the world of AR – Register and use the promo code ARMASH to save 25%!
June 20-21, New York, NY: At the new ALL FOR ONE Marketing Show presented by DM Days, you'll learn how Domino's, FreshDirect, Grey New York and other top companies maximize ROI by leveraging customer insight and data to successfully integrate marketing channels. You'll walk away with concrete examples of successful campaigns from marketing experts and thought leaders. Register with the promo code DM730 and save $200!
June 20, 2011, New York, NY: Games for Change is the leading global advocate for supporting and making games for social impact. The Games for Change Festival is the largest gaming event in New York City and the only international event uniting "games for change" creators, the public, civil society, academia, the gaming industry and media. Register before April 15th and save 30%!
June 21-22, 2011, New York, NY: The Second Annual Corporate Social Media Summit is 'the' event for big business using social media. This year we have speakers from Dell, Best Buy, Kodak, Coca-Cola, Southwest Airlines and many more. They will share best practice to help your company leverage the power of social media for better marketing, customer engagement and enhance profitability. The conference is designed for corporates like you – and our agenda is based on three months of research with your peers. Download a brochure here for all the info you need. Register and use the promo code MASH11 to save 10%.
June 21-22, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Digital Content Monitization West 2011 is a unique opportunity to find out how to drive revenue and profitability from different content and formats across a wide variety of channels. 60+ senior level speakers from will help you sort out the best short and medium term strategies for delivering revenue through digital content. With its focus on west coast industries, you’ll dig deep into how the film, music and games sectors are driving new sources of revenue. Plus the publishing, sports, TV and news sectors will provide detailed information about how to monetize rich media content. Register online at dcm-west.com and use the promo code DCM MASH for early booking discounts.
June 23 - 24, 2011, Chicago, IL: SOCIAL CUSTOMER 2011 is a high-level executive summit that focuses on using smart social CRM programs to improve customer loyalty, enhance brand experience and increase revenue. Hear from game-changing organizations such as Chicago Bulls, Verizon, PepsiCo, Dell, Bloomberg, Rosetta Stone, H&R Block, Godiva, Dominos Pizza and more! Also hear our keynote presentation by Becky Carroll, Social Media Correspondent, NBC 7 / SAN DIEGO, Author, THE HIDDEN POWER OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. Organizations must embrace today's empowered customers, so if you are a business leader who is looking to deliver world-class experience via social networks, this event is the #1 place to be. Join the conversation and register today (Save $200 with the promo code SYX243).
June 27-29, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The Future of Web Apps (FOWA) is coming to Vegas. After successfully running shows in Miami and London, the conference hits Vegas for the first time in June. A conference for web developers and entrepreneurs, there are 3 days of jam packed web fun including a day of workshops and 2 conference days of two tracks. As well as App Clinics and Expo Area, you can learn and network with people who have passion for the web! Register with the code FOWA_MASHABLE and receive 10% off our 2 day conference passes.
June 28-29, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Produced by AllFacebook, AF Expo is your how-to guide for Facebook marketing and development. This two-day event is your inside look at Facebook innovations and technology issues jointly impacting marketers and social developers. Packed with case studies and real-world perspectives, AF Expo offers attendees a sneak peek at the latest Facebook data, demographics and design issues. Our experts include Tamara Mendelsohn (Director of Marketing, Eventbrite), Joseph Adolf (Manager, Digital Marketing, JetBlue Airways), Mark Rose (VP Product, Visa), Clara Shih (author, The Facebook Era), and many more. Register with promo code MASH to save 15
July 14-16, 2011, Dallas, TX: The Big Design Conference is an intense day of learning within the scope of Strategy, Social Media, User Experience, Gaming, Mobile, Usability, Design, and Code Development. Experts from across the country will gather to present theories, research, experiences, and best practices to students, professionals, and executives looking to stay on the bleeding edge. Experts include Beverly Robertson (President, National Civil Rights Museum), Russ Unger (Director of UX, Happy Cog), Jeremy Johnson (Director of UX, Game Stop), Brian Sullivan (Usability Principal, Sabre), Joshua Clark (author of Tapworthy), Jared Spool (Founder, User Interface Engineering), and many more. Mashable readers receive 20% off conference registration by using the code MASHABLE during the checkout process.
July 27-29, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Join us at the premiere of ePharma Summit West, the sister event to The ePharma Summit, the largest, longest running and most respected digital marketing event for the Life Sciences Industry. Network and join the conversation with hundreds of fellow thought leaders from top Pharma, Biotech, Device and Health Science companies. Register as a Mashable reader with the promo code XP1656MASH and save 10%.
August 1-3, 2011, San Antonio, TX: The eduWeb Conference is the event for you to meet, share, explore, and learn from your higher education peers on topics including mobile apps, branding, web site analytics, social media strategic planning, and web development. eduWeb offers four tracks: marketing communications; design and development; social media; and information architecture. Register with the promo code 11Mash and save $50!
September 6-8, 2011, Cleveland, OH: At Content Marketing World, you'll learn how to transform your marketing department into a storytelling factory, engaging your prospects and customers in all the right channels with the right messages– including social, mobile, email, online and even print and in-person strategies. Through 24+ breakout sessions and amazing keynotes led by worldwide experts, you'll get the tools you need to be a successful content marketer. Plus, you'll experience the best of what Cleveland has to offer, starting with our opening night reception at the infamous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Register and use the promo code mash to receive $100 off the current price of a ticket.
September 11-14, 2011, Denver, CO: Come join the best and brightest of the iOS development community at 360|iDev, the first iOS developer event to be held by the developer community! Speakers include many leading community members, and app store success stories. With over 40 sessions, including hands-on training the sunday before the conference, 360|iDev offers more content than any other iOS developer event in the world. Register and use the promo code iosmash to save 20% of the ticket price.
September 12-13, 2011, Renaissance Glendale, Phoenix, AZ: The third Social Media Optimization Summit event, presented by Multifamilypro, brings together small to mid-sized business owners with an interest in putting social media to work successfully within their organizations in ways that are proven to generate results. The event offers two full days of intensive, hands-on workshops from the intermediate to advanced level, led by top social media experts. The unique "See it. Hear it. Do it." approach allows attendees to learn by doing, and begin immediately applying newly-acquired skills and knowledge while the event is underway. See what others are saying about the event and register now at optimizationsummits.com and use discount code Mashable to save $100!
September 20, 2011, Chicago, IL: Federated Media presents Signal Chicago: The Marketing in Real Time Conversation. We will be focusing on the theme of “Marketing in Real Time.” From “real time bidding” on new demand-side and exchange platforms to “real time messaging” of location-based services, marketing has time-shifted into the present tense. A new suite of tools and services have evolved which enable the marketer to have conversations with customers in real time, creating both challenges and opportunities.Please join us! More information and registration details at http://www.federatedmedia.net/events – Register with promo code SIGMash to save 15%
Sept 21-22, 2011, London, UK: ad:tech London is the UK’s essential free to attend event for professionals seeking to stay ahead of the latest interactive media, advertising and marketing trends. The event unites advertisers, media owners and agencies to harness the power of digital and deliver real marketing ROI. Alongside the exhibition, there is also a conference featuring 100+ international speakers for serious digital innovators and marketers. Mashable readers can take 20% off their conference ticket price. Register online now with the promo code MASH11 at www.ad-techlondon.co.uk.
September 26-29, 2011, Kaua’i, HI: Search and Social Hawaii is an elite conference unlike any other that will provide you with the strategies and complete know how to thrive in this ever changing environment. Each day begins with morning sessions around the hottest topics. With Keynote Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. and speakers from corporations such as Real Networks, Network Solutions, AT&T, Microsoft Bing and Logitech. Afternoons are spent in a relaxed environment including planned activities in which individual attendees can get to know speakers and each other on a more personal level continuing the discussion and building long lasting relationships. Register and use the promo code SSWootMash to save 10%.
September 29-October 1, 2011, Atlanta, GA: As pet owners, bloggers, consumer brands and those connected to the industry – including veterinarians – continue to build upon social media & marketing, pet social media education & networking is an extremely important aspect to mobilizing efforts and to address the challenges faced by pet owners. Whether you use YouTube, Twitter, Dog/Catbook or online forums to gather & share information about pets, it's increasingly important for this community to have a face-to-face forum. Established in 2009, the BarkWorld Conference & Expo is the only pet social media conference covering ALL facets of social media & pet education. Our 2011 annual conference will focus on many topics, including: how to take great photos your pet & use it online, how to build/design a blog & monetize, mobile applications, metrics/SEO, pet food demonstrations, promoting your pet/business via social media and using online forums. Join us for this 2 ½ day conference. You'll be amazed with the information you'll walk away with and the new connections you'll make; your well-trained, leashed, pet is welcome. Register with the promo code MASH2011 to receive a 25% discount.
October 1-6, Boston, MA: At DMA2011, you – and 10,000 marketing peers from around the world – will find everything you need to develop and execute the real-time integrated marketing campaigns that drive measurable bottomline results for your brand. Listen to 300+ marketing experts and gurus talk about social, mobile, mail, search, data, attribution, and more. Plus, you'll find hundreds of technologies in the Exhibit Hall, the only one of its kind in the world! Register now with the promo code AN504 and SAVE $250!
October 5-6, 2011, Seattle, WA: The first annual Seattle Interactive Conference is a two-day event celebrating the convergence of online technology, creativity, and emerging trends in one of the world’s most innovative cities. SIC brings together entrepreneurs, developers and online business professionals from throughout the U.S. and beyond for a powerful combination of in-depth presentations, networking opportunities, and uniquely Seattle social events. Attendees have the rare opportunity to explore disruptive technologies and business models with visionary thinkers and peers in areas ranging from online commerce and social media to gaming, interactive advertising, entertainment, and much more.
October 9-11, 2011, Scottsdale, AZ: Join 200 of your advertising and PR agency friends at BOLO 2011. This event champions the marketing stalwarts, showing you how to leverage today’s digital marketing trends and technologies for economic advantage. Hear from industry thought leaders such as Scott Stratton, President of UnMarketing, and Jay Baer, author of The Now Revolution. From analytics and targeting to social media and agency management, the topics are cutting-edge and chosen to help your agency stay ahead of the curve in digital. Register now with the promo code MASHABLE for 10% off.
October 17-18, 2011, New York, NY: Pivot is the only conference focused purely on how major brands, agencies, marketers and content creators can succeed by understanding, accessing and influencing the emerging Social Consumer. Hosted by Brian Solis, a noted social marketing consultant to major brands worldwide and author of Engage, the self-help handbook for winning the new marketing game, Pivot delivers two full days of unique content and experiences that illuminate the altered marketing landscape, delivered by transformational thinkers, technologists, entrepreneurs and entertainers. Register with the promo code MASH20 and save 20%!
October 26-27, 2011, Sofia, Bulgaria: The only digital industry event for Central and Eastern Europe and one of industry’s premier events in Europe. At the Webit Expo & Conference, more than 6000 people from the CE Europe’ digital ecosystem gather together. Amazing line up of world renowned international and local speakers in the conference programme and some of the top service and technology providers among the exhibitors. Webit Conference programme includes The Main Stage (inspiring keynotes from the leading digital companies in the world), Webit Dev Camp (where platform owners meet the developers of CEE), eGov Summit (regional government officials and world CEOs in discussion on e-gov, e-health, etc), The Creative Lounge (the world’s creative minds gathered together). Register with the promo code WEBMASH and save 10%!
November 3-5, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: BlogWorld & New Media is the first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event dedicated to blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. BlogWorld conference attendees enjoy more than 120 cutting-edge educational sessions presented by industry leaders, while New Media Expo provides the only industry-wide new media marketplace for networking, online business and marketing resources. Social Media Business Summit, exclusive to BlogWorld, is the world's largest social media business conference where business owners, marketing executives and global brands learn strategies, tools and technologies to grow their businesses with social media. Register at blogworldexpo.com with the promo code MASH20 to save 20% off the ticket price!
November 16-18, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The WOMMA Summit is the only word of mouth marketing conference where research and measurement integrate with online social media and offline conversations. The Summit is a year-end review of BEST and NEXT practices in word or mouth and social media marketing in addition to future trends. WOMMA Summit showcases through leadership from some of the innovative and forward thinking. Go to www.womma.org to learn more about the event and use code WOMMASummitMASH when registering for the event.
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Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell tickets to their events. Make your event a success on Eventbrite.
More About: Social Media Events Guide
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Who Owns the Advertising Space in an Augmented Reality World?
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:09 PM PDT
[Augmented Reality Image]
John C. Havens is EVP of social media at Porter Novelli and the author of Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to Maximize Value and Build their Brand. He speaks regularly about augmented reality and emerging technology.
Look up in Times Square and you'll see the earliest version of a banner ad. Real estate developers pay massive sums to secure air rights for the empty space above buildings. Monetizing by building up (as opposed to out) in crowded areas like Manhattan, they also get to dictate what advertisements appear in the air that they control.
Augmented reality (AR) has made it possible for this same paradigm of advertising to exist via your smartphone. Multiple apps feature the ability for ads to appear on your mobile screen as miniature virtual billboards assigned to GPS coordinates. Brands can tag the real world via this “Outernet,” and if they sponsor the AR browser you're using, in essence they own the virtual air rights (VARs) for everything you see.
Eyebrawl
So what's to keep multiple brands from owning the same virtual space? Currently, nothing. Services like Tagwhat let anyone create video, photo or text messages they can attach to specific coordinates. But just like the desktop web, top AR browsers like Junaio and Layar are becoming augmented equivalents of Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Smart brands will also encourage the use of a preferred browser via value-added incentives for users. Imagine the year 2013, where the official SXSW mobile app is enhanced with AR browser Junaio. Attendees will download the app, as it's the only way to see exclusive video content available on the virtual banners behind speakers. Brands will sponsor the app, and attendees will be entertained between panels with clickable content they can share with their social graph.
Google's Vision for Goggles
[Google Goggles]
Google Goggles is a paradigm shifter for how we'll all come to look at the world, and has evolved to become the dominant player in visual search. In the same way it guides your online queries, Google wants to help define what you see in the real world and monetize the process.
It's impossible to underestimate the impact of visual search. Once the general public gets used to navigating their physical environment with tools like Goggles, all of what we see and share will become searchable data. And when we combine consumer preference with predictive technology, Google will be able to serve visual experiences that benefit consumers and advertisers because of their unique specificity.
In this way, Google will own the virtual air rights within Goggles. However they decide to define this visual version of AdWords, brands will flock to invest so that their messages will come into a consumer's vision at the perfect place and time. Coupled with its new Offers technology, virtual incentives will only increase.
Like most technologies, people will only adopt Goggles when there is enough utility or value. QR codes and apps like stickybits have paved the way for people to get comfortable with “screening” the real world.
Bing Bling
Here's a sticky wicket regarding virtual air rights — who's to say ads appearing in the virtual arena need to match ads appearing in reality?
Here's an example. Bing's augmented reality maps let you see the world as if you were walking through it, versus looking at a photo from above. Picture a bus stop where in the real world you see a poster with an ad for Coke, but in Bing’s virtual version, the poster shows an ad for Pepsi.
Google filed for a patent along these lines in early 2010 that would allow it to sell ads in the Street View feature of Google Maps, potentially replacing signage that was originally photographed. And as most geeks feel the next step for AR is a wearable display (your smartphone as glasses, as seen here from company EON Reality), the importance of virtual real estate may quickly supplant actual signage for advertisers. This is especially true when virtual signage could be switched dynamically for individual eye traffic depending on a viewer's preferences.
"I like what Bing Maps has done, as it offers a glimpse into what virtual advertising may soon look like," says Gabe Greenberg, director of social and emerging media at Microsoft. "The industry might debate if consumers will want to be presented with ads in this format, but if the experience presents the ads in a way that makes sense for the augmented reality experience and the user's intention, this could be a powerful advertising tool for tomorrow's marketplace."
Microsoft's Kinect technology is also a game-changer when it comes to how ads might get served in the virtual arena. In the future, consumers may enable data collection about their behavior on the couch. In this way, they could see ads in the real world (via their AR-enabled phones) that mirror their media preferences in the living room — sort of like a more targeted version of product placement. These preferences could inhabit shop windows, billboards or posters on bus stops.
Monetizing the Matrix
"We think virtual advertising is a fascinating topic and potentially poised for high growth," says Anna Bager, vice president of the IAB Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. "And just as the IAB helped define the taxonomy of web advertising via banners, we will be ready to work with industry leaders to provide a value-added vision for the virtual future. While this is an exciting new advertising medium for brands, consumers will only want messages on an opt-in basis."
Bager raises a significant point — VARs will also apply to individuals. Etiquette around privacy will evolve, so consumers will dictate if or when their data can be shared. Consumer actions in real time (aided by facial recognition tech like Viewdle) may become the stuff of Facebook Sponsored Stories 2.0. And right now, people can't opt out of Sponsored Stories. This logic muddies privacy issues as well as the question of where Facebook should be able to monetize. If Coke makes money when someone scans me in real time via augmented reality, should I get a cut? The answer will likely be yes, but Facebook might only reward me with virtual currency rather than real money.
Once these issues are sorted out, there will be multiple benefits to AR-enhanced image recognition. Here are a few:
* At a business conference, you'll scan the room to recognize people you want to meet.
* At a club, you'll scan the room to see who you might want to date. And forget sending them a drink — “bump” them some FarmVille cash via your NFC-enabled mobile to make a first impression.
* At the supermarket, you'll scan shelves, to only see products that match your preferences — e.g. if your child has a peanut allergy, breakfast cereals you need to avoid will literally disappear.
* At a retail store, brands will modify end caps and shelf talkers to adapt to your preferences.
Advertisers have put messages in our field of vision for decades. The paradigm of virtual air rights simply extends that practice via augmented reality. The life-as-product-placement model means ads will evolve to become content we choose to experience on our own terms. What's still to be worked out is who gets the rights to what.
Disclosure: Microsoft is a client of the author’s company.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Jason McDermott.
More About: advertising, Augmented Reality, business, MARKETING, Mobile 2.0
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Neil Young Releases 26-Year-Old Music Video for “Amber Jean”
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:46 PM PDT
Each Monday, Mashable highlights an exclusive new video or song. Check out all our Music Monday picks.
We usually premiere new videos on Music Monday, but this week, we have a vintage treat from the legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young.
Young’s new album, A Treasure, drops on June 14. A live album, the disc includes songs that were recorded during Young’s 1984 and 1985 U.S. tours — five tracks of which were previously unreleased.
The above video, featuring the song “Amber Jean,” is the only full-length video from the album and was filmed during the Nashville Now TV show on September 20, 1984.
Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young might be awesome, but Neil Young as Neil Young ain’t bad, either.
More About: a-treasure, music, music monday, neil young, video
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Rep. Weiner Admits Tweeting Lewd Picture
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:32 PM PDT
Admitting that he had “not been honest with myself, my family and my constituents,” Rep. Anthony Weiner has confessed at a press conference that he sent via Twitter the picture that has captivated Washington for the past week — and that he lied about his account being hacked.
“I regret not being honest about this,” Weiner said in a tearful statement. “I was embarrassed, I was humiliated. I was trying to protect my wife. I was trying to protect myself from shame.”
He claimed to have tweeted the picture on May 27 to Seattle student Gennette Cordova “as a joke” but then “panicked” and removed the tweet from his Twitter account. Cordova, however, doesn’t understand what joke that would be. “Am I the only one still confused?” she tweeted during the press conference.
“Once I realized I had posted it on Twitter I panicked, I took it down and said I’d been hacked,” Weiner explained.
Weiner said he has had “cursory direct message contact” with Cordova and that she was not one of the women he was having an online relationship with.
Weiner said he has had online relationships with six unnamed women on Facebook and his wife knew about them in general — but she did not know until this morning that he had lied about his Twitter account being hacked. He said he had never met the women in person and the relationships had been entirely based on conversations on the Internet, conducted from his home computer rather than a government machine. All the women had received inappropriate photos from Weiner. He claimed not to know the ages of the women and they had all claimed they were adults.
“It’s always true in social media that you are relying on those characterizations, and I took them at their characterizations,” he said.
“This was me doing a dumb thing, doing it repeatedly and then lying about it,” Weiner said. His wife was not standing by his side, and he broke down several times when mentioning her.
Weiner insisted that he would not be resigning and would be “fighting very hard” to persuade his constituents that he should be re-elected in 2012.
More About: facebook, pictures, politics, twitter, Weiner
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TuneCore CEO: Apple Has Just Monetized Pirated Content
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:21 PM PDT
At WWDC 2011, Steve Jobs unveiled iTunes in the Cloud and “one more thing” goodie iTunes Match, a move that TuneCore CEO and founder Jeff Price believes will monetize piracy and reset the music industry.
iTunes in the Cloud will allow users to download any songs purchased in iTunes to all of their devices, at no extra charge (up to 5GB of music). Once the service is launched — likely Monday — any music purchased on iTunes from here will be synced automatically.
While this is all well and good — and a long time coming — the real clincher here is iTunes Match, which will automatically, and in a matter of minutes, match songs that you ripped to songs in the store and add them to your library. You won’t have to pay for each individual song, but you will have to shell out about $25 a year for the ability to have your library available.
“This puts together a model that allows people to make money off of pirated music,” says Price, pointing out that users who pirate music will end up paying for it anyway if they decide to go with iTunes Match, putting money back in the hands of rights holders.
“The gap between those two things have never been bridged before — the needs of the consumer and the rights holders,” he adds, pointing out how the service benefits both parties, while recent products like Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music Beta launched without label participation, and consequently, reimbursement.
Jobs did not mention revenue split during the conference, but the rumors say that publishers will garner 12% of the revenue, major labels will get 58% and Apple will keep 30%. Price also tells us that all bands on iTunes using TuneCore will be available on both iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match.
“Napster trained people to download music and listen to it on their computers,” he says. “This new service will help people become more comfortable with the idea of streaming their music. And that’s what resets the whole music industry. Reeducating the consumers on how to listen to music.”
In that respect, Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud could be just the thing that finally legitimizes the likes of music subscription services like Rdio, MOG and Spotify. “It’s great to see Apple bringing more awareness to online music streaming,” says a rep from Grooveshark. “We certainly don’t view iCloud as competitive to us, because the service that iCloud offers really isn’t the same as Grooveshark.”
What do you think of Price’s assertions? Is change really afoot in the music industry?
Photo courtesy of Flickr, karindalziel
More About: amazon, apple, Google, itunes-in-the-cloud, itunes-match, jeff-price, music, piracy, tunecore
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A Look Inside HP’s Social Good Machine
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:44 PM PDT
hp image
HP is launching three social good campaigns aimed at improving health tech in developing countries. Best known for its printers and laptops, the company has become an increasingly active player in international philanthropy.
Instead of throwing cash at causes, HP is trying to improve systemic problems like infrastructure and scale. It’s one thing to give a non-profit money; it’s another to help it expand its reach and efficiency at the same time. HP is doing this by tweaking its technology to help solve issues and by devoting company expertise where it is most needed.
HP’s two most recent campaigns focus on malaria detection and counterfeit drugs in Africa. HP partnered with Ping to equip workers in Botswana with smartphones to collect malaria data, notify the Ministry of Health about outbreaks, and tag data and disease surveillance with a GPS coordinate. If successful, the network of data will make up a geographic map of disease transmission in the country to speed up response time and scale up net coverage.
hp map image
The tech company is also tackling counterfeit drugs by adapting one of its own technologies. HP tracks when its parts and technology are being counterfeited. With some subtle tweaks, that same technology is being used to see when drugs and prescriptions are falsely labeled all through basic texting and SMS. The program, in partnership with mPedigree, a non-profit base in Ghana, puts a scratch-off code on each box of medicine. Buyers can then text that code to a system that returns, within 10 seconds, whether the medication is real or fake.
Finally, HP is testing a mobile health monitoring solution in Singapore. For eight weeks, 100 patients in Singapore hospitals will wear a watch-like device that transmits clinical data like 24-hour blood pressure readings and heartbeat patterns, all sent wirelessly back to the hospital.
HP’s social outreach and international philanthropy walk the fine line between corporate social responsibility and self promotion. The smartphones used to track malaria will all be HP Palm Pre’s, but the technology will actually help save lives. Its message extends to HP’s employees who are all given four hours per month to volunteer their expertise. In fact, HP has built its own web-portal complete with regional directors to pair up HP experts with non-profits and causes that need specialized help.
hp programs image
One way HP has managed to run these programs efficiently is through partnerships. The idea is to start the ball rolling on solutions and hand them off to local authorities and NGOs that can best implement them. For example, the counterfeit medicine will be powered by HP technology, but will eventually be handed off to local government for maintenance. There is some possibility that these solutions can be replicated to be sold in other regions, but the idea is more about solving problems using HP technology than turning a profit.
Sometimes, HP’s philanthropy has actually led to a new consumer product. One project aimed at creating simple access to the Internet in India resulted in HP’s DreamScreen.
It all sounds like a win-win, but what do you make of HP’s efforts? Are expertise, technology and infrastructure more important than fundraising? What do you think of HP’s philanthropic ideas? Sound off in the comments.
More About: africa, business, charity, corporate social responsibility, csr, health, HP, non-profit, social good, tech, technology
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Evernote Hits 10 Million Users
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:24 PM PDT
Note-taking platform Evernote has surpassed 10 million registered users. That number is up 67% from January when the startup reported 6 million users.
The nearly three-year-old startup now has 424,736 paying users — premium plans cost $5 per month. Seventy-five percent of its users are accessing Evernote on two or more platforms: 46% use Evernote on two devices, 18% use it on three devices, 7% use it on four devices and 4% are using the note-taking apps on five or more devices.
“Ten million users seemed like an inconceivable number when we were getting ready to launch the service into open beta less than three years ago,” founder and CEO Phil Libin says. “Well, it wasn't literally inconceivable; we actually put it on business plans and investor pitch decks and everything.”
Evernote has been undergoing a social makeover recently, adding Facebook and Twitter sharing capabilities to its web, Mac, Windows and Android apps. The startup most recently updated its Chrome browser extension with improved article clipping technology.
More About: evernote, startup
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Halo 4 Is Coming: Here’s the Trailer [VIDEO]
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:16 PM PDT
Microsoft saved the best for last at its E3 press conference, confirming that Halo 4 is in development by unveiling the first teaser trailer for the game.
The minute-long trailer starts with a view of the nervous system and mind of Master Chief, the franchise’s star character, who quickly bursts out of a pod and jumps directly into space combat.
Halo 4 will hit store shelves sometime during holiday 2012. The franchise, which is now in its tenth year, is also debuting a remastered version of the original game, complete with updated graphics, reworked levels and new multiplayer options.
Check out the teaser for Halo 4 and let us know in the comments what you think of it.
[Video via WinRumors]
More About: halo, Halo 4, microsoft, xbox, Xbox 360
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iTunes To Finally Get Wireless Syncing With iOS 5
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:06 PM PDT
At the WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple announced that users can now sync and backup their iOS devices wirelessly.
Apple has been promising some sort of wireless PC-free syncing solution for quite some time, but the company has now officially confirmed that the new feature will be introduced with iOS 5.
In iOS 5, the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch will automatically find iTunes on a Wi-Fi network and automatically sync and backup apps, contacts and media. This is similar to what Google does with its Android OS, with the exception, of course, that Apple still has an actual program that users can use to monitor backups and programs.
Apple also announced that users who want to be completely PC free can perform cloud backups to the new iCloud service.
Image courtesy of thisismynext.com
More About: apple, iOS 5, itunes, wifi
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HOW TO: Optimize Text Ads for Search
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:00 PM PDT
The Future of Search Series is supported by SES San Francisco Conference & Expo, the leading search, social and display conference. From August 15-19, get five days of education, inspiration and conversations with marketing experts across the digital space. Save 20% with the code MASH20.
Text ads aren’t sexy. They look bland, aren’t colorful and often read like they’re being shouted by annoying salespeople. But the simple fact is that many businesses use them to drive site traffic and sales.
We spoke with Michael Gold, search engine optimization specialist and co-founder of Midtown SEO, about how marketers can optimize their text ads to make them more appealing to search engine users. Check out his tips below.
Use Groups of Related Keywords
There are a number of best practices when setting up your search campaigns, and you can use tools, such as the Google AdWords Keyword Tool, to research and choose the best keywords.
When you’ve settled on your set of keywords, create advertisements that focus on each group of related keywords. “A unique advertisement should be written for each group of closely related keywords,” Gold advises. “Those keywords that match text in the advertisement will be displayed in bold, hopefully catching the search engine users' attention.”
In the Neiman Marcus and Forever 21 ads above, the user searched for keywords “Stuart Weitzman Sandals” and “Discount Fashion,” respectively. The two retailers included these keywords in their ads, so those words are highlighted, drawing a bit more attention to them.
Create a Clear Offer
“The text in the ad should create a clear offer,” says Gold. “The search engine user should know what to expect once they click on the link. Some examples of appealing offers are a free report, a free trial, a way to request information or a way to buy a retail product.”
When showcasing a specific offer, make sure you choose an appropriate destination URL, so that the user lands on a page that describes the same details. If a particular offer, pricing plan or special is outlined in your ad, make sure that information is visible on the landing page. If users do not immediately find what they are looking for, they may leave your website out of confusion.
In the example above, search engine users are offered “40% off organic granola” by advertiser Wai Lana Yoga. Once interested users click through to the website, they immediately find an offer for 40% off Wai Lana’s Little Yogis Granola. The offer is clearly communicated in the ad, and the landing page also communicates the same deal.
Communicate an Urgent Call-to-Action
“The offer should include a call-to-action that creates a sense of urgency by using scarcity or an expiration date,” says Gold. “People are more likely to react if there is a deadline.”
The EyeBuyDirect.com ad above communicates a clear call-to-action (“Buy 1 Get 1 Free”) and reads that the sale is a limited-time offer. In the other example above, Nick’s Towing Service takes an urgent situation (the need to have a car towed) and makes contacting the company easy, noting that operators are available at all hours of the day.
Focus on a Purchase-Ready Audience
“The text and tone of the ad should focus on people who are already considering the offer or are ready to buy, not people who are doing general research or are already loyal customers,” says Gold. “This will help to cut down on paid clicks from search engine users who probably aren't interested in responding to the advertisement.”
In the Ray-Ban ad above, a simple deal on free shipping for orders over $125 is offered to push potential consumers to click and buy. This sort of offer would probably be appealing to a search engine user already on the brink of purchasing, but it may not appeal to someone at the early stages of research.
Consult with Your Social Media Team
With Twitter’s character limit and the short attention spans of Internet users, social media marketers are well-versed in conveying their messages in short form. Gold recommends that search marketers consult with their company’s social media team to get a feel for which messaging types and specific phrases appeal to their audience.
“We usually get input on the search engine ad text from the people who handle social media for our clients, because they already know the short-form text content that resonates well with the target audience,” explains Gold.
Consulting with these short-form masters is just one more way to make your text ads more appropriate for your target audience.
Conduct Split Tests
“Experiment with multiple copies of an ad to see which gets the best results,” advises Gold. After testing a few ads, choose the one that performs best and run with it.
In the example above, L.L.Bean is currently split-testing two ads for the search term “hiking boots.”
Your Tips
The above tips provide a guide on how to optimize text ads for search. For all of the search engine marketers in the audience, please let us know which tips you’d add to the list in the comments below.
Series Supported by SES San Francisco Conference & Expo
The Future of Search Series is supported by SES San Francisco Conference & Expo. Join more than 6,000 marketers August 15-19 at the Moscone Center for five days of education, inspiration and conversations with the most important voices online. Learn about the industry’s most pressing developments — everything from Google Panda to YouTube LIVE — and every essential topic, including email, display, mobile, search, social media, video and more. Register with “MASH20″ to save 20%. Join the discussion: #SESSF.
More Search Resources from Mashable:
- How Semantic Search Is Redefining Traditional & Social Media
- The Future of Social Search
- How Google & Bing Keep Spam Out of Search
- HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Advanced Social Media Search
- 4 Winning Strategies for Social Media Optimization
Image courtesy of Flickr, Bourn Design & iStockphoto, hidesy
More About: Adwords, digital marketing, Future of Search Series, google adwords, MARKETING, online marketing, Search, search marketing, text ads
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Blackbird Blackbird’s Latest Music Video May Remind You of Your Last Relationship
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:53 AM PDT
Each Monday, Mashable highlights an exclusive new video or song. Check out all our Music Monday picks.
“Pure” is a new video from experimental electro/psych-pop band Blackbird Blackbird and director Eli Stonberg featuring love, loss and skateboarding.
Founded in San Francisco by Mikey Maramag, Blackbird Blackbird is a rather prolific band that largely flies below the radar (pun intended). Still, the band has managed to capture the ear of outlets like The Hype Machine, Pitchfork, and The Fader.
Stonberg is a similarly talented, yet still-to-be-widely-discovered director. Although he also worked with the likes of Passion Pit and Nada Surf, he is perhaps best known for the interactive coloring book video that he made for the band Au Revoir Simone’s song, “Knight of Wands,” which was a finalist for the MTV OMA for “Most Innovative Music Video.”
The song, “Pure,” comes off of Blackbird Blackbird’s EP Let’s Move On Together (the band currently has two, full-length albums).
“Pure is a song inspired by my girlfriend at the time,” says Maramag. “It’s a song about taking a leap of faith into uncharted territories or unknown pleasures. It is also inspired by the fear of falling in love and the heartache of leaving a loved one or relationship due to unexpected obstacles in life.”
Although “Pure” already has a music video, Stonberg was taken with the song, so he reached out to Maramag to execute his own spin on the visuals — a multi-shot vid of a skateboarder tooling around in the rain.
“I wanted to create an anatomical study of a skateboarder’s motions,” says Stonberg. “When a skater attempts a trick, we usually think of their front foot doing most of the work. It slides and kicks violently to make the board spin or ollie. I was interested in what the other body parts were doing at that same moment.”
Maramag found the idea to be the perfect complement to his song about the chaotic nature of relationships. “In addition to the feeling of floating that the song gives the listener, the clips that Eli organized flow together in a complex but nonetheless visually connected sequence,” he says. “This is kind of how I imagined ‘pure’ to be: chaotic and directionless but simultaneously sequential and balanced.”
Sound like a pretty apt metaphor for love.
More About: blackbird-blackbird, eli-stonberg, music, music monday, video
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Apple’s iMessage Is Like BBM for iOS
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:41 AM PDT
Imagine being able to seamlessly message friends from any of your devices. That will be a reality with the launch of iMessage for iOS 5.
It’s like BlackBerry Messenger for iOS. iMessage will let users communicate easily between iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. This service will include text messages, photos, videos, contacts and group messaging, with intriguing new features like the ability to show delivery receipts, read receipts (shown in-line) and indicate when another person is typing. In many ways, the service is similar to iChat.
iMessage will be supported via 3G and Wi-Fi, and conversations will be synced across all of your iOS devices, so you can pick up a conversation started on your iPhone on your iPad. The service will also support iOS 5′s new push notification system, whereby texts will no longer interrupt your games or other running apps; they’ll appear unobtrusively at the top of the screen. You can swipe from the top for more details and tap the notification to go to the app.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, subjug
More About: imessage, ipad, iphone, iPod Touch, WWDC 2011
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Deep Twitter Integration Coming to iOS 5
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:25 AM PDT
Apple will be deeply integrating Twitter across iOS 5, the next major version of its OS for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Twitter integration was one of the rumored announcements leading up to WWDC, and Apple has delivered.
Users can associate a Twitter account in the iOS settings and other apps will automatically gain access to Twitter integration using the app, which means users no longer have to log in or manually add an account each time. Moreover, apps like Mail, Contacts, YouTube and Camera will all have extensive levels of Twitter integration.
Users will be able to send tweets directly from the Camera app or photo album (using Twitter’s new native photo uploading features), as well as within the YouTube app. Additionally, users can grab photographs for their contacts if the person has an associated Twitter account.
The fact that this is built-in at an OS level also means that it will make things easier for developers who want to build deeper Twitter integration into their app experiences.
Image courtesy of This is My Next
More About: apple, iOS, iOS 5, twitter
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iOS by the Numbers: 200M Devices, 25M iPads & 14B App Downloads
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:17 AM PDT
Apple has sold 25 million iPads in the first 14 months after its release, Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS software for Apple, revealed at the WWDC keynote.
Forstall revealed a slew of additional metrics to highlight the success of Apple devices, iOS, iBooks and iTunes. Altogether, Apple has sold more than 200 million iOS devices, which Forstall said makes the company’s mobile operating system number one ahead of Android and RIM with more than 44% of the market.
Here are some additional stats Forstall discussed:
* Users have downloaded more than 15 billion songs from iTunes.
* Users have downloaded/purchased more than 130 million books from iBooks.
* There are now more than 425,000 iOS apps; 90,000 of them are specifically for the iPad.
* Users have downloaded more than 14 billion iOS apps.
* Apple has paid out more than $2.5 billion to iOS developers.
* There are now 225 million people with iTunes accounts.
* There are 50 million Game Center users.
Image courtesy of This is my next
More About: apple, Apple iPad, apps, iOS, ipad, WWDC 2011
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Xbox Live Getting Live TV, YouTube & Bing Voice Search
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:16 AM PDT
Microsoft has unveiled a redesigned version of Xbox Live — one that includes more voice commands, YouTube integration and live television.
At its annual E3 press conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft demonstrated the simplified UI, which can be navigated almost entirely through voice commands that will allow for searching through games and accessing online content.
Search on Xbox Live is now powered by Bing. Rather than typing in queries through the controller, Microsoft has opted for voice search. Bing Voice Search lets users flip through movie and game libraries. It doesn’t yet include full web search.
Microsoft also announced that it has finally integrated YouTube into Xbox Live, making it possible to view videos from the world’s largest video website. Microsoft already has Hulu Plus and Netflix on Xbox Live.
The biggest announcement though is the inclusion of live TV on Xbox Live. Thanks to Microsoft partners such as SKY in the UK, Xbox Live now live streams video content. One of Microsoft’s first partners is Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which was announced on stage by UFC President Dana White.
The new Xbox Live is scheduled to debut sometime in late summer or early fall. Stay tuned to Mashable for photos and videos from Microsoft’s press conference and E3.
More About: kinect, microsoft, xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Kinect, XBox live, youtube
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Mac OS X Lion Coming This July for $29
Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:03 AM PDT
During Monday’s WWDC keynote, Apple officially unveiled Mac OS X Lion. The next major version of Mac OS X will be out in July as a Mac App Store exclusive for just $29.99.
As we’ve noted in our past previews, Mac OS X Lion will bring many of the best elements of iOS to the Mac.
Some of the highlights of Mac OS X Lion include:
* Multitouch gestures
* Full screen applications
* Mission Control
* Auto Save and Versioning
* Launchpad
* Auto Resume of apps
* Mac App Store — now with in-app purchase
* AirDrop – P2P Wi-Fi networks
* Newly designed Apple Mail
* Better Search
Apple is clearly pricing Mac OS X in such a way that most users will probably upgrade. Rather than selling the OS in stores, it will only be available in the Mac App Store. The 4 GB download might be excessive for some, but having installed every past version of the Lion Developer Preview, I can say it isn’t terrible. Moreover, this ensures that users can install Mac OS X Lion on every Mac they own without having to buy another license.
Mac OS X Server will now be an in-app purchase rather than a separate version.
An updated developer preview will become available later today. Will you upgrade to Mac OS X Lion? Let us know in the comments.
More About: apple, mac, mac os x lion, WWDC 2011
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