Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “iPad is Here” |  |
- iPad is Here
- Lil Wayne Blogs… From Prison
- Pandora for iPad: An Experience for “Lean-In” Listeners
- WordPress 3.0 Beta Released
- The First iPad and iPad 3G Teardowns [PICS]
- Microsoft Office on iPad? Don’t Hold Your Breath
- Mashable’s Google Wave API Challenge: 3 New Extensions to Try
- Kindle for iPad Hits the App Store
- Twestival Global 2010 Raises More Than $450,000 for Education
- FRIDAY POLL: Which iPad Apps are You Most Excited About?
- Boy Cries Because He’s Not a “Single Lady” [Randomly Viral]
- Apple Launches iBookstore
- How 5 Brands Are Mastering the Game of Foursquare
- Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters
- Facebook Acquires Divvyshot to Improve Facebook Photos
- Want Crowdsourced Design Without the Spec Work? Try Brandstack
- Digg Launches Its Android App
- Loopt Pulse for iPad Offers Visual Guide to What’s Hot in Your City
- Facebook Scam Targets Whole Foods Shoppers [ALERT]
- Google Services Optimized for iPad: Gmail, YouTube, Maps and More
- 15+ Great Ways to Find Web Design and Development Work
- 10 Insanely Great iPad Apps We Can’t Wait to Use
- WordPress Comes to the iPad
- Mars in HD: First People’s Choice Images Released [PICS]
- Google Acquires Web Video Platform Episodic
- YouTube Partners with Al Gore for Earth Day Video Project
- Seiko’s E-Ink Watch Puts the Future on Your Wrist
- Ben Folds Has a New Chatroulette Medley [VIDEO]
- TweetDeck for iPad Hits the App Store [VIDEO]
- Google Buzz Now Collapses Long Comment Threads
| Posted: 03 Apr 2010 05:33 AM PDT  
We've already covered the device extensively in the months leading up to today (full coverage here) — including many of the iPad apps that have already been released on iTunes and this week's media blitz – but later this morning some of our staff will be getting their own iPads to bring you hands-on analysis. We'll be updating this post throughout the day with links to our latest coverage, as well as photos and video from Apple stores around the country, where some of our staffers are stationed (we got an interview with the first guy in line at one of New York’s Apple store earlier in the week). Meanwhile, here's the email Apple sent to customers this morning, titled simply, "iPad is Here":  Tags: apple, Apple iPad, ipad
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| Posted: 03 Apr 2010 05:16 AM PDT 
Truth be told, Lil Wayne is no stranger to social media – he's the second most popular artist on MySpace, has blogged about sports for ESPN, and recently began tweeting. But last month, the rapper was sentenced to a year in prison on a weapons charge, something one would think might keep him from utilizing his social media channels. However, Wayne has launched WeezyThanxYou.com, posting his first blog update on Friday. In it, he writes, "During my prison stint, I want my fans to know I love you. I want all of you to know that I appreciate all the mail I get, and this is my way of saying thank you.” Wayne also says that his sports commentary will resume, writing, “Real soon, you can catch me blogging for ESPN again thank you espn for not letting my passion for sports perish." He also responds to letters that have been sent to him in prison from fans. There are even “Free Weezy” t-shirts available for $29.99 (perhaps this is why his label is called “Young Money”).  It appears that Wayne's new site isn't a case of celebrities getting special treatment in jail, though. It was put together by Karen Civil, who works in Online Marketing at the rapper's label, and told me in an email last night that, "Wayne writes hand written letters giving updates on his time, and also answering questions from fans. The letter is re written to his blog." Civil says that we won't see a return to tweeting or MySpace updates from jail (which would be a bit more challenging logistically), but that fans of the seemingly ubiquitous artist can expect to hear some new material during his prison stint as he's, "featured on a few projects that will be released during his incarceration." In any event, Lil Wayne's blog from jail serves as yet another example of how social media is changing the relationship between brands and their fan base – even if a pen and paper needs to temporarily take the place of an @reply. For more entertainment coverage, follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookTags: blogging, hip-hop, lil wayne, music, rap
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| Pandora for iPad: An Experience for “Lean-In” Listeners Posted: 02 Apr 2010 09:43 PM PDT 
Pandora for the iPad is an immersive experience for those who think music should be more than just what you hear — that music and information about music should be read, seen and even touched. “The iPad is completely portable — even more so than a laptop,” said Westergren in a call today. “You can imagine taking it all over your house or passing it around a group of friends. And it has a lot more real estate than a smartphone to accommodate the lean-in user. It’s not passive, in the background; you’re engaged with it.” So, what kind of data will the iPad app offer users? “Right now, it’s just bios and reviews, pretty straightforward artist information,” said Westergren. But harnessing the iPad’s multimedia potential to serve up more pics and videos is on this app’s roadmap. “In the long run, we want to do all the things you’d ever want to do while listening to the radio. Getting more info on the artist, sharing content socially. It’s a radio/interconnective tool hybrid… That device is tailor-made for videos.” Don’t expect to listen to Pandora and use other iPad apps simultaneously; the hardware simply isn’t set up for that yet. “We cross our fingers for [multitasking],” said Westergren, “but that’s a decision for Apple to make.” Perhaps the lack of multitasking is Pandora’s best reason for marketing the app as an “immersive experience” rather than as an in-the-background Internet radio station. Pandora will be free to download on the iPad, although users can also choose to subscribe to the service for a fee. But Westergren said nothing in the app is especially designed to drive subscriptions. “Our approach is that we want to make it easy for someone to subscribe, but not to force them to,” he explained.” We’re not trying to channel them to that decision, but making them aware of the benefits and making it simple to choose if they want it.” For more entertainment coverage, follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookTags: apple, ipad, ipad app, pandora
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| Posted: 02 Apr 2010 09:22 PM PDT 
In a late-night announcement Jane Wells, the UX lead at Automattic (the parent company of WordPress.com), laid out some of the many new features that are featured in version 3.0 beta of the popular blogging software. The first thing she points out is a new custom menus system, which she makes clear “is not quite finished.” The big announcement of this release though is the merger of WordPress and WordPress MU (multi-user), a fork of WordPress that allows multiple blogs to be operated from one installation. In WordPress 3.0, these two are fully merged, although you should probably read the instructions before taking this feature out for a test drive. There are other changes to the UI and interface, including the addition of a new default theme (Twenty Ten) and custom post type functionality improvements. If you’re brave, you can download the update and take it for a test drive for yourself. If you do, let us know what you think of the newest build of WordPress in the comments. [via The Next Web] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter, WordPress Tags: beta, blogging, trending, Wordpress, WordPress 3.0
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| The First iPad and iPad 3G Teardowns [PICS] Posted: 02 Apr 2010 08:18 PM PDT 
The Federal Communications Commission has publicly posted a series of images and documents sent to it by Apple — they are documents ranging from calibration tests to photos of the internal components. Apple requested that these pictures not be posted for 180 days, but clearly that request was denied. iFixit used the opportunity to analyze not only the WiFi iPad, but the 3G version as well. They’re still posting the results of their analysis of the teardown, but here are some of the highlights:
If you want the nitty gritty details, we suggest checking out the full teardown, but we’ve included several of the FCC photos to whet your appetite. iPad Teardown Photos     [via CNET] For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Bluetooth, Facebook, Twitter Tags: apple, Apple Tablet, ipad, iPad 3G, teardown
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| Microsoft Office on iPad? Don’t Hold Your Breath Posted: 02 Apr 2010 07:04 PM PDT 
Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft’s business division, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the company will “wait and see” how iPad sales perform before adapting Microsoft Office 2010 for the device. “We never say never, but we have no current plans [to develop a version of Office for the iPad],” Elop claimed. Microsoft Office is a suite of business-related software programs that includes, most popularly, Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The business version goes on sale on May 12, while a consumer edition is anticipated for late June. For the first time, Microsoft will also release web-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. For a monthly fee, users can access Microsoft’s software on the Internet instead of storing the software on their own computers. Pared-down versions of Word and Excel will also be available free of charge as Microsoft tries to play catch-up with free web applications like Google Docs, which performs many of the same functions as Microsoft’s office suite. Microsoft’s decision not to adapt their software for the iPad comes on the heels of Google’s announcement to support the device. Google has optimized Gmail for the iPad and readied the Google Mobile App with voice support for launch day. The iPad will also come with the YouTube and Maps apps pre-installed and has Google set as the default search engine on the device’s web browser, Safari. There is no word yet whether Google plans to optimize its Docs app for the iPad, but given its efforts to optimize for the iPad thus far, we anticipate an optimized version soon. Is this the right move for Microsoft? Let us know in the comments. For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookTags: apple, google apps, google docs, ipad, microsoft, microsoft office 2010
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| Mashable’s Google Wave API Challenge: 3 New Extensions to Try Posted: 02 Apr 2010 05:06 PM PDT 
So far we’ve received some great submissions, and below we highlight 3 more of our favorites (see also Mashable's Google Wave API Challenge: 3 of the Best New Extensions). Remember: you can submit a Wave extension until the deadline on April 9th. Winners receive 2 unlocked Nexus Ones, free passes to the Google I/O conference and get their extensions featured on Mashable (details below!). Wave Transformer by “Codeminders”Sample Wave – Wave Transformer Installer “The robot transforms URLs and text into clickable, listenable and viewable objects.” Full Description from Developer: “The robot could operate in two different modes. It either performs the transformation for whole text when blip is submitted or does it only for selected text when user clicks on the button in editor toolbar. Here you can find list of available transformations: http://www.codeminders.com/wavetransformer/ ” Screenshot: AmazonBot by “WithWaves”AmazonBot Installer URL – AmazonBot Sample Wave “AmazonBot offers Wave participants access to millions of products on Amazon for shopping en masse.” Full Description from Developer: “The AmazonBot can detect product keywords within your Wave conversations and return matching inline product links or a full product(s) browser. Conduct searches from within Wave as participants offer feedback or suggestions. Because Amazon offers different products based on your location / market, AmazonBot supports multiple languages and various Amazon Stores. Search by department, read product descriptions, view reviews or add items to your Amazon cart for checkout. ” Screenshot: Video: AmazonBot by WithWaves from Derek Punsalan on Vimeo. yourBrainStormer by “Spinning Bullet”yourBrainStormer Installer URL – yourBrainStormer Sample Wave “This gadget allows users to brainstorm ideas collaboratively.” Full Description from Developer: “This gadget organizes the data in tree structure format. Complex data can be stored in infinite hierarchical level where each nodes is presented consistently. The Gadget’s UI is intuitive and easy to use. Users will be able to perform multiple actions on each nodes by several simple mouse clicking patterns. Users can choose to print the data using the built in print function. This gadget can also record changes made such as previous editor, etc. Any state changes in the gadget will be accompanied with a simple pleasant animation. Users are able to cast vote in each child nodes and view the result in the tool tips and print page.” Screenshot: Contest DetailsThere will be 3 voting categories: Most Fun, Most Useful and Best Use of the Embed API. We’ll then pick a Judge’s Choice as the overall winner. The winning developer/development team will receive 2 unlocked Nexus Ones, see their extension featured on Mashable AND receive free passes to the Google I/O conference. 4 Step Submission Process Timeline: Rules: Reviews: Google, Google Wave, Mashable, Vimeo, video Tags: contest, Google, Google Wave, google wave api challenge, google wave extensions
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| Kindle for iPad Hits the App Store Posted: 02 Apr 2010 04:52 PM PDT   Amazon's Kindle app for iPad has found its way into the App Store just in time for tomorrow morning's device launch. Like Kindle apps for other platforms, the iPad app [iTunes link] includes Amazon's Whispersync technology, which syncs your last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights across devices. The exciting part, however, is all of the iPad-specific features, including new page turning animations, a library view with pinch, zoom and scrolling support, and adjustable screen brightness. The latter attempts to address the "but how will it work in sunlight?" question that has hounded the iPad's intention to function as an e-reader (and is, at the moment, considered a winning element of Amazon's Kindle device). Amazon adds a bit more color to this feature in a release issued this evening, writing that, “Customers can choose to dim iPad’s screen within the app to make reading easier regardless of the ambient light or time of day. Readers can also choose from three different background colors and alter the font color and size to customize the reading experience and help ease the strain on their eyes.” Of course, what makes Kindle for iPad doubly interesting is that it competes directly with Apple's new iBookstore that launched earlier today. The rivalry has sparked a price war between Amazon, Apple and a number of book publishers. Nevertheless, it looks like Apple is ready to go head-to-head with Amazon in the app store, as its app has been approved with no apparent strings attached. Kindle for iPad will certainly be one of the first apps we check out when we get our hands on some iPads tomorrow morning. Stay tuned! [via thenextweb] For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookTags: amazon, amazon kindle, apple, Apple iPad, iBookstore, ipad
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| Twestival Global 2010 Raises More Than $450,000 for Education Posted: 02 Apr 2010 04:20 PM PDT 
Compared to last year’s total of $250,000, contributions to Twestival Global 2010 grew by more than 80% during its second annual fundraising event. Combined with donations throughout the year, Rose said a whopping $1.2 million has been raised over the past 14 months on behalf of 137 organizations. Judy Chang of PayPal’s nonprofit team told us about $288,000 of this year’s funds came through her organization. The global sponsor of Twestival helped accept a truly worldwide outpouring of support from 45 countries in 12 different currencies. How Technology Impacts Fundraising CampaignsBoth Rose and Chang spoke highly of technology’s role in enabling cause campaigns like Twestival. Rose said technology offers “a way for us to work efficiently, openly and encourage ownership of fundraising activities by allocating widgets which people can share and promote on other social media sites. You cannot fundraise on Twitter alone; you need a strong infrastructure behind the scenes which people trust in order to secure donations.” The new Twestival Results feature, as well as the citywide donation widgets with leaderboards, were both credited with driving increased giving this year. Rose said the real-time nature of the fundraising thermometers and the transparency afforded by the new tools were instrumental to the growth of this year’s efforts. “It’s important to put real-time technology into perspective with real world results for the cause. The most powerful thing we did was add an Impact tab which measured all of our fundraising data against Concern’s average educational project costs,” she explained. Mobile Giving Will Continue to Be an Important ForceChang cites mobile fundraising platforms as one of the most exciting developments for cause campaigns in the foreseeable future. “We’ve seen so much interest from mobile application developers who want to promote social good,” she claimed. “More and more people are coming to us either with an app they’ve already built or saying, ‘We want to build an app for charitable giving.’” Embedding donation engines into mobile apps complements the power and simplicity of SMS donations that were so instrumental to the Haiti earthquake fundraising campaign. Here too the real-time nature afforded by technology and mobility has been making a big impact on social good campaigns like Twestival. Rose said, “the fact that cities could see a leaderboard and fundraising thermometer online or via their iPhone in real-time is extremely motivating for people to give. At physical events many cities set up computers for people to continue to donate and some even found it a simple way to collect immediate payments for auction winnings.” Twestival 2010: A Resounding SuccessBeyond the increased financial success of Twestival this year, the awareness created around global educational needs and the work of organizations to address them was important to Rose as the event’s founder. “The most gratifying thing is to see how transformational the Twestival experience can be for an organization like Concern Worldwide,” Rose said. “Here is an organization that has been doing phenomenal work for over 40 years in some of the poorest parts of the world and through social media and our global reach we are able to inject an enthusiasm.” For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: Amanda Rose, charity, concern worldwide, education, fundraising, Judy Chang, Mobile 2.0, nonprofit, paypal, real-time, social good, twestival
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| FRIDAY POLL: Which iPad Apps are You Most Excited About? Posted: 02 Apr 2010 03:04 PM PDT 
So… Have you heard about this thing called the iPad? I think it’s coming out… tomorrow? Yeah, with Steve Jobs’s shiny baby popping up all over TV, pre-orders rolling in and folks already in line to snag one (even if they are professional line-sitters), you’d have to be living under a boulder not know that Apple Stores are not going to be pretty places tomorrow. Regardless, we’ve been getting wind of all sorts of exciting apps all day long, which leads us to wonder, which are you most excited about snapping up? Before you whip out the plastic, let us know in the comments! Check out some of the Mashable staff answers below. Mashable Answers
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ericsphotography For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Gmail, Google, Google Reader, Hulu, Mashable, Pandora, TweetDeck, Twitter, Twitterrific, WordPress, iStockphoto, ustream
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| Boy Cries Because He’s Not a “Single Lady” [Randomly Viral] Posted: 02 Apr 2010 02:23 PM PDT 
The family even made an appearance on The Early Show, where Carlos, the father, explained his on-camera actions. Losiah, meanwhile, took his 15 minutes as an opportunity to adorably burst into song once more. See kids? Crying always gets you what you want. (Although, in my case, I’m more often crying because I am a single lady…) Check out the original video as well as the news segment below. [via Buzzfeed] For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Tags: music, viral video, youtube
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| Posted: 02 Apr 2010 02:01 PM PDT 
This move sets the iPad up as a Kindle-killer. “Amazon's done a great job of pioneering this functionality with the Kindle,” said Steve Jobs of the digital book market earlier this year. “We're going to stand on their shoulders and go a little further." iBooks is a beautifully designed digital bookshelf that allows users to download and read books from the iBookstore, from popular bestsellers to classics. The store is launching with a complimentary digital version of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, and users will be able to preview a sample of a book before electing to purchase it. iBooks will have built-in search, navigation, bookmarking and highlighting features as well. Only iPad users will be able to use iBooks and take advantage of the iBookstore. While this works well for Apple — a company that needs to position their newest product as a multiuse tool, not just an enlarged iPhone — it might not go over so well with users who want to turn their laptops or desktops into functional e-readers. For now, the wares in the iBookstore will only be available to U.S. users, likely due to copyright restrictions. For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: apple, ibook, ipad, ipad app, Kindle
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| How 5 Brands Are Mastering the Game of Foursquare Posted: 02 Apr 2010 01:36 PM PDT 
We’ve already written about Foursquare’s savvy relationships with major media and entertainment brands and even talked about how it’s changing the world as we know it. In this post, we’ll delve deeper into the big brands and businesses that are experimenting with the platform and finding success with location-sharing. For proof that Foursquare is a viable tool for businesses, take a gander at the City of Chicago and their efforts to make city exploration fun with Foursquare, the Wynn Las Vegas’ unique approach to top notch service, Tasti D-Lite’s efforts to redefine the customer loyalty program, Lucky Magazine’s interest in taking their editorial content to the streets and Starbucks’ desire to better understand their customers. 1. Wynn Las Vegas: Stepping Up ServiceLuxury hotels like the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore cater to guests with refined interests. That’s what makes the company’s interest in Foursquare’s location-sharing application all the more intriguing. Jade Bailey, the Estrategy Development Manager for the Wynn and Encore hotels, says that she started to notice Foursquare checkins at the hotels about six months ago. She has since acted to engage with checked-in guests and seed locations inside the hotels with colorful tips, facts and stories that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, a Foursquare tip will reveal that the red chandeliers in Encore were inspired by the twirling of a women’s skirt and are made from Murano glass. For the Wynn and Encore, the Foursquare strategy has less to do with besting the Vegas competition and more about complimenting and improving the overall service provided by the hotels. To that purpose they’ve recently started a promotion that offers their Foursquare guests an even more luxurious experience. A recently launched special prompts checked-in guests with an opportunity to enjoy a glass of champagne at the Blush Boutique nightclub on the house, for example. Bailey also goes above and beyond to cater to the wishes of guests who express their needs publicly via Foursquare but not directly to the hotel. As an example, Bailey says that a recent hotel guest was checked-in at one of the hotel’s restaurants, so she reached out to the restaurant manager and passed along the photo of the guest. The restaurant manager then made it a point to greet and attend to the guest in question. Bailey’s active involvement with guests via Foursquare has been met with positive response from customers and has been encouraged by senior management. Moving forward, she says the hotel plans to use the business dashboard to “refine our approach to service and learn more about our guests.” 2. City of Chicago: Celebrating Chicago LoreAs the third largest city in the United States, Chicago’s developed a reputation for being the heart of America and owes some of its visibility to patron pop culture icon Oprah Winfrey. The city is also known for its newsworthy weather and airports that notoriously strand passengers. What we know of Chicago and what Chicago really is are two different realities, however, and that’s where the ExploreChicago Foursquare initiative comes into play. The city’s badge-style approach — themed around Chicago’s unique way of life — to encourage visitors and residents to unlock the history and culture of Chicago is truly avant-garde. Foursquare users can tap into hidden treasures in 77 different neighborhoods, explore 552 parks, and dine at more than 7,000 Chicago restaurants. As the Chicago Office of Tourism’s web specialist, Sarah Best speaks to the opportunities that Foursquare creates with palpable enthusiasm. She describes it as a “new way to get people out and about in the city” and finds the spill over onto Twitter and social media, with people “live blogging their efforts to unlock all three badges in one day,” as exciting proof that the city is on the right track. Best is also enthralled by how city partners on the initiative — like the Art Institute of Chicago — are inspired by the potential to bring the city to life and are actively promoting their participation in the game. For example, the Art Institute used their popular Facebook Page to highlight that Gallery 240 is where Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off became captivated by Georges Seurat’s, “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.” Of course those attempting to unlock the “On Location” badge would become privy to that tidbit of Chicago lore while traveling and re-experiencing the city’s magical movie moments. Adventurers in Chi-town this weekend can try their hand at the city’s Foursquare-themed Movie Madness tweetup with a twist. Attendees will be tasked to form teams and complete an On Location checkin race. Winners will literally see their names in lights on the Chicago Marquee. The City of Chicago’s Foursquare endeavor proves that the city has something for everyone. 3. Lucky Magazine: Providing Insider Info InstantlyFashion-conscious women of the world look to the editors of fashion magazines to help inspire their seasonal wardrobe choices. It’s a trust-based relationship that bonds the reader to their publication of choice. Condé Nast property Lucky Magazine recognizes the significance of this relationship and is turning to digital mediums to further extend that bond and make the brand more relevant to their customers’ lives. When it comes to Foursquare the magazine received kudos for their intelligently crafted Fashion Week tie-ins that provided tips and to-dos on where to find WiFi or grab a cup of coffee, but the longer term initiative is much more impressive. The magazine has decided to use Foursquare as a digital means to promote tips from their editor-curated list of more than 600 stores nationwide. Mary Gail Pezzimenti and Leslie Price of Condé Nast are both drawn to Foursquare and find that these location-based offerings create a cyclical connection between magazine, retailer and reader and provides them with a way to measure response. Lucky — independent of working with Foursquare — has spent considerable time and money employing editors around the nation to hunt down the best local deals and designers in order to establish this curated directory of the best boutiques by city. Over the past three weeks the content from this directory has been seeded into Foursquare. This adds instant value and puts bite-sized tips into the pockets of their shopaholic readers who can happen upon them when they’re out and about shopping. As Lucky’s web director, Pezzimenti believes that “Foursquare adds enormous service to our readers,” because, “we want women who are out shopping to think of Lucky, connect with Lucky, engage with Lucky.” Pezzimenti also believes that there’s much more opportunity to be had and notes that women, “look to magazine editors to provide insider tips. This is the perfect form to deliver insider info instantly.” On that front, Price — the magazine’s Online Editor — says you can expect Lucky’s senior editors to develop more of a personal presence on Foursquare (likely via the new celebrity feature) and directly engage one-on-one with readers. The magazine is also exploring ways to highlight tips from their fashion-savvy readers and has plans to promote their Foursquare presence in a print issue later this summer. 4. Tasti D-Lite: Rewarding LoyaltyThe idea of the social media loyalty program was first put into practice by Tasti D-Lite, a popular frozen dessert company offering trendy alternatives to traditional ice cream. The company’s roots are in New York, where they’ve managed to become a part of the city’s diction, but its cross-country and worldwide expansion efforts are heavily reliant on social media spreading the Tasti D-Lite message beyond New York City. Enter TastiRewards, the Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare-heavy rewards program that is integrated with the company’s Point-of-Sale (POS) system. Customers register their TreatCards online, configure their social media accounts, and then earn points — which can be redeemed for freebies — for each purchase and online status update. Since its beta launch just over two months ago, the program has been rolled out to nearly 30 locations, mostly in upper east side New York. Social technology officer BJ Emerson states that, “the rate at which people are going online to register is increasing week over week” and that ultimately it helps corporate “push relationships down to the local level and encourage store owners to engage with customers.” The program represents the first opportunity the company has ever had to unite franchises under one loyalty program and still keep store owners happy with performance-based metrics. Plus, the location-sharing aspect of it is crucial to spreading brand awareness during the company’s expansion initiatives. To further encourage those public status updates, Tasti D-Lite is already experimenting by populating those automatic updates with coupons that a customer’s friends and followers can redeem at store locations. Emerson says that there may be plans to evolve this so, the “POS system would generate a unique coupon code for a user,” and “that link could be tracked for redemptions,” so that the company could, “potentially reward extra points for the referrals.” 5. Starbucks: Capturing Pulse of Stores
With the experimental customer rewards program underway, the coffee retailer is exploring ways to reward regulars for their continued check-ins with special prizes, as well as better understand customer behavior. A Starbucks spokesperson tells us:
For now the badge is enough to encourage Starbucks location-sharing activity and battles over mayorship, which will help Starbucks on their mission to tune into the individual vibe of each venue. [Img credit: Wolfgang Staudt] For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Celebrity News, Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter Tags: explorechicago, foursquare, lucky magazine, starbucks, tasti dlite, wynn las vegas
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| Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters Posted: 02 Apr 2010 01:30 PM PDT 
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Plus, our loyal attendees say our events are ridiculously fun, interactive and the kicker is – we have the best Freebies in the biz! (no keychains here…FREE industry research reports & memberships—stuff to help you really drive sales in 2010!) Register today!  In LG’s Design the Future Competition, design your dream phone and win. Over $80,000 in prizes!  Gist helps you build stronger professional relationships by bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts and their companies, giving you the right information at the right moment to get a first meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection. Gist does all the work for you by assembling a dynamic collection of all your contacts and their companies from your e-mail inbox, your social networks, or even your CRM system, automatically building and updating their profiles as new content is published by them or about them.  phpFox is a feature-packed social networking script. 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Clickatell offers mobile social networks the opportunity to measure their return on investment. Not only does Clickatell offer an Interactive Campaign Manager tool that allows you to monitor and intervene in your customer campaigns in real time, it also generates and manages database integration and comes with additional marketing tools. Track the delivery status of your text messages and the responses; take the guesswork out of campaigning. Your valuable messages will always be delivered as our products allow for message escalation to alternative delivery gateways. Social networks are also, through the account management package, given control over network channels and connectivity options. All necessary tasks have been automated and our central interface allows you to manage multiple connections and projects at the same time. Which leading social networking companies have chosen Clickatell as a mobile messaging partner? Read our success stories here.  Influxis is an official Adobe hosting partner and resource for the Adobe Flash Media Interactive Server. Influxis provides Flash hosting plans for all levels of use – beginner to enterprise. With a reputation for exceptional customer service, Influxis provides an extremely reliable international network of FMS servers in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.  BizSpark is a program which offers new software businesses and entrepreneurs access to Microsoft design, development, and production tools with no upfront costs for up to three years. Members can also connect with a nationwide community of Network Partners – investors, incubators, service providers, and entrepreneurial organizations – who are keen to help. For more information, or to connect with a Microsoft BizSpark advisor, please visit MicrosoftStartupZone.com/BizSpark.  MailChimp is a powerful, easy-to-use e-mail marketing service. You design, me deliver.  If you’re working for a startup, Sun can help you get it off the ground fast. We created the fee-free Sun Startup Essentials program offering deep discounts on industry-leading, power efficient systems and storage products, optimized open-source software, massively scalable Web hosting services, plus free visibility via Sun’s co-marketing engine. It’s time to build your business on the kind of infrastructure that can scale right along with the skyrocketing demands of success. Find out about Sun Startup Essentials today!  MaxCDN – Content Delivery Network. MaxCDN makes it easy and affordable to get maximum global performance from your site and enable your visitors to get the most out of their visit! MaxCDN offers: resistance to the Digg effect, SSL Integration, No Setup Fee, US-based customer service, No Commitments. Get 1 TeraByte for just $10 today!  Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell tickets to their events. Make your event a success on Eventbrite. Additionally, thanks to the following partners for making Mashable happen: Since 2007 W3 EDGE has assisted with creative, web development and search / social media marketing Mashable.com and its numerous projects and other web properties. Day-to-day maintenance and support is also handled by Frederick Townes and his W3 EDGE team. Thanks to ConVerdge for implementing our My Mashable social network.  Mashable would also like to thank AttentionPR for their PR support. AttentionPR proves that PR today is measurable, transparent, and yes, social. Learn more about AttentionPR.  Rackspace is the better way to do hosting. No more worrying about web hosting uptime. No more spending your time, energy and resources trying to stay on top of things like patching, updating, monitoring, backing up data and the like. Learn why.  iStockphoto offers easy, affordable inspiration with millions of safe, royalty-free photos, illustrations, video, audio and Flash® files. Using the most accurate search in the business, customers download a file at least every second from a collection of more than five million files for business, marketing and personal projects. iStockphoto started in 2000, pioneering the micropayment photography business model, and has become one of the most successful and profitable user-generated content sites in the world. iStockphoto pays out approximately $1.2 million weekly in artist royalties. iStockphoto is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Getty Images. Mashable readers save 10%.  Founded in 1998 as a free service, Dynamic Network Services Incorporated (Dyn Inc.) now operates two extremely reliable, “rock solid,” global DNS platforms; DynDNS.com for home/SMB users and the Dynect Platform for corporations and enterprises. As a leading provider of managed DNS services, Dyn Inc. plays a key role in keeping the Internet’s DNS infrastructure running smoothly, handling trillions of queries per day and servicing nearly four million active users. With a range of innovative solutions, from domain name and e-mail services on DynDNS.com, to failover, load balancing, traffic management and CDN balancing services with the Dynect Platform, Dyn Inc. remains committed to world class customer service and engineering excellence. Uptime is the Bottom Line. For more information about Dyn Inc., visit www.dyn.com, e-mail hello@dyn.com or call +1-603-668-4998.  ConcentricSky offers web development and strategic consulting services with a focus on emerging technologies such as Social Media and iPhone Apps. From simple websites to integrated web applications, we deliver innovative solutions that exceed your expectations – not your budget. We can get your name out there.Contact us for more information about supporting Mashable’s growth and development. Alternatively, visit our advertise section for more details about:
CPM-based advertising is available through our partner, Federated Media, but if you contact us directly, you’ll be entitled to exclusive unpublished discounts. Reviews: Digg, Google, Mashable, iStockphoto, social media
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| Facebook Acquires Divvyshot to Improve Facebook Photos Posted: 02 Apr 2010 01:20 PM PDT 
The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but it sounds similar to Facebook’s acquisition of Octazen in February. We do know that this was mostly a talent acquisition and that the site will shut down in six weeks’ time. We spoke with Divvyshot’s founder, who indicated Facebook is interested in Divvyshot technology specifically for event tagging in photos. We suspect that the two team members headed to Facebook will work on tying Facebook photos to events so that all photos uploaded from the same event can be associated together via event tagging. Beginning today, the site will no longer support new user registrations. As for all of Divvyshot’s 40,000 members, they have six weeks to download and migrate their photos elsewhere. Odio also tells us that the team is “working on the specifics of migration of photos to other photo-sharing services” — presumably migration to Facebook will be a priority. On the acquisition and shutdown, Divvyshot writes:
For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: acquisition, divvyshot, facebook, photo sharing
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| Want Crowdsourced Design Without the Spec Work? Try Brandstack Posted: 02 Apr 2010 12:49 PM PDT 
Quick Pitch: Brandstack is a graphic design marketplace for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Genius Idea: Brandstack is a place for freelance designers and entrepreneurs to meet. Designers can sell their complete, custom-designed brand identities — including logos and domain names — to startups in need of a little graphics inspiration, and budding businesses get great work without having to pay agency fees. Now, crowdsourced design markets are nothing new, but most require freelancers to submit original work for clients without any kind of compensation — this is called “spec work,” and it’s a hotly contended subject among designers. Many will tell you that spec work is something no self-respecting pro designer would do, which means that crowdsourced “contest” sites get glutted with junk designs from amateurs. Brandstack manages to get the job done right by not asking designers to do work on spec. In the company’s words, “Better conditions for designers means better logos for buyers, which means more sales for designers, which means happy designers, which means even better logos, which means… See how that works?” How is this feat — crowd-sourcing custom designs without having designers work on spec — accomplished? Brandstack asks designers to submit unused logo designs “so they can make money off good designs that are going to waste anyway… Designers usually work to produce higher volume than they actually get paid for, so they have plenty of these designs just taking up space on their hard drives.” Already, web apps such as Brizzly and Sortfolio have found great brand identity designers with Brandstack. Brandstack’s custom-design platform is based on Upstack, a similar platform that launched last month at SXSW. Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platform for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest – use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (please see website for official rules and guidelines)." For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Brizzly, Facebook, PHP, Twitter
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| Posted: 02 Apr 2010 12:23 PM PDT  Fresh off launching its iPhone app – which quickly vaulted to #1 news app in the App Store –- Digg is out today with its native application for Android. The features are quite similar to those offered on iPhone, with the ability to browse top, recent, and upcoming stories, Digg and bury stories and access the comments of each story. There's also an in-app browser so you can read stories without leaving the Digg application, as well as a landscape mode. For a site that had no native apps as of a couple weeks ago, Digg is certainly making a quick splash in mobile. Digg for Android is free and should be available in the Android Market starting now. Here are a few screenshots:     For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookTags: android, digg, Mobile 2.0
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| Loopt Pulse for iPad Offers Visual Guide to What’s Hot in Your City Posted: 02 Apr 2010 12:10 PM PDT 
If screenshots are any indication, Loopt’s approach to location-based content on the iPad is both stunning and relevant. It looks to be an interactive and visual cross between review sites like Yelp, event sites like Eventful and maps apps à la Google Maps. The app integrates with Facebook so users can login via Facebook Connect and opt for a map or photo experience of popular nearby places and events. App content is seeded from Loopt partners like Zagat, Bing, Zvents and CitySearch, and users are free to explore it all with their fingertips. The app also allows users to RSVP for Facebook events, share recommendations with friends and view friends’ favorites. CEO Sam Altman explains that the application was designed with users’ lifestyle needs in mind. He says, “Our guess is that people will use the iPad sitting on the couch at home, and take it with them to coffeeshops and for use on train rides, but not use it while walking down the street. So we tried to focus on helping you plan what to do in a couple of hours, not a couple of minutes.” On that front, the Photo View looks especially promising and offers foodies and entertainment seekers a unique way of browsing nearby restaurants and events. Altman believes this is the most interesting feature and hopes to expand upon the Photo View in future releases. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Bing, Eventful, Facebook, Google Maps, Twitter, Yelp Tags: Apple iPad, ipad apps, loopt, social media
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| Facebook Scam Targets Whole Foods Shoppers [ALERT] Posted: 02 Apr 2010 11:45 AM PDT 
A deluge of fraudulent Facebook Pages are popping up that promise a limited number of users Whole Foods gift cards. These Pages are accruing thousands of fans and siphoning off sensitive and lucrative data. The groups offering Whole Foods gift cards are in no way affiliated with the supermarket; rather, con artists are using the Pages to uncover important personal and financial information from users via a bogus credit assessment. After giving the requested information, users watch their computers crash as their identities are completely exposed. Some of the Pages ask users to spam all of their friends to become fans as well, allegedly a required step for getting a gift card. The food store chain is trying to shut the scammers down as quickly as possible and is also trying to notify folks via Twitter that the hoax is precisely that. “It’s a scam, unaffiliated and unauthorized by us!” says one tweet. “Please help us report these pages so Facebook can shut them down.” Unfortunately, the scammers behind these Pages are creating more, even as Facebook, Whole Foods and vigilant users attempt to shut them down. To report these pages to Facebook, simply scroll to the bottom of the offending Page and click “Report Page.” To get real content from and about the supermarket, check out the official Whole Foods Facebook Page. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: facebook, scam, whole foods
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| Google Services Optimized for iPad: Gmail, YouTube, Maps and More Posted: 02 Apr 2010 11:20 AM PDT 
For one, it’s releasing an experimental user interface for Gmail based on the HTML5 mobile web app developed for the iPhone and Android. It features a two-pane view with a conversation thread listing on the left and message pane on the right (screenshot below). Several Google services will also ship pre-installed on the iPad as apps: The YouTube app supports HD viewing and commenting, and the Maps app utilizes high-resolution imagery from satellite and Street View, and includes a new terrain view.  Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser, and the Google Mobile App with voice search has been adapted for the iPad as well — this one’s not installed by default, but you can pick it up at the App Store. Notably, Google also chooses its words carefully in order to leave room for “other tablet computers” coming along soon after the iPad itself — many of which will run Android, as we wrote about back in January. It will be interesting to watch whether or not Google will start to play favorites with its apps for iPad versus the coming onslaught of Android (and most likely eventually Chrome OS) tablets. For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Android, App Store, Facebook, Gmail, Google, Google Mobile App, Safari, Twitter Tags: android, gmail, Google, Google Maps, Google mobile, ipad, ipad apps, Search, software, tablets, video, voice search, youtube
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| 15+ Great Ways to Find Web Design and Development Work Posted: 02 Apr 2010 11:01 AM PDT 
Take a look at the 15 services we’ve compiled in the list below. Any one of them could help you find your next project or boss. Have you used any of these services or had success with any of them? Let us know in the comments. 1. Job Boards Job boards are the most traditional way of finding work, and in the past few years, industry-specific job boards have begun to supplant traditional, general classifieds on the web as one of the best ways to find gigs. Many offer freelance options as well as full-time positions.
2. Let Employers Find You Rather than explicitly seeking out and applying for jobs, the services below allow you to post your portfolio and help clients find you.
3. Design Contest Sites The following sites use the concept of contests to match designers and clients. Generally, it works like this: a client posts a brief detailing what they want, designers then post designs based on that brief and iterate based on the client’s feedback. In the end, the client selects a “winner,” who is rewarded with a (usually monetary) prize. There is a good deal of debate in design communities over whether design sites are good for designers or exploitative. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, they appear to be here to stay, and many designers do find value in them (either as a way to make money, a way to gain experience working with real clients, a way to fill in the gaps between jobs, or as a way to potentially meet new clients).
Series supported by Rackspace  Rackspace is the better way to do hosting. No more worrying about web hosting uptime. No more spending your time, energy and resources trying to stay on top of things like patching, updating, monitoring, backing up data and the like. Learn why. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, spxChrome Reviews: Mashable, iStockphoto Tags: 99designs, crowdSPRING, DesignCrowd, designquote, web design, web developer, Web Development, web development series
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| 10 Insanely Great iPad Apps We Can’t Wait to Use Posted: 02 Apr 2010 11:00 AM PDT 
Over the last few weeks, we’ve thought a lot about what apps we most want to try on the iPad upon its release and these ten represent some of our favorites. The selection of applications is varied — from games to web services to whole new product types. However successful the iPad ends up being will hinge in part on the apps available for the device. If these ten are any indication — iPad users have a lot to look forward to! 1. Twitterrific for iPadPrice: Free  Twitterrific for iPad looks extraordinary. The extra space provided by the iPad means that more Twitter details can be shown and that more features can be accessed, yet Iconfactory has chosen not to make things cluttered or unusable. Seriously, check out some of these screenshots. I want to lick the screen. Almost 18 months ago, I implored Craig Hockenberry to let me “be Twitterrific’s bitch again.” If looks are any indication, the iPad release of Twitterrific will accomplish that goal.  2. Magic PianoPrice: $2.99 For the iPad, Wang and the team at Smule worked in overdrive to build a brand new app in only two short months. The results, which were featured on ABC News earlier this week, are truly mind-blowing.  Magic Piano lets you play classic piano pieces on a circular keyboard or by following beams of light. It’s also got plenty of network features if you want to interact with other Magic Pianists from all over the world.  3. Bento for iPadPrice: $4.99 Bento also has a companion iPhone app that lets you manage and sync with your databases and collections from your phone. Created by FileMaker (a subsidiary of Apple), Bento might as well be called iData because it fits in so well with the rest of the iWork/iLife products.  I got to talk to Ryan Rosenberg, VP marketing & services for FileMaker earlier this week and was shown a demonstration of the app. As a big fan of Bento for Mac, I was immediately struck by how much more Bento for iPad resembled the Mac product. That’s a good thing. The app works just fine as a stand-alone application, but it can also sync with Bento 3 for Mac for some really impressive integration. It was interesting to see how the Bento team addressed some of the iPhone OS’s shortcomings (like lack of true multi-tasking), by building in media playback and a web browser into the app itself. 4. Pandora for iPadPrice: Free  Pandora has built its iPad app from ground up to take advantage of the new device’s features. On the company blog, Tom Conrad writes that he hopes that Pandora for iPad “can play the same role that the album cover did when [he] was a kid.” We’re just looking forward to being able to browse around the Pandora library, looking at artists and building playlists all while listening to some great music. 5. OmniGraffle for iPadPrice: $49.99  OmniGraffle for the iPad takes the power of OmniGraffle and puts it on a device that can really benefit from having a good layout and wireframe tool. Imagine how useful it would be to show off mock-ups or charts to a client and then be able to make changes or explain what things are right in front of them – letting them touch those layouts and see how they can be changed.  I can also see this as being a hugely useful app for designers who want to be able to jot down some ideas or make some sketches without hauling around a laptop. You can share the documents you create on the iPad with OmniGraffle desktop users or export or e-mail them as a scalable PDF. The OmniGroup has been at this for a long time and I can’t wait to play with the company’s iPad offerings. 6. MLB At Bat for iPadPrice: $14.99 The app will provide live audio to every regular and postseason game — with your choice of the home or away announcer. You can also watch streaming games on the iPad if you are an MLB.TV subscriber.  Even if you don’t subscribe to the live streams, you can get a real-time Live Game simulation and do things like track speed, get box scores, look at player stats and watch video highlights. MLB.com will be updating the app throughout the 2010 season to add in new features and enhancements. If you’re a baseball fan — this might just be one of the coolest ways to sit in on the action — short of being at the ball park in person! 7. Netflix for iPadPrice: Free  Still, we’re pleasantly surprised that the iPad app will be available at launch, meaning that we can catch-up on our favorite Netflix Watch Instantly programs on our new devices. In addition to offering queue management right in the app (which is great – do you know how many Netflix queue apps I have on my iPhone? The actual number is just downright scary), you can also resume watching where you left off on your TV or computer.  How cool is that? Start a movie at home, resume it on the train (assuming you have a WiFi or 3G connection) to work. Or, as will probably be the case in my house, start watching something in the living room or den and then resume watching it in bed, without taking over the bedroom TV or disturbing your partner. 8. Scrabble for iPadPrice: $9.99  However, it’s still very much a one-person game. Sure, you can connect to another device or you can take turns and pass to another player, but it’s not the same as the full board game experience. Scrabble for iPad is the board game of the future. Not only is the game board now larger (so you can see the whole thing at once instead of having to zoom in and out), but EA has added something to the mix that is just too cool: Scrabble Tile Rack. The Scrabble Tile Rack is a free app for the iPhone or iPod touch that basically lets you keep track of your tiles, rearrange them, study them, etc., while playing Scrabble on the iPad. This completely changes my whole outlook on party games. If everyone can use their iPhone as their tile deck — or to extend the metaphor, use it to keep track of assets in Monopoly or to view questions in Trivial Pursuit — the digeratti might actually get into table games again! 9. Redux for iPadPrice: Free  I also really enjoy Redux for Boxee, which lets you access Redux’s TV using a shuffle sort of thing on the big screen. Redux for iPad brings that same experience to the tablet — offering ways to watch video from different channels, view websites and photos and share new finds with people on Redux and on Twitter and Facebook.  Redux is the sort of service that was really made for the tablet; it’s addictive and immersive, which makes sense for a hands-on device. The fact that you can either lay back and watch content or interact with it and see what’s being shared in real-time is really enticing. 10. Box.net for iPadPrice: Free In the ensuing 18-months, that app has evolved and Box.net has opened up its API to allow developers to plug into its infrastructure with their own apps.  The company has also made inroads with its integrated file viewer and recent integration with Google Apps. The iPad app is the next step in creating a mobile office. Like other iPad apps, Box.net for iPad is far more similar to its desktop web browser counterpart than it is to Box.net for the iPhone. That means you get a more robust work experience, the ability to view files while also seeing a real-time stream of updates from team members, and the ability to make comments on files that others share with you.  In the coming weeks, the featureset is going to expand even further and the Box team has big plans for really tapping into the iPad’s potential as a business device. A new feature of iPhone OS 3.2 is that applications can be opened within other apps. So you’ll have the ability to open that Word document in Pages for the iPad or in QuickOffice to make changes that can then be synced back with Box. Apps You Can’t Wait to UseWhat are some of your can’t-wait iPad apps? Let us know in the comments! Because at least three of us on the staff will have iPads on day one, we’ll do our best to test out and review iPad apps as they come in! For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Adobe Illustrator, Blu, Box.net, Boxee, Facebook, Mashable, Netflix Watch Instantly, OmniGraffle, Pandora, Twitter, Twitterrific Tags: apple, bento, box.net, ipad, ipad apps, magic piano, MLB, omnigraffle, pandora, redux, scrabble, trending, twitterrific
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| Posted: 02 Apr 2010 10:43 AM PDT 
WordPress for iPhone OS 2.4 is the first version of the Wordpress app that’s iPad compatible. Built in conjunction with Small Society, WordPress 2.4 brings the WordPress iPhone experience to Apple’s newest device.  With the new app, you can now take advantage of the larger on-screen keyboard (or use an external keyboard or the new keyboard dock) to type out posts — which will make major blog posts much easier to create.  You can also monitor, approve, delete and respond to comments.  WordPress for iPhone OS 2.4 also lets you geotag your photos with your iPhone or iPad 3G. As we use WordPress to power Mashable, this is one app I’ll definitely be installing tomorrow. What do you think of WordPress for the iPad? For more Apple coverage, follow Mashable Apple on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Mashable, Twitter, WordPress, iPhone Tags: apple, ipad, ipad apps, Wordpress
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| Mars in HD: First People’s Choice Images Released [PICS] Posted: 02 Apr 2010 10:30 AM PDT 
The first eight images below from the HiWish program have been released by the space agency, giving us incredible close-up views of planetary features on Mars’s surface. Alfred McEwen, HiRise’s chief investigator, said the initiative brought “fresh thinking outside the box” and is resulting in scientifically relevant imagery that simply would not have been chosen otherwise. Thanks to technology combined with creativity, the images you see below are truly a unique crowd-sourced view of the fourth planet from the sun. 1. Samara Valles This shot of dunes lining the valley floor is from Samara Valles, one of the longest ancient valley systems on the planet. 2. Palos Crater This image depicts deposits on the floor of Mars’s Palos Crater. 3. Mars North Pole A shot of ice sheets at the Martian north pole. 4. Deuteronilus Mensae This image shows mesas and lobate debris thought to be rich in ice in the Deuteronilus Mensae region. 5. Zephyria Tholus Outside the rim of an impact crater near a Martian hill dubbed Zephyria Tholus (who gets the job of coming up with these awesome names?). 6. Aureum Chaos Surface textures of mesas and knobs in a Mars region named Aureum Chaos. 7. Edge of Olympus Mons This is from the northern edge of the largest volcano in the solar system, Mars’s Olympus Mons. 8. Northern Utopia Planitia This image depicts a boulder-strewn northern plain pockmarked by impact craters. [img credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona] [via Kurzweil AI and CNet] For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: crowdsourcing, HiWish, Mars, NASA, space
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| Google Acquires Web Video Platform Episodic Posted: 02 Apr 2010 10:13 AM PDT 
Now, Google gets a platform — which we first reviewed back in 2008 — that handles all aspects of video distribution — from the uploading, to the hosting, to the monetization and analytics. In a blog post, Episodic says that customers will experience “no interruption in service,” though we imagine we’ll eventually see Google’s advertising platforms integrated. Here’s Episodic’s full statement on the deal:
Add the deal to Google’s long list of recent acquisitions, which include image-editing tool Picnik, social search engine Aardvark and mobile e-mail utility reMail. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt has hinted several times that his company will continue to be an aggressive acquirer, and with a huge war chest, we expect the deal-making to continue. For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Aardvark, Facebook, Google, Twitter, picnik
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| YouTube Partners with Al Gore for Earth Day Video Project Posted: 02 Apr 2010 09:57 AM PDT 
As part of the video site’s Video Volunteer series, which helps match users with local volunteering opportunities and allows folks to create videos in support of their favorite causes, YouTube is teaming up with the former vice president and his organization, the Alliance for Climate Protection, to create awareness for Earth Day. Gore is asking users to create and upload brief and inspiring videos that tell the world why they’re passionate about climate change and their favorite related organizations. There’s also an added incentive for would-be YouTube heroes to get a lot of visibility for their organizations and themselves. “This Earth Day, we need more than just another celebration – we need a revolution,” Gore says in the video. “On Earth Day, the top three videos that meet the guidelines will appear alongside our Repower America video on the YouTube homepage.” The 40th annual Earth Day celebration will take place on April 22. and YouTube’s deadline for submitting a Video Volunteer clip is April 19. For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Tags: al gore, social good, video, youtube
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| Seiko’s E-Ink Watch Puts the Future on Your Wrist Posted: 02 Apr 2010 09:20 AM PDT 
The technology that kicks this e-ink watch into overdrive is its active matrix display — the same type of screen technology behind your typical LCD panel. Using active matrix, all of the legibility and low-power consumption benefits of e-ink are combined with a much richer range of imagery and data display. Compared to earlier e-ink watches — whose displays could only render a few hundred individual segments in black or white only — the “Future Now” watch renders 80,000 pixels in four shades of gray, providing 300 dpi resolution for intensely sharp and clear images even within the restricted dimensions of a wristwatch screen. For those of you who still wear watches, would you want one of these on your wrist? Check out a video of the “Future Now” in action below and let us know what you think. [via Engadget] For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Twitter Tags: active matrix, displays, e-ink, future now, gadgets, LCD, Seiko, tech, watch, wearables
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| Ben Folds Has a New Chatroulette Medley [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Apr 2010 09:14 AM PDT 
Amid speculation that he was, in fact, the famous Ben Folds, Merton became even more famous when Folds himself put out the first “Ode to Merton” — an appropriation of the viral star’s schtick — in front of a live audience. At this point, both Folds and the mysterious Merton have two videos on the interwebs, putting them in direct competition for the crown of Chatroulette King. Still, this is apparently Folds’s last video (tear), so enjoy it while you can. Reviews: YouTube Tags: ben folds, chatroulette, merton, viral video, youtube
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| TweetDeck for iPad Hits the App Store [VIDEO] Posted: 02 Apr 2010 08:50 AM PDT 
While you can’t use it until tomorrow morning, TweetDeck for iPad [iTunes Link] is available now in the App Store and promises a super-sized Twitter experience that stays true to the application’s standby format. The application is free and includes two custom-built iPad interfaces — for distinct portrait and landscape experiences — that maximize column appearance and app functionality. Most of the same features from the desktop and iPhone version have made their way into the iPad app. The application supports multiple Twitter accounts, synchronization with the desktop or iPhone app, search, Twitter Lists, trending topics, photo upload, user profiles, tweet geo-tagging and the ability to rearrange columns with your fingers as you see fit. At launch, TweetDeck for iPad won’t have Facebook integration or notifications, but those features are promised for the next iteration. The app will have one advantage over its desktop counterpart — a map view of tweets. Users can select “View on Map” for any column and that will prompt the app to display a full screen map with geocoded tweets. The video below offers a great view of the application in action. From the look of it, TweetDeck for iPad offers an ideal experience for the Twitter superuser. Are you planning to grab the app tomorrow morning? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Reviews: App Store, Facebook, TweetDeck, Twitter Tags: Apple iPad, ipad, ipad apps, tweetdeck
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| Google Buzz Now Collapses Long Comment Threads Posted: 02 Apr 2010 08:33 AM PDT 
Google outlines the changes in a blog post, but the net effect is this: For threads that have more than three new comments since you last checked Buzz, only a handful will be displayed with a link that lets you expand to see more. The problem with not having this feature previously is that accounts with lots of followers and comments appeared to dominate Buzz by drowning out other conversation (admittedly, Mashable's account suffered from this issue). Now, you'll be able to see more of what's going on in Buzz without excessive scrolling. This is certainly a welcome addition to Buzz, although the service is now facing an uphill battle when it comes to winning user support. Recent stats show that interest in Buzz has fallen off significantly since its launch, though we've heard that Google will renew its marketing push for the service once more of the kinks -– like the comment threading issue –- are worked out.  For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on FacebookReviews: Facebook, Google, Twitter Tags: google buzz
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