Selasa, 13 Juli 2010

Mashable: Latest 26 News Updates - including “NASA and Microsoft Let You Explore Mars Like Never Before”

Mashable: Latest 26 News Updates - including “NASA and Microsoft Let You Explore Mars Like Never Before”

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NASA and Microsoft Let You Explore Mars Like Never Before

Posted: 13 Jul 2010 01:30 AM PDT


Microsoft Research and NASA have teamed up once again and brought the “most complete, highest-resolution coverage of Mars available” to WorldWide Telescope, Microsoft’s app which lets you explore space either through a zoom-and-pan interface or guided tours.

This imagery is the handiwork of a group informally called the Mapmakers, led by NASA’s Michael Broxton. Their job is to take satellite images from Mars and elsewhere in our solar system, and turn them into maps.

Yes, it sounds like every geek’s dream job, and having a name that sounds like something from a William Gibson novel doesn’t hurt, either. Director of Microsoft Research's Earth Dan Fay has worked with Broxton to turn these images and maps into an immersive new experience for the Worldwide Telescope.

"NASA had the images and they were open to new ways to share them. Through the WorldWide Telescope we were able to build a user interface at WWT|Mars that would allow people to take advantage of the great content they had," said Fay.

As far as what kind of imagery you can expect here, one example is a new dataset from the University of Arizona's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), which is a remote-sensing camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. These images are taken in an incredibly high resolution – each image is a gigapixel in size – and the team took all 13,000 HiRISE images and stitched them onto one map. This map, says NASA, is the “highest-resolution map of Mars' surface ever constructed.”

WorldWide Telescope is available as a desktop application or a web client (which requires Microsoft Silverlight) over at www.worldwidetelescope.org.

More About: Mars, microsoft, NASA

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Keep Track of Business Contacts Anywhere on the Web

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 10:40 PM PDT


Mashable's Spark of Genius series highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, see details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.

Name: Noteleaf

Quick Pitch: Noteleaf helps you remember the people you meet. Easily take notes about people and keep in touch using follow-up reminders.

Genius Idea: When Noteleaf’s creators first moved to the Bay Area several months ago, they were delighted to meet so many interesting new people they wanted to keep in touch with — but they didn’t have a convenient way of remembering who they were and how best to follow up. And so they created Noteleaf, a simple service designed to help users keep track of the people they meet and to organize follow-ups.

Currently Noteleaf exists as a web app and bookmarklet. You can add the bookmarklet to your toolbar to create new profile entries and add notes to existing ones as you come across important information on Google Apps, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or elsewhere. You can also create follow-up reminders via Noteleaf’s integration with Google Calendar.

The service launched in Beta just this week, and still needs several key features to be truly serviceable. While you can pull in your contacts from Facebook to Noteleaf, for instance, it does not currently offer the same support for some other obvious players, like Gmail, Twitter and LinkedIn. Even more critically, Noteleaf has not yet released any mobile apps, although the company plans to launch a mobile-friendly version of its site at the end of the week. Once they have a working iPhone app, I intend to take advantage of the service.

Noteleaf plans to stay completely free during its Beta period and will eventually offer premium upgrade subscriptions for entrepreneurs and professionals who need to organize follow-up reminders with their team.

What do you think of Noteleaf? How do you keep track of your business contacts and organize successful follow-ups?

[img credit: Senator Mark Warner]

Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark

BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

Reviews: Facebook, Gmail, Google Calendar, LinkedIn, Twitter

More About: bizspark, noteleaf, small business, spark-of-genius

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Google Researchers Exploring Social Networking, Possibly for Google Me?

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 09:34 PM PDT


Adding more fuel to the wildfire of rumors about a possible Google social network, one Google staffer has posted a huge slide deck of research findings on social networking problems and solutions.

Social networking is a complex, fascinating puzzle that we’re just beginning to solve. Technologists as a group are making great strides in user adoption and functionality, but we’re still missing some important elements that would allow our online lives to better emulate our real-world experiences.

In a killer 216-slides-with-footnotes presentation posted on SlideShare, Google UX researcher Paul Adams laid out the full gamut of challenges for today’s web designers. It’s a topic of great importance for every product designer, interface designer, web startup and social media consultant struggling with social groups in the online space.

The Social Web of the Web

Social media is here to stay, and it’s becoming an integral, irrevokable part of the Internet. Our identities and our friendships are creating connections with content; never before has the term “web” been more appropriate. Yet with all these linked synapses firing away, our “web” is looking a lot more muddled and a lot less systematic than the average engineer might like.

For example, as the Adams points out, “People don’t have one group of friends.” We’ve got work friends, neighborhood friends, family friends, hobby friends, school friends — and although filters and lists attempt to make better sense of these disparate groups, we haven’t quite mastered the art of correlating our online and offline social lives.

For example, in the real world, the people Google’s researchers have interviewed have tended to have between four and six distinct social groups of 2-10 friends each — that adds up to between eight and sixty real-world friends per person, and most of us meet on a weekly basis with around 10 people with whom we have close ties. Trying to mix these groups together in real life doesn’t generally go so well (imagine, if you will, the last awkward birthday party, wedding, or band show you attended, and you’ll get the idea).

But in our online lives, we constantly combine our conversations with multiple groups of friends. Our party conversations have to use the same space as our family conversations and our school or work conversations, and it can be just as awkward as the misfits table at a big wedding.

Adams went so far as to state that we can’t even call all of our online connections “friends” with any verisimilitude to real life, given that most of his team’s interviewees didn’t use that term for most of their real-world connections. In other words, not all the names in our mental or digital Rolodex are equal.

In its current state, the social web is a bit busted in this regard. We censor ourselves, fearing professional and personal recrimination for “oversharing,” and we make ourselves digital hermits to avoid those we’re not close to or with whom we don’t want to communicate.

Laying the Foundations for a Social Network?

So, how do you design a social application for different groups of connections with different degrees of closeness to the user? How do you design in a way that helps people maintain close ties with their true friends without making them overshare to more casual connections, including professional contacts? How do you help your users maintain vibrant digital tribes — even nomadic ones — that still remain somewhat segregated from one another?

These fascinating questions are several others are explored in the deck below. Its 216 slides are well worth the read; peruse, ponder, and let us know your opinions, conclusions, and conjectures in the comments section.

Do you think this is a sign that a Google Me social network is coming soon? What do you think of Google’s conclusions? Let us know in the comments.

The Real Life Social Network v2

Reviews: Google, Internet

More About: Google, research, social app, social media, social networking

For more Dev & Design coverage:

Microsoft Launches Outlook Facebook Integration [Exclusive]

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 09:02 PM PDT


Microsoft is announcing today that it has integrated Facebook and Windows Live Messenger into Outlook, bringing the streams of millions of Facebook users into inboxes across the world.

Last year, Microsoft launched Outlook Social Connector, a plugin that syncs social networking feeds with your Outlook contacts, giving you immediate data on what they are doing and thinking. It started last year with LinkedIn integration, but soon the company announced MySpace and Facebook were coming.

Today, Outlook completes the cycle with not only Facebook integration, but support for Windows Live Messenger as well. Not only that, but the company is releasing the plugin for Outlook 2003 and 2007 users as well, bringing Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Windows Live Messenger to millions of business and personal inboxes worldwide.

Last week, we got a sneak peek at the new Outlook at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Here’s what you can expect from the new Facebook integration, as well some features that you can expect in the near future:

Facebook + Outlook = Realtime Contact Data

Facebook and Microsoft worked together to get the launch of Facebook’s integration in Outlook Social Connector right. Facebook’s Strategic Partner Manager Rick Armbrust told us that they worked closely with the Office team to make the experience more social. One of the things he immediately highlighted was the pulling of Facebook profile pictures into Outlook.

The entire experience is a step above the Outlook-LinkedIn integration, which itself was pretty strong. Not only does it pull Facebook profile photos so that you can associate a name to a face, but it pulls the news feeds of your contacts into your inbox. When you’re looking at someone’s email, you’ll also get a glance at their status updates, picture uploads and wall posts, among other activities.

When you combine that with LinkedIn, MySpace, Windows Live Messenger, and Outlook data, you get a very detailed history of your interaction with your contacts, as well as an at-a-glance look at their activities and interests. Knowing that a potential client just returned from a trip to Hawaii can be all that you need to have the upper hand against your competition.

Microsoft Group Product Manager Paco Contreras told us that there’s another new feature to the Facebook integration: realtime updates. Thanks to a new update to the social connector platform, also being released today, updates from your contacts will automatically be pushed to your inbox. There’s no need to refresh anything: new Facebook status updates will pop up in realtime within Outlook.

The Facebook integration does have limitations, though: except for friend requests, Outlook can only pull data from Facebook. There is no “liking” posts or updating your status via Outlook, at least right now. Microsoft says that the next step is to provide a richer social experience by integrating the ability to push data to other social networks, improving the look and feel of Outlook Social Connector, and adding other social networks from other regions.

The Social Inbox

Microsoft has known for a while that social technologies are going to dominate the web. That was made evident by its $240 million stake in Facebook and its many partnerships and attempts at social media (some of which have bombed).

However, Outlook Social Connector has always felt like one of the company’s smarter social media plays. Facebook’s Rich Armbrust probably put it best:

“What’s unique is that it’s bringing social elements and context from Facebook form your colleagues and your friends into the Outlook experience, which is pretty unique given that there are so many that use Outlook as their primary communiction tool.”

Email isn’t inherently a “social” experience (it’s not a one-to-many platform), and attempts at integrating social into the inbox (think Google Buzz) have mostly fallen flat. However, social data can be incredibly useful in the business world, especially when you need to understand what your client or colleague is thinking or doing right now. While we’d still love to see Twitter integration in Outlook, Facebook is far larger and, in most cases, has far more useful information.

Microsoft’s also learned a few lessons from the privacy fiascos Facebook and Google have undergone in recent months. Outlook will only pull data from emails connected to Facebook accounts. If your business email isn’t linked to your Facebook, your data stream won’t appear in Outlook Social Connector. It gives users a choice, although most people do choose to add their work emails to Facebook in order to join their company’s Facebook network.

If you want to learn more about the announcement, Microsoft has also released a short video articulating Outlook’s new features:

Facebook Outlook Social Connector Announcement Video


Get Microsoft Silverlight

Reviews: Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger

More About: email, facebook, microsoft, microsoft outlook, Outlook, Outlook Social Connector, trending, Windows Live, windows live messenger

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This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

YouTube Crushes Hulu in Reader Poll

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 08:05 PM PDT


While there are many players in the online video space, there are two that stand tall above the rest: YouTube and Hulu.

Both video sites represent vastly different business models and philosophies. On the one hand, YouTube became the powerhouse it is today through user-generated content (though the site is now trying to bring in higher quality content and footage). Hulu, on the other hand, is banking on its ability to monetize premium content.

Last week for our weekly Web Faceoff series, we asked you, the readers, to choose whether you prefer YouTube or Hulu in the battle of UGC vs. premium content. In the end, though….

…YouTube emerged victorious! With 67% of the ballot box (726 votes), the Google-owned video service trumped Hulu, which was only able to muster 357 votes, or 33% of the tallies.

Tune in tomorrow, when we launch yet another edition of the Web Faceoff!


Reviews: Google, Hulu, YouTube

More About: hulu, ONLINE VIDEO, video, web faceoff, youtube

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Domino’s UK Social Media Initiatives Help Increase Profits by 29%

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 06:54 PM PDT


According to Domino’s UK financial earnings report, the company has increased its pre-tax profit by nearly 29%, which equates to roughly $26 million. The UK pizza retailer attributes social media initiatives and its Foursquare promotion for the gains.

In the earnings statement, CEO Chris Moore points to the rise in online orders — which now account for 32.7% of all orders — as proof that their web and social media efforts are paying off.

Moore reports that when it comes to the web, “Our main Facebook site now has in excess of 36,000 fans … In addition, we have led the way with social media initiatives such as affiliate marketing, our superfans programme and the development of a link up with Foursquare.”

Moore concludes that, “all of these web-based activities offer a dual benefit of driving pizza sales online and building customer loyalty.”

You may recall that the Foursquare promotion rewards mayors of UK stores with free pizza; other patrons who check-in receive a free side dish. The promotion was initially piloted in select locations but later rolled out nationwide after the program proved to successful.

Though we don’t know exactly how prominent Foursquare factored in to Domino’s UK financial gains, we do think its encouraging that company executives are acknowledging the value of social media in helping improve the bottom line. When coupled with the fact that Starbuck’s used social media to get one million customers to stores in one day, the sales potential of social media is proving to be ever more tangible.

[via Marketing Magazine]

More About: Domino's, foursquare, MARKETING, social media

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YouTube and Blu-ray Are Going 3D on the PlayStation 3

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 05:41 PM PDT


According to a presentation made by European Sony executive Mike Hawking, 3D Blu-ray support will be added to the PlayStation 3 in a firmware upgrade this September, and support for 3D YouTube will come within the next 12 months. You’ll eventually be able to use the console to show off photos taken with 3D cameras, too.

CVG quoted Hawking saying that the PS3 already has all the hardware it needs to handle 3D games and videos thanks to its compatibility with the HDMI 1.4 connection. The console can detect the size and 3D hardware in any TV it’s connected to, so it can be adapted to support most new 3D technologies with simple software or firmware updates.

Rival Microsoft hasn’t announced any plans to go 3D with the rival Xbox 360 console, but the hand-held Nintendo 3DS has a screen that shows 3D images without requiring the player to wear special glasses.

Market researchers believe that plenty of 3D TVs will show up in consumers’ living rooms over the next few years, so Sony might be making a smart move by getting in to the game ahead of its competitors.

Sony already updated the console with support for 3D games, but there are only a few on the market currently.

[via Joystiq]

More About: 3D, blu-ray, firmware, playstation 3, PS3, software update, sony

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25+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 05:05 PM PDT

social_media_events_guide1

It’s Monday, which means it’s time for Mashable's guide to upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences. For more upcoming event listings, check out Mashable’s Events section.

This summer, don’t forget to check out the Mashable U.S. Summer Tour that’s making stops at:

Seattle – July 10th
San Francisco – July 14th
Washington D.C – August 5th
New York – August 9th
Chicago – August 11th

Would you like to have your conference or event listed here? If so, please contact us at least one month before your event to establish a media partnership.

Here are some tips on how to network, share your information and/or promote your event using 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.

July 12, 2010, Washington, D.C.: Online Marketing Summit (OMS) is coming to D.C. with all new B2B and B2C case studies and social media integration tracks, unparalleled networking opportunities and an exclusive “Social Media and Content Marketing Workshop and Breakfast," brought to you by the Online Marketing Institute and Wharton Interactive Media Initiative. Learn search, social media and integrated marketing from the leading experts at Kodak, ExactTarget and HubSpot. Register now with promo code MASH20 for 20% off.

July 12-13 & 15-16, 2010, Singapore and Hong Kong: Join us at this Media Relations conference. This two-day event will see leading PR practioners gather to share more about the integration of social media and traditional media. PR professionals can look forward to discussing strategies that help you achieve your communication objectives and enhance your media relations and positive coverage. Learn how top B2B and B2C companies integrate new media tools for a well-rounded approach. Register today. Save 10% when you enter Mashable under “Additional Info.”

July 12-13, San Francisco, CA: MobileBeat 2010, VentureBeat's third annual executive conference on the future of mobile, has expanded this year to a new two-day format. The theme: The Year of The Superphone and Who Will Profit. We’re assembling the major players in the industry to discuss, debate and explore who’ll win in the midst of the superphone revolution and why. Join 500 mobile industry leaders — from the major U.S. and international carriers, to the top device makers, developers, startups, marketers and investors — for two packed days of exciting content, breakaway sessions, power networking and deal-making. For all events details, click here. Register with promo code VB_Mashable and save 15%.

July 12-15, 2010, Washington, D.C.: Attend the Advanced Learning Institute's 19th Forum on Social Media for Government: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results, to learn how to incorporate social media into your communications and marketing plans and leverage the latest interactive Web 2.0 tools and techniques to advance your organizational goals. Hear practical advice, firsthand, from leading organizations such as: Army Corps of Engineers; National Wildlife Federation; USDA; City of Raleigh, NC; University of Georgia Libraries; CDC; U.S. Department of Defense; U.S. Navy; Social Security Administration; U.S. General Services Administration; Transportation Security Administration; and more. Mention Mashable when registering to save $200.

July 13, 2010, London, UK: This senior level forum offers SVPs, VPs, Directors & Heads of eCommerce, Online, Marketing, Digital and Customer Experience the opportunity to discuss strategies, solutions and best practice for enhancing the customer experience and delivering competitive differentiation by effectively managing and integration online, social and mobile channels. Offering a unique mix of keynote briefings, interactive discussions and one-to-one meetings Customer Experience Online will provide you with a unique opportunity to propel your online initiatives to success and position yourself at the forefront of the industry. Spaces are limited and by invitation only, click here to find out if you qualify. When booking your place, please use discount code MASH_BAN for a 10% discount.

July 14, 2010 London, UK: Just what does all this chatter mean and how do you use it to further steer your comms? To manage brand perception? To measure success? And how do you build on success? Strengthen customer relationships? React to negative sentiment? Well, we’ve persuaded a whole raft of whizzes to tackle those issues and many more besides at IAB HQ in central London. There’ll be Pecha Kucha-style presentations aplenty, a heavyweight panel discussion, plus a networking and drinks session where the conversations can flow. Register today for £10 off the full price of £95 at http://www.brand-e.biz/buzzmashable.html

July 14, 2010, New York, NY: Internet Is People (IIP) is a bi-monthly panel series, in partnership with Pace University, that focuses on the people who have found personal and professional success by using the Internet to bring their product, service or cause to the masses. Our first panel topic is “Women In Entrepreneurship” and includes Lindsay Ronga, CEO of Cork'd, Alexa Van Tobel, Founder and CEO of LearnVest, Melanie Notkin, CEO and Founder of SavvyAuntie and Christine Lemke, COO and Co-Founder of Sense Networks. The event will take place on July 14th at starting 6pm at the 92Y Tribeca at 200 Hudson Street in New York, NY. A networking hour will proceed the panel which will start at 7pm and be moderated by Kate Miltner. Tickets are $12 and are available at http://bit.ly/internetisppl1. All proceeds go to supporting 92Y

July 19-20, 2010, Marina del Rey, CA: BlueGlass LA, the widely anticipated follow-on conference to the Search & Social Spring Summit, is brought to you by an industry first: a special collaboration between firms Search & Social and 10e20, online marketing industry leaders. The speaker lineup includes leading technologists and entrepreneurs like Ben Huh from ICanHasCheezburger, Neil Patel from KissMetrics, Dave McClure from FF Angel and Brent Csutoras, social media expert whose company was recently acquired by 10e20. These experts will huddle with attendees to personally help them brainstorm digital marketing opportunities. Save 15% with discount code: mashablebg.

July 19-23, 2010, Portland, OR: OSCON takes place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. In its 12th year, OSCON continues to be the premier meeting ground for everyone using open source. At OSCON, you’ll participate in hundreds of sessions covering open source languages and platforms, practical tutorials that go deep into technical skill and best practices, inspirational keynote presentations, an Expo Hall featuring dozens of the latest projects and products, fun networking events and activities and the best “hallway track” around. No matter the economic climate, a strong technology foundation is the key for moving your business and projects forward. In just five information-packed days (and nights) OSCON gives you the tools you need to succeed. Join over 2,500 people passionate about open source and register now and save 15%. Use discount code os10mash when registering at: http://www.oscon.com/oscon2010.

July 20, 2010, New York, NY: Word of Mouth Supergenius is where you’ll learn to be a fantastic word of mouth marketer with 12 how-to classes, 12 real-world case studies and six brilliant authors. You’ll learn practical, hands-on techniques to get started, grow your program and earn amazing word of mouth. Save $75 off registration by using the code ILoveMashableWOM.

July 21, 2010, New York, NY: Social Convergence & The Enterprise: Case Studies & Roundtables. The conference will demonstrate how leading consumer and B2B brands are embracing social media and networking across the enterprise. The case studies will be followed by moderated interactive roundtables. Use promo code MASH for a discounted rate of $155.

July 21, 2010, Toronto, Ontario: Building on the success of a sold-out NYC event, Cross Media Toronto will bring together leaders from all key media industries to discuss, demonstrate and debate cross media integration and partnerships. This is not your ordinary listen-to-talking-heads gabfest. One jam-packed panel with five executives from key sectors that will act as the bridge between four technology demos and two cross-media case studies, as well as what's sure to be a heated debate on a pressing current issue. The event will move quickly with some company introductions from the floor allowing everyone to know who is there and what they do. We want something big to come out of this. Mashable readers save 15% off using the discount code MASH2010.

July 21-23, 2010, Sydney, Australia: KM & Collaboration Australia will feature renowned and respected international keynote presenters and Australian industry practitioners who will explore prospects and challenges in networking and collaboration, social media and Web 2.0, sustainability and profitability, and will outline and explain best practice tools, techniques and advancements in these critical areas. The event will provide you with useful, practical and timely lessons that you'll be able to implement within your organization as soon as you return to the office! Save 15% when using code KMAusMash at http://www.kmaustralia.com/registration.htm.

July 22, 2010, London, UK: Brightlemon Drupal Training – Introducing Drupal (London): This Drupal course quickly gets you up to speed with building dynamic database-driven websites with Drupal. It begins with a basic introduction into the main concepts behind Content Management Systems (CMS) and the types of websites they are meant to help create. A running theme throughout the course is to illustrate how one can map general requirements to specific Drupal concepts. Buy tickets here.

July 23, 2010, London, UK: Brightlemon Drupal Training – Advanced Drupal (London): This Drupal training course gives you a head-start and walks you through all the methods used in more advanced dynamic websites. Create complex content types, sophisticated displays of content and its filtering, advanced community features. Learn how to handle multiple types of media from audio podcast to video and present content with attractive effects. Buy tickets here.

July 26-28, 2010 Chicago, IL: Celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the eduWeb Conference, a premier annual event for higher education. We have 4 tracks, 46 presentations, 4 pre-conference workshops, 2 receptions and a dynamite program. Professionals in marketing, PR, alumni, admissions, advancement, student affairs, IT, athletics and other HE departments attend eduWeb to learn how to strategically communicate through their online presence. Register now and save an additional $50; use discount code: 10eduWebMash.

July 27, 2010, New York, NY: The Future of Jewish Nonprofit Summit (#FOJNP) gathers handpicked professionals, volunteers and lay leaders to candidly interact in a laid back setting to unlock the full value of moving this vital industry forward. Some of the most respected nonprofit professionals, social media experts, marketers and online fundraisers are coming together to share their best practices, ideas and case studies. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit http://www.fojnp.com for complete details. Use registration code mashable for 15% off.

July 28-29, 2010, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Asian Bloggers and Social Media Conference 2010 will bring together top prominent speakers from the Asia region to introduce and educate individuals and business on how to adopt and effectively take advantage of social media. The event will also introduce the concepts and tools of social media and how they can assists individuals and business to gain profit. Keynote address will be delivered by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, a visionary global leader and blogger of our time. Just to name a few of the notable guest speakers are Dato' Sri Tony Fernandes (CEO of Air Asia), Thomas Crampton (Asia Pacific Director, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide) and Paul Moss (General Manager of Alt Media). For a 10% discount, please use the code ABSM-MAS at registration.

July 29, 2010, Atlanta, GA: There’s nothing quite like a college campus to spark the learning juices, especially if there’s no final to pass. That’s why Communitelligence is taking the ESSENTIAL SOCIAL MEDIA SKILLS PRACTICUM to some of the world’s best universities, starting at Georgia Tech. It will be an intense day of challenging interactive discussions, illustrative case studies and hands-on tutorials (bring your laptop). You’ll leave armed with the knowledge, inspiration — and a social network — to help you start hitting some social media home runs for your organization. Register with promo code mashable10 to receive $100 off registration. Isn’t it time you went back to the CLASSROOM?

July 29, 2010, Santa Monica, CA: Back by popular demand, Schmoozd 3 is scheduled to make another go-around at the Wokcano. The last event had over 300 people from a variety of fields: entertainment, tech, medical, marketing, venture capitalists, the press and many more. Schmoozd is an exclusive social mixer bringing together professionals in marketing, advertising, technology, social media and startups. The event is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, relationship building and deal making. For more information, please visit www.schmoozd.com. Mashable readers get 50% off when registering via this link.

July 29-30, Philadelphia, PA: For nine years, Supernova has anticipated the major business, technology and policy trends of the Network Age. Supernova Forum 2010: Perestroika will combine the best aspects of executive, academic and participant-organized conferences. Produced with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, it features compelling innovators, leaders, intellectuals and policymakers in a dynamic networking environment. Hear Beth Noveck (U.S. Deputy CTO), David Cohen (Comcast), Jeff Jarvis (BuzzMachine), Danah Boyd (Microsoft Research), John Borthwick (Betaworks), faculty from the world's top business school, and other thought leaders. Save 25% with discount code mash10 at http://www.supernovahub.com

August 2 – 3 & 5 – 6, 2010, Singapore & Hong Kong: The Mobile Marketing with Social Media Conference is a 2-day conference that will provide you with the latest trends, strategies and techniques for engaging new-age customers through mobile and social media (SM). Be updated with the mobile adoption pattern in Asia. Hear how global brands such as Starbucks, Microsoft, Lufthansa, Adidas, Virgin, Air Asia, Swire, Hong Kong International Airport etc. developed holistic marketing approaches. Understand how location based advertising allows greater engagement. Discover measurement analytics and tools to help quantify the performance of your mobile SM campaigns. Register today and save 10% when you enter the code Mashable under' Additional Info'.

August 3, 2010, Mountain View, CA: See Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com, speak at the The Founder Showcase. This quarterly startup pitch and networking event brings together over 275 investors, founders, and members of the press in Silicon Valley to hear talks from leading CEOs and pitches from 10 hot technology startups. Over $1MM has been raised by presenting companies at previous Founder Showcase events. Tickets start at just $40 — to register or enter the free Pitch Competition, go to foundershowcase.com. Mashable readers get 15% off by using discount code mashable_15.

August 5, 2010, New York, NY: Web Design for Startups. Web design is one of the most important determinants of a startup’s success. A well-designed website increases user engagement, virality and conversions. A poorly designed site can turn off prospective users and leave a lasting negative impression. This event will provide an overview of the essential web design skills (interactive design, information architecture, usability testing, graphic/visual design, logo/identity design, etc.) and show you how to find and hire cost-effective designers to make your application usable and keep people coming back. Mashable readers can receive 25% off registration with promo code mashable.

August 10-11, 2010, Rosemont, IL: The InterACT! Conference is a two-day event focusing on how video, print, social, web, e-mail and mobile work together interactively to drive your business. Join your fellow marketers and brand managers at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare for this unique two-day program featuring experts, in-depth case studies and hands-on teaching labs for a roll-up-your-sleeves conference that will change your business. Learn more and register now. Please use the discount code Interact_Mashable to receive $100 off the standard package.

August 11-13, 2010, Washington, D.C.: Whether you’re a researcher, a system administrator, or a policy wonk, come to USENIX Security ‘10 to find out how changes in computer security are going to affect you. The 3-day program includes an innovative technical program, starting with a keynote address by Roger G. Johnston of the Vulnerability Assessment Team at Argonne National Laboratory; invited talks, including “Toward an Open and Secure Platform for Using the Web,” by Will Drewry, Google; a refereed papers track, including 30 papers presenting the newest advances; and a Poster session displaying the latest preliminary research. Gain valuable knowledge on a variety of subject areas, including detection of network attacks, privacy, Internet security, Web security and more. Learn more at http://www.usenix.org/sec10/mash. Receive $100 discount by entering SEC10MASH upon registration.

August 13, 2010, Nashville, TN: At Big South Social Media Summit, come listen to some of the most forward-thinking business giants from companies like Southwest, SAP, Comcast, Domino's as well as social media loving celebrities who will speak directly on how they drive ROI through social media. Speakers will share real-world success stories, pit falls and case studies to demonstrate the true value of social media. This summit will allow business leaders to finally understand how social media can propel their business and how to produce real results. More than the mechanics, this is a relatable summit that will open eyes to the power of social media in business. Get 15% off the ticket price by using the vacomash discount code.

August 13-15, 2010 – Boston, MA: The 6th Annual Second Life Community Convention 2010 brings Residents of the Second Life community together to network, build friendships and to discuss Second Life in a common forum. This year’s convention will be held at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers, with a new organizing committee at the helm. In addition to new programming and content, AvaCon, Inc. has also launched a new website at http://www.slconvention.org which has all the details for the convention. SLCC is the largest virtual world convention combining art, business, community events, education, music, non-profit and the technical aspects of Second Life, other virtual worlds and related technologies in one location. Register Now & save an additional 10% using the discount code Mashable2010 at http://slcc2010.eventbrite.com/?discount=Mashable2010.

August 15-17, 2010, New York, NY: Affiliate Summit East, the premier affiliate marketing conference, is taking place August 15-17, 2010 in New York City. This three day conference includes an exhibit hall with affiliate merchants, vendors and networks, as well as multiple tracks of educational sessions covering the latest trends and information from affiliate marketing experts. Use discount code mashable for 10% off any pass type.

August 16-17, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: Join us for the Restaurant & Hospitality Social Media Marketing Bootcamp. This event provides the practical knowledge and insights required by restaurant and hotel operators to establish objectives and strategies for your market, properly select the social media platforms to engage guests and monitor and measure the results of these efforts for a greater ROI. This event is presented by RestaurantWorx Consulting and Inside Hospitality. Use the Code “MASHABLE” (all caps) when registering and receive VIP pricing on “Day 1″ or “Day 1 & 2 Attendance” tickets. See complete event details on the event website at RestaurantSocialMedia.com.

August 16-20, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Discover the tools of engagement at this year's SES San Francisco. No longer just lecturing your customers, learn to listen and converse in a more social world. Our experts will show you how integrating search, social media and video in even basic ways will transform both your site’s visibility and profitability. Packed with sessions on PPC management, information architecture, social media, local search, mobile application development, video optimization and other advanced topics, we have created an educational and networking environment designed for both beginners and veterans in digital marketing. Register by July 30th and SAVE up to $554 with code MHNY15.

August 17-19, 2010, Seattle, WA: Taking place during Seattle Geek Week, pii2010 (privacy identity innovation) will explore how emerging technologies and business models are impacting the way data is created, shared and aggregated and how to strike a balance between protecting sensitive information and enabling innovation. The conference will also serve as the official launch pad for pii Labs, an open forum for brainstorming and collaborating that will be held at the Space Needle building. Tickets start at $345 and Mashable readers save 20% when they register with this Discount Code: 4MASH. Sign up today at http://www.pii2010.com!

August 19-21, Vancouver, BC Canada: GROW2010 Conference, Dealmaker Media's inaugural technology conference brings together leading entrepreneurs, influencers and investors from Silicon Valley and Canada to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship. The theme: Turning today’s entrepreneurs into tomorrow’s leaders. Join 400 industry executives for three days of networking, connecting, deal-making and outdoor adventure. Hear Zynga, Linkedin, Groupon, Zappos, SuperRewards, Mint and Get Satisfaction talk about founder passion, challenges and opportunities for building companies on the web. For all events details, click here.

August 26-27, 2010, Windsor, CT: This seminar will help financial services firms develop and implement a cohesive social media strategy that drives distribution and grows market share. Social media experts and trend-setting industry practitioners will review strategy elements and key information to 1) Uncover opportunities for enhancing sales and service 2) Identify hurdles to implementation 3) Reveal how companies are clearing those hurdles and 4) Provide concrete takeaways for crafting and implementing your firm's strategy. Register with promo code 100MASHDIS to receive a $100 discount until August 6, 2010.

August 26, 2010, Galway, Ireland: Attend BlogTalk 2010: the 7th International Conference on Social Software. Join developers, researchers, practitioners and others who share, analyze and enjoy the benefits of social software and social media. Keynote speakers including Stowe Boyd, Dan Gillmor and Don Thibeau will share insights and discuss future developments. There will also be a one-day workshop on microblogging as part of the event. The cost is €200 for early birds and €250 for regular registrants. Use the mashtalk promotional code when registering to save 10%. We will also have a medieval banquet, but space is limited so register early.

August 30-31 & September 2-3, 2010, Singapore & Hong Kong: Join us at the Integrated Marketing Communications in a Social Media Age Conference. Through a showcase of best practices from global brands, this two-day conference will equip marketers with strategies and insights to funnel core messages with conviction and consistency. Find out how you can capitalize on social media and integrate it seamlessly with offline channels to engage consumers and combat message dissonance. Register now and save 10% when you enter Mashable under "Additional info".

September 6–7 & 9-10, 2010, Singapore & Hong Kong: Join us at the Social Media Marketing & Measurement Workshop. Through hands-on exercises, interactive discussions and case studies analysis, expand your knowledge in Social Media (SM) Marketing strategy development and implementation techniques and pick up skills in measuring social media efforts in financial and non-financial terms. Marketers can look forward to hearing how to design and integrate social media with existing marketing platforms and how to measure and monitor social media campaigns using free and paid tools. Register today and save 10% when you enter the code Mashable under 'Additional Info'.

September 8-9, 2010, Minneapolis, MN: Event Camp Twin Cities is about inspiring event professionals to try new communication and collaboration paradigms at their events. Today's attendees are more educated, more experienced and have more information at their fingertips than ever before. Event Camp Twin Cities will show you new ways to harness this new attendee power and transform that energy into new ideas and solutions that change business. Come to Event Camp and discover the collaborative community of event professionals that are leading the events industry into the world of Social Media. Save 15% using discount code mashable.

September 13-14, 2010, San Francisco, CA: APPNATION is the first global conference and exposition to focus exclusively on the burgeoning consumer applications marketplace. The event will cover social and mobile apps across all devices and platforms including social media platforms, smartphones, tablets, internet-enabled televisions and other emerging connected devices. Speakers include Adobe, Accel Partners, Getjar, The North Face, Marvel, Sequoia Partners, Smule, Time Inc., The Wall Street Journal and more.

September 13-14, 2010, Charlotte, NC: Social Media 4 Responders is the first hands-on social media conference specifically designed with responders in mind. Law enforcement; fire service, emergency management, public health, disaster and crisis aid, emergency medical services, public utilities and the list goes on! Seven hands-on workshops and four power packed sessions over two-days that will provide you with the knowledge & skill you need to get your organization engaged in the fastest growing means of communication in the world. Follow us on Twitter hashtag #sm4r. Use promo code Mashablesm4r to save 10% on your registration fee.

September 15, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: Announcing our 2nd annual Digital Media Pipeline conference which will offer the only industry event that has as its primary focus – the distribution pipeline that helps connect the world's leading digital media content providers with the end user. Digital Media Pipeline offers an opportunity for digital retailers, Hollywood studios and aggregators, technology and service providers to share learnings and experiences in the business of retailing digital entertainment. Join us; register now and use the discount code MASH45 to receive $45 off.

September 15-16, 2010. Cologne, Germany: The dmexco is the leading European exposition for digital marketing & advertising. The exposition covers among others the theme areas online marketing, targeting, tracking, digital contents (moving images, audio advertising), social, mobile, performance marketing, affiliate, email marketing, search engine marketing and in-game advertising and offers agencies (media agencies, creative agencies, full-service agencies) a presentation platform. The dmexco is organised by the Koelnmesse, its industry partners are the BVDW (Federal Association of the Digital Industry) and the OVK (Online Marketers Circle).

September 15-17, 2010, San Francisco, CA: GSMI presents the Social Media Strategies Summit. We have researched the social media buzz to develop and present to you a top of the line marketing conference that you can't afford to miss. With in depth case studies from the nuts and bolts to microblogging and sustaining online communities, you leave with a refreshed vision to take your marketing plan to the next level for 2010 and beyond. Please use the code “MikeSM” for a discount.

September 16-17, 2010, Dallas, TX: This year's 2nd Social Media Optimization Summits 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. The event offers two full days of intensive, hands-on workshops from the intermediate to advanced level, led by top social media experts including Brian Solis of FutureWorks, Jason Falls of SocialMediaExplorer.com, Shama Kabani of The Marketing Zen Group and Shama.TV, Geno Church of Brains on Fire and more. The unique "See it. Hear it. Do it." approach allows attendees to learn by doing and begin applying newly-acquired skills and knowledge while the event is underway. Register now and save $125 at: http://optimizationsummits.com/. Use discount code Mashable.

September 21–22, 2010, 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 – call John Corrick on + 44 (0) 203 180 6595 and quote Mash10. Register online now at www.ad-techlondon.co.uk.

September 21, 2010, London, UK: Join us at this topical event to ensure that you are fully aware of all the legal and regulatory requirements surrounding data protection, as well as to hear how other organizations are handling these challenges. Speakers include Rosa Barcelo, Senior Legal Adviser to the EUROPEAN DATA PROTECTION SUPERVISOR, and Martin Hoskins of everything everywhere (the company that manage T-Mobile and Orange), who will discuss the lessons learnt from T-Mobile's data breach experience. Plus, don’t miss out on our post-conference workshop on Cloud Computing. Mashable readers save 10% with the following code: KW8112MASH. For more info or to register, go to http://www.ibclegal.com/dataprotectionmash.

September 21, 2010, Chicago, IL: The New Marketing Labs team will be invading Chicago to hold our New Marketing Experience event. Imagine a world where you can take your One Big Idea and tap over 100 other participating conference attendees and experts and each of their One Big Ideas. All of this in a structured, fast-paced and highly interactive one-day program under the direction of Chris Brogan, Justin Levy and the team from New Marketing Labs. New Marketing Experience is that world. Through six key discussion sessions this program will help you analyze and draw the best of what you need form these Big Ideas. For more information, visit us at: http://nmlevents.com. Use the code “MASH50” for a 50% off discount.

September 21, 2010, New York, NY: NY Games Conference — A Day of Power Networking with Leaders in the Exploding Games and Connected Entertainment Industries! NY Games features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics and demos, as well unrivaled access to some of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond. We invite you to join us at the event and take part in the discussion with executives, creators, investors, analysts, press and gamers who will be instrumental in shaping the future of this booming business. Mashable readers can receive 10% off registration with promo code MASH10.

September 22-23, 2010, Singapore, Asia: At Social Media World Forum Asia, become educated, discover, engage, network, share and collaborate in the world of social media. Ideal for those looking to embrace the latest in brand engagement, monitoring, ROI, advertising and building communities. learn from social networks, brands, advertisers and analysts. Mention you are a Mashable reader to receive a 15% discount.

September 23, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Lift Summit is the most comprehensive forum for marketing, social media and social commerce strategies. Join us for the second annual Lift Summit where leading experts and companies will share best practices for creating and managing social media strategies, translating social data into measureable actions, and analyzing sentiment to improve awareness and brand accountability. During this one day, information-packed Summit, marketing and advertising professionals will share real-world examples of Social Commerce strategies and tactics that have driven sales lift, increased customer loyalty, and produced actionable metrics and measurable ROI. Register with the promo code MASH2010.

September 23, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Mediabistro’s Think Mobile conference explores the broadening mobile ecosystem, the application marketplace, and the innovation that drives the industry. Hear from visionaries that reinvented businesses by innovating with unique mobile offerings and gain an understanding of key mobile metrics. Speakers include Starbucks CIO Stephen Gillett, Microsoft Sr. Product Manager Anand Iyer, NPD Group Executive Director Ross Rubin, Evernote CEO Phil Libin and more. Register with promo code MASH and save 15%!

September 24, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Mediabistro and Charles Hudson’s Smartphone Games Summit is a one-day conference about emerging trends in the mobile gaming industry. As new developments emerge such as the iPhone Game Center, is it game over for a number of gaming companies, or does it open an even larger opportunity? How do new technologies like the iPad change the game? The conference will bring together leading developers, investors, and executives from around the globe to share their collective wisdom on what’s working today and where this exciting industry is heading. Register with promo code MASH and save 15%!

September 25, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Produced by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society & Kennesaw State University's Center for Sustainable Journalism, Media Law in the Digital Age – The Rules Have Changed, Have You? provides an overview of the new legal landscape, case studies, cautionary tales and how to make the laws work for you. In a one day conference held at Kennesaw State University, learn what Lawyers, Journalists, Educators, Citizen Media Producers, Communications Directors, Academics and Publishers big and small need to know now. Panelists include the Nation's top Media Law Attorneys, Scholars and Journalists. Register with promo code MASH and save 20%.

September 27, 2010, Miami, FL: Calling all Affiliates, Merchants, Advertisers and Social Media Strategists looking to CONNECT to the right people, LEARN from the experts, increasing their EARNING potential and GROW their business! The Performance Marketing Expo is the premier event for best-in-class educational sessions (become an expert at Landing Page Optimization, Search, Social Media Strategies and Relationship Management), highly effective facilitated networking (in the Tune-Up Shop, Idea Factory, Masters of the Universe Roundtable sessions) and access to the leading Super Affiliates (Stephanie Nelson, Coupon Mom – Zac Johnson, MoneyReign, – Todd Martini, Alex’s Coupons – plus, eCoupons, MarketAmerica, TrialPay, Parent Media and more). Save 15% when using code PME2010MASH at www.iirusa.com/performancemarketingexpo.

September 28-30 2010, London, UK: IIR's Mobile Broadband World is an absolute must for all those involved in the MBB ecosystem, including Mobile Operators, Content Developers, Financial Investors, Press and Media, Consultants, Technology Partners, Handset Developers and more. To claim your 10% discount courtesy of Mashable, please quote I2GS2MASH when registering.

September 28, 2010, London, UK: Brands are frequently companies’ most valuable asset. The threats to this valuable asset are increasingly coming through online channels. This event will provide practical solutions and risk mitigation strategies for brand owners to combat these critical risks. Join experts from companies including Abercrombie and Vodafone to benefit from the practical advice and guidance they can provide. Not only will they share their own experience of preventing brand abuse, but will explain how they derive real ROI from their brand protection activities. Mashable readers save 10% on the event with the code KW8079MASH. For more info or to register, please go to http://www.ibclegal.com/obpmash.

September 29-30, 2010, Singapore: The Customer Show Asia 2010 is providing a unique platform that links loyalty and experience strategies with the latest technological tools and media. This conference will gather the world's largest brands, major stakeholders and leading solution providers in the customer care industry to learn, network, establish partnerships and seal profitable business opportunities. For more information, please visit website at http://www.terrapinn.com/2010/customerasia/index.stm . Register with promo code CSAMAS01 and enjoy 10% discounts.

September 30, 2010, London, UK: Bringing together collective thoughts on Social Media for 2011. We know its going to be much more than an introduction to Social, we're looking forward into the bigger picture about how we communicate within the platforms and how we measure and integrate Social Media into our strategies. We're bringing together some of the leading authorities in Social Media, from app developers to word of mouth evangelists to discuss where and how the industry is evolving! – 'A forward thinking social media conference'. For more information, please visit http://www.social-collective.com. Mashable readers can receive 25% off ticket prices at registration with promo code MASH25

September 30, 2010, London, UK: Get the latest on the attempts to increase regulation surrounding the moderation of UGC. What qualifies as illegal and inappropriate content and how should it be dealt with? This year Luisa Edwards, Head of Commercial, Google Legal EMEA, will share with you her expertise on the interactive online environment, based on experience managing the legal challenges facing Youtube. Plus attend the workshop Social Networking and the Law: Challenges, Risk & Opportunities; a fully interactive guide on protecting your organisation and maximising on the opportunities that social networking presents. Mashable readers save 10% on the event with this code: KW8094MASH. For more info or to register, go to http://www.ibclegal.com/ugcmash.

October 4-6, 2010, New York, NY: At Search Marketing Expo – SMX East, you'll learn to maximize ROI from paid search advertising, optimize your website content for superior organic search results, expand your skills with local and mobile advertising expertise, master social media marketing on Twitter, Facebook and other SMM networks, boost conversions… and increase sales. Use code "smx100mashable" and save $100 off your registration. For more info visit http://www.smxeast.com.

October 4-7, 2010, Atlanta, GA: FutureMedia Fest 2010 – Explore new paradigms in how Content is Created, Distributed and Consumed with FutureMedia at Georgia Tech. Join our mash-up of talent, ideas, trends and technology. Hear directly from top industry execs and visionaries. Talk with investors. Meet interactive marketing experts. Network with potential partners. Experiment real-time with open innovation. Industry leaders, academics, entrepreneurs and VC's will inspire and challenge attendees with provocative panel discussions, facilitated small discussion groups, and hands-on demos of next generation technology. Register today at http://www.futuremediaglobal.com and use the code FutureMedia 2010.

October 4-8, 2010, Boston, MA: FutureMis the first ever week-long, collaborative, multi-location conference in Boston offering participants the opportunity to tap into the freshest thinkers in marketing, media and technology. Leading innovators will come together to share and explore how the newest technologies and insights are changing the way marketers think, create, engage and measure.

October 5-6, 2010, Prague: EyeforTravel's Online Marketing & Social Media in Travel Summit brings together top travel brands to share key insights on how to maximize the impact of your online marketing and social media initiatives. The 2 days are packed full of case studies, presentations and networking opportunities. Speakers hail from across Europe and include Lufthansa, Lonely Planet, Expedia, TripAdvisor, P&O Cruises and many more. Use the code MASHABLE to claim your €100 discount on the price to attend.

October 6-7, 2010, Boston, MA: The Inbound Marketing Summit is where the online marketing community gathers to solve today’s marketing and business communications challenges. This event features the brightest minds in the business, including world-renowned authors and practitioners, as well as leaders from some of the companies already using the new tools and strategies. This fast-paced and information-packed event is your check-up on your existing business communications strategies and your prescription for the coming months. On October 6 and 7 join Chris Brogan, Justin Levy and the entire New Marketing Labs team along with hundreds of marketers like yourself and 60+ speakers and sponsors at Gillette Stadium for two days of fast-paced, highly interactive, actionable content. For more information, visit us at: Inbound Marketing Summit. Use the code “MASH50” for a 50% discount.

October 6-7, 2010, Los Angeles, CA: Digital Music Forum West: Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the music industry gather in Los Angeles each year for this incredible two-day dealmakers’ forum to network, do deals and share ideas about the business. Digital Music Forum West -– now in its fifth year –- features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics and demos, as well as unrivaled access to some of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond. Mashable readers can receive 10% off registration with promo code MASH10.

The Multi Channel Pharma Marketing Event

October 13-14, Princeton, NJ: Brought to you by the producer of the sold-out ePharma Summit, the Multi Channel Pharma Marketing Event brings together product managers and marketing operations under one roof to discuss cross-channel media plans for building brand value and elevating top line sales. Join us at the ONLY industry event focused on breaking down internal silos to achieve channel integration and maximize return on engagement. Visit www.multichannelevent.com for more information. Register with Priority Code XP1515MASH to save 15% off standard registration!

October 14-15, 2010, London, UK: Creating and distributing video online? Join us at Online Video Strategies this October in London and learn how to choose the online video solutions that meet your needs, increase audience engagement with interactivity, use video for marketing, promotion and branding, deliver video to the iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices, leverage video for internal and external corporate communications, make sure your video gets seen by viewers and search engines, and measure the ROI of your video projects. In addition, Online Video Strategies is a featured event at Streaming Media Europe and all delegates enjoy unlimited access to the Streaming Media Expo as part of their registration. Register at www.streamingmediaglobal.com/ovs. Quote priority code MASHABLE20 for a 20% discount.

October 14-16, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: BlogWorld & New Media Expo is the first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of new media including all forms of blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. The BlogWorld conference features more than 120 educational sessions, panel discussions and keynote presentations, while the New Media Expo features the only industry-wide new media marketplace where thousands converge to network and find all of their online business and marketing resources. Running concurrent with the BlogWorld conference, the Social Media Business Summit is the world's largest social media business conference where marketing executives, business owners and world-renowned companies send their teams to learn the strategies, tactics, tools and technologies they need to build their brands and grow their businesses with social media. Register today!

October 17-19, 2010. New York, NY: Pivot Conference is the only industry conference to explore and evaluate the attitudes, technologies and preferences of the “always on” 18-34 year old consumer. Attend Pivot Conference and hear from those successfully engaging with today’s emerging consumer and create your own action plan for success. Register today with code MASH101 and save 20%.

October 17-20, 2010, Scottsdale, AZ: agencyside presents one of the only digital marketing conferences exclusively developed for agencies. BOLO 2010 brings new ideas, new knowledge and actionable next-steps to both help your bottom line and achieve the goals of your clients. We realize time and money are both tight. That's why we've designed a conference that'll expand how you think and at the same time teach you hands-on how to manage digital more efficiently. You'll hear from industry thought leaders through keynotes, panel discussions and one-on-one meetings. agencyside has a proven track record for helping agencies become experts in the digital space. Build a team of subject matter experts. Fine tune operations to sustainable profitability. Generate new business for digital marketing services. This event will show you how. Early Bird of $699/person through June 18th. Use discount code mashable to save 15% off registration at any time.

October 18-20, 2010, Washington, D.C.: As Social Media quickly emerges as more than a communication tool, the U.S. Government must proactively leverage this new "environment" to achieve organizational goals. IDGA's 3rd Social Media for Defense and Government provides a forum for senior Government and Military officials, industry partners and academic communities to align shared goals, showcase new technology and define the way forward. This conference will present advanced social media strategies that not only improve communication but actually utilize the tools to improve effectiveness. Register with code MASH4GOV and receive 20% off the standard three-day event fee!

October 18, 2010, San Francisco, CA: Join us for the third annual i-stage startup competition, featuring debuts from game-changing apps, products and services. Presented by CEA, i-stage gives tech startups the opportunity to compete for a share of $50,000 in prize money and a free booth at the 2011 International CES. Audience members get the first look at the industry's newest visionaries and network with high profile investors, media and industry leaders. Past winners include Boxee and Regen Inc's ReNu solar charging system. There is no entry fee for competing start-ups. Mashable readers save 10% on attendee tickets. Register now and use discount code IMASH.

October 22-23, 2010, Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA: SocialBizWorld is a 2-day Social Media and Web 2.0 business conference for private and public-sector business executives, leaders, managers, employees and consultants looking for insightful speakers, hands-on workshops, in-depth discussions and real-world examples to move their business forward with new media. With Basic, Intermediate and Advanced tracks, attendees will have full access to multiple sessions on both days, have numerous networking opportunities, attend the Friday evening Awards and Business Networking reception (with Special Guest “The TwitchHiker”) and have access to experts gathering in Northern California from all over the country. Join us for this fantastic event in beautiful Sonoma County, at the foot of wine country, minutes from Sonoma and Napa, and just 30 minutes north of San Francisco. Mashable readers receive 15% off conference registration with promo code MASHED. Please visit http://www.socialbizworld.com for more information.

October 22-23, 2010, Atlanta, GA: Social Media Experts will be in high demand as social media becomes an integral part of PR and marketing campaigns. Will you be one? Designed specifically for marketing and PR professionals of all backgrounds, non-profit organizations and small business owners, the Integrating Social Media Conference goes beyond the buzz words to real-world and proven methods for successfully incorporating social media into your current marketing and PR strategies. You'll hear firsthand from social media experts including Shiv Singh of Pepsi Co., The Brand Builder's Olivier Blanchard, WholeFoods's Marla Erwin, HubSpot's Mike Volpe, Kellye Crane of Crane Communications and more. Register with promo code MASH and save 20%.

October 25, 2010, Orlando, FL: IIR presents CUSTOMER WORLD, the co-location of three unique customer-centric events (NACCM, Linkage Strategies & Customer UNinterrupted) under one roof. Where the Voice of Your Industry comes together to champion and celebrate CUSTOMERS 1ST. Customer World's flagship event, NACCM, is an industry favorite. It attracts top customer-centric leaders in North America to share new and best practices for strengthening customer relationships. Content areas include customer-centric social media strategies, loyalty, customer experience, innovation, culture, engagement, leadership and more. Register with code CWORLD10MASH and save 15% off the standard rates.

October 26, 2010, San Jose, CA: Get real about social media at SocialTech 2010 — the only conference dedicated to teaching B2B high-tech marketers how to harness the power of social media. You’ll learn from B2B marketing leaders at companies like IBM, Intel, SAP, HP, Adobe and Cisco how to use social media to achieve real, measurable business results. Enjoy networking and keynotes from Guy Kawasaki, Robert Scoble and Jeremiah Owyang. Can't make it to San Jose? You can join us online. Register today and save 10% with coupon code MASH10!

October 27-29, 2010, Washington, DC: This event will showcase 15 federal perspectives on different strategies government agencies can implement to comply with the Obama Administration's Open Government Directive. The social media realm will be a prevailing topic of discussion as it has been the prime means federal agencies have taken to achieve compliance, but problems with its use still persist. This event will provide ADVANCED solutions and ideas to the policy, security, monitoring and measuring struggles that many agencies face on a daily-basis. Mashable subscribers will enjoy a 10% discount when they mention MASHABLE in their follow-up email to the event contact listed here: event.

October 28, 2010, London, UK: The International Search Summit will focus once again on international and multilingual search marketing topics and offer delegates insight and advice on how to effectively develop and manage international online campaigns. Speakers at the event will include Eugene Lomize from Russian search engine Yandex, Omar Khaled from Arabic search Engine Ayna, as well as well-known search marketers Mikkel deMib Svendsen, Marty Weintraub, Massimo Burgio and Barry Lloyd. The Summit will be held at The British Library in London, and is a must for any marketer targeting multiple markets and/or languages online. Register now with the coupon code MASH20 to receive 20% discount.

November 1-2, 2010, New York, NY: Are you a health marketing and communications professional? Please join us at unNiched 2010, a unique collaborative boot camp where you will actively learn and use collaboration, strategic marketing and communications skills. Using our unNiched Innovation Model, gain the tools to create and drive marketing communications success within (and without) your organization. In addition, you’ll have access to a private online group and learn from a range of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS.gov, Edelman, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab. Use the discount code Mashable and get 10% off.

November 1-2, 2010, Dubai, UAE: Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Summit at Total Marketing Discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges faced by marketers in leveraging social media as a marketing tool. Hear from leading organizations on how they managed to turn Twitter and LinkedIn amongst others into powerful communication channels!

Getting in at the top of any search remains a key focus for many organizations today. Hear from leading practitioners on how best practice strategies and innovative methods to get the most out of the internet. Register and save 15% when using code MASHABLE-TM. For more information, visit www.totalmarketing2010.com.

November 8-11, 2010, Las Vegas, NV: PubCon, the premier search and social media conference, features the industry’s biggest names and key players shaping the future of the Web. PubCon holds cutting edge panel sessions exploring tracks dedicated to search, social media and affiliate marketing, an intensive professional search and social media training program and some of the world's top keynote speakers. PubCon Las Vegas will also hold a one day two-track slate of intensive educational training programs led by some of the industry’s most respected search professionals. PubCon makes all of this available at some of the most affordable registration rates in the industry. Please use the code ma-8201210 for 10% off the registration price.

November 17-18, 2010, Raleigh, NC: Internet Summit 2010 will feature over 100 speakers and an audience of over 1500 internet execs, entrepreneurs and senior marketers. Join dozens of industry leaders and innovators in the conversation on topics such as Social Media, Mobile, Cloud Computing, Geolocation, Online Advertising, Analytics, Video, E-commerce and more. Use registration code MASH for 20% off.

November 17, 2010, Phoenix, AZ: Fifth Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference (AZEC10). In the current environment, some companies will still come out stronger than before. Has your business suffered? Have you been laid off? Are you trying to grow in difficult circumstances? Here at AZEC10, we’ve got your back. Local investors, local entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley veterans will spend the day discussing the realities of business today. You MUST meet these people and learn from them during the Great Re-Set of 2010. This is the premier entrepreneurship conference in Arizona, benefitting the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation.

November 30, 2010 – December 2, 2010, London, UK: Online Information is the largest UK event dedicated to the information industry. Taking place in the Grand Hall at London's Olympia, the exhibition attracts more than 9,000 visitors each year from around the world. This unique, free to attend event consists of an exhibition with more than 200 international exhibitors alongside an extensive seminar programme. Online Information covers 6 core segments: Content Resources, ePublishing Solutions, Library Management, Content Management, Search Solutions and Social Media, providing an annual meeting place for this global industry. Mashable readers may register to attend here.

November 30, 2010, London, UK: Social Recruiting Conference will gather together leading employers and recruitment industry professionals, to passionately discuss and practically demonstrate the power of Social Recruiting. The conference will be unlike any other Social Media Recruiting conferences you have attended. Our aim is to take the talk from theory to practice; and shift conversations from hype and hope to reality and results. #SRCONF will focus on Social Recruiting case studies, with measurable ROIs. Save 10% when you register with the code MASH10 at http://www.srconf.com.

April 13-15, 2011, Singapore: The Internet Show Asia 2011 is a series of seminars and a large end-to-end showcase of the latest internet technologies and solutions. More than 10,000 attendees will be at the exhibition and conference to find new ways of doing internet business and enhancing product offerings through the internet – through case study presentations and speaking directly with solution partners. The show will aim to increase your ROI, it's all about business, not a technology show. For more details and registrations, please visit www.theinternetshows.com/2010/Singapore.

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Reviews: Australia, Boxee, Drupal, Facebook, Forum, Get Satisfaction, Google, Internet, LinkedIn, Mashable, Mint, Twitter, YouTube, awards, social media, society, video

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Man Raises Money to Send Android Phone to Space

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 04:13 PM PDT


A total of 66 backers have pledged over $2,000 to help send the first Android phone to space.

The Astdroid project hails from Danny Pier, a 25 year-old self-described computer nerd who turned to Kickstarter to raise funds to get an Android smartphone into space.

Pier believes that he can outfit a weather ballon with an HTC Evo, and use its camera, transmitter, computing power and GPS technology to track the phone’s journey into space.

Funds will be allocated to finance the expenses of the weather balloons, recovery parachutes, helium and other supplies. Pier will also write an application for the device that will take photos and videos of the journey, as well as automatically transmit the device’s location for tracking purposes.

Pier’s ultimate goal is to prove that it’s not difficult to send a smartphone in to space, capture the journey and retrieve it once it returns to Earth. He will document his successes and failures along the way using social media. Pier hopes his endeavors will encourage others to follow his lead.

Score another win for innovation at the hands of Kickstarter’s alternative fundraising application.

If you want to learn more about the project, watch Pier outline his motivation in the video below.

Reviews: Android

More About: android, astdroid, htc evo, kickstarter, Mobile 2.0

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TweetDeck Surpasses 15 Million Downloads

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 03:37 PM PDT


Popular desktop and mobile Twitter client developer TweetDeck is announcing a bevy of self-congratulating stats today, including the fact that its desktop application has been downloaded more than 15 million times.

TweetDeck boasts that this impressive download milestone makes its desktop application five times more popular than any other Twitter client of its kind.

Also of interest: TweetDeck’s iPhone application has been downloaded more than 2.5 million times, and the service is said to be responsible for facilitating four million tweets, status updates and buzz posts per day.

In the months ahead, Founder and CEO Ian Dodsworth promises more innovation from the company on the “multi-stream” and business “real-time ecosystem” fronts. Dodsworth’s buzzword speak means that we can expect the company to focus on making TweetDeck more of a social web browser, while also catering to the revenue interests of its business partners.

[img credit: PeterWood]

Reviews: TweetDeck, Twitter

More About: tweetdeck, twitter

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The Boston Globe Takes Readers on Mobile Scavenger Hunt

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 03:09 PM PDT


The Boston Globe is encouraging mobile users to hit the streets of Boston and learn a little more about the city’s attractions with a new checkin-based scavenger hunt.

If you think the publication is using Foursquare for the promotion, think again. The Boston Globe has turned to SCVNGR — the sophisticated mobile scavenger hunt and checkin service — to facilitate the activity-fueled, location-based challenge.

The Boston Globe Trek includes challenges that require players to snap photos, scan QR codes and check in at various locations across the city in five different theme-based challenges. The Photography challenge, for instance, tasks players to snap photos of Boston landmarks.

SCVNGR is perfectly suited to be the mobile platform for this particular quest. Apart from checkins, badges, points, challenges and awards, SCVNGR also doubles as a next generation QR code scanner. As is the case with the Boston Globe Trek, QR code scans can serve as a verifiable checkin or a snap-to-unlock-a-prize system.

This may all sound like frivolous fun, and for most it will be, but The Boston Globe is also giving away some top notch prizes to the players who accumulate the most points by September 3. The top six point scorers will be entered into a random drawing and could win Red Sox tickets, a gondola ride for two, two Cinema de Lux tickets, a $50 iTunes gift card, a Beantown Trolley and Pru Skywalk Observatory excursion or a $50 gift card.

The trek is a creative way for The Boston Globe to appeal to new and old readers alike with content-oriented challenges using the SCVNGR platform. Expect to see SCVNGR’s name pop up more and more as many other businesses are sure to take advantage of the do-it-yourself scavenger hunt service for similar purposes.

[img credit: Dennis Wright]

Reviews: Foursquare

More About: boston globe, media, scavenger hunt, scvngr

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Netflix Online Traffic is Surging [STATS]

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 02:50 PM PDT


The number of visitors to Netflix’s website jumped 46% in June year-over-year, due in part to the tremendous popularity of the Watch Instantly streaming service and its deployment on dozens of consumer electronics devices.

The numbers were cited in a blog post over at the online video industry blog NewTeeVee, which also quoted Citi analyst Mark Mahaney saying that this is the “fastest year-to-year growth [he] has seen in over five years.”

As most folks know, Netflix’s core business used to be DVDs, but that could very well change in the near future. Watch Instantly is driving its growth thanks to its availability on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, HDTVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes like Roku.

The service is more attractive now that it’s available in high definition in the living room. And although new releases don’t usually hit as quickly (with some exceptions like Relativity Media) as they do at Blockbuster and other brick and mortar video stores, the comparatively low price and watch-as-much-as-you-want convenience have appealed to consumers.

Netflix is challenged more by Redbox kiosks and Hulu Plus than it is by retail chains, but its rumored plans for international expansion could give it another edge. Family movie night is already very different from what it used to be.

Reviews: Blu

More About: ComScore, growth, netflix, netflix watch instantly, watch instantly

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What Makes a Smartphone a Superphone?

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 02:39 PM PDT


At the MobileBeat conference today, Samsung’s CSO Omar Khan talked about what he calls “the year of the superphone.”

Since the iPhone made its debut in 2007, we’ve seen incredible strides in mobile hardware and software. It’s getting to the point that we hesitate to call these micro-computers “phones.” Their capabilities now go far beyond what we’d expect from simple telephony, and are beginning to touch the horizon of “the future” — that mystical era in which technology will solve all our problems.

Of course, Khan was eager to talk about the Galaxy S, a new Android device Samsung is bringing to market, but he also got into some of the general qualifications that distinguish the superphone from the smartphone.

A smartphone, of course, has hardware features such as a touchscreen and some kind of QWERTY keyboard. It has native applications and web browsing; most have and make innovative use of cameras, both still and video.

What, then, makes a smartphone a superphone?

Google coined the “superphone” nomenclature at the launch of the Nexus One. Khan said these devices are “optimized from a silicon perspective, a hardware perspective and a software perspective."

In general terms, a superphone has more deep access to hardware capabilities, and the hardware is a step above what you’d see in a smartphone. Screens are larger — in excess of four inches, in some cases. The superphone has an impressive camera, generally between five and eight megapixels, that lends itself to high-quality photo and video capturing. It has multiple microphones for noise cancellation, both for calls and video recording.

And Khan also said 2010 is “the year of the gigahertz processor.” Newer best-in-class mobiles that feature 1Ghz processors include the Galaxy, the Evo, the Incredible, the Droid X and the iPhone 4.

In addition to better hardware, superphones have better software. The operating system iterations — including Android Froyo and iOS from Apple — are adding “superfeatures” such as true multitasking and are allowing for what Khan called "signature experiences –- a fine marriage of hardware and software.”

This union of hardware and software means that the better displays will allow for high-quality video and gaming experiences — not just social and casual gaming, but games that appeal to the hardcore gamer as well. And accelerometers, cameras and GPS systems built into superphones allow for amazing location-based service and augmented reality applications.

In general, social applications on superphones are more integrated, and web browsing with open-source Webkit browsers is more advanced and much faster.

“It’s the power of a netbook in the palm of your hand,” Khan concluded. “What users expect is the same experience they have on their netbooks or PCs in an uncompromised fashion.”

Of course, mobile apps have been a driving and enriching force in the evolution of the superphone. The Apple/Android arms race has led to a staggering 220,000 apps in the App Store and 70,000 in the Android Market. Year over year, we’re using our mobiles more and more to access news, social networks and even video content. In fact, the most popular apps are accessed every day by around 60% of their users.

So, what comes after the superphone? We can joke about the “superduperphone” or the “überphone,” but the acceleration of technology is mind-boggling to say the least. Will human innovation be able to keep pace with machine capabilities? Will we see more applications that are truly useful to individuals and society, or will the space continue to see waves of novelty or “trash” apps?

Let us know your thoughts on mobile evolution, superphones and where we’re going next in the comments.

Reviews: Android, Android Market, App Store, Google

More About: android, apple, droid x, evo, galaxy s, incredible, smartphone, superphone

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12 Clever Social Media-Friendly Business Cards

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 02:24 PM PDT


This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

While virtual business cards are becoming a viable alternative to paper cards, there is still a huge demand for traditional business cards. When you meet someone, it is very unlikely that they will first ask to bump, DUB or get LinkedIn. Instead, as your meeting comes to an end, you’ll find yourself searching around in your pockets, bag or wallet for your trusty paper business card.

While the traditional business card trend is still going strong, you may want to consider optimizing the space on that little piece of paper. A growing number of professionals are finding it useful to include social media links on their business cards. Including social links on your card not only showcases your progressive approach to doing business, but it also gives your business contacts more choices in how they communicate with you.

If you are looking for new ways of promoting your social media presence, this list of 12 social media-friendly business cards will put you on the right track.

Starting Simple

Sometimes simple is best. If you tend to focus most of your social media efforts on one social network, you may want to keep it simple by only printing your information for that particular network. The design of your card will benefit from the simplicity, and you’ll have more space for other features, like a social icon that identifies you. For example, the team at Medialets, uses an iPhone design that can easily be customized to fit each employees’ needs. Creative Director Theo Skye chooses to stick with his tried and true Twitter handle and profile picture.

The folks over at MapQuest seem to be big fans of minimalism, too. I like what Senior Product Manager Josh Babetski has done. He includes his AIM screen name for chatting, along with a message that you can find him on many online communities as “quixado”. I performed a quick Google search for “quixado”. Sure enough, the first results included his profiles on Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Brightkite, Plancast, and Viddler. Babetski’s blog even showed up. Who knew a simple mention on a business card would yield so many results?

Displaying Lots of Options

As an alternative to keeping it simple, you can always vote to go with the “more, the merrier” approach. If you tend to be active on multiple networks, by all means, load ‘em up. Amanda Wormann, social media manager at Burton, decided to promote the company’s social media efforts by listing their corporate Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts on her business card. While this type of campaign can’t necessarily be tracked, it’s a good way to get the word out among new business acquaintances.

Along with listing a variety of social sites on your card, you may also choose to use social media icons to add a level of familiarity and recognizability to your links. Jessy Yancey, managing editor for Tennesee Home & Farm, includes the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links for the magazine on her card. When Jessy handed me her card, the social icons were the first images to catch my eye. Visuals are always a great way to direct the eye. Keep that in mind as you design your next business card.

Publicizing Your Blog

It is common for businesses to print their websites on company business cards, but blog links aren’t so prevalent. In a lot of cases a blog link can be more useful than a corporate website, because a blog has the ability to show the personalities, ideas and happenings behind an organization. Sweetriot Mastermind & Chief Rioter (AKA Founder and CEO), Sarah Endline, includes links to the Sweetriot blog and Twitter account, where she and her team blog and tweet regularly. These links add a personal touch to her business card.

Presenting Personal and Professional Information

One of the conflicts with creating a business card, social links in tow or not, is finding the balance between personal and professional information. Should you include your Twitter account or the corporate Twitter account? Do you need your cell phone number, or will the office phone suffice? Is it too self-promotional to include a link to your personal blog, or would it be better to just stick with a link to the corporate website? These are all valid questions, and each company will need to find their own comfortable balance.

Here is some food for thought. Why not just keep it 50/50? Tony Bacigalupo, founder of coworking space New Work City, had that balance in mind when he opted to create a business card that paired personal and professional contact information, creating a most pleasantly symbiotic result.

This approach seems to work best for entrepreneurs and business people who maintain an active professional life online, communicating through both personal and corporate channels.

Getting Geeky with QR Codes

Distinctive business cards present the opportunity to leave acquaintances with a lasting impression. At a conference, for example, a single person may receive tens or hundreds of business cards. After a few days of meeting people, faces and names can become a bit hazy. An accumulating stack of business cards can sometimes seem more like a useless collection than a resourceful base of connections.

On the positive side, there are often a few cards that stand out. Most often the outliers utilize high quality paper, attractive designs, or technology. Recently, some of the cards that have caught my eye are the ones that use Quick Response (QR) codes, two-dimensional codes that can be scanned by smartphone cameras to automatically pull up text, photos, videos, music and URLs.

The first business card utilizing a QR code that I encountered was that of Jonathan Lazar, creator of Live Tweets. Lazar displays his Twitter handle along with a QR code that leads to his company’s website.

David Fell’s business card is my favorite QR code implementation so far. When I scanned the code with i-nigma, my preferred QR code scanner for iPhone, Fell’s name, telephone number, e-mail address and Twitter account appeared, with the options to save his information to my contacts or dial his number. Having a QR code pull up contact information is one of the most appropriate and useful executions for business networking.

Promoting Events and Products

Another way to promote your social media efforts around a product, event or campaign is to print your social links in a business card format to hand out at parties and events. At their Post-Mashable Media Summit After-Mash Party, interactive marketing agency Definition 6 invited guests to take photos in front of a snazzy step-and-repeat, and then distributed a business card with links to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, where the photos would be uploaded and announced, respectively. I admit that I checked back daily until I found my step-and-repeat photo.

During Internet Week New York this year, HP maintained a microsite with IWNY news and a Twitter hashtag (#hpiwny). At events, they distributed a business card with their Twitter, Flickr, microsite and hashtag information. The card was a handy way to convey all of their appropriate social media agenda surrounding the IWNY festivities.

Emulating Social Site Designs

There are many ways to highlight social media links on your business card, and then there is something totally different: reproducing the social site on your business card. While it may not be the best option for most companies, emulating a social site design is a great idea for social sites themselves. I was pleasantly surprised when Myspace Account Executive Adriana Forni handed me her card at the Social Media Brasil conference. Seeing the iconic Myspace profile page printed on her card was a bit nostalgic, and it automatically had me thinking about the brand.

You don’t have to work for a social media company to enjoy a business card designed to resemble your social profile for a particular site. Designer Jean-Baptiste Gouraud had no qualms about designing his Internet-famous Facebook-inspired business card. In an e-mail conversation, Gouraud mentioned that he was interested in producing the cards on a mass scale, with Facebook’s blessing, of course. Someday, you may be able to easily customize one of these Facebook cards for your own use.

In the meantime, you could customize a LinkedIn business card on Zazzle, or get inspired by Ji Lee, designer of the Google Me business card.

Does your business card reflect your social side? If so, include a link in the comments below!

Reviews: Brightkite, Facebook, Flickr, Google, Internet, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, aim, blog

More About: bump, business, business card, business cards, DUB, facebook, i-nigma, linkedin, myspace, QR Codes, social media, twitter

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Facebook’s “Like” Button Having “Zero Impact” on Startup Competitor GetGlue

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 02:06 PM PDT


When Facebook announced their “Like” button back in April, we wondered if GetGlue — an app that lets you show affinity and expertise for pages all over the Internet and includes Foursquare-like badges and rewards from major entertainment brands — might be doomed.

But we’ve just learned that GetGlue — who recently launched an iPhone app [iTunes link] and is soon coming to Android — is still going strong, just as CEO Alex Iskold predicted. Overall, web and mobile apps included, GetGlue is seeing around 1 million user actions per week.

In the past five days, for example:

  • GetGlue had more than 1,000,000 user ratings and checkins
  • Around 150,000 user actions were seen each day
  • Users shared GetGlue items on Facebook and Twitter at a rate of about one share per minute

It’s true that these numbers are dwarfed by Facebook’s statistics; a recent pulse check showed that an average of 65 million Facebook users take advantage of the “Like” button on a daily basis. But for a still-young social app, these stats aren’t bad at all. And Iskold said there has been “zero impact from Facebook, no drop-off at all” — impressive given the rapid rate of adoption the “Like” button is seeing with both users and publishers.

Here’s a brief video showing how GetGlue works:

Have you tried GetGlue yet? What do you think of its features — and its chances of long-term viability — vis-a-vis Facebook’s campaign toward world domination?

Reviews: Android, Facebook, Twitter

More About: facebook, getglue, glue, like button, stats

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Can Crowdsourcing Save This Guy’s Dating Life?

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 01:25 PM PDT


Update: Brian is, in fact, undertaking this project as part of his internship at BBH. Check out his tweet to me below. (He also likes his capri pants just fine, thankyouverymuch.)

What would you do if you were a fresh-faced lad from Wisconsin, new to the Big Apple, with scant few dates under your romantic belt? Why, crowdsource for a ladylove, natch.

“Meet Brian. He’s from Wisconsin, has almost no experience dating and just moved to New York City. With more than half of New Yorkers single, the dating scene is just ridiculous,” so begins the intro text on a new social experiment, titled Dating Brian. A joke between friends about crowdsourcing his dating life led Brian to launch the project, during which he will attempt to go on 30 dates in 30 days and take cues from Twitter and Facebook as to how to proceed on each.

Now, as we know, this idea is not really new — remember David on Demand and his snazzy new Twitter tats? — but the whole romance aspect does lend a certain Nora Ephron flare to the whole deal. If you’re down to date David — or know someone who should — you can go ahead and offer a suggestion.

As we know, David on Demand was a blatant marketing scheme — he works for ad agency Leo Burnett — but it’s not immediately apparent if Brian is undertaking this endeavor for career-related purposes. According to his LinkedIn, he’s currently a creative advertising intern at BBH. Hmm. (Note: We’ve tweeted at him to see if this project and his internship are at all related.)

Check out the video below for the scoop — his first date is July 19. I dunno what he’s so confused about, though — all he has to do is lose the capris and adopt an appropriately vacant/emotionally distant mien and he’s golden. #trufax

Reviews: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

More About: crowd-source, facebook, online dating, social media, twitter

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Skype and Fring Go to War Over VOiP Video Calls

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 12:56 PM PDT


VOiP clients Fring and Skype are engaged in a war of words over video calling and alleged service blocks. Of course, the real losers are the end users.

Fring is a relatively small player when compared to Skype, but it has been successful in large part because the service is interoperable with other VOiP services, including GoogleTalk, SIP and Skype. The fact that you can make Fring-to-Skype calls within the Fring app has been a real boon for platforms that either have limited Skype support or for users who want to take advantage of some of Fring’s other features.

Last week, Fring introduced two-way video calling support for the iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi or 3G. This was a big hit. It was such a big hit, Fring had to turn off Skype support over the weekend in order to deal with the onslaught of users wanting to make video-to-video calls.

The company has now expanded its capacity and says it wants to turn Skype support back on. According to Fring’s official statement, Skype is refusing to let them do so.

On its blog, Fring calls Skype “cowards” and says it is “afraid of open mobile communication.”

However, there are two sides to every story and in this case, Skype has already responded. In direct contradiction to what Fring has said in its public statements, Skype says that the allegations that Skype has blocked Fring’s access to its network are untrue.

Skype goes on to say that Fring has been in breach of its API Terms of Use and End User License agreements. It also says that Fring’s misuse has been “increasingly damaging our brand and reputation with our customers.”

Amazingly, Skype cites the fact that Fring had to temporarily shut down Skype access due to high call load as an example of this sort of damage.

While Skype claims it has not blocked Fring’s access to its services, it also makes it very clear that, as a company, Skype is unhappy with the current situation.

What Does This Mean?

Drama aside, what does this really mean? Well, it means that making Skype video calls on the iPhone 4 and Android devices is currently impossible. Regardless of who is at fault, that’s the reality.

Here’s what we don’t understand: Why hasn’t Skype ramped up its own mobile video calling efforts? While there were reports back in May that Skype would be bringing official video call support to Android “later this year,” a detailed roadmap for Skype’s mobile video — or mobile plans in general — hasn’t been outlined.

Skype recently signed a deal with Verizon that, among other things, brought an official Skype application to Android users who are on the Verizon network. However, Skype doesn’t have an app available for other Android users, which makes options for HTC EVO 4G users more costly and limited.

On the iPhone side, Skype only recently added 3G calling support and that feature will eventually come at a price.

Skype has a huge infrastructure and user base, but on the mobile front it’s falling behind. Frankly, many Fring users only use the service because it’s the best way they can connect with their Skype contacts on their mobile handsets. If Skype would support more devices and carriers, or at least offer some official timeline for video call support, its users wouldn’t have to look at other options.

Regardless of who is to blame for the current situation, Skype and Fring’s pettiness means that no one gets to benefit from multi-device video calling across the largest VOiP network in the world. What a shame.

Reviews: Android, Fring, Skype

More About: fring, mobile voip, Skype, voip

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Dear Abby Rebooted: Love Advice For The Digital Age [Blogger Profile]

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 12:19 PM PDT


Remember the days of telephone calls and pre-planned dates and letterman jackets? When the "Dear Abby" column made sense and men asked a father's permission to initiate courtship? Nope, neither do Jessica Massa and Rebecca Wiegand, the girls behind what could be the world's first crowd-sourced relationship advice blog, WTF Is Up With My Love Life?!

"We don’t think the 'conventional' dating literature/self-help literature out there in bookstores and the blogosphere is actually speaking effectively to women now, because for the most part it assumes we’re living in a 'dating' world that no longer exists," says Wiegand, referring to how the digital sphere — among other things — has completely turned the romantic realm on its proverbial head. When folks are breaking up with each other on Facebook, and a text message equates a love letter, it seems that we actually are quite primed for a romantic reboot.

That's what prompted Massa and Wiegand to launch what they call a "multimedia project," which includes an upcoming film, a book deal in the works and a highly creative, interactive website. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Every blog has its creation story, and this is theirs.

How WTF?! Came To Be

It was a rather typical night in the summer of 2009 for Massa and Wiegand, two 27-year-old Brooklynites who had been friends since age 12. Massa, who had worked for years in the music industry, had just quit her job and was glued to her laptop, surfing celebrity blogs in her PJs whilst also tele-networking with a bunch of banking people in Brazil, discussing job opportunities and getting her visa application materials in order. She was planning on moving to the exotic locale, sleeping on couches and working as a bartender for cash, and was, understandably, a bit on the frazzled side. Wiegand had just come home from a work cocktail party (she was working for New Line Cinema at the time) and, in a similarly frantic/foul mood, she threw herself on the couch and started lamenting her romantic situation and the lack of men in her stable.

"We’ve all had that moment," Massa says, "but as Becky’s best friend, I know her day to day, so I was like, 'OK, I get it, but actually I know that you were IMing with that publishing guy this week, and your ex-boyfriend was hanging around the apartment last week, and you made out with that random guy at that party we went to last week. You’re not dating anyone, but I objectively know that you’re talking to guys. I think you’re looking at it the wrong way.'"

This revelation lead to an idea: That all women have a "gaggle" of men, satellites who may or may not be their one and only, but were romantic prospects all the same. The two got to work writing a description of the 10 types of men in one's gaggle — The Ex-Boyfriend Who's Still Around, The Ego Booster, The Boyfriend Prospect, The Hot Sex Prospect, The Prospect You're Not Sure Is a Prospect, The Accessory, The Career Booster, The Super Horny Guy Who Happens to Be Around a Lot, The Unavailable Guy, The Guy Who Just Blew You Off — and took the idea to New Line Cinema. The execs loved it, and optioned the concept as a movie idea. "They got it right away," Massa says. "What we're railing against is that He's Just Not That Into You mentality, which is a movie that New Line made, also, actually."

Blogging For Ideas

Although they had a movie in the works and were prepping a book proposal, the pair was not content to just wait around for the film and book to come to fruition. Books and movies take a long time, and they wanted to formulate the concept in the meantime. Also, they didn't feel exactly qualified to dispense with the advice based on the Gaggle concept alone. After Wiegand left her job at New Line in April 2010, the two started J&R Creative Media, LLC, a company through which they could develop the Gaggle idea further across media platforms and start developing other, unrelated multimedia projects. The film deal was signed, sealed and delivered in January 2009, and the WTF?! blog went live in beta in Feb 2010.

"We had these ideas and wanted to get them out there now," Massa says. "And we'd been talking to a ton of women, but we weren't in a place yet where we could be traveling all over the country, talking to women, because we were building this idea. We wanted to start getting stories from other women, broadening the scope a bit. The more I talked to women, the bigger the idea got. It started as a gaggle and then it became WTF is Up With My Love Life?!, which is much bigger sense of: For our generation of women, how do we deal with this frustration, this exasperation? It's not just the guys in your gaggle; it’s non-dates, technology, what are you doing with these guys in your gaggle if you're not dating them?"

Techno-Romance

And there's the rub. According to Massa and Wiegand, we live in a post-dating world. "There's such a thing as techno-romance," Massa says. "Your grandmother's never gonna get it, but that text message is meaningful."

Back in the day, all one had to do to show one's interest was pick up the phone, now, there's a bevy of venues by which a person can flirt: Twitter, Facebook, text, e-mail, MySpace (if you're still living in 2005). Which means there's also a bevy of ways to get utterly confused. Massa and Wiegand even include app reviews and stories about technology as a way of helping their readers break through the haze of pixels and pings.

Crowd-Sourcing Romance

Still, it's not as if either gender has the answer. Massa and Wiegand recognize that the denizens of this post-dating world are all equally muddled about what it means to date and love in a time period when it's totally OK to ask someone out via Twitter. Therefore, they turned to the web to flesh out their idea.

Their website is a truly crowd-sourced beast. Yes, they have articles and advice columns — Massa even has a weekly column on The Huffington Post — but they also have forums and tools that let their readers interact and sort out their issues together.

"We want to create a website that's a forum, where there can be an exchange of ideas," says Wiegand. "Typically in the romance realm, these self-help books are written by a 50-year-old lady with a PhD telling you the kind of things you need to change about yourself to get a man. Jess and I were like, 'OK, we think we figured out what's going on, but we're also not experts, we don't want to pretend like we actually know everything.' So we created a place where everybody can share ideas."

The result is a compelling site where both men and women can explore their various and sundry romantic woes. And, bonus, it is great source material for their upcoming book and film. They plan to use user-submitted stories to give their creations weight and depth.

"Dating is ambiguous," says Massa. "That's the idea of the website. Through recognizing this and talking about it, we're hoping that it will be a step forward for all of us who are just stuck in the He's Just Not That Into You, The Rules, The Handbook rut."

Amen to that.

Intrigued by Massa and Wiegand's concepts and want a taste of what's to come? Check out this list of apps they put together for us.

(P.S. A non-date is that dude/chick you're about to hang with, but who has not specified his/her intentions.)

6 Apps To Help You Impress Your Non-Date

Happy Houred: Quickly find the ideal — and cheap — watering hole to meet your cute work contact for a Networking-Non-Date with Happy Houred, an app that will locate local drink specials at any time of the day and make your ambiguous schmoozing a whole lot more fun.

E-mail ‘N Walk [iTunes link]: Keep that never-ending E-Non-Date going 24/7 with the E-mail ‘N Walk app, which lets you send missives to your e-buddy on the go while your iPhone’s live video camera shows when you’re about to step in some dog sh*t.

Pair It!: Wondering how you ended up on a traditional Surprise-Non-Date? Not to worry! Look like an old pro by consulting Pair It! to find the perfect menu item to match that expensive bottle of wine that your supposed date just ordered.

Control4 My House: On your Play-Non-Date, bring the lucky guy or lady back to your place, where you can both relax on the couch and have a nightcap while you use Control4 My House to effortlessly turn down the lights, put on some mood music and get the air conditioning going.

Gowalla: Coordinate a last-minute Group-Non-Date with your friends — and their hot friends-of-friends — with Gowalla’s social checkin app. Your friends are too cool to use Foursquare, anyway.

Couch to 5K [iTunes link]: Every Friend-Non-Date doesn’t have to involve cuddling on the futon and watching True Blood. Show your “platonic” friend how productive and ambitious you can be by challenging them to train for a 5k with you!

image courtesy of iStockphoto, dizign54, image courtesy of iStockphoto, space-heater, image courtesy of iStockphoto, lightkeeper, image courtesy of iStockphoto, Gewitterkind, image courtesy of iStockphoto, itsskin

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, MySpace, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: facebook, gowalla, iphone, online dating, twitter

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Social Media Use in the Workplace on the Rise [STATS]

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 12:02 PM PDT

A new study from Trend Micro shows that more workers around the globe are using social networks while in the office and on the clock.

The survey took a look at the habits of 1,600 Internet users from the U.S., UK, Germany and Japan and found that over the past two years alone, social web use in the workplace has risen from 19% to 24%. In Germany specifically, social media use at work saw a 10% increase.

It’s still unclear whether this gradual but significant rise is being used to drive our businesses ahead, or if we’re instead wasting our companies’ time and money — a distinction that’s especially important to managers concerned with network security and productivity issues.


For workers on laptops, these numbers are even higher — 8% globally and 14% in Germany. All told, almost a third of laptop users around the world will use social websites while at work.

A company’s size also seems to make a difference whether or not employees will use social sites while at work. Especially in the U.S. and Japan, workers at larger companies are more likely to stay off social networks — perhaps due to firewalling or other forms of restricted access. In the UK and Germany, however, employees at big companies are slightly more likely to browse the social web while at the office.

Of course, many IT and project managers are concerned about loss of productivity and compromised network security due to social media use on work computers. But this increase could also be due to the rise in social media marketing and other social-based multitasking tools as much as slacking off. Remember that, once upon a time, general Internet use at work was considered frivolous; now, most of us use at least some websites to do our work every day.

We might not be the best judges, though, since our jobs involve a lot of day-to-day social media use. What’s your workday like? Do you use social media for business purposes? Is there some gray area between true productivity and pure socializing? Or are you a Facebook-using slacker while at work?

Let us know about your social media and work overlap in the comments.

[img credit: Balakov]

Reviews: Facebook, Internet

More About: company, office, social media, social networking, work

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Money Magazine’s 100 Best Places to Live Get Enhanced by Gowalla

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 11:35 AM PDT


Accompanying the release of Money magazine’s annual “100 Best Places to Live in America,” Gowalla has launched a series of features to help users explore the highest-ranking places on the list.

Gowalla users can now take curated Trips through the top five small cities (Eden Prairie, MN, Columbia/Ellicott City, MD, Newton, MA, Bellevue, WA and McKinney, TX), which are detailed at gowalla.com/bestplaces. Users who visit all of the listed spots in one city will receive a special stamp for their Gowalla Passport.

Money determined its rankings by lining up various public data, including median family incomes, auto insurance premiums, the number of entertainment venues and air quality index ratings. Like most ranking systems that try to quantify what’s essentially a very subjective topic, the results aren’t necessarily very accurate; few would agree, we expect, that this year’s winner — little Eden Prairie, MN, whose low unemployment rate is due to the robust success of businesses like hearing-aid maker Starkey Labs — is actually the best place to live in the U.S.

Nevertheless, the feature has provided great exposure for Gowalla. Money magazine’s website, CNNMoney.com, has posted the entire feature with links to what’s trending on Gowalla in the top 25 towns, prominently displayed next to Gowalla’s logo. CNN Money, in turn, will buff up its presence on the Gowalla network with dozens of new followers.

So far, partnerships between prominent brands and location-based social networks have primarily targeted users in major cities, like Gowalla’s campaigns with The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.), The Courier Journal (Louisville, KY) and USA Today (major U.S. airports), as well as Foursquare’s deals with The Wall Street Journal (New York, NY) and the History Channel (major U.S. cities). The campaign may help Gowalla gain traction in smaller towns ahead of its competitors.

What do you think of the partnership? Do you think location-based social networking has become popular enough to really take off in smaller cities like Eden Prairie, MN and McKinney, TX?

[img credit: trawin]

Reviews: Foursquare, Gowalla

More About: cnn money, foursquare, gowalla

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5 Non-Profit iPhone Apps You Should Know About

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 10:13 AM PDT

ymca header image

Frank Barry, professional services manager at Blackbaud and blogger at NetWits ThinkTank, helps non-profits use the Internet for digital communication, social media, and fundraising so they can focus on making an impact and achieving their missions. Find Frank on Twitter @franswaa.

If you haven't noticed, the web is going mobile right before your eyes. Smart phones like the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Palm are becoming more and more a part of how we live, work and interact. The current shift away from laptops and onto our smart phones is a lot like the transition from creating print media to doing web development for the first time. Remember that?

Just as for-profit entities are paying attention to this shift, non-profit organizations are building branded apps to reach their supporters, raise money and awareness, and deliver their missions in new and innovative ways.

Here are five branded, non-profit apps you should know about:

1. Capital Area Food Bank of Texas — "iPheedaNeed"

ipheedaneed image\

The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) is focused on reducing hunger in their local area by 25 percent in the next four years and technology is playing a big part in that effort. iPheedANeed, a free app for iPhone, was created to build value for their supporters in the rapidly growing mobile technology space. "We created a simple, fun and engaging iPhone experience that will further our mission, show up-to-date information such as local fundraising events, and fully engage users in real-time,” said Lisa Goddard, CAFB Online Marketing Director.

Another key initiative of CAFB is to raise awareness about how hunger affects people in the Texas area. The CAFB iPhone app comes packed with a clever game called "Catch the Can" that allows you to stock your virtual pantry with healthy, non-perishable food items, and win appliances for your virtual kitchen. "Catch the Can is a fun way to reinforce our request for the community to donate healthy, non-perishable food items and not just the things you want to get rid of in your pantry,” Goddard said. The game serves as a way to remind people that they can make a difference in the fight to end hunger.

2. YMCA — "YMCA Finder"

ymca finder image

The YMCA has over 20 million members, nearly 550 thousand volunteers and does close to $6 billion yearly revenue, according to its website. As of one of the largest non-profit community service organizations in the United States, they serve thousands of U.S. communities. One of their key focus areas is to promote a healthy lifestyle through programs like Active America. To aid in their efforts, the YMCA has developed a free iPhone app to help people find local YMCA's, eat healthier and exercise more.

YMCA FINDER enables you to find YMCA locations near you using location-based technology and GPS. "The idea behind this app is to further promote a healthy lifestyle and extend the Y's reach via mobile tools that build and promote community in the digital world," said John Merritt, vice president MIS at YMCA San Diego County. It not only lets you find the Y nearest you, but it will also give you directions and let you add Y's to your contacts. "In the near future the app will list and find all YMCA's located in the United States,” Merritt said. “Additionally, future versions will include job listings, health tips and more."

3. One Days Wages – "Wage Calculator"

wage calculator image

One Day's Wages (ODW) is a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions focused on alleviating extreme global poverty. Their vision is to inspire people around the world to donate one day’s wages on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis. All those small donations will hopefully add up to billions of dollars in support of ending world poverty. With such a lofty mission they knew it would take a worldwide movement of motivated people to make an impact and they knew it had to be simple for those people to get involved. That's where mobile technology and their iPhone app come into play.

"The iPhone app helps aid OWD in integrating human relationships with social technology, a core focus of ours," said Eugene Cho, Executive Director of ODW. The app is simple, but powerful. It allows you to calculate your daily wage based on what you make by the hour or yearly. Once you know what your daily wage is you can pick the charity you'd like to support and make a one time or recurring donation. The likes of Charity: Water, HEAL Africa, Haiti Relief & Rebuild Fund and Not For Sale are all there. Watch the video to learn more:


4. American Hiking Society — "HIKE"

hike image

For the past 30 years, American Hiking Society (AHS) has focused on ensuring hiking trails and natural places are cherished and preserved so people can enjoy their beauty for years to come. From advocacy efforts to coalitions, AHS ensures trails are kept up, wildlife is protected, significant landscapes are preserved and much much more. Given that a large portion of their supporters are outdoorsmen on-the-go, the AHS saw an opportunity to leverage mobile technology, smart phones and location-based services.

Their iPhone app allows you to find maps of parks, forests, trailheads, campgrounds, and much more. Once you've found a location you can then record what they call "adventures.” Each adventure you create will track your progress along the map via GPS while providing you stats related to your hike. Any pictures you take with your phone will be plotted on the map via geo-tagging so that from start to finish you'll be able to go back and replay your adventure to see where you walked and the pictures you took along the way in the exact location you took them. You can share these memories via social networks like Facebook or Twitter.

Watch the Yosemite Adventure Video to see this app in action:


5. The Salvation Army — "Bellringer"

bellringer image

The Salvation Army does incredible work meeting human needs around the world. They serve in 121 countries and offer a number of programs ranging from youth camps to disaster relief efforts. You've likely run across a Salvation Army volunteer ringing their bell with a red kettle hanging in front of them outside of the local market or grocery store. You may have even thrown in some change as you walked past them.

The traditional "Red Kettle" fundraising program is an integral part of the holiday season, with millions of dollars donated each year to aid needy families, seniors, and homeless individuals.

Seeing rapid adoption of smart phones over the past few year opened the Salvation Army eyes to an opportunity to get even more people (including a younger audience) involved during the holiday season. The Salvation Army iPhone app, better known as the "Bellringer," is simple in concept and execution, but powerful in action; turning your iPhone into a bell and any smart phone user into a bell-ringing volunteer. It’s a reminder to help support the thousands of people in need while letting you have some fun at the same time.

As you can see, non-profits are doing some exciting things in the mobile space. Have you seen any other unique, fun or cutting-edge mobile apps out there in the wild?

More iPhone resources from Mashable:

- 5 Handy iPhone Apps for Home Improvement
- 10 Great iPhone Apps for Growing a Garden
- Top 6 Free World Cup iPhone Apps
- 5 Fantastic Free iPhone E-book Reader Apps
- 10 Essential Money-Saving iPhone Apps

Reviews: Android, BlackBerry Rocks!, Facebook, Twitter, iPhone

More About: App, ipheedaneed, iphone, List, Lists, non-profit, one days wages, salvation army, smartphone, ymca

For more Apple coverage:

Consumer Reports: We Can’t Recommend iPhone 4

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 09:54 AM PDT


Consumer Reports performed lab tests on the iPhone 4 and determined that the phone’s alleged antenna problem is completely legit. As a result, the organization declined to recommend the device, suggesting that consumers buy the older 3GS model instead.

The steel bands that run around the phone’s edges function as antennae, and Apple touted this as a selling point. Unfortunately, consumers discovered a design flaw immediately after the phone launched. When you cover up a small gap between two of the bands on the corner of the phone, you experience dramatic signal loss.

As you’ll see in the video below, Consumer Reports tested AT&T carrier signals on the phone using lab equipment and determined that touching that spot on the phone can cause enough signal loss to drop a call. It also confirmed that this is not just an issue where the phone’s software is inaccurately reporting signal strength. Previous tests have had similar results.

Apple has struggled to get ahead of the story in the press, which has been peppered with news reports and editorials about the problem.

First, Apple CEO Steve Jobs responded to a frustrated customer by suggesting that he simply stop holding the phone that way. Apple has even posted job listings for antenna engineers, although it hasn’t confirmed that those engineers will be working to resolve this specific issue.

People began to realize that Apple probably knew about the flaw all along, because the bumper cases it launched alongside the phone do little except prevent skin contact with the problem spot. Although the bumpers don’t make the iPhone 4 much bigger than its predecessor, they cost a not-inconsiderable $29.

Is this flaw really a deal-breaker as Consumer Reports suggests, or do you feel that you can work around it?

Consumer Reports Video

More About: apple, att, consumer reports, iphone, iphone 4, trending

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Mark Zuckerberg’s Face, Fashioned From Facebook [PIC]

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 09:22 AM PDT


Judging by the fact that the first suggested Google query for “mark zuckerberg” is “mark zuckerberg girlfriend,” we’re guessing there are a lot of folks out there enamored of the social media swain. Well, you’re in luck! Now you can plaster Zuckerberg’s face to your bedroom wall, ’cause some artsy dude made this kick-ass poster of the man himself, entirely composed of Facebook icons.

The above was designed by visual designer Charis Tsevis for Wired Magazine. You can snag the snap via his Flickr stream. Let us know how it looks in your locker.

[via Digital Inspiration]

Reviews: Facebook, Google

More About: art, facebook, mark zuckerberg, pop culture

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RIM Previews BlackBerry 6 and MobileMe-Like Service

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 09:07 AM PDT

RIM has just posted a new sneak peek of BlackBerry 6, the next version of the BlackBerry software scheduled for release later this summer.

Like the first sneak peek from WES 2010, the video highlights some of the changes coming to the BlackBerry OS, namely social integration at the system level, a more streamlined interface and support for gestures and other touch features.

In fact, in this second preview, almost all of the interface elements appear to be touch-based. There is even a new virtual keyboard on display that looks similar to what the iPhone sports, as well as support for pinch zoom. This makes us think that RIM is planning to launch a new line of touchscreen BlackBerry devices. However, unlike the beleaguered BlackBerry Storm and Storm II, these devices look like they will be paired with an OS that was designed for touch.

We really like how BlackBerry is integrating Facebook, Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger with the inbox, and making it easy to post to multiple social networks at one time. We also love the native RSS integration. BlackBerry 6 will also sport a new web browser based on WebKit, which powers Mobile Safari and the browsers on Android and webOS. The browser should go a long way to improving and modernizing the BlackBerry experience.

BlackBerry Protect: A Free Way to Find, Back Up and Restore Your Phone

RIM has also announced an upcoming product to help BlackBerry owners keep track of their devices called BlackBerry Protect. Think of this as MobileMe for BlackBerry.


BlackBerry Protect is still in private beta and will be launching through the BlackBerry Beta Zone later in the week via invite codes. It will reach public beta later this year.

Here’s what BlackBerry Protect, which is free, will let you do:

  • Back up your BlackBerry contacts, calendar, memos, bookmarks and text messages over Wi-Fi
  • Restore your data to a new BlackBerry smartphone or switch from one BlackBerry to another
  • Remotely lock your device with a password or remotely wipe all of the data off of your device
  • Track the location of your smartphone via GPS so that you can pinpoint where it is or where you left it
  • Remotely activate a loud ringer so that you can find a phone misplaced in your house (or in your sofa)
  • Add your contact info to the home screen of your BlackBerry so that others can contact you if they find it

This is a solid list of features we think should be included by all major smartphone makers by default. While Apple does offer these same services via MobileMe for $99 per year, Motorola also has a similar offering for free via its MotoBlur service.

The wireless backup and wireless restore features are especially slick and we think they will nicely complement the workflow of the typical BlackBerry user.

What do you think of the new BlackBerry 6 preview and of BlackBerry Protect?

Reviews: Android, Facebook, MobileMe, Twitter

More About: blackberry, blackberry 6, blackberry os 6, blackberry protect

For more Mobile coverage:

Microsoft and eBay Team Up for Cloud Computing Bliss

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 08:28 AM PDT


At its Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, D.C., Microsoft isn’t just “hardcore” about tablets, the company is also ramping up its cloud computing efforts and has announced that eBay will be one of the first customers of Microsoft’s new Windows Azure platform appliance.

The appliance is designed to be a turnkey cloud platform aimed at large enterprises or service providers who already have their own datacenters. Rather than storing data off-site, customers can take advantage of Microsoft’s cloud computing infrastructure on their own existing datacenters.

eBay will be one of the first partners to take advantage of this solution with two of its datacenters.

Microsoft and eBay have already tested Microsoft’s public Windows Azure platform as a way to deploy certain apps and functionality on a public cloud (i.e. making them accessible externally) while still being reliable. Windows Azure hosts eBay’s iPad listings page, for instance.

Check out this video from the eBay Ink blog, in which eBay VP of Technology James Barrese talks about eBay, cloud computing and how the new arrangement with Microsoft will work:

Microsoft Making a Big Play for the Enterprise Cloud Space

As ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley details, Microsoft has been promising to allow enterprise customers to buy preconfigured Windows Azure datacenter containers for some time.

The advantage of having a private cloud running the Windows Azure stack over hosting data directly with Microsoft is largely targeted at enterprise users, service providers and government agencies who can’t have their data hosted off-site. Microsoft will keep the servers patched, tuned and managed, but won’t have anything to do with the data that is being stored on the servers.

In the public or hosted-cloud space, Microsoft has lots of competition from the likes of Amazon, Rackspace and Force.com. In the private cloud space, Microsoft is going up against Cisco and IBM, whom offer similar products.

Just as there has been a big push on the SMB side to move applications and data to the cloud from internal small networks, the migration from traditional datacenter to private cloud is a trend we expect will continue to gain momentum in the enterprise space.

Microsoft is making it clear that it wants a piece of the action.

Disclosure: Microsoft is a Mashable sponsor.

[img credit: Arthur40A]

Reviews: Mashable, eBay

More About: cloud computing, ebay, enterprise, microsoft, windows azure, windows azure platform appliance

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75+ Social Media Resources for Artists and Designers

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 08:02 AM PDT


Once a foreign concept, digital art can now be seen in galleries, shops, and even the cover of the New Yorker.

While artists have had access to computer-based tools for years, we’ve also collected some resources for portable platforms including the iPhone and Android devices that have opened up a whole new suite of powerful, portable tools.

This list of over 75 resources can get you up and running regardless of your artistic persuasion. From sites to inspire to portable photo editors to color manipulating web tools, these resources can help any project you might be working on – digital or otherwise.

colorbar image

More resources from Mashable:

- 11 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed
- 25 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed
- 15 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed
- 26 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed
- 19 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, bjones27

Reviews: Android, Chrome, Facebook, Twitter, iPhone, iStockphoto

More About: artists, design, resources, social media

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Ballmer: Expect a Lot of Windows 7 Tablets This Year

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 06:51 AM PDT


Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference has just kicked off in Washington with a keynote from CEO Steve Ballmer. Focusing mostly on cloud computing and tablets, Ballmer said that Microsoft is “hardcore” about tablets and that we can expect a lot of new Windows 7 tablets before the end of the year.

These tablets, said Ballmer, will come in a variety of form factors and from several hardware partners, including Asus, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and Sony. HP, who was supposed to launch a Windows-based tablet called Slate but later dropped the project altogether, was not mentioned.

At this year’s technology show Computex, companies such as Asus and MSI exhibited several Windows-based tablets, but most of these haven’t hit the market yet. Ballmer promised to show off some new Windows 7-based tablet prototypes at the WPC, so stay tuned for news of potential iPad competitors in the next couple of days.

Reviews: Windows

More About: microsoft, Steve Ballmer, Tablet, Windows 7

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