Jumat, 23 Juli 2010

Mashable: Latest 26 News Updates - including “Samsung Galaxy S Ad Mocks iPhone 4”

Mashable: Latest 26 News Updates - including “Samsung Galaxy S Ad Mocks iPhone 4”

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Samsung Galaxy S Ad Mocks iPhone 4

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 04:45 AM PDT


We’re sure that Steve Jobs and other folks at Apple would like nothing more than for the whole antennagate mess to clear as soon as possible, especially after Jobs’ recent apology and promise to give iPhone 4 customers a free bumper case, but the competition just won’t let them.

Annoyed by the fact that Apple used their devices as examples that other phones have issues similar to the iPhone 4, most major phone manufacturers issued a statement on the issue, dismissing Apple’s claims and asserting Apple shouldn’t have dragged them into their problems.

Now, in the latest ad for its Galaxy S smartphone, Samsung simply says “Hello,” but everyone who has seen their signal on the iPhone 4 unexpectedly drop will instantly recognize the true meaning behind the ad.

More About: Antennagate, apple, galaxy s, iphone, samsung

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India Develops World’s Cheapest Tablet

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 03:28 AM PDT


In another attempt to bring a usable computer to the masses at an extremely affordable price point, India has developed a touchscreen computing device which will cost only $35. According to a press release by India’s Press Information Bureau, the price is expected to drop even further, first to $20 and ultimately to a mere $10.

The reports about the device’s hardware vary greatly; all we can say for sure is that it’s portable and has a touchscreen, which pretty much makes it a tablet (confirmed by the image on the right).

According to Indian Express, it has a 5/7/9 inch touchscreen (we don’t know whether that means there will be several versions of the device or they’re simply unsure what the actual size is, but it looks like a 7-incher to us), and on the software side, it sports a web browser, PDF reader, office software, media player as well as multimedia input/output capabilities, video conferencing (it must have a camera, then) and remote device management capability – all of it open-source and Linux-based.

Whatever hardware is running this thing, it’s ready for production, according to India’s human resource development minister Kapil Sibal. “We have reached a (developmental) stage that today; the motherboard, its chip, the processing, connectivity, all of them cumulatively cost around $35, including memory, display, everything,” he said at a news conference in New Delhi.

The device, Sibal said, should be available to consumers sometime in 2011.

[Img credit: Indian Express]

Reviews: Linux

More About: india, laptop

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Apple Automatically Refunding iPhone 4 Bumper Purchases

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 01:47 AM PDT


Have you bought an iPhone 4 bumper case? It’s time to get your money back, as Apple has started automatically processing refunds for customers who bought the bumper cases via online Apple Store.

Faced with a huge backlash over iPhone 4’s reception issues when you hold the phone in a certain way, Apple recently announced that all iPhone 4 customers who bought a bumper case are eligible for a refund, and new iPhone 4 customers get a bumper case for free – at least until September 30th, when Apple will reevaluate its bumper case policy.

We knew this was coming, but it’s still a strangely gratifying experience for iPhone 4 customers: for once, Apple is giving you money instead of the opposite.

[img credit: MacRumors]

More About: Antennagate, apple, bumper, iphone 4

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How the Internet is Affecting Traditional Journalism [SURVEY]

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 10:41 PM PDT


In a survey conducted over May and June this year, PR network Oriella asked media moguls how the Internet was affecting their business, their publishing formats and even the quality of the content issuing forth from their newsrooms.

In a survey of 770 journalists across 15 countries, the company determined that, while media creators are slightly more optimistic than they were last year about maintaining revenues vis-a-vis the rise of online ad budgets, many are still worried about whether traditional media formats can succeed in the long run.

“Concerns about the viability of journalists' traditional media channels (print, radio or television) have intensified,” the report reads.

“When asked about the future of their respective publications, over half of those polled believe that these channels may well fold and be taken off the market… This is a sharp rise from last year, when only one in three journalists surveyed believed this would happen. Nearly one in six confirm this has already happened to their publication.”


However, many respondents also said that publishers were considering new online sources of revenue, such as paywalls, membership plans and premium mobile content for phones and tablets. This may be due to the fact that, over the past two years in particular, publications have been reporting significant loss of reader/viewership as well as ad revenues to online media.


A more optimistic note involved the overall quality of journalism. When asked, “How would you describe the impact these changes have had on the quality of your organization’s journalism over the past two years?” journalists responded mostly favorably. Around 21.5% said that the journalism quality at their publication had decreased. The rest of respondents said the quality of coverage had either stayed the same (32%), gotten better (35%) or gotten much better (11%).

Similarly, changes in media have had a mostly positive or neutral impact on how journalists see their own jobs. Only 16.5% of respondents said they enjoyed their jobs less because of the past two years of shifts toward digital media.

As far as how media outlets are incorporating digital formats, we’re seeing more journalist-authored blogs and publication-run Twitter accounts, but these publications are pulling back from online video (which is typically more expensive to produce), white-label communities and/or forums, and podcasts.



What do you think of these changes and how journalists and media are handling our overall cultural shift toward a more digital life? What publications are doing a better job of using and profiting from online media, in your opinion?

[img credit: joshuatree]

Reviews: Twitter

More About: internet, journalism, media

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Android Versus iPhone: The OSes By the Numbers [STATS]

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:53 PM PDT


When it comes to Androids and iPhones, we’ve had just about enough emotionally weighted hyperbole over which device is better. For one thing, most of those arguments are subjective projections of personal opinion. For another, hey, they’re just phones; we shouldn’t get so uptight about them.

However, when ad network Chitika approached us with a handful of stats on just how many people use which versions of which mobile operating system, we were too curious to turn down the opportunity to learn more. We’ve known for a while that Android is growing and that the iPhone 4 is massively popular; here are concrete numbers that show exactly to what extent the mobile landscape is changing.

Data was gathered by looking at web impressions from mobile devices across Chitika’s network, which includes more than 80,000 publisher sites.

When you do a straight-up OS to OS comparison, Apple has the lead by a significant margin; iOS traffic accounted for around 55% of mobile OS activity in a recent snapshot, whereas Android devices ran closer to 18% of the total.

While the incumbent iPhone is still the Goliath to be challenged in this industry, the Android OS is growing rapidly — a trend that has been well documented this year alone. The iPhone has a 10-month head start on the Android operating system, but it’s got almost two years in the market over the first Android device (HTC’s Dream). The rapid multiplication of Android-running smartphones can account for much of the platform’s growth over the past two years.

To get an idea of OS versions, Chitika captured data on 9,020,135 devices running an iOS and 7,712,820 devices running some version of Android. This is a snapshot of the larger mobile traffic picture (for comparison, Apple said it sold 8.4 million iPhones in the quarter that the iPhone 4 was released), but we’d imagine that, with a data set of this size, the numbers are likely indicative of general trends.

Where iPhone owners show a distinct advantage is in the ability to quickly upgrade en masse to the latest distribution of the OS. Almost half (49.9%) of all iPhone owners are now running iOS 4, which was just released one month ago.


Android device owners, on the other hand, can be heard lamenting the late arrival of Froyo on every street corner, from every rooftop… Perhaps we’re exaggerating a bit, but the chart below pretty well illustrates this common frustration: Currently, only 1.74% of Android users have the latest distribution of the OS.


Android fans are one group of folks impatient for the arrival of Froyo; developers would be another. The chart above illustrates a complaint often heard from Android devs: The splintering of OS version can make this platform more difficult to develop for.

It’s nice to have some solid numbers on the iPhone versus Android subject; even if they only show a large segment of purchasing and behavior patterns, they shed some very rational light on an intensely and often irrationally debated subject.

What do you make of these stats? Do you think the Android growth curve could possibly overtake the iPhone’s numbers over the next few years?

UPDATE: We were just notified by Chitika that some of the data we had received was not intended to be compared in an apples-to-apples sense. Our charts and accompanying reporting has been altered accordingly.

[img credit: laihiu]

Reviews: Android

More About: android, Chitika, Froyo, iOS, iphone, iphone 4, Mobile 2.0, OS

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Train Smarter with Runner’s World iPhone App

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 06:38 PM PDT


Runner’s World magazine today announced the release of its SmartCoach iPhone app, which creates customized training guides for race distances between a 5-K and a marathon.

Users can input their most recent race time, weekly and long-term distance goals, training level (maintenance, moderate, hard or very hard), the day they’d like to schedule their long runs and the amount of time they’d like to train for (up to 16 weeks) to receive their customized plan.

The app suggests a running distance and pace that varies each day, increasing in distance and speed and then tapering off shortly before race day.

The plans are based upon the work of exercise physiologist Jack Daniels PhD, who co-published two equations that relate oxygen consumption to the speed and length of various running performances. These equations, the app’s Background section explains, have helped shape nearly every training program since developed for runners.

The app is available in two versions: one for $0.99 [iTunes link], and a second for free [iTunes link], courtesy of New Balance. The paid version is ad-free and allows users to e-mail and print their training plans, as well as receive special discounts and other offers.

While the app offers a much more convenient alternative to planning my own training guide (which I’ve somewhat inefficiently been doing in iCal for the past two years), it doesn’t offer enough functionality to be truly useful. I can’t, for instance, switch my long run to a Saturday because of a scheduling conflict, or adjust my Wednesday run to eight miles because I only had time to do four on Monday. Nor can I record my runs to track my progress.

The app would also benefit with the addition of iCal and Google Calendar integration, as well as a timer and GPS-based distance meter which could automatically be saved in the app and on my calendars.

Several other running apps already offer these features, like Fitnio [iTunes link], a $1.99 app that tracks your speed, distance and caloric burn, and keeps an ongoing log of your workouts in the app and on its website.

The app that offers the best value, I believe, is Revolver’s $0.99 Run Coach Pro [iTunes link]. It offers flexible scheduling, the ability to track runs (both distance and location) and graph your progress, eight-32 weeks of personalized training schedules reportedly designed by a team of Olympic and professional runners, and more.

With all of those features, it’s hard to justify the download of the Runner’s World app — much less the purchase of the premium version — yet the app will undoubtedly appeal to those who don’t want to pay $0.99 for Revolver’s app, as well as readers who have been following the training guides in the magazine for years.

Runner’s World will have to significantly improve the app’s capabilities to appeal to the rest of the iPhone-holding running population, however.

Runners: Do you find this app useful? What training apps do you recommend?

[img credit: lululemon athletica]

Reviews: Google Calendar

More About: fitness, health, iphone app, running

For more Mobile coverage:

TRON: Legacy Trailer Hits the Web [VIDEO]

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 05:48 PM PDT

Disney has released the newest trailer for TRON: Legacy at Comic-Con, and it’s spreading around the web like wildfire.

TRON: Legacy is the much-anticipated sequel to Tron, the 1982 classic that follows hacker Kevin Flynn’s journey into the virtual world of the ENCOM mainframe. Jeff Bridges is reprising his role as Flynn in the sequel, which is due to be released on December 17, 2010.

This trailer not only shows off the cutting-edge, techno-style special effects that make the world of TRON; it also dives deeper into the storyline and the relationship between Bridges’ character and his hacker son Sam Flynn (played by Garrett Hedlund). Comic-Con attendees got an extra bonus, though: eight full minutes of footage from the upcoming film.

The film trailer has been a hot item around the web. The movie wins nostalgia points with children of the eighties, and it also wins the hearts of technology and computer geeks. After seeing this trailer, we’re more excited than ever for this film.

What about you: Are you excited? Are you planning on going to see the film later this year? Let us know what you think in the comments, but please, no reaction videos.

More About: entertainment, f, Film, movie, movie trailer, TRON, tron legacy

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WordPress Theme Thesis Maker Backs Down, Adopts GPL

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 05:32 PM PDT


Chalk this one up as a victory for the free software movement: Thesis, the wildly popular proprietary WordPress theme from developer/designer Chris Pearson, is now available under a split GPL, the license that makes it possible to alter and redistribute this software as you see fit.

Pearson’s decision marks the end of a high-drama clash between him and Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress and of Automattic, which runs WordPress.com and a handful of related software. Some folks wondered if the battle of words might end in a battle of legal precedent as Mullenweg struggled to preserve free-software principles and Pearson struggled to maintain control over his highly successful software.

Thesis caused a bit of a ruckus when it was first released a couple years ago; being built on WordPress and using the WordPress plugin API (GPL software), the theme was supposedly subject to the same share-and-share-alike principles and should have been released under the same GPL.

Also known as a General Public License, this document was created first by Richard Stallman, who still has very definite views about software sharing. According to the GPL, software can be sold commercially but the user must be free to share the software, free to modify it, free to redistribute it to the community and free to share copies of his modified versions. In the words of the license, “If you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must pass on to the recipients the same freedoms that you received.”

Thesis was being sold for $87 per copy under a more conventional license, even though it used and referenced GPL-licensed code. And for whatever reason, we didn’t hear too much about this single WordPress theme from day to day, even as it grew to become quite a money maker for Pearson.

The sleeping dog was lying quite peacefully until Mixergy’s Andrew Warner conducted an explosive interview with Chris Pearson, creator of Thesis. We say “explosive” in the sense that the blogosphere (and other social media spheres) exploded as the video racked up views. As Pearson revealed the financial success he’d seen from his should-have-been-at-least-partially-free-and-open-source software, WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg fired back on Twitter. This testy exchange culminated in another Mixergy interview, this time a face-off between the two gents. A lawsuit was a-brewin’.

“Even if Thesis hadn't copy and pasted large swathes of code from WordPress (and GPL plugins) its PHP would still need to be under the GPL,” Mullenweg wrote on his blog. He also began encouraging Thesis users to abandon the theme and seek GPL alternatives.

“We write software that empowers and protects the freedoms of users, it’s our Bill of Rights. People should respect that,” he said on Twitter.

While it seemed over the past week that neither party was willing to budge on his position, Pearson has just now relented, if only enough to satisfy the legal requirements of the GPL.

“Friends and lovers: Thesis now sports a split GPL license. Huzzah for harmony!” he wrote on Twitter this afternoon. Still, he said the change “has no practical implications for 99.9% of people.”

The split GPL will allow the parts of Thesis that use WordPress code to be freely shared. All the PHP code is GPL, while CSS and JavaScript code sections remain proprietary. It’s not a complete win for FOSS, but at least it’s fair, compliant and fork-able.

Mullenweg’s public response seems to be one of relief. “This has taken a lot of my time over the past few days and was going to consume more if it went forward,” he wrote on Twitter today. “Thrilled, however, that Thesis is now legal and in compliance… What’s going to be far more useful to Thesis is the fixes we can send him now — which is the most beautiful part of open source.”

It’s a complex and nuanced issue, but we’re glad that Pearson saw fit to respect the GPL and that no blood was shed in the process. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Reviews: PHP, Twitter, WordPress

More About: automattic, GPL, mullenweg, pearson, thesis, trending, Wordpress

For more Dev & Design coverage:

FarmVille Users Plant 310 Million Virtual Organic Blueberries

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 04:09 PM PDT


Organic foods maker Cascadian Farm, situated in the foothills of the North Cascades mountain range in the state of Washington, was once known mainly for its high-quality organic foods in the real world — until it became part of Zynga’s wildly popular game FarmVille.

Cascadian Farm is now the brand behind the game’s new organic blueberries crop, which became available in the FarmVille Market on Monday and has already been purchased by more than 1 million players for 20 credits each. In total, 310 million Cascadian Farm organic blueberries have been planted by FarmVille players.

Cascadian Farm is touting this as the first in-game branded crop to ever appear in the FarmVille Market. You may recall that Elite Taami Nutz was behind brand-sponsored peanuts earlier in the year. The company was the first to sponsor a crop, but Cascadian is the first to get their logo and brand into the Market.

Since the launch of the in-game blueberries, Cascadian Farm’s “Farmer Joe” — the man who tends the virtual farm — has received close to 5,000 friend requests on Facebook. The fact that FarmVille players are taking the extra step to friend the virtual farmer shows that there is a positive brand association between the crop and the company. That association could easily extend to the offline world; we hope Cascadian Farms will share its metrics and sales with us once the campaign has run its course.

The campaign is set to wrap up this coming Monday, July 26. At least within FarmVille, we certainly expect the organic blueberries to be in hot demand until then.

Reviews: Facebook

More About: farmville, games, MARKETING, Zynga

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10 iPad Games Worth Paying For

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 03:25 PM PDT


The iPad may be the device of the rich, but no matter what your socioeconomic status, it’s never fun to shell out for an app and end up disappointed in your purchase. Considering that the iPhone’s strong gaming heritage has carried over to Apple’s tablet device, the danger of picking up a sub-par paid title is arguably high.

With iPad app counterparts running significantly higher in cost than their tinier mobile cousins, it’s more useful than ever to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. We went hands-on with a number of popular paid titles in the Games category of the App Store to cull the following list for you, which represents some of the best that the still-early days of iPad gaming has to offer.

Still, there are sure to be great paid iPad games we’ve missed in this list, so please do share your favorites in the comments.

1. Civilization Revolution

If you’ve played any version of Sid Meier’s award-winning Civilization franchise, you’ll be instantly familiar with the iPad app. It compares very favorably with the versions of Civilization Revolution that brought the original PC strategy series to consoles, and will have a very small learning curve for anyone who has played the title on other platforms.

If you’re not already familiar with the franchise, it may be easier to think of Civilization as a modern-day version of Risk, in which you choose a historical figure to lead your civilization in a turn-based scaled progression of time. As you turn your tiny village into a thriving metropolis, animated advisers help guide you through the finer points of diplomacy with your adversaries and scientific advancement through research. Unlike Risk, however, there is more than one path to victory — in addition to world domination, you can also win a match by technological advancement, cultural growth, or economic achievement.

Several difficulty levels allow you to scale up as you master the various aspects of the game. If you’re already a fan of Civilization or the strategy and management genre in general, our only caveat is the many hours you may lose to this $12.99 title.

Get it: Civilization Revolution for $12.99

2. N.O.V.A. HD

Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance (N.O.V.A) HD reminds us of a certain other four-letter space FPS franchise and that’s not at all a bad thing. If you’re looking for a Halo-esque sci-fi shooter for your iPad, it’s definitely worth giving N.O.V.A. a try.

The game controls are simple and intuitive, with a virtual pad supplying character movement, finger-swiped camera controls, aim-assist and other shooter essentials like weapon selection, a reloading mechanism, and grenades. The iPad’s touchscreen is used to great effect here, making N.O.V.A. HD feel arguably more at home here than on its iPhone version cousin. Visuals and production values are high, and voice acting adds depth to the experience as well.

Although the title is undoubtedly derivative of Halo, and the storyline cribs a number of sci-fi action cliches, N.O.V.A. is still loads of fun to fire up and shoot some baddies. You may even find yourself marveling that this type of experience is happening on a portable device.

Get it: N.O.V.A. HD for $6.99

3. Plants vs. Zombies HD

If you’ve ever played PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies in any of its various versions for iPhone, Mac, PC or Web, you’ll be right at home with the iPad version. It’s essentially the same zombie-slaying action strategy goodness in larger, eye-popping resolution.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing “PvZ” yet, it’s well worth a first try in this format. The premise is to prevent your home from being invading by incessantly spawning zombies of varying abilities. You’ll need to use an arsenal of different plant types with different skills along with various obstacles to slow down and destroy the oncoming hordes over multiple levels. With four different game modes to choose from and lots of replayability factor, this creative and humorous title is one to consider picking up.

Get it: Plants vs. Zombies HD for $9.99

4. Labyrinth 2 HD

Fans of the original Labyrinth for the iPhone will enjoy this new version of the popular maze game, and even moreso thanks to the increased screen real estate on the iPad. As one of the titles making exceptional use of the accelerometer function, this reasonably-priced puzzle game emulates the original analog wooden puzzles in which you navigate a steel ball through a maze, avoiding obstacles along the way to get to the end.

With oodles of challenging levels featuring obstacles galore, there’s no shortage of fun gameplay in this app. Multiplayer mode adds a whole additional dimension to the game, and yet another really cool feature is the level editor which allows you to create your own obstacle courses, share them with your friends, and download custom maps created by other players.

Get it: Labyrinth 2 HD for $7.99

5. Real Racing HD

Firemint’s Real Racing HD is a good option for fans of racing titles, with your choice of five different control schemes that make varying use of the iPad’s accelerometer. In addition to a number of different track challenges available in several modes including career, quick race and time trial, you also get the ability to extensively personalize your vehicles with custom photos and skins.

Get it: Real Racing HD for $9.99

6. Mirror’s Edge

If you’ve played the console version of EA’s innovative and critically-acclaimed Mirror’s Edge, you’ll probably be delightfully surprised by this smaller, iPad version. In this side-scrolling rendition of the original first person action-adventure, you navigate through a stylishly-rendered dystopian cityscape as protagonist Faith.

In the iPad version, finger swipes send Faith leaping over, sliding under, or wall-running and more around obstacles in her path. Getting into a consistent groove helps Faith pick up speed to achieve ever more death-defying leaps across rooftops, off of buildings onto precarious scaffolding, across chasms to crane-held beams and more. Interspersed cut scenes keep you engaged in the storyline as well, and multiplayer modes provide the ability to race through the city against your friends.

At $12.99, it’s one of the more expensive titles in this list, but in our opinion the silky smooth acrobatics and compelling world creation are well worth the expense.

Get it: Mirror’s Edge for $12.99

7. MiniGore HD

This quirky action shoot ‘em up has you piloting a series of comical avatars through the stylishly “dark wilderness of Hardland,” fending off furry creatures and various flavors of enemy. With 14 unique playable characters and a choice between dead easy and original dual-stick shooter control options, this playful title is a perfect bit of instant fun.

Get it: MiniGore HD for $4.99

8. Geometry Wars: Touch

Activision’s popular Xbox Live Arcade twin-stick shooter Geometry Wars gets an iPad-flavored update in this app. The action is controlled by two virtual sticks, but their position is not fixed and you can determine your own comfortable position for holding your iPad and playing — simply drop your thumb in a new position to create a new stick location. One stick controls the motion of your iconic spaceship with the other controlling the direction you shoot.

You can unlock different gameplay modes by mastering earlier levels, and gameplay is enhanced with an appropriately frenetic soundtrack and sound effects.

Get it: Geometry Wars: Touch for $4.99

9. Diner Dash: Grilling Green

Diner Dash as a restaurant-themed time-management strategy game is already well known. Diner Dash: Grilling Green for iPad has been built as a completely new title for the platform. You play as Flo, a former stockbroker, who has left the life of high finance to own and operate her own diner. You’ll need to seat customers, take their orders, inform the cook and deliver the food before they get too antsy.

The iPad-specific Grilling Green edition features a healthy eating theme, in which Flo embarks on a mission to serve “DinerTown” denizens greener, healthier foods. Players of previous titles will be happy to find new tricks in Flo’s arsenal to help her move patrons through the restaurant swiftly enough to avoid being overwhelmed by incoming customers.

Get it: Diner Dash: Grilling Green for $4.99

10. Radio Flare REDUX HD

The mechanics of this game are similar to the twin-stick shooting action of Geometry Wars, but are enhanced with an additional rhythm action component. A pulsating electronica soundtrack accompanies your flying ship on its mission to destroy bad guys by stringing together attacks as your craft moves and shoots to the beat.

Featuring a licensed soundtrack from a number of A-list techno and house producers, Radio Flare includes 33 different planetary levels to groove and blast through. Unlockable rewards provide new challenges and a Visualizer mode lets you cruise through levels without enemies to appreciate the eye-popping visuals and pumping tunes.

Get it: Radio Flare REDUX HD for $4.99

More iPad Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Extremely Addicting iPad Games
- 5 iPhone Games You Should Supersize on Your iPad
- 10 Awesome Apple-Inspired iPad Wallpapers
- 50+ iPad Resources You Might Have Missed
- 5 Unusual Ways to Use Apple's iPad [VIDEOS]

Reviews: App Store, Labyrinth

More About: app store, apple, games, gaming, ipad, ipad games, List, Lists

For more Apple coverage:

Microsoft Sells 175 Million Copies of Windows 7 in Nine Months

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 03:04 PM PDT


Microsoft wiped away any doubts about its fiscal outlook with a record-breaking Q4 earnings report, primarily driven by sales of Windows 7 and Office 2010. In fact, Microsoft is reporting that more than 175 million copies of Windows 7 were sold in just nine months, making it the fastest-selling OS in the company’s history.

Windows 7 was released to consumers on October 22, 2009, exactly nine months ago. Right after launch, its sales outperformed Vista by 234% and carved out a 10% share of the market by February. Just a month ago, the company announced that it had already sold 150 million units, or seven copies of Windows 7 per second.

The sale of 175 million copies in just nine months is nothing short of impressive. On average, that’s nearly 20 million copies sold per month. If you do the math, it means that Windows 7 sales increased in volume from June to July.

With these kind of sale numbers, it’s easy to see why Microsoft posted its best fiscal year yet. The desktop isn’t going away anytime soon.

Reviews: Windows

More About: microsoft, Windows, Windows 7

For more Business coverage:

Can’t Sleep? Watch Another Person’s Sleep Disorder Testing [LIVE VIDEO]

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:19 PM PDT


We’ve heard of people live streaming concerts, movie premieres and all manner of events — but what about a live stream of a man sleeping? Yup. That’s a new one. Still, this isn’t just some “day in the life of” deal. Tonight, Seattle's Swedish Medical Center's Sleep Medicine Associates will conduct what it’s calling the first-ever “Sleep up” — an all-night live stream following a patient undergoing sleep disorder testing.

The patient in question? Paul Balcerak, a digital media specialist. Balcerak recently explained his motivation for participating in the project on his blog: “I've had sleep problems for a long time. While I wouldn't necessarily call them debilitating — if necessary, I can function off four hours or less — they have occasionally been frustrating,” he writes.

So why hit snooze in such a public arena? “I've always said that with regard to getting your message out, you have to be where your audience is, no matter where that is,” he says on his blog. “Well, what better place to engage the sleep-deprived than the Internet? Ideally, one or a few of them will engage with this project and realize that maybe they don't have to suffer in silence when it comes to sleep loss or discomfort.”

That’s the end-goal of the whole ordeal: to raise awareness about sleep disorders. According to a release, more than 50 million adults in the U.S. suffer from a chronic sleep disorder — that’s a lot of folks prowling Facebook and surfing Hulu in the wee hours.

Dr. Nigel Ball PhD, director of Swedish's Sleep Medicine Associates, e-mailed us to explain what this event is hoping to accomplish. “Social media encounters are all about communication and relationships,” he says. “In modern healthcare we can't just provide services, we need our potential patients to understand and experience, and talk back to us about their needs and concerns… It will be a success if we influence only one person suffering from a sleep disorder –- and we've done that already several times over just from the advance 'buzz'! However, the beauty of this approach is to reach hundreds or thousands of interested people who will then follow up locally for help.”

So how will it all go down? Well, at 8 p.m. PT, if you surf on over to Sleep Medicine Associates’ website, you can watch a live stream of the events (we’ve embedded it below as well). From 8 p.m. until 9 p.m., Dr. Ralph Pascualy will lead a discussion about sleep disorders, and will chat with Balcerak and his wife about the patient’s history. From 9 p.m. until 10:59 p.m., the sleeping will begin (assuming Balcerak will be able to fall asleep at 9 p.m.), and doctors and specialists as well as Swedish Medical Center’s social media team will begin moderating the event, using charts, graphs and other engaging aspects so as to avoid the whole thing being, well, a snooze. Oh, also, infrared cameras will be on hand when darkness falls, which is awesome in an espionage-esque way.

From 11 p.m. until midnightish, there will be an opportunities for viewers to ask doctors and moderators questions via the Twitter handle @GoSleepSeattle and the hastag #SleepUp. The docs won’t be offering specific medical advice during that time, but they will be answering questions about sleep disorders in general. (There will be a Twitter widget on the homepage itself.) From there on out — until 7 a.m. — it’ll be sleepytime all the way — well, aside from the charts and moderation and whatnot. And at 7 a.m., drumroll please, the results of the tests will be announced.

Although the idea of live streaming a person doing something unusual is nothing new — see: that dude in the box and David on Demand — we like how this medical organization has embraced new media to get its message across.

Are you going to be sleepless in Seattle (or anywhere, for that matter) tonight? Will you tune into the stream?

NB: That is not Paul Balcerak in the above picture. We have no pictures of Balcerak sleeping… yet…

[img credit: Scott McLeod]

Reviews: Facebook, Hulu, Internet, Twitter, blog

More About: live video, social good, social media, twitter

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Windows 7 and Office 2010 Drive Microsoft to Record Revenues

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT


Microsoft Corp. has released its fourth quarter financial report, revealing that the company has broken quarterly and yearly revenue records, thanks in no small part to Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010.

In the most recent quarter, Microsoft generated $16.04 billion in revenue, a 22% jump from last year’s $13.10 billion. This is a Q4 record for the technology titan. Income also rose from $3.99 billion to $5.93 billion, an eye-popping increase of 49%.

Because Microsoft’s financial calendar starts on July 1 and ends on June 30, the company also reported some of its fiscal year results. The company generated $62.48 billion in its 2009-2010 fiscal year, a 7% increase from the previous year. This is yet another financial record for the Redmond, Washington-based company.

The primary drivers of Microsoft’s revenue growth were its Windows, Server and Business Divisions. Windows 7 drove a 23% increase in revenue for the division this year, resulting in $18.49 billion in revenue and $12.98 billion in income. Its second biggest income driver was its Business Division, specifically Microsoft Office 2010. The division generated $18.64 billion in revenue and earned $11.78 in income.

Not every division was a winner, though. While Microsoft’s Online Services Division increased revenue by 13% to $565 million, it lost more money than ever: $696 million last quarter to be exact. The company’s Entertainment and Devices Division, which houses both the Xbox and Zune divisions, lost $172 million in Q4, although it generated $1.6 billion in revenue.

You can find full details in Microsoft’s earnings report.

Disclosure: Microsoft is a Mashable sponsor.

Reviews: Mashable, Windows

More About: business, financials, microsoft, microsoft office 2010, Windows 7, xbox, Xbox 360, zune

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Amazon Customers Now Order $1 Billion of Products Per Year via Mobile

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 01:40 PM PDT


Amazon –- who earlier this week made some noise by reporting that Kindle books now outsell hardcovers –- is out with another tale of the times stat: customers are now ordering more than $1 billion worth of products per year via mobile devices.

In a statement, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, “The leading mobile commerce device today is the smartphone, but we’re excited by the potential of the new category of wireless tablet computers. Over time, tablet computers could become a meaningful additional driver for our business.”

Along those lines, the company recently launched an iPad-optimized version of its already popular iPhone app. With more than three million iPads now in circulation, and Amazon apps also available for Android and BlackBerry, it's no surprise mobile is starting to convert into serious sales for the company.

Amazon's mobile ambitions don't stop with shopping, though –- the company now offers Kindle on every major platform, and is also working to bring Amazon Payments (its PayPal rival) to third-party mobile applications.

Today's news comes as part of Amazon's second-quarter earnings release, in which the company reported $6.57 billion in sales, a 41% jump from the same period last year.

Reviews: Android

More About: amazon, earnings, ipad, Mobile 2.0, tablets

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Google Voice Gets Faster Phone Calls

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 01:17 PM PDT


Google has launched an update for its native Android and BlackBerry apps that will speed up phone call connections.

In an update to its blog, the Google Voice team pinpointed an issue with dialing out; there could be lag between dialing and connection. This is because the app had to make data requests to the server every time you made a call. This adds an extra step between you and your phone call.

That’s not something the speed-obsessed Google could tolerate, though. Starting today, Google Voice calls from its native apps will use a system the company calls “direct access numbers.” Instead of making data requests from Google’s servers, Google Voice’s Android and BlackBerry apps now assign a unique phone number to every person that you call. This removes the extra step of making data requests.

Mashable’s Brenna Ehrlich and I attempted to test out the new feature, but couldn’t discern the speed difference. Of course, we might have experienced a difference if we lived in the heart of Alaska rather than New York City and San Francisco.

Next on our wishlist is more accurate voice transcriptions and, if Apple and AT&T would stop blocking it, Google Voice for iPhone. Pretty please?

Reviews: Google, Google Voice, Mashable

More About: android, blackberry, Google, Google Voice

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Facebook’s 500 Million Members [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 12:47 PM PDT

Facebook reached its 500 million member milestone yesterday and celebrated the event with the launch of Facebook Stories. The monumental moment also played a role in the ABC World News report featuring a candid interview between Diane Sawyer and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

To commemorate the achievement, the team at Facebakers.com put together the comprehensive infographic included below (click to enlarge). The illustration breaks down the demographics of Facebook’s burgeoning population (according to their own data on the service), and explores the international makeup of the site.


Reviews: Facebook

More About: facebook, infographic

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10 Tools for Getting Web Design Feedback

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 12:31 PM PDT


This series is supported by Ben & Jerry’s Joe, Ben & Jerry’s new line-up of Fair Trade and frozen iced coffee drinks. Learn more about it here.

Design FeedbackFor designers, one of the most critical parts of a project is getting critiques and advice on how to improve designs. After all, they create designs that will be used by many other people. Getting an outside perspective helps spot issues and validate design choices.

With the web’s ability to connect us to people from all over the world, getting feedback has never been easier. This list of 10 tools will enable you to share your work and receive reviews of it. You’ll find websites dedicated to offering free design critiques as well as tools you can use to conduct usability testings with real people in order to benchmark your design’s efficacy in the wild.

1. Critique The Site


This handy web tool allows you to gather feedback about a website’s design. The tool works simply by adding a left frame beside the subject web page where users can leave feedback. Reviewers must first log in using a popular web service such as Twitter, Gmail, Facebook, or OpenID before being able to post a review of the site.

This tool makes it convenient to share a site for critiquing and gathering feedback, relying on the social web’s unrestrained penchant for talking about things. This tool is, however, limited to the amount of people you have access to as it doesn’t have a base of reviewers at hand to review your site.

2. Please Critique Me


Please Critique Me, a web resource by web design agency OnWired, offers free design critiques by one of its design critics. Members of the panel include recognizable names such as Chris Spooner, Grace Smith (who also writes for Mashable), Sarah Parmenter, and more.

The website is not only great for getting your designs critiqued by professionals, but is also a way to learn about effective design principles by reading archived critiques.

3. Reviews and Critiques – SitePoint


SitePoint, a premier online media company that publishes articles and e-books aimed at web designers and developers, has a forum specifically for getting design feedback from their huge 350,000+ registered users. In the Website Reviews forum, where designers can request feedback on their web design, there are over 5,000 threads and 95,000 posts, indicating the large activity and regular availability of the community to help their fellow designers out by providing feedback.

4. Bounce


Bounce is a simple web application that gives web designers a platform for soliciting ideas and feedback about their website. It is intuitive to use — plug in your web design’s URL and it generates a screenshot of the site which people can make comments on.

If you have a social network of designers, this can be a fun and easy way of gathering feedback using web services such as Twitter and Facebook.

5. Five Second Test


Five Second Test presents reviewers with a screen capture of a web design that they need to evaluate in five seconds. Evaluation can be done in two ways: Memory test and click test. Memory tests shows users a web layout for five seconds, then asks them what they remember afterwards. Click tests ask participants to click on the most prominent items on the page (also within five seconds). The theory is to see if a web design is effective in making important design elements visible and memorable.

The tool is free, but is limited to only five results and is placed in the lowest priority in the testing queue. Paid options are available and range between $5-15, affording designers the ability to provide custom instructions when their web layout is presented. Paid tests are also given higher priority in the queue.

Registered users who take the tests are awarded karma points that can later be used for upgrading their own tests, thus yielding more results.

6. Concept Feedback


Concept Feedback leverages the crowd for design insights. Each reviewer of your concept will rate your work on four items: Design, purpose, originality and engagement. Reviewers are encouraged to participate and provide high-quality feedback through game mechanics such as achievements and attaining different ranks (such as Elite or Titan).

The service is free, but you will have to review five concepts before you can post your own. Premium services are available at $10-50 per concept, and can include the options to post the concept immediately, have your concept promoted on Twitter, and receive a minimum amount of reviews.

7. UserTesting.com ($39)


UserTesting.com provides you with a cost-effective way to conduct remote trials of your site. You will be able to get feedback about your design by way of a video of a visitor speaking as he or she goes through your site, as well as written summaries of the problems they have encountered.

Steve Krug, usability guru and author of the groundbreaking book, Don’t Make Me Think, says that, “UserTesting.com is perfect for quick-and-dirty usability testing. It’s inexpensive, requires almost no effort, and gets you results incredibly quickly, often in just a few hours.”

8. Usabilla


Usabilla is another platform for conducting usability testing. This is a useful tool for obtaining feedback if you already have a live site up or would like to analyze the performance of a site redesign. Usabilla collects feedback from your visitors via a built-in annotation tool and other features that measure task performance. The tool presents the user with an on-screen activity (such as “Click on the most prominent object on this page”) and records the time it takes to complete the task.

Usabilla is free for one web page and can include up to 50 participants per test. Premium features are between $49 and $950 per year and include the ability to use the tool on more pages and include more participants per test.

9. Feedback Army ($15)


Feedback Army enables you to gather a more focused discussion around the review of your design. When you submit a feedback request, you are able to pose 4-6 questions that you would like answered by reviewers. Questions you can ask may be “What aspect of the site confused you?” or “What would improve this site?”

$15 gets you 10 reviews with an estimated one to three hours turnaround time, which is great for rapid and cost-effective reviews of your work.

10. Userfly


Sometimes, you don’t need to have direct feedback in order to get meaningful information about the success or failures of your designs. With Userfly you can analyze how people are using your website. The free service records a screencast of how your users are interacting with your user interface. With just one line of code plugged into your web pages, you’re good to go.

Premium plans are between $10-200 per month and get you more captures (results), the ability to use the https protocol and longer storage of your captures.

Which tools are you using to get web design feedback? Let us know in the comments.

Series supported by Ben & Jerry’s Joe

This series is supported by Ben & Jerry’s Joe, Ben & Jerry’s new line-up of Fair Trade and frozen iced coffee drinks. Learn more about it here.

Reviews: Concept Feedback, Facebook, Gmail, Mashable, Twitter, UserTesting.com

More About: Bounce, Concept Feedback, Critique The Site, feedback army, Five Second Test, List, Lists, Please Critique Me, SitePoint, usabilla, userfly, usertesting.com, web design, web design series

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Groupon Brings Daily Deals to Android Devices

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 12:12 PM PDT


Deal-a-day startup Groupon has just released its Android app. The application is a brand new offering that complements the website and allows users to score deals and view their purchased Groupons from their Andriod mobile phones.

The Groupon Android app is now available in the Android Market. The app introduces the Groupon experience to an ever-expanding user base who, according to the company, have been anxious to get their hands on it.

The application is fairly straightforward and mimics the experience on the iPhone [iTunes link]. Upon launch, users will immediately see the current deal of the day with a timer that counts down the time left to buy. Users can also navigate to the My Groupons portion of the app to view the deals they have already purchased and filter by expiring, recent and nearby.

The application is also a handy paper-saver. Users can redeem their Groupons right from the app by showing a deal’s barcode screen to the business owner.

Try out the application for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, YingYang

Reviews: Android, Android Market, iPhone, iStockphoto

More About: android, groupon, Mobile 2.0

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Facebook Removes “Most Recent” News Feed Option for Some Users

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:50 AM PDT


Facebook is testing a revised version of the user home page that eliminates the “Most Recent” view as a filter for the News Feed with a small subset of users.

Currently, the standard home page layout lets users switch between “Top News” and “Most Recent,” the latter allowing users to follow a more real-time stream of updates from friends. In the alternative interface, users no longer have the “Most Recent” option and are instead presented with a “More Stories” option.

We were alerted to the revised home page when tipster Michael Lain wrote to us of the growing user frustration from those who are missing the “Most Recent” option. Though the subset of users with the redesigned page is small, there still seems to be plenty of angry or confused users turning to Facebook to voice their frustrations.

There’s already a “MORE STORIES sucks – I want my old news back … now” group, and there’s a collection of complaints surfacing in the Facebook Help Center. There’s a even a Facebook page designed to collect feedback on the change. The general consensus among these users is that they’d like to have the “Most Recent” option back, as there currently is no easy workaround to see the most recent updates from their friends.

For now, it’s not clear why Facebook is testing this revision or who they’ve targeted for the trial run. “We are constantly testing new designs across the site,” a spokesperson for the company said.

Reviews: Facebook

More About: facebook, Facebook news feed, news feed

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Flickr Updates iPhone App for HD Video Uploads and Multitasking

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:24 AM PDT


Photo-sharing service Flickr has released version 1.2 of its iPhone app, adding several new features to take advantage of the iPhone 4.

Version 1.2 comes with two major additions specific to iOS 4 and iPhone 4 users. First, the new app now supports multitasking for uploads; you no longer have to keep the app open in order to send the photos and videos you capture to your Flickr account. On top of that, Flickr for iPhone now supports HD video upload to correspond with the iPhone 4’s 720p video capabilities.

The app also comes with some usability and design enhancements, including the ability to clear recent searches and the removal of navigation controls on full-screen photos until you tap on the photo you’re viewing. And finally, Flickr for iPhone now supports the ability to post your photos to Flickr and Twitter simultaneously, making it an even more useful photo-sharing app.

Do you use Flickr for iPhone? What’s your favorite photo-sharing app, and why? Let us know in the comments.

Reviews: Flickr, Twitter

More About: flickr, iphone, iphone app, photo

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Appear on “The Simpsons”

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 10:51 AM PDT


Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to try out his small screen acting chops in a season 22 episode of The Simpsons. Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the news in a Facebook message to us.

The episode in question is said to be titled “Loan-A Lisa,” in which Zuckerberg plays the entrepreneurial role model for Lisa Simpson, according to New York Magazine’s Vulture report.

Zuckerberg’s voice performance has already been taped. “I’m not sure which episode it is, but I think I’m going to be in some episode of The Simpsons,” he told us.

Details about the episode are scarce. Mark Zuckerberg’s IMDb profile has yet to be updated to include the credit, and while IMDb has placeholders for all season 22 episodes, there’s nothing to confirm that the “Loan-A Lisa” episode exists yet.

Here’s how Vulture describes the plot: “Lisa decides to help fund Nelson’s new bike company. While attending an entrepreneurs convention, the two encounter Zuckerberg, who reminds the kids just how many famous billionaires — including himself — have dropped out of school.”

The Simpsons is known for the quality of the celebrity guest stars, who often play themselves. Everyone from Betty White and Mark Cuban to Lance Armstrong and the Manning brothers have taken to The Simpsons to voice their own likenesses. It seems fitting then that Zuckerberg — a celebrity in his own right thanks to his 500 million-member social network and the upcoming movie about him — should follow suit.

More About: facebook, mark zuckerberg, Simpsons, tv

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YouTube Looks to Compete in Music Discovery

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 09:30 AM PDT


YouTube has revamped its music page, adding a brand-new layout and a slew of new features. Although the video-sharing site boasts that its redesign will help users discover new music, we can’t say that Pandora will be shaking in its boots any time soon.

According to the YouTube blog, the redesign of the page will facilitate musical discovery by “showcas[ing] the most viewed music videos, special promotions, curated playlists, unsigned talent and giv[ing] you the ability to create on-the-fly mixes.” It even states that the site will soon feature live music listings in a section titled “Events Near You,” an addition that sounds pretty cool to us (and like a potential threat to MySpace, which also offers such features).

Still, the site isn’t so hot when it comes to helping one discover new music. Yes, YouTube is the go-to place for folks who just want to listen to that one song they heard at that show by that band that they kinda like. However, the new music page focuses wholly on popularity, which isn’t the best way to help people find new jams.

For example, if you visit the “Indie & Alternative” page now, you’ll be presented with tunes like “Bodies” by Drowning Pool and “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers — i.e. “Today’s Hits,” i.e. “What A Ton of People on YouTube Are Listening To.” Yes, the popularity algorithm may work with, say, viral videos, but if you’re looking to listen to something new and different, aggregating the musical whims of millions may not be the best way to go.

What do you think of YouTube’s redesign? Will you use it to glean musical suggestions, or will you just stick to searching for that band you dig?

Reviews: MySpace, YouTube

More About: entertainment, music, web video

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Top 5 Mobile Commerce Trends for 2010

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 09:12 AM PDT

The mobile trends series is supported by Samsung. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy here.


Considering that most people would rather lose their wallet than misplace their cell phone, it’s fitting that the mobile world is quickly becoming a new hub for business. For many of us, our cell phone never leaves our side. It holds a place at the dinner table, is easily accessible in your bag’s front pocket, and often, somehow it even manages to end up sharing your pillow at night. Busy schedules mean people are often on the move and when marketers and companies can’t reach consumers at their computers, on TV, before the previews at the movies, with billboards, or magazine and newspaper ads, they must feel assured that they can still reach them on their cell phones.

Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, is simply the ability to conduct business transactions through a mobile device. With smartphone sales rising 49% in the first quarter of 2010, never before has it been so easy to shop, anywhere, anytime from the palm of your hand. There is an enormous amount of ongoing market research, and though there has been a variety of numbers estimated and reported, they all conclude that mobile commerce is a profitable and rapidly growing market.

By 2015, it’s estimated that shoppers from around the world will spend about $119 billion on goods and services bought via their mobile phones, according to a study by ABI Research released this past February. In the United States alone, mobile shopping rose from $396 million in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009, and mobile campaign spending also increased by 25 to 30% over the past year, with companies shelling out just under $313 million according to the same study. Senior Analyst Mark Beccue, said that he’s forecasting U.S. sales to reach about $2.2 billion in 2010.

Here are five mobile commerce trends to keep an eye on for the remainder of 2010.

1. Bargain Hunting


It would seem that mobile purchasing often lends itself to an impulse buy. Maybe you just have to suddenly download that song from the iTunes Store or really want to make sure you have tickets to that hot concert. In this case, it’s the savvy shopper that has taken note of mobile commerce. Beccue said that in the fourth quarter of 2009, he started to notice something unexpected and a bit “weird.”

Bargain hunting has become extremely popular with apps like RedLaser that allow users to scan product bar codes and discover it’s various prices at different retailers. Shoppers are melding the two worlds of online/mobile shopping with actual physical shopping to make sure they get the best prices.

2. Mobile Ticketing


“Do you have the tickets?” We’ve all been asked or have asked that question always expecting an affirmative answer, but despite our positive thinking someone often forgets the tickets. But that could very well be a conversation and frustration of the past given that mobile ticketing transactions are expected to exceed $100 billion world wide by 2012, according to a study released this month by Juniper Research. No doubt, the convenience of mobile ticketing, where customers can order, pay for, and validate tickets anywhere or anytime from their cell phones, is a driving force in its popularity.

Websites like Fandango and MovieTickets.com have made snagging seats to the hottest movie of the moment that much easier (or more competitive) with their mobile ticketing apps. This past weekend, Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was sold out all weekend, but mobile ticketing likely helped movie goers nab those last few seats. And industry sources say that mobile ticketing can account for up to 10% of ticket sales for blockbusters like Avatar on opening weekend. “It’s a small but growing percent of overall ticket sales,” said Harry Medved, director of marketing at Fandango.

3. Banking

We’ve been getting used to mobile banking for a while now. Most of us have our accounts setup online and check our balances on the phone. But according to data released by comScore, 13.2 million people accessed their bank accounts from their phones during the month of April alone, which is a 70% increase from a year ago. And similarly, the number of people using mobile banking apps more than doubled, to about 5 million in the last year.

4. Tangible Goods

So what are people actually buying with their phones? According to a survey by the Mobile Marketing Association, 17% of mobile commerce was used for purchasing applications and ringtones, while another 6% of people used their phones for discounts and coupons, and another 6% used their phones to buy tangible goods — that is, actual goods that you can put in your hands.

According to Beccue, eBay has been the standout leader in mobile commerce with their iPhone app that launched in 2008, and their Blackberry and Android applications that launched in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, the company saw more than $600 million dollars in goods sold via the mobile app, which was a 200% increase from 2008. The launch of their app notified bidders with push alerts and SMS notifications when they had been outbid, and allowed them to cast another attempt or keep track of ending auctions. According to eBay, one item is purchased every two seconds using eBay mobile app, with apparel, auto parts, cell phones/accessories, sporting goods and collectibles ranking as the top five categories of purchased items.

5. Marketing


Mobile commerce is growing and it is directly related to the amount of mobile marketing that companies are investing in. A reported 74% of online retailers either have in place or are developing mobile commerce strategies, while 20% have already implemented their complete plans, according to a study by the National Retail Federation.

Text message marketing, where customers opt-in to receive news about deals or offer coupons, has been a widely adopted practice as it’s a direct way to engage with consumers that has a high likelihood of being read. Retailers are also investing more time and money into creative ways to reach consumers via their mobile phones with campaigns that enhance the brand identity or the shopping experience.

eBay’s recent launch of their Fashion App is a great example. The app allows users to browse for clothes, have access to exclusive sales, and “try on” an outfit by snapping a picture with the iPhone’s camera. It then let’s you share your outfits with friends on Facebook and Twitter. All of the features really add to the shopping experience, but most importantly, consumers are able to buy and bid on what they like.

Series supported by Samsung

The mobile trends series is supported by Samsung. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy here.

More Mobile Resources from Mashable:

- How Mobile Technology is a Game Changer for Developing Africa
- 5 Real Challenges For Non-Profit Texting Campaigns
- 3 Free iPhone Apps to Help Make a Difference
- Top 8 iPhone Apps for Self-Help
- Windows vs. Apple: The Future of Mobile Games

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Talaj

Reviews: Android, Facebook, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: banking, bargain, bargain hunting, bargains, business, deals, MARKETING, mobile commerce, mobile marketing, mobile trends, mobile trends series, ticketing, trends

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Nook for Android Is Here

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:48 AM PDT


Nook for Android hit the Market for free download today, and it has some nifty features that make e-book reading easy and clean, even for someone who would much rather breathe in the dust of a library book than stare fixedly at her Droid X.

A little less than a month ago, the Kindle for Android app came on the scene, much to the delight of the Google device-inclined. Although Amazon’s app is clean, simple and rather stunning (much more attractive than its iPhone counterpart and Borders’s Kobo-powered app, IMHO), Barnes & Nobles’s app has a few more goodies.

First of all, the Nook boasts eight font styles and five text sizes — which means I can read Imperial Bedrooms in Times New Roman (no Comic Sans, alas). The Kindle app, meanwhile, only allows you to adjust size, brightness and background color — white, sepia and black. In addition, you can turn pages in the Nook app by flicking your finger (or turn on page animations), which is a much easier reading experience than the swipe function that the Kindle employs, in my opinion. The Nook’s navigation bar is much simpler than the Kindle’s as well, allowing one to easily scroll through the book via page numbers.

Like the Kindle app, you can save and sync bookmarks across devices, but the Nook app also lets you share e-books with friends via LendMe, which allows folks to lend books to any device that will run the B&N eReader software for up to 14 days (you yourself can’t read said book during that time, though, which is a bummer — and it’s a one-time share). With more than 1 million titles available in the store (which you can shop for in the app), there’s a lot of reading/lending to be done — the Kindle app, on the other hand, has 620,000 titles.

Are you an e-reader app junkie? Which app do you prefer? Or would you rather just head to a brick-and-mortar store for a good read?

Reviews: Google

More About: amazon, android, apps, barnes and noble, books, borders, Kindle, kobo, Mobile 2.0, nook

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The Battle of the Cheetos Wages On [SPONSORED]

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:40 AM PDT

This post is brought to you by Cheetos. For more information on sponsored posts read here.

Tens of thousands of armies have been created as users engage in snack-sized combat across the web. Fight against opponents live on a myriad of battlefields. Or test your mettle against an army controlled by General Chester himself. The choice is yours.


(This post is brought to you by Cheetos. For more information on sponsored posts read here.)

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10 Fascinating Facebook Facts

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:10 AM PDT

Facebook Image

Facebook’s astronomic rise, staggeringly large user-base, and world’s youngest self-made billionaire CEO make it one of the most fascinating companies around today.

While everyone knows the basics about the service’s Harvard dorm room origins, we’ve delved a little deeper to find out more interesting snippets of info.

Here are 10 facts you might not know about Facebook, so read on and let us know your favorites in the comments box below.

1. Al Pacino’s Face Was on the Original Facebook Homepage

Prior to a major homepage redesign back in 2007, Facebook’s front page used to feature a man’s face partly obscured behind a cloud of binary code.

Dubbed the “Facebook guy,” it was not known who the mystery man was — until recently. David Kirkpatrick has revealed in his book The Facebook Effect that the image is a manipulated photo of Al Pacino created by a friend and classmate of Mark Zuckerberg.

2. One Early Facebook Function Was a File Sharing Service

You won’t find this in the official Facebook timeline, but one of Facebook’s early add-ons was a peer-to-peer, or more technically friend-to-friend, file sharing service called Wirehog, developed alongside Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and three others.

It launched in 2004 and is reported to have been planned as an integral FB feature. In 2005 Facebook was actively promoting the service and Zuckerberg told The Harvard Crimson “I think Wirehog will probably spread in the same way that thefacebook did.”

However, likely due to piracy concerns, Wirehog was axed in 2006 before Facebook got really big, although its photo-sharing functionality lives on in spirit.

3. The First “Work Networks” Included Apple and Microsoft

Many of you may know about Facebook’s initial staggered rollout, where they started with Ivy League colleges before encompassing other educational institutions. But do you know who Facebook first went corporate with in terms of official work places?

In May 2006, Apple and Microsoft were among the first, as was Intel, EA and Amazon. Others in the first round also included Accenture, Gap, Intuit, Pepsi, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the non-profit organization Teach for America. It wasn’t until September 2006 that everyone, regardless of school or company affiliation, could join Facebook — and just over a year later the site hit 50 million active users.

4. Facebook’s Hidden Easter Eggs

Facebook is no stranger to Easter eggs. Early on, mysterious movie-related references (apparently Zuckerberg is a big film buff) could be found littering the site.

The references could be found in the footer of the old “Friends Page” in 2007, and one of the first was a quail-themed quote from the film The Wedding Crashers. Later dubbed “quails,” other quotes with the avian theme continued to appear in the footer text, including "Only the craftiest of quails survive hunting season," and "What doesn't kill a quail only makes it stronger.”

In addition, Facebook once boasted a Konami Code (you know — up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, enter) that changed the background of the site to display colorful circles and light flares.

Finally, there’s the “Chris Putnam,” a Facebook Chat Easter egg that still works today. To test it out, when in chat type in :putnam: and hit enter — ta da!

5. The Meaning of the Term Poke Has Never Been Defined

While Facebook explains how “poking” works on its help center, there’s no explanation to be found for the origin of the phrase. The most common definition is a friendly “nudge,” but the more flirtatious connotations cannot be ignored.

David Kirkpatrick reveals in The Facebook Effect that Zuckerberg once responded to a question about what a poke meant on the social networking site with: “We thought it would be fun to make a feature that has no specific purpose… So mess around with it, because you’re not getting an explanation from us.”

6. The Average Facebook User Has 130 Friends

How many Facebook friends do you have? To put your friend count in perspective, the average user has 130. Facebook’s official stats page is full of little gems like this, and more staggering stats, such as the fact that people spend over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook, while the current active official user count now stands at over 500 million.

As far as Facebook the platform goes, over a million websites have integrated with Facebook, and more than 150 million people engage with Facebook on external websites every month.

7. There’s an App to See What’s on the Facebook Cafe Menu

Like at Google, Facebook staffers get three free meals a day (as well as free drinks and snackage) served up by the “Facebook Culinary Team” at Cafe X or Cafe 6.

If the staff want to know what’s on the menu, they don’t need to leave their seats. In fact, they don’t even need to leave their Facebook profiles — the “Lunchtime” Facebook app offers a weekly view of what’s being offered. And it looks real good.

8. Mark Zuckerberg Calls Himself a “Harvard Graduate”

As you can see for yourself over at facebook.com/zuck (the personalized URL Zuckerberg nabbed for himself), Mark Zuckerberg tells a little fib on his profile page. He lists himself as a “Harvard Graduate,” which simply isn’t true, as he dropped out to concentrate on getting Facebook up and running.

When 60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl confronted Zuckerberg with this little inconsistency, he said “That’s true. We don’t have a setting for dropout.”

Er, memo to Zuck — you kind of have the power to make that happen…

9. California is Huge on Facebook

As far as Facebook goes, California (home of Silicon Valley) is the most social state, with an amazing 15,267,160 users in the region, according to Facebakers. This amounts to a 41% penetration rate — pretty astounding that nearly half the state is connected via Facebook.

The next biggest user-base can be found in Texas with 9 million users, but it’s nowhere close to California. New York comes in third with 8 million, and rounding off the very bottom of the list is … Delaware. Of course, actual state population size is a factor here, but you get the point.

10. A Facebook Employee Hoodie Sold for $4,000 on eBay

If Facebook merchandise is collectible now, imagine what it will be worth in years to come. A Facebook employee standard-issue hoodie recently sold on eBay for a whopping $4,050 with nearly 50 bidders battling it out to win the auction.

The fact that Mark Zuckerberg had just been seen sporting the same garment at the D8 Conference and revealed its mysterious insignia to the world certainly helped up the bids, but considering the one that sold had not touched Zuckerberg skin, it’s an astonishing amount.

More Facebook resources from Mashable

- 10 Cool Facebook Status Tips and Tricks
- 9 Fantastic Facebook Pages for Fashion
- HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on Facebook
- Facebook Pages vs Facebook Groups: What’s the Difference?
- Killer Facebook Pages: 5 Inspiring Case Studies
- How Charities are #FindingTheGood With Facebook Pages

Reviews: Facebook, Google

More About: facebook, facts, List, Lists, mark zuckerberg, trending

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Nokia’s Lack of a Killer Smartphone Hurts Earnings

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 07:44 AM PDT


It’s no secret that Nokia’s failure to compete in the smartphone arena is hurting its business, and it shows in the company’s Q2 financial results.

Although Nokia's net sales were slightly more than €10 billion (roughly $13 billion) and actually increased 1% compared to Q2 2009, profit before tax in the second quarter of 2010 was €221 million ($285 million), compared to €380 million ($490 million) in the same period last year. Net sales of Nokia’s devices and services business segment increased by 3% to €6.8 billion ($8.7 billion), but the average mobile device selling price dropped to €61 ($78), down from €64 ($82) in the second quarter of 2009.

As Nokia puts it, the “lower year-on-year ASP (average selling price) was primarily due to a higher proportion of lower-priced converged mobile device sales and price pressure, particularly in certain high-end smartphones.”

Yes, those large margins Apple makes on its smartphone do matter, and it’s hard to compete without a top smartphone device in your roster.

While Nokia continues to dominate worldwide low-end and mid-range device sales, it’s not making enough money on smartphones, and nothing the company has shown in the recent months gives clear indication it’s on the right course.

Talking to CNBC, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo addressed recent rumors that Nokia is looking for a new CEO. “I’m not in a position here and now to really shed any more light on the topic," he said. “There has been a lot of speculation on my position, on myself, during the last couple of weeks and that is not good for Nokia and must be brought to an end one way or another," he added cryptically.

See the entire Nokia Q2 financial report here.

More About: business, Mobile 2.0, Nokia

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