Mashable: Latest 24 News Updates - including “Gowalla Feature Defines Place Popularity by Experience, Not Checkins” |  |
- Gowalla Feature Defines Place Popularity by Experience, Not Checkins
- Sexual Assault Case Against WikiLeaks Founder Reopened
- Sony Refreshes Its E-Readers with Improved Touch Screen
- Madden NFL Makes Its Debut on Facebook
- Social Network Unites Writers and Fans of Short Fiction [INVITES]
- Meet the First Plant That Requires Facebook Fans to Survive
- Apple to Provide Live Video Stream of Tomorrow’s iPod/iTV Event
- Facebook’s Latest Patent Targets Search Behaviors
- Netflix Headed to New Apple iTV Tomorrow [REPORT]
- Digg Crowns Former Amazon Exec New CEO
- Japanese Resort Caters to Men with Virtual Girlfriends
- Real-Time Analytics Provider Chartbeat Raises $3M from All-Star Investors
- 10 Useful iPhone Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks
- Announcing the UN Week Digital Media Lounge
- YouTube to Live Stream President Obama’s Iraq Address [VIDEO]
- Twitter Temporarily Turns Off “Who to Follow”
- Borders Slashes E-Reader Prices to $99
- 5 Fun FarmVille Accessories
- Improv Everywhere Takes Formal Wear to the Beach [VIDEO]
- HOW TO: Incorporate Your Startup at the Right Time
- Foursquare and MTV Team up for First-Ever Cause-Related Badge: STD Testing
- Video of Girl Throwing Puppies in a River Causes Social Media Uproar
- Still More Easter Eggs to Find in the Microsoft Scavenger Hunt [SPONSORED]
- Loopt Checkins Can Get You Two-for-One Tickets to Mexico on Virgin America
- Morning Brief: Gmail and Hotmail Upgraded, Blogger Gets Real-Time Stats
| Gowalla Feature Defines Place Popularity by Experience, Not Checkins Posted: 01 Sep 2010 05:02 AM PDT      Travelers and city adventurers looking for a better way to harness geolocation data for their own amusement, get ready: Gowalla is releasing a brand new beta feature designed to crowdsource the best a city has to offer. Gowalla Highlights is a web-based product that currently consists of 18 place-based questions that query members about their favorite date night locales, watering holes, spots for people watching or celebrity sightings, etc. The power of the product is in the aggregate. Gowalla users will be able to discover the best places in town, as determined by popular vote, and easily find new coffee spots or bars to try out when visiting a foreign city. The feature itself is both simple and enjoyable to use. Gowalla users will find the Highlights section accessible from their profile page. From here, they can respond to unique prompts and share the places where big and small life moments took place. From the Highlights page, users can then check out the places that matter to their friends and view the most popular among all members. Highlights is essentially a way to surface the best places for any given city. “We were inspired to create Highlights when we started building Gowalla for iPad. It got us thinking about how we could visualize places in interesting ways,” said CEO and Co-Founder Josh Williams. Williams also believes that Highlights will power insightful trends around places, settle local taco shop wars and have important ramifications for businesses. He also indicates that Highlights functionality and data will trickle down to the iPhone and Android apps in about a month. The idea will be to help expose members to nearby popular places — with popular determined by the number of enjoyable experiences users have had rather than total checkins. Developers can also expect Highlights data to eventually make its way inside the API. By turning on Highlights, Gowalla is tapping its current user base of 450,000 users to tell place-based stories in a way that could really drive home the utility of the mobile location-based service.  Images courtesy of Flickr, brutha nick More About: geolocation, gowalla, gowalla highlights, places For more Mobile coverage:
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| Sexual Assault Case Against WikiLeaks Founder Reopened Posted: 01 Sep 2010 04:03 AM PDT   Sweden’s chief prosecutor has reopened a rape investigation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Recently, Assange was accused with crimes of molestation and rape by the Swedish authorities. Assange has denied the allegations, claiming they are "without basis," and later calling the case a “smear campaign” against him and WikiLeaks. The rape charges were soon dropped by Eva Finne, chief prosecutor in Stockholm, but after the lawyer of the allegedly assaulted woman appealed the decision the case was reopened by Sweden’s Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny. WikiLeaks is a website that offers a shelter for whistleblowers, publishing previously unavailable documents and offering anonymity to sources. It published more than 70,000 secret U.S. military files on Afghanistan in July, detailing deals, armed conflicts, strategies, politics, intelligence operations and some of the casualties in that country. [img credit: Markchew2010] More About: julian assange, sexual assault, social media, sweden, wikileaks For more Social Media coverage:
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| Sony Refreshes Its E-Readers with Improved Touch Screen Posted: 01 Sep 2010 02:25 AM PDT   At the mention of an “e-reader,” most people think Kindle or Nook, but if you just want the device, sans the deal with the content provider, Sony has a nice little trio of e-readers on offer, and they’ve all just been upgraded with several important improvements. Sony’s 5-inch Pocket Edition e-reader is now called PRS-350 and the 6-inch Touch Edition is called PRS-650; both are available now for $179.99 and $229.99 respectively. The 7-inch Daily Edition is now called PRS-950 and it will be available this fall for $299.99. The smallest device in the bunch has 2GB of memory, a USB connection, and supports EPUB/ACS4, PDF, Microsoft Word, and other text file formats. Its 6-inch brother has similar specifications, with the addition of SD and Memory Stick Duo Expansion slots for adding additional memory, as well as a headphone jack and support for MP3 and AAC audio files. Both, however, lack wireless; this is where the Daily Edition steps in, with 4GB of memory, wireless connectivity, and increased battery life (27 days with the wireless turned off, Sony claims). What distinguishes Sony’s e-readers from the competition is their E-Ink Pearl touch screen display. Previous models have also had touch screen capabilities, but the added touch sensitive layer over the e-ink screen added just a tad too much glare for our liking. Sony claims the new models are all significantly improved with this regard; additionally, the touch screen is now more responsive and page turns are much snappier. Sony also said it will release a Reader Mobile Edition application for iPhone and Android-based smartphones later this year. For more Tech coverage:
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| Madden NFL Makes Its Debut on Facebook Posted: 31 Aug 2010 09:37 PM PDT   Electronic Arts’ wildly successful Madden NFL franchise has made the leap from the Xbox to Facebook. The gaming giant has launched Madden NFL Superstars, the company’s second social game since it acquired social game maker Playfish. The company’s first social game, FIFA Superstars, is one of Facebook’s most popular apps with nearly 4 million monthly active users. Madden NFL Superstars isn’t a port of the popular console games; it’s a completely new experience that utilizes the Madden NFL brand and leverages social gaming’s strengths for a unique Madden experience. Users build a team from 1,500+ available player cards and then pit their rosters against their friends for domination of the football field. Players can even purchase player cards through Playfish’s virtual currency. Instead of focusing on the micromanagement and play tactics that have made Madden NFL so popular on the console, Madden NFL Superstars focuses on team management by collecting player cards. It’s fantasy football meets Mafia Wars.  EA acquired Playfish to make sure it wasn’t left behind in the social gaming boom. 56 million Americans are playing social games, and that number keeps rising. Zynga, the creators of FarmVille, is already worth over $4 billion and is making millions from virtual goods and online offers. EA realizes that combining its most-recognized brands with social gaming is a winning proposition; FIFA Superstars is proof. If the trend holds, then Madden NFL Superstars is certain to become a smash hit. Reviews: Facebook More About: EA, Facebok, facebook, madden, nfl, playfish For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Social Network Unites Writers and Fans of Short Fiction [INVITES] Posted: 31 Aug 2010 08:59 PM PDT   This post is part of Mashable's Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Quick Pitch: A social network for writers that doubles as a crowdsourced literary magazine. Genius Idea: Fictionaut is a budding online literary community for writers and admirers of short fiction, where writers can upload and gain recognition for their work — mainly short stories, but also novel excerpts, creative non-fiction and poetry — in addition to connecting with their audience and collecting feedback from the community. The stories that receive the most “favs” from users appear in a “Recommended Stories” feed on the front page of the site alongside the most recent submissions, the latter ensuring that new work also gets plenty of attention. Visitors can also browse by Most Read, Most Discussed, and tags like “flash fiction” and “fantasy.” Fictionaut emphasizes the importance of all members in the community — not just the writers — allowing other users to discover and connect with new users and frequent commenters. Members can also form groups based on mutual interest, post on the site’s forum, follow other users and create an extensive profile. What makes Fictionaut special is both the superb quality of the work (see Jane Hammon’s “Making It Right,” for instance) and the community itself. The network has thus far attracted roughly 2,500 emerging and established writers (including names like T.C. Boyle, Ann Beattie, Frederick Bathelme and Robert Olen Butler), readers, editors, agents and various literary magazines and small presses, who have collectively shared about 10,000 pieces of short fiction. The community is thoughtful, supportive and non-competitive; individuals seem to be genuinely interested in each other’s work, not just broadcasting their own — a rare achievement for any sizable online community these days. The two-man team behind Fictionaut has been very careful about growing its network in a small and organic way, Co-founder Jurgen Fauth told us. They began beta-testing with a small group of talented friends who “set the tone,” and added new members by invitation only (with a three month waiting list, no less) to ensure that the site’s infrastructure can accommodate them and that the community’s integrity is maintained. We’ll have to see what happens when Fictionaut opens registrations to the public, which the startup is looking to do within the next three months, Fauth informed us. For now, Fictionaut has extended 100 invites to Mashable readers, which you can take advantage of at fictionaut.com/invites/mashable. Fauth recognizes that there is a large audience for the kind of network they have created, citing the existence of 2,000 literary magazines in the U.S. and more than 800 graduate writing programs “that keep producing writers eager to publish,” he said. What’s less clear is how the startup is going to generate sustainable revenue. Fauth said he and his partner are “looking into a number of options,” such as advertising and different kinds of premium models, in addition to offering a print-on-demand service. What do you think of Fictionaut? How do you share your love of literature online? Image courtesy of Flickr, Ed Yourdon Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
More About: bizspark, digital publishing, fiction, Literature, publishing, self publishing, social media, social networking, spark-of-genius For more Social Media coverage:
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| Meet the First Plant That Requires Facebook Fans to Survive Posted: 31 Aug 2010 08:07 PM PDT   Most plants require sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to survive. We’ve found one that requires Facebook fans and wall posts. Meet Eater is a “real garden that feeds on social interaction.” It is an experiment in human interaction and design, focused on rebuilding the connection between human being and plants. Here’s how it works, according to its creator:
Technically, this garden (which you can visit at The Edge in the State Library of Queensland) requires food, water and nutrients, just like any other plant. However, those elements entirely depend on people becoming Facebook fans of Meet Eater and talking to the garden via Facebook wall posts. Meet Eater even replies to wall posts with its own distinctive (and definitely human) voice.   Meet Eater is a project by designer Bashkim Isai as part of a course at the University of Queensland, Australia. The experiment has been running for 72 days and has accumulated over 1,200 fans in that time. We’re thrilled by the novelty of this social media experiment. It utilizes the best elements of social media — interaction, conversation, connection — to make us rethink how we interact with the world. We don’t think we’re making a stretch by saying that our society takes for granted the important role plants have in our ecosystem. Meet Eater takes concepts such as the tweeting plant to a new and more personal level. What do you think of the Meet Eater project? How do you think social media affects our perception of the ecosystem around us? [via All Facebook] Images courtesy of The University of Queensland Reviews: Facebook More About: facebook, Facebook wall, gardening, Meet Eater, Plant For more Social Media coverage:
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| Apple to Provide Live Video Stream of Tomorrow’s iPod/iTV Event Posted: 31 Aug 2010 07:48 PM PDT   Apple has announced that it will be live streaming its September 1 "special event," where the company is expected not only to reveal a new line of iPods, but a new version of Apple TV as well. The announcement is surprising. Historically, Apple has not provided live video for any of its keynotes or special media events. It's unclear what prompted the tech giant's change of heart, but you will be able to watch Steve Jobs revealing Apple's newest line of products for yourself on Apple.com. The live stream will begin at 10:00 AM PT on September 1. There is a catch, though: it can't be viewed on a PC. According to Apple, viewing will require a Mac with Snow Leopard or a device running iOS 3.0 or higher. Since the people who will be watching the live stream are likely to be Apple fanboys, the lack of PC support for the live stream doesn't surprise us. The rumor mill has been in full swing surrounding this week's event. It's almost certain that Apple will reveal a new line of iPods, complete with Retina display, two cameras and Facetime support. Apple is also expected to announce an updated version of Apple TV (rebranded as iTV) with support for Netflix. Finally, Apple is expected to announce 99 cent iTunes TV show rentals from ABC and FOX. More About: apple, Apple TV, ipod, itv, Live Stream, updated version, video For more Apple coverage:
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| Facebook’s Latest Patent Targets Search Behaviors Posted: 31 Aug 2010 06:10 PM PDT   Serving up search results based on what your friends clicked: It’s been a hot topic lately, and one that Facebook has seen fit to claim as its own. The social networking goliath has just won a patent covering a certain type of search algorithm, one that is largely based on the interests and clicks of a user’s friends and friends-of-friends. Specifically, the patent is for “ranking search results based on the frequency of clicks on the search results by members of a social network who are within a predetermined degree of separation.” The patent continues, “Search results, including sponsored links and algorithmic search results, are generated in response to a query and are marked based on frequency of clicks on the search results by members of social network who are within a predetermined degree of separation from the member who submitted the query. The markers are visual tags and comprise either a text string or an image.”
The listed inventors are Chris Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath and Jeff Winner. The patent application was filed almost six years ago; we’re uncertain how much this technology plays into Facebook’s current business and search strategies. Still, the patent calls into question whether users click — or buy, or watch, or behave in other ways — like their friends and peers do. What we do know is that Facebook search has been a priority for the company since its redesign earlier this year. At that time, the search bar on the site was given a prominent new position, and several under-the-hood upgrades rounded out the Facebook search experience. We’ve also seen a lot of sidebar ads and recommendations lately centering around what a user’s friends like within the site. All in all, the patent seems to line up with Facebook’s general mission to explore (and profit from) the synapses and connections within a social network. What do you think of this patent? Do you suppose we’ll see any major changes to Facebook search or any business moves based on it? Reviews: Facebook More About: facebook, patent, Search For more Tech coverage:
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| Netflix Headed to New Apple iTV Tomorrow [REPORT] Posted: 31 Aug 2010 02:35 PM PDT   At Apple’s special event Wednesday, the company is expected to roll out a new Apple TV that includes support for Netflix. These latest reports from Bloomberg corroborate rumors of an iOS-based Apple TV that surfaced this spring. With Netflix available on the iPad and the iPhone, an offering for the television set certainly makes sense. As we’ve noted in past articles, however, the connected device landscape of 2010 is very different than that of 2007, when the Apple TV was first released. In fact, the landscape is very different from even a year ago. Netflix has successfully executed its “Watch Instantly” strategy and is available on a bevy of devices in the U.S., including the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Roku — not to mention countless Blu-ray players and HDTV sets. Frankly, we would be surprised not to see Netflix on the new Apple TV. At this point, it almost seems a given. The only question now is whether the connectivity will be built into the device OS or if it will come as an app available on iTunes. If it is the latter, Apple might just show off some other content partnerships and connectivity options via the App Store beyond Netflix, like Hulu for iTV. Apple’s press event is tomorrow morning and we’ll keep you abreast of all the announcements and new products as they are announced. Would Netflix support make you more willing to buy a new Apple TV? Reviews: App Store, Blu, Boxee, Hulu, iPhone More About: Apple TV, connected tv, iptv, itv, netflix, trending For more Apple coverage:
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| Digg Crowns Former Amazon Exec New CEO Posted: 31 Aug 2010 02:27 PM PDT   Digg has confirmed that it has hired Matt Williams from Amazon to replace Kevin Rose as CEO. Rose says that he will “remain actively involved in the product” but is handing over “day-to-day running of the business” to Williams. This news comes five months after Rose announced former CEO Jay Adelson would be leaving the company and about one month after the New Digg was first unveiled. At Amazon, Williams held various director-level and higher positions since 1999. Most recently, he was the company’s General Manager, Consumer Payments. In addition to naming a new chief executive officer, the company also announced today a series of fixes and upgrades, welcome news to users of the massively overhauled New Digg product. Many users have openly revolted against the latest version of the social news site, using rival site reddit as a tool to demonstrate their displeasure. Fixes include improved algorithms and overall stability, the addition of timestamps, comment upvoting and more. Rose says other changes — such as a “Top News” default page, upcoming stories and user recommendations — will be coming shortly. We look forward to seeing what Williams will do for the six-year-old company. Do you think the new CEO of Digg has the chops to lead the site to continued and revived greatness? Reviews: Digg, reddit.com More About: digg, jay adelson, kevin rose, matt williams, New Digg For more Business coverage:
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| Japanese Resort Caters to Men with Virtual Girlfriends Posted: 31 Aug 2010 02:11 PM PDT   File this one under “only in Japan”: A beach town near Tokyo has begun catering to a specific segment of young men, ones who play the game Love Plus and have a strong desire to take their virtual “girlfriends” from this game on a romantic holiday in the real world. Love Plus is a typical dating sim game in which the protagonist, a high school boy, finds himself in a relationship with a young woman. He must work to maintain the relationship. Players can become deeply involved and engaged (no pun intended) with their virtual girlfriends, to the point that one young man even married his in a Tokyo ceremony last year. The most recent version of the game, which came out June 24, also includes a “field trip,” created in partnership with the seaside town Atami. In 13 locations around the town, players can find 2D barcodes to scan and call up images of the young women in the game. The girls wear different clothing from their typical in-game looks. One hotel has gone as far as putting a barcode in its rooms, allowing players to see their “girlfriends” in a more private setting wearing summer kimonos. Here, you can see a map of recent Love Plus-overlaid snapshots taken along the Atami coastline:  This unusual ploy on the part of the town and the gaming company Konami has reportedly boosted local tourism this summer after a steady decline since the 1990s, when a Japanese economic crunch cut down on company-sponsored vacations. While it’s certainly one of the more unusual digital marketing campaigns we’ve seen, we have to hand it to Atami and Konami for creative thinking and really giving Love Plus fans what they wanted. What’s your take on the campaign? [via Discovery News] More About: barcodes, Japanese, love plus, MARKETING, video game, virtual girlfriend For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Real-Time Analytics Provider Chartbeat Raises $3M from All-Star Investors Posted: 31 Aug 2010 01:23 PM PDT   Boasting a star-studded roster of investors, New York-based startup Chartbeat has raised a $3 million Series A. The cash infusion is led by Index Ventures and rounded out by the likes of Ron Conway, Jeff Clavier, Jason Calacanis, Chris Sacca’s Lowercase Capital and Betaworks. Betaworks is the NYC-based startup incubator and investment firm where Chartbeat, Bit.ly and a few others got their start; the firm currently holds shares in Twitter, Groupon, Tumblr and a slew of other startups in the social, real-time and structured data spaces. Chartbeat’s team said in a statement that they chose to accept funding from Index because they believe that firm is uniquely positioned to help the company with international expansion. “Chartbeat is already kicking ass on major sites from Denmark (Ekstrabladet) to India (Times of India) to South Africa (News24)… and we want to expand on that,” it said. The startup, which currently counts around 2,500 paying customers (a nice workload for the company’s five employees, we’re sure), focuses on delivering real-time analytics and traffic data for websites. Its customers include such vast web presences as Threadless, The Onion, The New York Times, Forbes.com and Gawker Media. Each customer pays between $10 and $150 per month for access to the Chartbeat dashboard. If you do the math, that puts Chartbeat somewhere in the $25,000 to $375,000 range for monthly revenue so far — not bad for a service launched just more than a year ago. Demo VideoThe product itself is pretty impressive, delivering a wide variety of fascinating and actionable data in real-time or in a pause/playback mode. Interested parties should check out this demo, which is based on investor Fred Wilson’s site, AVC.com:  Celebratory VideoAlso, the team whipped up this adorable celebratory video to commemorate their Series A: Would you or do you use a real-time analytics dashboard like Chartbeat? Do you think the company’s business model will stand the test of a still-slumping economy? Reviews: Tumblr, Twitter, bit.ly More About: betaworks, chartbeat, chris sacca, funding, index ventures, jason calacanis, jeff clavier, ron conway, series a, startup, venture capital For more Business coverage:
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| 10 Useful iPhone Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks Posted: 31 Aug 2010 01:05 PM PDT   Here at Mashable, we’ve been putting the iPhone 4 through its paces, and have come up with some handy tips and tricks that can help you get more out of your Apple-flavored mobile. We’ve covered all kinds of basics, like making search results more relevant, creating shortcuts for your favorite websites, better organizing your apps, and making the most of Maps. And, as ever, if you’ve got suggestions for more iPhone magic not covered here or in our previous Keyboard Shortcuts post, you know we want to hear them in the comments below. 1. Change the Spotlight Search Result Order The iPhone’s Spotlight Search functionality is a great improvement from early incarnations, but you can make it even more relevant to you just by tweaking the settings. In the “Settings” menu, go to “General,” then select “Spotlight Search.” You are then presented with a list of categories. By touching the three bars icon next to each category, you can change the order of how the phone presents search results.  This feature can be an extremely useful time saver, as it prioritizes search results based on what you’re most likely to look for (e-mails, apps, contacts, etc.). 2. Lock the Screen Orientation A great feature for anyone who reads iBooks in bed, you can now lock the screen on your iPhone to stay in the portrait orientation and avoid that annoying wobble between portrait and landscape you can get in certain situations. To activate the lock, tap the home button twice, then scroll to the screen on the left, at which point you’ll see a square gray icon with a circular arrow on the far right. Tap this to lock the screen (you’ll see a locked icon in the top right of the display now) and unlock by tapping again. 3. Change the Display to White on Black This one falls under the iPhone’s Accessibility features as it offers a high contrast, more easy-to-view display, but it can also be employed just to make your phone look a little different. To make the change, head to “Settings,” then “General,” then “Accessibility” and then toggle “White on Black” to “On.” The colors on your phone’s display are now inverted, however, the Apple magic that makes this happen must have something to do with the phone’s display, rather than a software change, as you can’t export screen grabs showing this setting. To see the effect in action, you’ll have to make do with our real-life photos.  4. Create a Homescreen Icon for Any Website This is a really nice option for anyone who regularly visits websites that don’t offer their own app. You can easily add a one-touch shortcut for any webpage to your homescreen in the iPhone’s Safari browser. Simply load up the site you’re interested in and then press the “+” on the bottom of the screen. Select the “Add to Home Screen” option.  You can then label it something appropriate. Now, as the screenshot below shows, there will be a shortcut icon to the site on your homescreen.  5. Use the Front-Facing Camera for More than FaceTime The iPhone 4’s front-facing camera isn’t just about FaceTime. You can also use it to snap quick portrait pics (as above) and even record video of yourself.  To access the front-facing camera, go to the main camera and then hit the camera with an arrow icon on the top-right corner. This switches the view to whatever the front-facing camera sees, meaning you’ll be able to see yourself on the screen to press the shutter at the correct moment. To toggle between capturing stills and video, it’s the same as the main camera — slide the toggle from either icon at the bottom of the phone’s screen.  6. Open and Save PDFs in iBooks The iPhone offers handy “Quick Look” functionality for viewing PDFs, but what’s even cooler is that you can auto-save them into iBooks and then access and view them from there. Simply press and hold on the PDF icon and you’ll see the option to “Open in iBooks.” Hit this, and the PDF will be ported over, and be available to view in the app from then on.  7. Turn iBooks Into Audio Books Another one of the iPhone’s Accessibility options for the visually impaired, the “VoiceOver” feature is a gesture-based screen reader. Using slightly different controls (double tap to select and three fingers to scroll), VoiceOver essentially reads aloud what is on the phone’s screen. Aside from the obvious uses for the visually-impaired, this also means that iBooks can become audio books. To activate it, go to “Settings,” then “General,” then “Accessibility” and toggle VoiceOver to “On,” at which point you get options to tweak the settings (the speed of reading) and try out the new controls. Once activated, if you head over to your iBooks app, VoiceOver will read your selected texts to you. It might not be something you want to employ that often, but tired eyes might appreciate having a book read to them at certain times. 8. Manually Add Pins to Maps to Mark Locations In the iPhone’s Maps app, you can add pins which make navigating to a point or sharing your location super easy to do. In Maps, you’ll see a blue Post-It-style note icon on the bottom-right corner. Tapping this will give you the option to drop a pin. Selecting this drops a purple pin in the map, which you can drag to exactly where you want it.  Now that you’ve placed your pin, you’ll see a label that hovers over it. This leads to even more functionality.  Clicking through on the label gives you the options to get directions to that point, from that point, and also share that location via e-mail or text message as well as bookmark it. We think this functionality could be super useful for navigating your way back to your car, or a camp site, for example.  And while we’re on the topic of Maps, here’s a bonus tip. Did you know that hitting the arrow-shaped icon on the bottom-left of your display will activate the phone’s compass and show you on the map exactly which direction you’re facing? Clever, huh? 9. Swipe to Delete There are some handy features for deleting messages more quickly. The most common way to delete multiple messages in e-mail is to hit “Edit,” select the messages you want gone, and then hit the big, red delete button. Alternatively, you can simply swipe to bring up a delete option. In your inbox, swipe your finger from right to left across a message and you’ll see a delete button appear. Press it and the message is toast. Gmail users, however, may only get the option to “Archive,” so if you’re using Gmail you’ll have to tweak your settings first. To do this, go to “Settings,” “Mail, Contacts, Calendars,” “Google Mail” and then toggle the “Archive Messages” option to “Off.” This will now reveal that delete option. This swiping trick can also be used for phone messages, Notes and more.  10. Add Folders to the Dock The ability to create folders is one huge improvement brought with iOS4, and is a very popular feature when it comes to organizing and accessing apps. In using folders, there’s a neat trick that will let you have all your most-used apps on your phone’s homescreen. To create a folder, just press and hold any app until it starts wiggling. Then, drag the app into another app that you’d like to include in the same folder. The iPhone will automatically generate a name for the folder based on its contents. You can edit this name by pressing and holding the folder icon.  Once you’ve got your folders made, if you clear something less useful out of the dock (you can only have four things in at a time) you can drag and drop your folder into the dock for super-fast access. With clever folder creation (Work, Play, Phone, Tools, etc) you could pretty much have everything you need one tap away from the homescreen, rather than scrolling through endless screens of apps.  More iPhone Resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Gmail, Safari More About: apple, how to, how tos, iBooks, iOS, iOS4, iphone, iphone 4, iphone apps, List, Lists, tips and tricks For more Apple coverage:
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| Announcing the UN Week Digital Media Lounge Posted: 31 Aug 2010 12:19 PM PDT
The conversation about the world's biggest challenges no longer belongs to a small set of voices — it is a global conversation with an increasingly online pulse. As the world's leaders convene in New York, the UN Week Digital Media Lounge offers a dedicated venue that is completely wired and accessible to today's top online voices and influential bloggers, bringing the conversations from this historic UN Summit out of the halls of the UN and into 92nd Street Y, where digital media will deliver it to the world. From September 21-24, 92Y will be a place for bloggers to have exclusive in-person access to experts on issues like poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDs, women's health and climate change. A comprehensive agenda will give bloggers the chance to interact with thought leaders on the most important global issues. Confirmed briefings include experts such as Samuel Kargbo, Department of Health, Sierra Leone; Martha Kwataine, Executive Director, Malawi Health Equity Network; and Steve Cockburn of EndWater Poverty. We will also announce the participation of high-level government officials, UN Goodwill Ambassadors and celebrity advocates shortly. This is truly a unique program bringing the best of UN week to the leading voices in the digital world. Join the company of people who aren't content to let this historic summit take place without letting their voices be heard and involving their online communities. The Lounge is open to bloggers or journalists who are looking for an innovative way to cover the events of UN Week and the Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. Accreditation is necessary. Date: Tuesday, September 21 to Friday, September 24, 2010 Goals of the UN Week Digital Media Lounge include:
Confirmed agenda includes:
Also see the Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit: Reviews: Mashable More About: 92y, digital media lounge, social good, social good summit, un foundation, UN week For more Social Media coverage:
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| YouTube to Live Stream President Obama’s Iraq Address [VIDEO] Posted: 31 Aug 2010 12:00 PM PDT Tonight, U.S. President Barack Obama is slated to address America from the Oval Office via a live stream on YouTube, a speech during which he is expected to announce the end of the U.S. combat role in Iraq. Before you check out the live stream tonight at 8 p.m. EST, YouTube is offering you the opportunity to ask the White House follow-up questions via its Moderator function. The speech will also be stored on YouTube’s CitizenTube, should you happen to miss it tonight. Check out the above video from the YouTube Blog for more info. This isn’t the first time a speech has been streamed live from the Oval Office. A few months ago, President Obama spoke to the American public with regard to the Gulf oil spill. YouTube also allowed viewers to submit questions to the president during the State of the Union Address, which he later answered on the video-sharing site. As more and more of these events occur online, one can only imagine the historical archive that YouTube will amass. Reviews: YouTube More About: obama, Political, video, youtube For more Web Video coverage:
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| Twitter Temporarily Turns Off “Who to Follow” Posted: 31 Aug 2010 10:58 AM PDT   If your Twitter page looks different, don’t freak out; Twitter is just temporarily disabling the new “Who to Follow” feature. On the Twitter Status blog, Twitter notes that it has “temporarily turned off the … feature” and that it will be “restored as soon as possible.” Since the feature was launched, it has been plagued by bugs; many of us at Mashable have found that it always produces the same recommendations. Twitter notes in the status update that the feature has also been recommending users you already follow (a feature I have noticed myself) and that the company is looking into fixing that issue. We’ll let you know when “Who to Follow” returns. Have you found the feature at all useful thus far? Reviews: Mashable, Twitter More About: twitter, twitter suggestions, who to follow For more Social Media coverage:
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| Borders Slashes E-Reader Prices to $99 Posted: 31 Aug 2010 10:43 AM PDT   Following similar moves by Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Borders has announced that it will also be cutting the prices on some of its e-readers. Beginning Wednesday, September 1, the prices of the Kobo e-reader and the Aluratek Libre eBook Pro will drop from $149.99 to $129.99 and from $119.99 to $99.99, respectively. The already budget friendly Libre Pro has now hit that elusive $99.99 price point. Earlier this month, Copia announced its own plans to bring a $99 e-reader to market, but the Libre Pro is available now. In terms of features and connectivity, neither device can match power with the Kindle or Nook; these are frills-free e-readers for the budget-conscious or for households that want a secondary e-reader. Later this fall, Borders will be targeting the higher end of the market when it begins carrying two Velocity Micro Android-based readers. The Cruz Reader is currently available for pre-order for $199 and the forthcoming Cruz Tablet is priced at $299. The Cruz Reader is a 7-inch resistive touch screen e-reader that can also access the web and play video. The high-powered Cruz Tablet has a capacitive touch screen and is being marketed as a more versatile Android-based tablet. Borders is continually increasing the variety of e-readers it offers to its customers, rather than developing its own device. The company carries a number of different e-readers in its stores and online, and supports various mobile phones via its Kobo-powered app. As we reflected previously, we think that the $99.99 price point for an e-reader is critical. At $99.99, the device becomes an easy impulse buy, and should encourage consumers to at least consider jumping on the e-reading bandwagon. Do you agree? Reviews: Android More About: borders, e-book, e-readers, ebooks, Kindle, libre pro, nook For more Tech coverage:
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| Posted: 31 Aug 2010 10:22 AM PDT   Do you set your alarm to harvest your crops? Do you value Farm Cash over your own country’s currency? Is your other vehicle a tractor? Then you’re going to love this list! You know where we’re going with this — FarmVille is a phenomenally popular social game boasting more “virtual farms” than the number of real ones in the entire United States and has more than 80 million users. So, beyond the promotional 7-11 items and Green Giant Fresh produce that took FarmVille into the real world, we’ve found five more FarmVille-themed accessories perfect for the agriculturally-addicted. Have a look through the gallery now and let us know in the comments which ones you’d trade a pink cow for… 1. Internet Farmer Tee This tee pokes fun at the addicted “Internet farmer” with a modern twist on the “farmer’s tan” — a traditional badge of agricultural honor [[[tanned forearms from hours and hours of working outside. ]]] Cost: From $19.99 2. FarmVille Addict Pendant This cutesy pendant will show off your FarmVille love and would work as a necklace, charm or keychain. It’s available from Etsy shop “Giggles and Grins” and comes with a free chain. Cost: $6.95 3. Real Housewives of FarmVille Tee The “real housewives” of FarmVille are more interested in market stalls than malls. If that’s you, then grab this tractor-toting tee to show your dedication to your crops. Cost: From $19.99 4. FarmVille Land Coasters These fun coasters from Meninos look like FarmVille “Land” and are a light-hearted place to rest your coffee cup after a hard session of co-op farming. Cost: $24.99, but currently on sale at $17.50 5. Farmville, VA Tee Did you know there’s a real town in the States named “Farmville?” There are two actually, one in North Carolina and one in Virginia. You can celebrate the real-life Farmvilles with a “Great Cities” tee of your choosing — a witty way to wear your favorite social game on your chest. Cost: From $10 More Shopping Resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Internet More About: accessories, Etsy, facebook, facebook games, farmville, games, ipad apps, iphone apps, iPhone games, meninos, shopping, social games, t-shirts, tees, Zynga For more Social Media coverage:
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| Improv Everywhere Takes Formal Wear to the Beach [VIDEO] Posted: 31 Aug 2010 09:05 AM PDT Improv Everywhere is probably best known for being underdressed — you know, riding the subway in their skivvies — but recently the comedy troupe got suited up to go beaching at New York’s Coney Island. And by “suited up,” we don’t mean “in their bathing suits.” A month ago, Improv Everywhere put out a call via its New York Mailing List for folks willing to dig up some cheap formal wear and kick it at Coney. The result is a rather uplifting video featuring hundreds of volunteers — from babies to elderly folks — surprising and delighting beach-goers attired in (far) skimpier fare. Make sure to watch the vid all the way to the end, when a bystander expresses his joy at witnessing the stunt. Awesome. The last time I went to Coney Island all I got was an intense desire to get a tetanus shot. More About: humor, pop culture, viral video For more Web Video coverage:
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| HOW TO: Incorporate Your Startup at the Right Time Posted: 31 Aug 2010 08:34 AM PDT   Nellie Akalp is the CEO & Co-Founder of CorpNet, her second incorporation filing service company based on the simple philosophy of truth in business and her strong passion to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs. Follow her on Twitter @corpnet and Facebook. Now that we’re nearing the home stretch of 2010, it’s a good time to take stock of various odds and ends for your business. Perhaps you have been considering the idea of incorporating your business, but haven’t exactly made the time in your daily calendar or you just aren’t sure when is the best time to do so. When should you incorporate? There is no time like the present, and the simple answer is: right now — right when you’re mulling over the possibility. After all, the sooner you incorporate or form an LLC, the sooner you can start reaping the rewards of incorporation; the potential tax savings and legal protection. But there are a few other considerations that may influence the timing of your decision. Paperwork The first to consider is the paperwork. From a tax reporting standpoint, there is a clear favorite when it comes to incorporation dates, and that’s January 1. Incorporate on any other day and you’ll be looking at filling out two business income tax returns for that year (one for the months when you were operating as a sole proprietor, and the second for those months after your incorporation became effective). For this reason, December and January are the two busiest months of the year for state filing offices. And while your legal document filing service may be very speedy and process your request in a day, you’ll still be at the mercy of any backlog at your state’s Secretary of State office. It’s not uncommon for it to take up to 40-60 business days to bring a Corporation or an LLC into existence after submitting your filing documents to any state office. Of course, all is dependent on your particular state office. Business.gov offers a handy link to each one. And as state offices grapple with budget shortfalls and employee cuts, wait times will only get longer. Act Now, Do DelayFortunately, there’s an interesting option that can put you in the front of the line come January. A Delayed Filing allows you to complete your paperwork and submit your application with a document filing service now, and then delay your actual incorporation date until the new year. This is a great option if you expect to have a slightly less hectic schedule now than in December or January, but don’t necessarily want your business to become active until then. By delaying your incorporation filing date with the Secretary of State's office, you can:
Tax SavingsOf course, a delayed filing is not for everyone. Some consultants or other professionals may need to form an S Corporation in order to be awarded a particular job. For some of you, the tax benefits associated with incorporating are so significant that it makes no sense to wait. After all, the extra dollars in your pocket can far outweigh the hassles of filing before January 1. In other words, it’s better for you to receive the tax savings for the remainder of the year, and deal with the added paperwork of your business income taxes and annual reports. Legal ProtectionAnd then lastly, you might feel you need the legal protection of your own personal assets from any liability owed by the company, sooner rather than later. In this case, I always advise to err on the side of caution. There’s literally no time like the present. But for those of you who see no pressing need to fast track your Incorporation or LLC formation, consider the delayed filing option and ask your document filing service about this feature. You can get your paperwork done at your leisure, select your preferred effective date, and have the peace of mind that comes from crossing off one more thing on your to-do list. Disclaimer: This post is not intended to constitute legal advice. You should consult with a legal or tax professional before making decisions about business incorporation. More Business Resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, peepo Reviews: iStockphoto More About: business, delayed filing, incorporating, legal, LLC, S-Corp, small business, startup, startups, taxes, timing For more Business coverage:
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| Foursquare and MTV Team up for First-Ever Cause-Related Badge: STD Testing Posted: 31 Aug 2010 08:12 AM PDT   “STD testing center” seems like number three on a list of “Embarrassing Places to Check in on Foursquare,” but this September, MTV and the geo-location service are aiming to quash that stigma by offering a badge to all those who get tested as part of MTV’s GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign. The GYT campaign marks a milestone for Foursquare, which has never offered a cause-related badge before. MTV launched GYT in April of 2009 as part of a partnership with Kaiser Family Foundation titled "It's Your (Sex) Life.” The initiative seeks to help young people become more aware of how common STDs are — according to MTV, one in two people will contract an STD by age 25. For more info on getting tested and staying healthy, you can head on over to MTV’s “It’s Your (Sex) Life” page. The Foursquare partnership encourages people to follow MTV on Foursquare, check in after getting tested and shout “GYT” to their followers. After doing so, users will earn the GYT badge, and thereby make it known that they’re taking control of their sex lives. Those who score the badge will also be entered to win a trip for two to New York City, as well as backstage passes to MTV's 10 on Top. MTV and Foursquare have been working together for a while now. Yesterday, we reported that the music network had hooked with Foursquare for the VMAs, and MTV remains one of the most popular brands on the service. What do you think of this campaign? Will you announce to the world that you care about your health — and that of your partner — via Foursquare? Let us know in the comments. Reviews: Foursquare, SEX More About: foursquares, mtv, music, social good, trending For more Mobile coverage:
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| Video of Girl Throwing Puppies in a River Causes Social Media Uproar Posted: 31 Aug 2010 07:37 AM PDT   A video of a young girl in a red sweatshirt throwing several puppies into a river has caused a huge social media backlash on sites like 4chan, reddit and Facebook. The backlash is similar to the one caused by the Cat Bin Lady, a woman who was caught on video throwing a cat into a dustbin, and whose identity was quickly revealed by 4chan members. Similarly, some members of 4chan and reddit started a campaign to find out the identity of the girl, while a Facebook group related to the incident has gathered more than 3,000 members in a little more than a day. Although the exact identities of the girl and the person behind the camera are unknown, the girl speaks Croatian in the video, and other inconclusive evidence suggests that she is resident of a city of Bugojno in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to threads on 4chan and reddit [Warning: Strong language is used in the thread], the footage was filmed by the girl’s brother, who uploaded the video to YouTube, but soon removed it. Faced with threats from 4chan, a person identifying himself as the girl’s brother asked for help on the forum section of Croatian gaming site HCL.hr, arguing that these were stray puppies and that they had to do it to “protect their health.” However, due to the extreme cruelty captured in the video (we decided not to include it in the post due to its graphic nature), in which the girl cheerily throws the puppies into the river — at one point asking, “Can it swim?” — the backlash has been extreme. Thousands of forum members have condemned the girl’s acts and media outlets describe the act as “shocking” and “terrible.” Meanwhile, another interesting topic has been posted on reddit by an administrator of the site, asking for members to stop acting like “vigilantes and lynch mobs,” and threatening to ban members who post anyone’s private info on the site. “You are seriously messing with innocent people’s lives and you have no right to do so,” the message concludes. What do you think? Is “Internet lynch mob” behavior justified? What would you do if you encountered a video portraying animal cruelty? Please, share your thoughts in the comments. Reviews: Internet, YouTube, reddit.com More About: 4chan, facebook, reddit, social media, video For more Social Media coverage:
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| Still More Easter Eggs to Find in the Microsoft Scavenger Hunt [SPONSORED] Posted: 31 Aug 2010 07:20 AM PDT This post is brought to you by Allure Bays Corp., a microsite designed by Microsoft Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010. For more information on sponsored posts read here.   By now, you should have found quite a few of the Easter eggs Microsoft has hidden in its microsite created for the fictional company, Allure Bay Corp. The site is designed to teach visitors about the latest incarnations of Microsoft Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010. The results are tracked on a leaderboard, which changes from day to day as more people join the hunt, and more Easter eggs are discovered. Some of the Easter eggs hidden in the site are a little easy to uncover, like the one embedded in the subtitle of one of the videos, but others require a little more ingenuity. Still need a few hints? Have you tried typing "Todd" into the search box yet? Or if you're curious about the features these Microsoft programs offer, try searching for "Information Capture." Every Easter egg gets you a little closer to understanding the full scope of what you can do with Microsoft's programs, and to taking the top position on the leaderboard. You're competing with every other registered user, so get creative, watch for clues and don't hesitate to click items you see in the videos. That green mask on the desk in one video just might uncover something interesting. Still more hints are tweeted almost daily on the Allure Bays Corp. Twitter account that complements the microsite, so if you haven't found all the loot yet, be sure to follow that account to keep up and dominate that leaderboard! (This post is brought to you by Allure Bays Corp., a microsite designed by Microsoft Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010. For more information on sponsored posts read here.) For more Social Media coverage:
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| Loopt Checkins Can Get You Two-for-One Tickets to Mexico on Virgin America Posted: 31 Aug 2010 06:48 AM PDT   Social-media savvy airline Virgin America, which used Twitter to announce its expansion to Toronto, is making use of location-based rewards network Loopt Star to draw attention to its next international expansion: Mexico. Virgin America will be running non-stop flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Cabo (SJD) and from Los Angeles (LAX) to Cancun (CUN) beginning this winter. In addition to special three-day fare sale, Loopt Star members can check in at select locations in San Francisco and Los Angeles to get a free ticket for a friend when they purchase one ticket for themselves today. This is how it works:
 Reward Space Evolving FastAs competition in the geolocation marketing space heats up, companies are ramping up the value of rewards they offer to users of these location-based services. What started as free coffee for Starbucks Mayors has evolved into discounts on clothing, discounts on mobile phones and now discounts on airline tickets. Loopt is really upping the ante with this Virgin America promotion; we expect this will drive a wave of new signups in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas. Fighting Hard for DistinctionAs we said earlier this spring, we think that the ideas behind Loopt Star are solid. By acting as a digital loyalty card program and using Facebook as its social graph, the service was actually a bit ahead of the curve. However, now that Facebook Places makes it easier for other geolocation services to tap into Facebook, and as the rewards space gets hyper-competitive, Loopt and its sub-brands like Loopt Star need to continue to fight for distinction. A great way to do that is by partnering with socially savvy companies like Virgin America and to offer value-driven rewards. What do you think of this latest promotion? Where do you see geolocation and loyalty programs converging in the future? Reviews: Facebook More About: geolocation, loopt, loopt star, loyalty program, mobile loyalty card, virgin america For more Social Media coverage:
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| Morning Brief: Gmail and Hotmail Upgraded, Blogger Gets Real-Time Stats Posted: 31 Aug 2010 06:11 AM PDT This series is brought to you by HTC EVO 4G, America’s first 4G phone. Only from Sprint. The “First to Know” series keeps you in the know on what’s happening now in the world of social media and technology.   Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. We're keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today. Gmail Launches Priority Inbox Feature On Tuesday morning, Google began rolling out its new Priority Inbox feature for Gmail users. Priority Inbox uses information such as keywords, which e-mail addresses you contact the most, and other e-mail habits to highlight the most pressing e-mails in your inbox. Those e-mails are brought to the top of your Gmail and marked as important so you deal with them first. Mashable’s Jenn Van Grove has penned a guide for optimizing the new feature. Hotmail Finally Introduces Mobile-to-Web Syncing After introducing a slew of upgrades in May, including new filters and integration with Office Web Apps, among other things, the world’s largest e-mail provider announced on Monday that users can now get their e-mail, calendar and contacts pushed automatically to their phones using Exchange ActiveSync (EAS). Now, whatever a user makes a change to their inbox, calendar or contacts on their mobile devices, the changes will be reflected automatically on the web and vice versa. Google Rolls Out Real-Time Stats to Blogger Users Users of Google’s Blogger service now have access to real-time statistics about their blogs, including views, visitor demographics, top search keywords and more, accompanied by illustrative graphs. Google announced the new features in a blog post last night [via The Next Web]. Further News
Series supported by HTC EVO 4G This series is brought to you by HTC EVO 4G, America’s first 4G phone. Only from Sprint. The “First to Know” series keeps you in the know on what’s happening now in the world of social media and technology. Reviews: Facebook, Gmail, Google, Mashable, Skype More About: blogger, first to know series, gmail, hotmail For more Tech coverage:
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