Mashable: Latest 12 News Updates - including “Intuit Offers a New Look at the Economy and Employment Trends” |  |
- Intuit Offers a New Look at the Economy and Employment Trends
- We7 Gives UK Users Another Music Streaming Option on the iPhone
- Social Networks Play a Major Part in How We Get News [STATS]
- Top Condé Nast Magazines are Coming to iPad
- PlayStation Network Down [PSN]
- 5 Best iPhone Apps For Controlling Your Mac or PC
- 10 Firefox Add-ons to Beautify Your Browser
- 4.35 Million Watch Chile Earthquake and Hawaii Tsunami Video Streams
- Gatsby: Connecting Foursquare Friends Who Like Cats and Circuses
- Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART]
- Twitter Timelines Frozen for Some
- 5 Must-Have Geek Collectibles
- 6 Free Android Apps That Will Make You Drop Your iPhone
| Intuit Offers a New Look at the Economy and Employment Trends Posted: 01 Mar 2010 05:30 AM PST  
Specifically, the index measures hiring at roughly 50,000 companies with less than 20 employees that use Intuit Online Payroll. Much like Mint (which is now owned by Intuit) can shed insight into personal finance habits by analyzing customer data, the idea here is that in aggregate, Intuit's small business customers can tell us which way small business is trending each month. The company's first report shows that there were 40,000 new small business jobs created in February, representing a 0.2% increase in their index. Moreover, their report shows that small business employment bottomed out in the middle of last year, with 150,000 jobs created in total since June, 2009:  How does Intuit's data compare to that released monthly by the US Department of Labor? In its most recent report – for January – the unemployment rate dropped from 10 percent to 9.7 percent, breaking an uptrend we've seen since 2007. Their number looks at overall employment though – not just small businesses – so if the thesis that a recovery starts with small business is to be believed, perhaps Intuit's data is telling us something, especially if January doesn't prove to be an anomaly when the Department of Labor issues its next report. In any event, we like that Intuit is leveraging its data to provide insight into broader trends. We've seen companies like AdMob, Flurry, and JiWire (and even Facebook) do similar recently within their respective fields, and see it as an effective way for brands to build further awareness for their products. Tags: employment, intuit, statistics
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| We7 Gives UK Users Another Music Streaming Option on the iPhone Posted: 01 Mar 2010 04:26 AM PST 
We7 gives several options to users: free service is ad-supported, and works worldwide, Premium option is UK-only and lets you stream music (without ads) from your PC, and the Premium+ option (also UK-only) lets you listen to “millions of songs” without ads, both on your PC and your iPhone, for a monthly fee of 9.99 pounds (roughly 15 US dollars). With this move, we7 joins Spotify as another European provider of streaming music on the iPhone. The two apps have the same price in the UK for their premium subscription; Spotify, however, is a bit cheaper at 9.99 euros (13.6 dollars) in other countries. Spotify also has the advantage of being available in several Euroepan countries, while we7 is still limited to United Kingdom only. As far as other mobile platforms go, according to we7’s website, Android version is “coming soon”.
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| Social Networks Play a Major Part in How We Get News [STATS] Posted: 01 Mar 2010 02:50 AM PST 
It translates to a large portion of all Americans. According to the report, 59% of those surveyed get news from a combination of online and offline sources. However, the study also shows that very few people nowadays (7%) are getting information from a single media platform. In fact, nearly half of Americans (46%) claim they get news from four to six media platforms on a typical day. And while TV is still the biggest source of news (78% of Americans say they get news from a local TV station), Internet sits on second place (61% of users get news online), ahead of radio and newspapers. Interestingly enough, relatively few people – only 17 percent – claim they read news in a national newspaper such as the New York Times or USA Today. Also interesting is the division between news consumers according to their relationship to news. 33% of cell phone owners now access news on their cell phones and 28% use personalized news, meaning they have a customized page that includes news from sources they’ve personally chosen. Perhaps most importantly, news consumers today participate in the creation of news; 37% have contributed to news creation, commented on news, or shared it via social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. The entire report is available here. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, enot-poloskun Tags: News, social media, social networks, trending
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| Top Condé Nast Magazines are Coming to iPad Posted: 01 Mar 2010 01:42 AM PST 
We already know that Condé Nast is working on an iPad version of Wired magazine, and we’ve even seen a demo version of it. Now, New York Times reports that Condé Nast is preparing to launch some of its other top magazines on the iPad, with the first (besides Wired) being GQ, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Glamour. According to the NYT, when iPad arrives in April, GQ will be ready with a tablet version for that same month; Vanity Fair and Wired will follow in June, while The New Yorker and Glamour will have issues sometime in the summer. "We feel confident enough that consumers will want our content in this new format that we are committing the resources necessary to be there. How large a revenue stream digitized content represents is an answer we hope to learn through this process," said president and CEO of Condé Nast, Charles H. Townsend. The magazines will be sold through iTunes (Wired will also be available in other formats); it will be a great test for the future of the iPad and the publishing industry in general. Will you simply browse the Wired website, and get the info from there for free, or will you purchase the paid version of the mag through iTunes? It depends, mostly, on how Condé Nast plans to provide extra value for iPad users. Tags: conde nast, ipad, Wired
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| PlayStation Network Down [PSN] Posted: 28 Feb 2010 06:24 PM PST 
When they try to load up certain games — including the just-released Heavy Rain — they receive the error code and the following message: “Registration of the trophy information could not be completed. The game will now quit.” After the message, the system reboots. The problems seem to mostly affect older, “fat” models of the PS3. Slim models are either not impacted or affected far less frequently. Trophies are prizes given to players for accomplishing certain tasks in each game; the trophies are synced with the PlayStation Network so players can compare their achievements. Gaming blog Joystiq found reports that the consoles were having their dates reset to 12/31/1999; that might somehow be related to the trophy syncing problems. Once reports of the problems started to appear, Sony tweeted: “We’re aware that many of you are having problems connecting to PSN, and yes, we’re looking into it. Stay tuned for updates.” That’s all we’ve heard from them so far. There’s no solution just yet; even disconnecting your console from the Internet doesn’t help. We’ll post an update immediately when we hear about a resolution. Tags: down, outage, playstation 3, playstation network, PS3, PSN, sony, sony playstation
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| 5 Best iPhone Apps For Controlling Your Mac or PC Posted: 28 Feb 2010 06:16 PM PST 
The long-promised convergence of television and the Internet is finally coming. More and more consumer electronics devices come with features like WiFi and built-in support for Internet services. Tools like Boxee (even with the Apple TV) and Windows 7 Media Center make it easier than ever to connect your computer to your TV to enjoy online content. Last summer, my personal project was creating the ultimate Mac mini HTPC, and in the end, it turned out great. However, one of the most frustrating (and potentially costly) factors of the whole project was finding a viable keyboard, mouse and remote setup. Controlling a computer from the couch is different than controlling it from a desk, and even though I found a lot of great software-based remote options (and a few hardware options too), it turned out that the best (and by far, most cost-effective) method for controlling my entire setup was right in my pocket. There are literally dozens and dozens of iPhone and iPod touch apps that can control your PC (be it Mac, Windows or Linux), but after using and testing the big players in this field (and even the small ones), I’ve found five of my favorites. Check them out and be sure to leave your own suggestions in the comments. *A Note: With one exception, all of these apps are multi-purpose, meaning they are designed to control more than one program. For that reason, some of the XBMC or Boxee-specific apps were left off my list. 1. HippoRemote Pro 2.0 Even before HippoRemote Pro 2.0 was released, this app had a permanent spot on my iPhone’s home screen. The Pro version of the app is $4.99 and a less-feature rich basic version is available for $0.99 and a new Lite edition is available for free. What makes this app so great is that it works with Mac, Windows and Linux, and acts not only as a viable trackpad/keyboard combo, but offers all kinds of app profiles (plus you can create your own) to control applications like Boxee, Windows Media Center 7, Hulu Desktop, your web browser, iTunes, and more. Plus, you can create macros, easily switch apps, wake up your device over LAN, and use international keyboards. The new version of HippoRemote Pro also features an awesome Boxee plugin that adds the same kind of gesture control as the official Boxee iPhone app, as well as a built-in web browser (for checking the web, IMDB or Facebook) and Twitter client that lets you check your timeline, mentions and send tweets all from the remote application. Check out this video the team made showing off the new HippoRemote 2.0: At our house we use this on our Macs and Windows PCs and really, really love it. 2. Keymote Keymote from Iced Cocoa is a Mac-only remote control that works by creating little application-specific keysets to control specific actions. Think of it like those macro-based IR remote controls (like the ones Sony used to sell before the Logitech Harmony series took over the market). What sets Keymote apart is its built-in Keymote “store” where you can download keysets from other users to use with your favorite apps. The interface is really nice and for users who really like to have key commands and shortcuts at their fingertips, Keymote is great. 3. Remote Jr. Remote Jr. comes in two flavors, the full version for $7.99 or the lite version for $1.99. Remote Jr. Lite doesn’t support Wake-on-LAN and doesn’t have a keyboard or trackpad/airmouse, but will give you a taste of the app itself. More than other remote control apps, Remote Jr. really is more of a fully-functional VNC (Virtual Network Computing) app. By this I mean you can view your computer’s desktop, access specific elements or apps, and interact with them even when you aren’t in front of your computer. Most of the remote control apps just use WiFi to connect to your components or PC, which is great — but Remote Jr. can connect over GPRS/Edge or 3G, meaning you can access and control your Mac or PC even if you aren’t at home. That’s pretty powerful. There are other VNC apps out there (namely iTeleport: Jaadu VNC) that have more features, but they also cost a lot more ($24.99) and don’t have the remote control and application switching interface built into them like Remote Jr. A new version of Remote Jr. was just submitted to the App Store, and amongst other additions and improvements, it will bring audio streaming and Apple TV support. Apple TV support is a really great addition that I look forward to putting to use! Check out this video to see Remote Jr. in action: Remote Jr. is a great app for people that want a cross between a VNC app and a remote control, without having to buy both. 4. EyeTVElgato’s EyeTV system is an absolutely fantastic way to turn your Mac into a DVR to record, edit and playback HDTV programming from over the air or cable.  The EyeTV iPhone app is a $4.99 companion that not only lets you control your EyeTV system, but lets you set up recording, view your schedule and programming guide, and play back recording from your computer on your iPhone. You can even stream live TV over a 3G connection, a la the SlingPlayer if you use the free EyeTV Live 3G web app (the EyeTV app will let you watch live TV and record over WiFi without a problem). When you consider the price of a SlingPlayer and the corresponding mobile app, it makes the EyeTV that much more of a bargain. 5. Snatch Snatch is a $3.99 remote control app that is extremely similar to both HippoRemote and Keymote. You can control your Mac or PC (and Snatch supports all the way back to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger). It has a multi-touch trackpad, a keyboard and a remote control editor. You can edit and design the layout of your remote control, adding buttons to specific functions. You can also create a “dock” of sorts for the applications that you like to frequently access. One feature I like about Snatch is that you can see what apps are running and easily switch between them. Snatch has a ton of fans, and while I still defer to HippoRemote or Remote Jr., it is a worthy player in the remote control space. Before buying Snatch, you can download the free Snatch Trackpad Test app to make sure it will work with your configuration. Your PicksDid I leave out one of your favorite remotes? How do you control your Mac or Windows PC with your iPhone or iPod touch? What features are you looking for in a remote control app? Let us know! [Image credit: Tanais Fox] More iPhone resources from Mashable:
Tags: apple, best iphone apps, eyetv, gadgets, hippo remote, iphone, iphone apps, keymote, mac, remote controls, remote jr, snatch, tech
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| 10 Firefox Add-ons to Beautify Your Browser Posted: 28 Feb 2010 05:38 PM PST 
We’ve trawled the plethora of available add-ons, themes, and features to bring you ten great options to beautify your Mozilla-made browser — from super skins, to improved tabs, to better buttons. There are even a few kittens along the way. Check out the options we’ve highlighted below and let us know in the comments any add-ons you currently use to make your browsing experience a bit more beautiful. After all, when it’s this easy, why settle for default? 1. Firefox Personas Taking advantage of Firefox’s “Personas” feature is a really quick and easy way to spice up the basic look of your browser with skins that decorate the browser bar. Install the plug-in and you can chose from 35,000+ Personas that can be changed on a daily basis, or even just to suit your mood, with a super-simple click-through-and-choose process. With so many options available, you can imagine there really is something for everyone as far as the skin designs go. They range from art, scenery, brands, and games to TV- and celeb-themed choices. Cost: Free 2. ChromaTabs Plus For those that think it’s the little things that add-up to make up the bigger picture, ChromaTabs offers one simple tool that will make your browser more colorful. This add-on makes the usually gray browser tabs colorful with a rainbow of shades by tinting each tab a different color depending on the website loaded. The coloring-in works automatically depending on the color of the site’s favicon, but if you’ve got the time, tabs can be assigned site-specific colors. Cost: Free 3. Walnut for Firefox Ideal for fans of retro style and reminiscent of your classic wood veneer, Walnut for Firefox gives your browser a wooden look and feel. Walnut is a complete skin redesign, which means that all windows, widgets, panels, and even other add-ons get the tree-themed look, kindly offering a more natural feel to your browsing experience. Cost: Suggested donation of $4.99 4. about:kittens If you think the presence of a cat is always going to improve matters, then about:kittens is the add-on for you. It somewhat randomly sticks a kitty in the “Help > About” box, chosen from the vast selection on kittenwar.com. No more boring “about box” logo pics to snoozify your browsing experience, as with this add-on, every about window will offer an adorable little kitty. Cost: Free 5. Browser Backgrounds As opposed to just spicing up the browser bar with imagery, this add-on lets you add an image to your browser background in the same way you can with your desktop background. You can choose from a vast selection of images offered within the add-on, or can pick to display your own photo, offering an even more personalized option. Cost: Donation requested 6. PinkTheme For just about the girliest browsing experience you could wish for, the PinkTheme add-on really does pink your browsing experience to the max. Look no further if you’re aiming to rouge-tint the online world, as well as see the Firefox user interface elements pinkified. There’s also extra pink modules, such as the pink search and the pink home. It’s basically all very pink indeed. Cost: Suggested donation of $1.01 7. Canvas We find it hard to believe you can’t find at least one of the over 35,000 browser skin Personas to like. But if you are all about personalization, then Canvas can help you out by letting you select any one of your own photographs as a background for your browser bar. You can add any photo from your PC, or any image from the web, giving you the option to have a familiar face greet you every time you go online. Cost: Suggested donation of $2.99 8. Aero Big If you don’t want to skin your browser but you’re seeking a fresh new look to brighten it up, Aero Big offers some funky, chunky buttons that will liven up Firefox with some fresh graphics for your browser bar. As well as super-sizing and coloring in the icons for all of the browser’s toolbar and context menu items, there are also icons for a number of extensions you might use. Cost: Free 9. iPhox If you are iPhone-mad, then iPhox (“if Firefox and the iPhone had a kid together, this is what he would look like”) will iPhonify your browser so you can enjoy the Apple mobile look and feel while you’re at your desktop. The dev promises “the same familiar icons, toolbars, and menus of the iPhone, only instead of being on an amazing little handheld device, it can now be on your favorite browser.” Cost: Free 10. NASA Night Launch Looking a little like Darkle, this night-themed add-on is perfect for anyone looking to go to the dark side as far as browsing goes, with its NASA tie-in adding a little space ship chic. Said to have been inspired by the night launch of STS-116, the add-on can be installed as a simple dark theme with a dark toolbar, or after a few extra steps, with a choice of cool NASA toolbar images. Cost: Suggested donation of $5 More browser resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Browser Backgrounds, Firefox Tags: add-on, add-ons, browser, customization, Firefox, firefox add-on, Firefox Lists, List, Lists, mozilla, plugin, plugins, themes
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| 4.35 Million Watch Chile Earthquake and Hawaii Tsunami Video Streams Posted: 28 Feb 2010 03:39 PM PST 
Some streams were news station broadcasts, but some were live streams from cell phones on the ground. The 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile just south of Santiago at 3:34 local time yesterday. As a result, buildings collapsed and power went out in parts of Santiago — the airport was so badly damaged that it ceased operation, and the city’s Fine Arts Museum suffered serious damage. 500,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and at least 300 deaths have been recorded so far. More numbers are still coming in. Tsunami warnings were announced all around the pacific, including in Hawaii, but in most cases the waves turned out not to be severe. However, the Chile town of Talcahuano was badly damaged by tsunami waves yesterday. If these images and those posted to Twitter have moved you, you can still use social media to help. We’ve written up a quick list of ways you can easily donate to relief efforts either by text message or the web. Google launched a person finder, so if you have information about a missing person (or if you’re looking for someone) affected by the earthquake or tsunami, you can connect with others there. Finally, we’ve heard stories about people using Twitter hashtags to help one another find loved ones. We’ve embedded a pre-recorded sample video of Ustream coverage below. Reviews: ustream Tags: chile, chile earthquake, hawaii, hawaii tsunami, Live Stream, live video, streaming video, ustream
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| Gatsby: Connecting Foursquare Friends Who Like Cats and Circuses Posted: 28 Feb 2010 12:59 PM PST 
The setup is simple. Sign up for Gatsby with your Foursquare account, which will add Gatsby as a friend, and tag yourself with your favorite interests — say, “Water Polo,” or “Cranberries.” (Or, as the site’s screenshots suggest, “Cats” and “Circus”.) Then, continue on your merry way. As you check in at your usual haunts, Gatsby will automatically determine if there are other Foursquare/Gatsby users in your area who share your affinity for cranberries, and attempt to connect you. When a potential match occurs, Gatsby sends a text message to both parties with the first names of each user and a list of the shared interests. If both agree to connect, Gatsby can also set up a temporary SMS relay so that the users can text each other (and potentially meet in person) without revealing their mobile numbers.   The idea is intriguing, and could really take location-based services to a whole new level by bridging the gap between semi-anonymous lists of check-ins and real-time, in-person social networking. However, meeting strangers face-to-face based on scant social network details is sure to turn some more cautious users away. What do you think? Could this be the ultimate location-based ice-breaking service, or a recipe for a big privacy nightmare? Let us know in the comments. Reviews: Foursquare Tags: foursquare, gatsby, location-based, Mobile 2.0, social media, social networking, social networks
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| Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART] Posted: 28 Feb 2010 11:25 AM PST 
Our friends at What The Trend have provided an overview of the most tweeted topics this past week. Because this is a topical list, hashtag memes and games have been omitted from the chart. For the avid tweeter, it may come as no surprise that the young Canadian pop star Justin Bieber continued to trend this week, hitting the top spot. With all eyes on Vancouver these past two weeks, the Olympics ranked high as fans continued to cheer their nation’s teams and discuss NBC’s coverage of the games in the U.S. Continuing in entertainment, pop singers The Jonas Brothers rose in the ranks this week thanks to a campaign by Chilean and Argentinian fans urging the group to visit their countries. And the new Martin Scorcese film Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio has scored big points with fans and critics alike. Rounding out the set was plenty of discussion of Tiger Woods’ public apology for his marital infidelity on February 19th, a surge of support from fans of the South Korean band Super Junior, and a lot of chatter about Twitter itself as it was been plagued by more phishing attacks in the last few days. You can check past Twitter trends in our Top Twitter Topics section as well as read more about this past week’s trends on What The Trend. Top Twitter Trends This Week 2/21 – 2/27
Reviews: Twitter, beyonce Tags: social media, Top Twitter Topics, trends, twitter, twitter trends, What The Trend
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| Twitter Timelines Frozen for Some Posted: 28 Feb 2010 09:47 AM PST 
Popular Twitter app TweetDeck added “Apparently Twitter is having problems: No Twitter timeline updates for several hours for many users”, linking to a post by TheNextWeb which reported the same. A Twitter search for “Twitter timeline“, meanwhile, confirms that the issue is affecting a number of users. Are you having Twitter timeline issues today? Let us know in the comments. Reviews: TweetDeck, Twitter
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| Posted: 28 Feb 2010 09:03 AM PST 
From vinyl to plush, we bring you five social media-, online- and tech-themed items that will not only show your affiliation to all things geek, but who knows, could end up being worth something in years to come. Peruse the list below and let us know which item you’d chose to grace your desk in the comments. 1. Ollie the Twitterrific Bird This adorable blue bird is a real-life representation of the Twitterrific Mac Twitter client from Iconfactory and would look super-sweet perched on your desk. Around 4 inches tall, Ollie “loves to chat about what’s going on” according to his makers. There are two Ollies available — a vinyl version for just under $20, and a flocked vinyl option for $26.95. Now all we need is a Fail Whale to complete the set. Cost: From $19.95 2. Android Mini Collectibles Android fans get not one but 12 different versions of the cute robotic logo to collect. Kicking off with the standard green effort, there’s also a “worker” version with shirt and tie, an albino option, and some “super rare chase editions” to look out for. Designed by NYC artist Andrew Bell, each vinyl figure stands 3 inches tall and features a rotating head and arms. Cost: Approx $7.25 each 3. Firefox Plushie Fans of Mozilla’s open source browser can show their love with this official plush toy. Technically, it’s actually a red panda, as that’s what a “firefox” actually is. The 9-inch stuffed toy comes with “cuteness guaranteed” according to Mozilla, and proceeds from sales benefit the Mozilla Foundation. Now can we have a big-eared Fennec fox next? Cost: $12.08 4. Plush Steve Jobs Doll The trademark black turtleneck, the jeans, the glasses; “Plush Jobs” is unmistakable in his Steve-ness, and could work equally well for Apple fanatics and haters — the latter of which could easily find some Voodoo uses. From LEGO-loving Apple fans PodBrix, Plush Jobs stands at 17 inches tall and was created because the makers “always wanted a cuddly Jobs doll” so figured “other people might want one too.” The first 500 have already sold out, but PodBrix promises to make more. Cost: $27.99 5. Tux the Penguin’s Gwin Army Tux, the logo for Linux, famously created by Larry Ewing, has seen many real-life incarnations as varied as plushies and squeezy stress toys. But we think the best is the Gwin range from October Toys that gives the little open source penguin his own “army” full of wonderful, wacky, colorful characters as designed by a variety of artists. The vinyl Gwin range stands at around 2.5 inches tall with a limited number released, so if you see one you like, you know what you need to do. Cost: From $10 each More gift guide resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Android, Linux, Twitterrific Tags: android, apple, Firefox, geek, Gifts, Linux, List, Lists, nerd, shopping, shopping list, steve jobs, toys, twitterrific
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| 6 Free Android Apps That Will Make You Drop Your iPhone Posted: 28 Feb 2010 08:03 AM PST 
There’s no question that the iPhone has many wonderful apps, but Android’s smart syncing with existing tools, interesting Android-only experiments coming every day from Google employees, and its open marketplace model have yielded some tools that may give the average iPhone user pause. If you’re looking for a change, or you’re in the smartphone market and still weighing the pros and cons, consider these Android-only apps and how they might fit into your work, play, and mobile lifestyle. 1. OpenHome There’s no denying that the iPhone OS is a gorgeous piece software. But when it comes to the home screen, “you get what you get, and you don’t get upset,” to quote a nursery school mantra. Android is completely open-source, which means that apps can change the functionality and appearance of the OS, if you permit them to. This isn’t always good for safety, but it’s great for customization. OpenHome is one of the leading customization apps available on the Market. It functions as a replacement for the default home screen, into which you can load customs skins, icon packs, and fonts — many of which are freely available in the Market and created by other users. In addition to the look and feel of your OS, OpenHome also allows for other custom tweaks including soft keyboard improvements and widget modifications. 2. Google Voice Imagine a world where you never have to listen to another voicemail again. That’s almost what you get when you set up Google Voice and utilize the Android app. Google Voice lets you keep your existing mobile number, but will forward your missed calls to a generated Google number that you can check on the web, in your e-mail, or via the app. The service automatically generates voicemail transcription that is usually accurate enough to get the gist of what the caller is saying. Instead of getting a voicemail on your phone, you’ll receive and e-mail (or text message) with the transcription. The app then lets you scroll through your messages visually, like an e-mail inbox, and stream the audio messages from the web as needed, all without wasting precious mobile minutes. There are certainly other great voicemail alternatives for the iPhone (and Voice is available as a web-based service), but Google Voice’s deep integration with Gmail (you can also enable audio playback within web e-mail messages) makes it a great compliment to your hand-held arsenal of communications tools. Google Voice is still an invite-only service at the moment. You can request an invite from Google here, or hit up your friends on social networks for one. 3. NESoid Classic gamers rejoice! NESoid is a Nintendo ROM emulator for Android that actually works. The app itself is software that interprets ROM files — the format of choice for hacked console games. Assuming you’re loading a worthwhile ROM file from your SD card, the gameplay is really smooth. The lite version of NESoid is free, but prevents you from loading a “saved-state” of a game. The full version will cost you $3.49 and unlocks this feature. Most ROMS are not exactly kosher in terms of copyright, so we’ll leave it at your discretion whether you want to actually track down the games. This is likely why console emulators have not made it through the stringent App Store approval process, but are now appearing in Android’s more liberal Market. 4. Google Finance If you’ve got an eye on your stock portfolio 24/7, Google Finance can be a useful tool for getting customized, real-time quotes. The Android app syncs directly to your Google Finance portfolios and streams live data right into your hands by way of quote updates, charts, and financial news. Android is currently the only mobile platform with an official Google Finance app. 5. Google Listen Google Listen is a unique offering from Google Labs that functions like a search engine and subscription tool for podcasts across the web. If you’re on the train and realize you’ve forgotten to download the latest episode of NPR’s This American Life, simply fire up Google Listen, search for it, and stream it immediately, from the source. Google Listen effectively eliminates the need to download podcasts or connect your handset to your computer. And with subscription options built in, once you find a show you like, you’ll never miss an episode while you’re on the go. 6. Gmail and Google CalendarLast but not least, the utility of the fully integrated Gmail and Calendar apps that come built-in to the Android OS cannot be overstated. One of the core reasons why any Gmail or Google Apps user should go Android is that the handset will complete your suite of cloud computing productivity tools. Because of the intrinsic link between your Android phone and your Google account, the mobile functionality of Google apps like Gmail and Calendar are seamless. Draft an e-mail on your phone and it is instantly viewable in your drafts folder on the web. Update an appointment on the web Calendar, and it’s reflected on your phone seconds later. Android users also enjoy the built-in functionality of shared calendars, Gmail labels, threaded conversations, and “Send As” accounts if it is configured in your settings. If you live and work out of your Gmail inbox, an Android handset is the perfect extension. More Android resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Android, Gmail, Google, Google Labs, Google Voice Tags: android, apps, gaming, gmail, Google, google apps, google finance, Google Listen, Google Voice, iphone, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0
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Many economists (and 
The latest study from Pew Internet analyzes the news consumers in America and various different ways of finding news. Based on a sample of 2,259 adults, the study reveals that three fourths of the people (75%) who find news online get it either forwarded through email or posts on social networking sites, and half of them (52%) forward the news through those means.
With more than 140,000 apps in the 
You’ve clearly made an educated decision in choosing the 
Yesterday video streaming site Ustream ran live video of local news broadcasts covering the 
Here’s an interesting idea. The recently launched service 
This past week it seems 
Not getting Twitter updates today? It’s not just you – a number of users have reported the same, with blogger 
While some people may amass large numbers of porcelain figurines or miniature replica cars, we’ve got five far cooler collectibles for those of a more geeky nature.
The Android Market may still lag behind the iPhone App Store in terms of variety and quality, but there is something to be said for the Android operating system’s extremely tight integration with existing Google products, and the wide choice of devices and carriers.| You are subscribed to email updates from Mashable! To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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