Mashable: Latest 23 News Updates - including “Nokia N8 Release Date: End of September in the Online Shop, October 1 in UK Stores” |  |
- Nokia N8 Release Date: End of September in the Online Shop, October 1 in UK Stores
- Track Your Website Visitors and Their Behaviors in Real-time
- Samsung Fascinate at Verizon: Buy One, Get One Free
- Web Faceoff: Ping vs. MySpace
- Google’s Color-Changing Logo and What the Company Is About to Announce
- In-Flight Wi-Fi War: Row 44 Raises $37 Million to Challenge GoGo
- Google Courts Yahoo Users With One-Click Account Creation
- Mozilla Launches Initiative to Promote Browser Games
- 3% of Twitter’s Servers Dedicated to Justin Bieber
- Firefox 4 Beta Gets Interactive Audio With HTML5
- HOW TO: Set Up Missed Call Notifications in Google Voice
- Wireless SD Card Maker Eye-Fi Announces Developer Program
- 9 Free Mobile Apps for Exploring New York City
- See What’s Hot Nearby on Facebook Places, Twitter and Yelp
- The Next 5 Years in Social Media
- HP Has a Big Problem with Former CEO Mark Hurd Joining Oracle
- Abducted Journalist Tweets from Captor’s Cellphone
- Google TV Set for Fall Launch
- 10 Free WordPress Themes for Small Businesses
- Announcing the 4th Annual Mashable Awards [Help Shape the Categories]
- Samsung Fascinate Coming to Verizon Stores on September 9
- The Future of Ad Agencies and Social Media
- Social Good Summit: Tackling Global Challenges with Social Media
- Morning Brief: Google Music for Xmas, Mark Hurd to Oracle, Samsung Fascinate Available Tomorrow
| Nokia N8 Release Date: End of September in the Online Shop, October 1 in UK Stores Posted: 08 Sep 2010 04:16 AM PDT      Nokia has announced an official launch date and pricing for its Symbian^3 smartphone, the Nokia N8. The device will be available at the Nokia Online Shop “during the last week of September,” and it will appear in UK’s physical stores on October 1. Nokia N8 touts a 3.5-inch, 640×360 pixel capacitive touchscreen, 16 GB of on-board storage memory, as well as a 12-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash and Full HD capability. The 680 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 256 MB of SDRAM memory are lagging (on paper, at least) behind the current top smartphones on the market, but the biggest selling point for Nokia N8 is the camera. Nokia recently hired actors Pamela Anderson and Ed Westwick to film, together with two lucky fans, a promotional short movie for the device. The price for the device will be £429 ($662) SIM free, or with a contract starting from £35 ($54) per month. You can expect to see it at the Carphone Warehouse, O2, Orange, Phones4u, T-Mobile, Tesco Phone Shops, Three Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone. Pre-orders are available now at www.nokia.co.uk/N8. More About: Mobile 2.0, Nokia, Nokia N8, smartphone For more Mobile coverage:
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| Track Your Website Visitors and Their Behaviors in Real-time Posted: 08 Sep 2010 02:52 AM PDT   This post is part of Mashable's Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Quick Pitch: A real-time analytics, heatmap and alert system that overlays all the data on the user’s website – so they never have to log in to another site. Genius Idea: SeeVolution makes it easy to visualize how visitors are using and interacting with your website. SeeVolution also offers real-time traffic and analytics information that you can view as an overlay on your live website. SeeVolution also has a tracking code for conversion or landing pages, so if there is a page you want to track specifically, you can use that code to get conversion statistics. After you insert the JavaScript, a small “_” hyperlink will appear on the bottom left of your home page. Clicking on that link opens up a login window that offers you an overlay that provides real-time statistics of web visitors and a heatmap that shows you clicks and page scrolls.  The real-time traffic seems pretty accurate, though it doesn’t distinguish between multiple visits from the same IP or give you any information about type of browser or operating system in use. In other words, you can get real-time traffic information, but this isn’t going to replace Google Analytics or Mint. Still, it’s nice to get a real-time view of who is visiting your site. When it comes to heatmaps, you can see a real-time overlay of where users are click or scrolling. This data can be displayed over the course of a day or over 7 days. Again, this information isn’t going to be as robust as what you would get from apps like Trailhead, but it’s still nice to get a real-time overview. We like the interface of SeeVolution and appreciate that it is easy to set up. We also think that combining real-time analytics with heatmap and behavioral tracking tools is a great idea. We’d like to see SeeVolution enhance its analytics offerings to be more robust because with the proper features, we could see this as a really compelling product. SeeVolution is free and you can sign-up for an account on its site. What tools do you use for analytics and/or behavioral tracking? Let us know. Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
Reviews: Google Analytics, Mint More About: Heatmaps, real-time analytics, seevolution, trailhead, Web analytics For more Dev & Design coverage:
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| Samsung Fascinate at Verizon: Buy One, Get One Free Posted: 08 Sep 2010 01:37 AM PDT   We knew that the Samsung Fascinate is coming to Verizon’s online store today (and physical stores tomorrow), but we didn’t know that Verizon has a special offer for buyers: buy one, get one free. Of course, this means that if you buy one Samsung Fascinate for $199, together with a new two-year customer agreement with Verizon, you get another for free. It also comes with a two-year customer agreement, with a $29.99 data plan or higher required. In other words, you need to find a friend who is also willing to sign a 2-year contract, which will give both of you a $100 discount. If you decide to take up on this offer, keep in mind that the cost of the phone with the two-year contract is actually $299, and the $100 mail in rebate brings it down to $199. So, if you buy two, we assume you initially need to dish out $399, and then you’ll receive two separate rebates that make the second phone “free”. Disclosure: Samsung is a Mashable sponsor. [via Engadget] Reviews: Mashable More About: galaxy s, Mobile 2.0, samsung, samsung fascinate, smartphone, verizon For more Mobile coverage:
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| Posted: 07 Sep 2010 10:58 PM PDT   Apple has jumped into the social media game with Ping, its social network for music. Does it spell trouble for MySpace’s established grip in the music space? Last week, Apple launched Ping as the core new feature of iTunes 10. While simple, the music-centric social network features the ability to follow friends and top artists, as well as custom song and album charts and a plethora of music information. Despite several bumps in the road, Apple now claims over 1 million users of its newly minted social network. As I wrote last week, I believe that Ping spells trouble for MySpace. MySpace Music has been one of the social network’s few bright spots; millions of users come to interact with their favorite artists, while countless artists come to MySpace because it has users that love music. However, Ping presents a direct alternative for both users and artists, and its integration with iTunes means that 160 million people have quick access to it on their desktops. We want you, the readers, to weigh in on the Ping vs. MySpace debate. For this week’s Web Faceoff, it’s Apple vs. News Corporation. Which social network do you prefer for music? You have until Friday, September 10 at 12:00 to vote in this week’s poll. We encourage you to also explain your choice in the comments. Reviews: MySpace, Ping More About: myspace, myspace music, Ping, web faceoff For more Battles coverage:
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| Google’s Color-Changing Logo and What the Company Is About to Announce Posted: 07 Sep 2010 09:42 PM PDT   The Google homepage is sporting a new logo that changes color as you type, and it’s likely a big hint as to what the company will announce at its “can’t miss” search event on Wednesday. When you arrive on the search giant homepage today, you’ll be greeted with a gray Google doodle. When you start typing a search query though, the color magically returns to Google’s iconic logo. This follows yesterday’s logo, a collection of animated particles that react to the movement of the cursor. As many in the media have noted, this week’s series of logos isn’t just Googlers having fun; it’s also a big hint for what the company will be unveiling at a press event occurring Wednesday morning in San Francisco. If today’s logo is any indication, Google is about to unveil a real-time search overhaul. This is not about adding Twitter or Facebook results to Google search though; this is about search results that change as you type. Google has been testing this feature recently. Also likely to be announced tomorrow: AJAX-powered search results. We’ll be live at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to cover Google’s big search event. Until then though, feel free to speculate about what today’s logo means and what the company will announce in the comments. Reviews: Facebook, Google, Twitter More About: Google, google doodle For more Social Media coverage:
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| In-Flight Wi-Fi War: Row 44 Raises $37 Million to Challenge GoGo Posted: 07 Sep 2010 07:41 PM PDT   The battle to power the Internet connection on your next flight is kicking into high gear with a $37 million round of funding for Row 44, the company that powers in-flight Wi-Fi for Southwest Airlines. Today’s funding comes eight months after rival Aircell, the company responsible for GoGo Inflight Internet, closed a massive $176 million round of funding. Row 44 intends to use its newly replenished bank account to lease more satellite transponders, according to the L.A. Times. Row 44 leases telecommunication satellites from Hughes Network Systems to power its in-flight Wi-Fi connection, while most of its competitors rely on ground-based antennas. The company says this gives it a unqiue advantage because it can provide Wi-Fi access globally, even over oceans. The popularity of in-flight Wi-Fi has never been higher; it’s projected to be a $100 million business this year. Aircell is the current leader of the space due to deals with American Airlines, Virgin America, Delta Airlines and others. More About: aircell, GoGo, gogo inflight internet, in-flight wi-fi, Row 44, Southwest Airlines, wi-fi, wifi For more Business coverage:
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| Google Courts Yahoo Users With One-Click Account Creation Posted: 07 Sep 2010 06:18 PM PDT   Google is taking aim at Yahoo users with a new OpenID feature that makes signing up for a Google account a simple one-click process for anyone with a Yahoo account. This one-click feature gives Google access to the user’s Yahoo email address and authenticates the user’s identity, allowing him access to the wonderful world of Google’s web-based applications and services, including Reader, Docs, AdWords and more. While signing up for a Google account wasn’t the most brain-taxing process before, the new OpenID flow significantly reduces the number of speed bumps and practically makes Google account creation idiot-proof. And as even the simplest armchair UI/UX enthusiast will tell you, A simpler signup process equals more users. Google vs. Yahoo? Not QuiteThe more interesting question is, does this mean Google is declaring war on Yahoo? Yes and no; the answer is as intricate as web traffic and the history of the consumer-focused Internet. Yahoo still captures a large share of Internet users who turn to the dotcom era giant for utilities such as e-mail, search and news. Making it simpler for that mass of users to transition to Google for similar services might be seen by some as a threatening move. Of course, Google will siphon off as many Yahoo users as it can for those services; that’s how the market works. However, this doesn’t mean Google can or will slaughter Yahoo as a company by any means. For example, Yahoo is still dominating in areas such as dating (Yahoo Personals are going strong) and image hosting (Flickr outperforms Google’s Picassa by a wide margin). In short, while many Yahoo users will be glad to have Google accounts and services, this is hardly the end of the line for Yahoo, nor is it the declaration of a deathmatch of some kind. Google’s most recent move seems to be half good user experience, half playing nicely with others. What do you think of Google’s OpenID-fueled synergy with Yahoo? Reviews: Flickr, Google, Internet More About: Google, google account, open id, openID, Yahoo For more Tech coverage:
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| Mozilla Launches Initiative to Promote Browser Games Posted: 07 Sep 2010 05:32 PM PDT   Mozilla, makers of the Firefox web browser, is looking to promote browser gaming in a big way by convincing developers to harness the power of HTML5 and other open web technologies. Earlier today, Mozilla Labs launched a new division: Mozilla Labs Gaming. It’s an initiative “committed to providing the game developer community with the platform and tools they need to make innovative games on the Open Web,” according to the Mozilla Labs Gaming homepage. The project is focused on encouraging developers to harness open web technologies such as open video and audio standards, geolocation, multitouch, and faster javascript engines. To get things rolling, Mozilla is launching Game On 2010, an international gaming competition for developers. The competition begins at the end of September and challenges developers to build browser-based games on open web technologies. Mozilla’s browser gaming initiative reminds us of another company: Google. In May, the tech giant announced the Chrome Web Store, an application marketplace for HTML5 apps. A key point of the pitch was using HTML5 and web technologies to create rich browser-based games. Google is also reportedly working on Google Games with Zynga, the creator of FarmVille, Mafia Wars and a slew of other popular social games. What do you think of Mozilla’s new initiative to promote browser games? Do you think the demand exists for browser games? Are you excited by the potential for browser games built on open web technology? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Reviews: Google More About: chrome web store, Firefox, mozilla, Mozilla Games, Mozilla Labs For more Tech coverage:
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| 3% of Twitter’s Servers Dedicated to Justin Bieber Posted: 07 Sep 2010 04:52 PM PDT   Would you believe that Justin Bieber and his legion of fans use up 3% of Twitter’s server at any given time — such a large amount of activity that “racks of servers” are dedicated to Bieber mania? So said a Twitter employee, according to web designer and blogger Dustin Curtis. Yesterday he sent out the following tweet:
When we asked Curtis who the Twitter employee is, he said his source is someone “who would know such things. I obviously can’t give you his name. But I trust that the information is absolutely correct.” So maybe you’d better believe it. Bieber consistently appears on the top Twitter trends chart we publish each weekend, and he topped a “Twitter’s most listed” chart too. We shot an e-mail Twitter’s way to confirm, and while the Twitter rep we contacted didn’t confirm the figure, she didn’t discourage us from believing it, either. “While we don’t break out metrics like this, everything around and about Justin Bieber is consistently popular on Twitter,” she said. Curtis also tweeted that “most of the popular users on Twitter have dedicated servers for their accounts.” He believed the Twitter employee and tweeted what he said in part because he thinks the numbers make perfect sense:
He’s certainly no Justin Bieber, but Curtis isn’t totally unknown on Twitter himself. He appeared in our “10 Web Design Bloggers You Should Follow” list a couple of months ago. Reviews: Twitter, justin bieber More About: dustin curtis, infrastructure, justin bieber, music, rumor, servers, tweet, twitter For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Firefox 4 Beta Gets Interactive Audio With HTML5 Posted: 07 Sep 2010 04:09 PM PDT   The folks at Mozilla are rolling out a few new goodies in the newest release of the Firefox 4 Beta, chief of which is a new audio API that will help your browser “visualize sound.” This is accomplished through HTML5 <audio> and <video> tags and Firefox 4 beta’s audio data API. “With this new API,” reads a post on the Mozilla blog, “developers can read and write raw audio data within the browser, presenting audio information in completely new ways that could allow, for example, for people to visually experience a speech or a song through Firefox.” This means that you can experience audio in Firefox in a variety of new ways — as a rapidly scrolling string of raw-data numbers, as an audio wave visualization, as a filtered stream of sound, as a sound spectrum on an EQ interface, as an abstract 3D animation and much more. And if you’re a Windows user, you can expect better, faster graphics performance as well. The broswer “takes advantage of the built-in graphics hardware in Windows computers with DirectX 10 to improve graphics performance,” according to Mozilla. “On supported hardware, Firefox will use Direct2D by default to speed up the display of content on graphically intensive websites.” The new version of the Firefox 4 Beta is available for download today, free of charge. David Humphrey is one of the primary developers responsible for Firefox 4 Beta’s new audio features. Here’s a quick demo he made to show how the new audio features and capabilities work: What do you think of Firefox 4 Beta’s new capabilities? In your opinion, how is the browser stacking up against Safari and Chrome, its major competitors in the HTML5 sphere? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Reviews: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Windows, blog More About: audio, audio tag, browser, Firefox, HTML5 For more Tech coverage:
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| HOW TO: Set Up Missed Call Notifications in Google Voice Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:25 PM PDT   Over the weekend, Google announced a new feature for Google Voice: The ability to receive notifications of missed calls in e-mail form. It’s a welcome feature, but as is often the case with new Google application additions, it’s hidden away in the settings menu, and the blog post about it didn’t clearly explain exactly how it works. It’s easy to turn on the notifications for calls going to your Google Voice number, but it’s a little more complicated to get the feature working with your “real” mobile number. Here we’ll explain how to set up both. Enabling Missed Call E-mailsTo enable the missed call e-mails for your Google Voice number, log in to Google Voice and locate the “Settings” link in the top right corner of the screen, immediately to the right of your e-mail address and phone number. Click there and two options will pop up: “Voice settings” and “Google Account settings.” Click on “Voice settings” to proceed.  Once you’re on the Settings page, click on the “Calls” tab. You’ll see the “Missed Calls” section at the very bottom with two options. You can check “Place missed calls in the inbox” to get notifications at the Voice application website only or check “Send missed calls to my e-mail” to have the notifications e-mailed to your attached Google account e-mail address instead. You can also check both boxes if you want to get notifications in both places.  Check the options you want, then click the “Save changes” button at the bottom. Now whenever you miss a call to your Google Voice phone number, you’ll receive a notification that simply says: “Missed call from: (xxx) xxx-xxxx at 1:50 p.m.” Getting Notifications for Missed Calls to Your Real NumberTo receive notifications of calls placed to your real number, not just your Google Voice number, you’ll have to enable Google voicemail for your phone. To do this, navigate to the “Phones” tab in Settings and find the link to “Activate Google voicemail on this phone.”  A little window will pop up that includes an activation code. Verify that your carrier has been accurately identified at the top, then pick up your phone to dial the activation code exactly as it appears in the window. Hit “Call” or Send” as Google suggests.  On many smartphones, you’ll receive immediate confirmation that multiple forwarding features have been enabled. If you didn’t receive a confirmation, you might want to have someone dial your real number to test it. If it worked, the rules you set for e-mail or inbox notifications of missed calls will apply to your actual number, not just your Google Voice number. To disable this link, just repeat the process by clicking on the new option that says “Deactivate Google voicemail on this phone.” Image courtesy of iStockphoto, UltraONEs Reviews: Google, Google Voice, iStockphoto More About: Google, Google Voice, Guide, how to, missed calls, Mobile 2.0, notifications, phone For more Mobile coverage:
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| Wireless SD Card Maker Eye-Fi Announces Developer Program Posted: 07 Sep 2010 02:40 PM PDT   Eye-Fi, maker of the popular wireless SD card for digital cameras, has just announced a new developer program for its line of memory cards. The Eye-Fi developer program will provide access to various Eye-Fi APIs that can be used for sharing and accessing photos and videos. This opens up lots of potential for application developers who work on sites with a focus on photography or video. This video shows off Eye-Fi in action: Although hundreds of cameras boast Eye-Fi compatibility, there is also a growing number of connected cameras. These cameras, like many of the new Canon Powershot models, have special features that help the Eye-Fi function even better. For instance, some of the new Canon models have a feature that keeps the camera powered on until an upload is complete. Other new models also feature the ability to see what photos and videos have already been uploaded. These are the sorts of features that can be useful for developers who want to make the most of the Eye-Fi API. You can get more details on the Eye-Fi developer program and sign up for API access at the developer page at the Eye-Fi website. Have you ever used Eye-Fi or any other wireless media card system? Let us know. More About: APIs, eye-fi, photography, wireless photos For more Tech coverage:
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| 9 Free Mobile Apps for Exploring New York City Posted: 07 Sep 2010 02:27 PM PDT   Want to get the most out of New York City? It isn’t always easy. There’s so much happening all at once that deciding what to do can feel like a full-time project, and it’s often easy to walk right past something amazing. Fortunately, the big apple comes with apps. Whether you’re looking for a happening happy hour, The New York Times critic’s favorite restaurant, or just the nearest subway stop, there are plenty of free apps to help you track it down. Most of them also have location-based features that can help you explore whatever nook of the city where you happen to be. Below, find nine of our favorite mobile apps for exploring New York City 1. NYC Way It's hard to pack all of New York City into one app, but this one comes incredibly close to pulling it off. Delivering more than 60 apps for street vendors, nightlife, tourist attractions, subway stations, the garbage collection schedule, and everything in between, it's hard to believe that this is also free. 2. Coovents Looking for a beer near you? Coovents is a location-based application that shows you the happy hours going on right now. Even better, it gives you a map so that you can get there. If you're more of a planner, you can also search drink specials by day or location. When you find one you like, you can connect to Twitter to alert your friends and add it to a list of favorites. 3. MoMA For most people, modern art is something that goes down a little easier with some explanation. Instead of standing in front of a painting thinking, “I just don’t get it,” the MoMA app helps by pulling up an audio tutorial talking about the painting or special exhibit. You’ll like it so much that you’ll want to come back for all new exhibits and special events (which are also conveniently updated regularly in the app). 4. Wayfinder NYCNavigating New York City can even be frustrating for locals and it’s completely daunting for the unacquainted. This augmented reality Android app helps you find the subway, bus, or train stations nearest you. Hold up your phone as if you're taking a photo, and you'll see icons for the stations that are located in that direction. Click a station to get walking directions. 5. NYTimes The Scoop NYC This collection of four regularly updated lists from The New York Times is a great start to planning your week. An events section lists the week's performances, events and other happenings. Ongoing events and excursion ideas can be found in an "Only in N.Y." section. They’ve got you covered for dining, too. Yelp can be great for crowdsourcing recommendations, but sometimes you need the class of Sam Sifton, the Times’ restaurant critic. He shares his current 50 favorite restaurants in New York on "The Sifty Fifty." Similarly, the dining editor shares his current favorite bars on "The Top Shelf." 6. Bookzee Eight-million people sharing 20 library copies of Harry Potter? Clearly tracking one of them down isn't going to be effortless. Bookzee helps by allowing you to search all of NYC's libraries for an available copy. It plots the results on a map that can be clicked to reveal each library's address, phone number, and hours. 7. American Museum of Natural History Explorer If you’re nerdy enough to want a museum tour but still unwilling to pay for one, this is the app for you. The free iPhone app comes loaded with exhibit tours and has the option to create a custom tour. It gives turn-by-turn directions to the most significant exhibits and provides additional information about them. 8. UpNext 3D CitiesIt’s a map that feels like a video game. Zoom into the bird’s eye view of NYC to explore a specific area. Click on individual buildings to find out what’s there. If you see something interesting, you can access its directory entry as well as relevant comments and tips left by other users. 9. iParks NYiParks is a guide to New York City’s parks and park events. Sort by location, rating, distance from your phone, or filters like "must-see parks," "parks with playgrounds" or "parks that don't have playgrounds." Every park has a grade assigned by an editor as well as a summary of its facilities and photos. Park events are also fully searchable. The Midtown version is free, but the guide to the whole city costs $2.99. More Mobile Resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, gmutlu Reviews: Android, Twitter, Yelp, harry potter, iStockphoto More About: 3D City, american museum of natural history, apps, Bookzee, city explorer apps, Coovents, iParks, iphone apps, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, moma, new york, new york city, NYC Way, NYTimes The Scoop, upnext, Wayfinder For more Mobile coverage:
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| See What’s Hot Nearby on Facebook Places, Twitter and Yelp Posted: 07 Sep 2010 12:30 PM PDT   Facebook Places is still virgin territory for most users, let alone developers and businesses. So how do you get the most out of a service that few people have really figured out how to use? Geo-social aggregator Hotlist thinks that by combining data from Facebook Places, Twitter, Google Maps and Yelp, users can actually get a lot more value out of their checkins. Its app shows the popularity of nearby events and venues, whether or not your friends are there, the male-female ratio at a given spot, and recent Yelp reviews and Twitter posts for any location you might want to hit up. It’s one of the first Facebook Places API integrations we’ve seen, and it’s doing a pretty thorough job of combining a ton of unstructured (from the user’s perspective) data into truly useful tidbits of actionable information. For an on-the-go-oriented application, it helps to have a strong suite of mobile apps. While we’re still waiting for an Android app or a BlackBerry mobile offering, Hotlist does have an iPhone app [iTunes link] available for download now. As you can see from the site’s interface, there’s a lot of available data out there, and Hotlist does a decent job of pulling it all in. It has the ability to show you where your Facebook friends are currently checked in, and it can post back to Facebook about your intended excursions in the future, which is a nice traffic-driving mechanism for the site. We weren’t able to test out the iPhone app, but of this we’re certain: Twitter, Facebook and Yelp already exist online, and they’re doing just fine. Where Hotlist stands to win is in the mobile arena. A truly excellent set of mobile apps — not just an iPhone application — can make the difference between an also-ran in the location market and a truly useful and sticky app with a long runway. What do you think of Hotlist, both the site and the iPhone app? Let us know your opinions in the comments. Reviews: Android, Facebook, Google Maps, Twitter, Yelp More About: facebook, Facebook Places, Hotlist, twitter, yelp For more Social Media coverage:
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| The Next 5 Years in Social Media Posted: 07 Sep 2010 12:13 PM PDT
With that framework in place, the next five years are going to see even more dramatic change. Fueled by advancements in underlying technology – the wires, wireless networks and hardware that make social media possible – a world where everything is connected awaits us. The result will be both significant shifts in our everyday lives and a changing of the guard in several industries that are only now starting to feel the impact of social media. The Technology
Jumping ahead to today, consider for a moment that the first smartphone to run on 4G (the successor to 3G mobile broad and capable of significantly faster mobile broadband speeds) – the Sprint HTC EVO – hit the U.S. only this past June. Sprint's 4G network, however, only covers about 40 million people. Similarly, wireless broadband ISP Clearwire reported in May that its network – which is also used to offer service to Sprint, Verizon, and Time Warner cable subscribers – only reaches 41 million people. At the same time, mobile broadband subscriptions are expected to surpass 1 billion worldwide by 2013. Add to that a surge in public and private investment in wireline broadband that will give 90% of homes in the U.S. the option to have 50 mbps downstream broadband within the next few years, and the bottom line becomes clear: There's currently an enormous supply and demand gap to be filled, and when that happens, it will enable a whole new wave of social media innovation. The Strong Get StrongerWhile the relatively short history of social media dictates that a new site emerges as the “home of you and your friends” every few years (Friendster, then MySpace, then Facebook, for example), it seems unlikely we'll see the current pantheon of social media services – Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube – fall from prominence in the next five years. Facebook has a far larger user base and more diverse demographics than any social network before it, and is becoming a de facto login service around the web. YouTube continues to maintain an enormous lead in online video viewership and through aggressive deal-making, looks likely to fend off competition from upstarts with deeper pro-content libraries. Twitter has also become a formidable force with a 300,000+ app ecosystem and a distribution platform for virtually every media company large and small. Most new outfits we see today — whether working to make television more interactive, make reading more social, or make listening to music a shared experience – are thinking about how to leverage the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as opposed to how to build the next mega social network. The Next Frontiers for Social Media
The Internet has already enabled anyone to be a publisher. But now, with Internet-connected television, anyone is going to be able to gain access to the living room. Blip.tv, a company that bet on this trend early, recently reported that its shows – which air solely online and on connected devices – are being viewed nearly 100 million times per month — or, put another way, 10% as much as what's viewed on ABC, NBC, and FOX combined. And while this trend was previously relegated to early adopters and startup set-top box makers like Boxee and Roku, recent months have seen the likes of Google jump on board with Google TV and Apple revamp its Apple TV offering. At the same time, so-called "second screen" providers are building a social experience – leveraging Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube – on mobiles and tablets around video content. The result of this trend is going to be the type of broad consumer choice in the realm of video and television that we currently know on the web with printed news. Radio is likely to see a similar shift. Late last year, we saw the LTE Connected Car concept unveiled – an idea that will become increasingly close to reality with expanded 4G coverage. Already, we've seen Ford make a play in this arena, letting you stream music from Pandora over your car stereo. While the transformation in radio might not come as soon as that in TV, it's equally inevitable, and there are hundreds of content providers – from Pandora to Last.fm to BlogTalkRadio – ready to unseat the status quo. Beyond Social MediaThe connected devices theme extends beyond the media though — everything from scales that track your weight and body fat to alarm clocks that sync with your calendar — is quickly becoming the reality. We're also starting to see behavioral shifts take place as a result of this trend, as evident with the growing acceptance of location sharing apps and even apps that share your credit card purchases. Invariably, there will be products, people, and trends that further dictate where the next five years of social media take us. But the overarching themes of connectivity, portable identity, and the continued democratization of media will drive much of it, making the social media landscape we inhabit five years from now a much expanded but in fact markedly similar one to that we know today. Series supported by IDG  In honor of Mashable’s five-year anniversary, this series is supported by IDG. Social media is calling all marketers. Among all U.S. companies, a recent report said 87% have a social presence. As Facebook passes 500 million users and Foursquare surpasses 1.3 million users, it is clear social media is here to stay. Matt York, President of IDG’s Strategic Marketing Services explains why now is the time for marketers to conduct social experiments. Read more here. More Social Media Resources from Mashable:
Reviews: BLIP, Boxee, Facebook, Foursquare, Friendster, Google, Internet, Mashable, MySpace, Pandora, Twitter, YouTube, iPhone More About: broadband, facebook, Mobile 2.0, social media, social-media-retrospective-series, tech, technology, trending, trends, twitter, Wireless, youtube For more Social Media coverage:
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| HP Has a Big Problem with Former CEO Mark Hurd Joining Oracle Posted: 07 Sep 2010 12:00 PM PDT   That didn't take long. Less than a day after former HP CEO Mark Hurd announced his intentions to join Oracle as co-president, his former employer has filed a civil complaint suggesting the move is not at all in line with signed agreements. Part of that complaint, as posted on HP’s official corporate blog, reads: "In his new positions, Hurd will be in a situation in which he cannot perform his duties for Oracle without necessarily using and disclosing HP's trade secrets and confidential information to others." HP also notes that they paid Hurd a severance package worth tens of millions of dollars following his abrupt resignation last month in the wake of a sexual harassment allegation. Now, the company is seeking "immediate injunctive relief" in the California Superior Court to prevent Hurd from assuming his new position at Oracle. No word yet from Oracle or Hurd as to how they plan to address the issues put forth by HP and keep their arrangement on track; we'll update here when we hear something. Update (6:40PM PT): Oracle is out with its response. “Oracle has long viewed HP as an important partner. By filing this vindictive lawsuit against Oracle and Mark Hurd, the HP board is acting with utter disregard for that partnership, our joint customers, and their own shareholders and employees. The HP Board is making it virtually impossible for Oracle and HP to continue to cooperate and work together in the IT marketplace,” said CEO Larry Ellison. Here's the full complaint from HP: More About: HP, mark hurd, oracle For more Business coverage:
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| Abducted Journalist Tweets from Captor’s Cellphone Posted: 07 Sep 2010 10:56 AM PDT   A Japanese journalist held against his will in Afghanistan used a captor’s cellphone to tweet his status and location to his followers — right under said captor’s nose. PC World reports that Kosuke Tsuneoka had been held in captivity for five months when a low-ranking soldier showed him his new cellphone, a Nokia N70. The soldier didn’t know how to use the phone or the Internet, so he asked Tsuneoka to show him. Tsuneoka activated the Internet service on the phone by calling a support line and showed his captors how to read news from Al-Jazeera on the device. He then said that they should check out Twitter because they could use it to reach other journalists. Tsuneoka took the phone and used Twitter’s web interface to send two tweets in English:   The next day he was released, but his release didn’t seem to have anything to do with the tweets. The Associated Press speculates that Tsuneoka was released because he is a Muslim; he converted in 2000. This was actually the second time he had been taken into captivity on the job. The first was in Georgia in 2001. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, hidesy Reviews: Internet, Twitter, iStockphoto More About: afghanistan, journalism, Mobile 2.0, Nokia, nokia n70, reporter, smartphone, social media, twitter, war For more Social Media coverage:
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| Posted: 07 Sep 2010 10:43 AM PDT   The Apple TV refresh isn’t the only new connected device headed to living rooms this fall; Google CEO Eric Schmidt has reaffirmed his company’s plans to release the Google TV set-top box in the U.S. later this year, with launch in the rest of the world coming in 2011. First officially announced at Google I/O, Google TV aims to bring Internet video to the living room. Users will be able to search the web and switch back and forth between web video, TV and other content all from the remote control. Google will be selling the device as a separate set-top box and partnering with manufacturers like Sony to build the features into HDTVs and other devices. According to Reuters, Samsung is also now looking into using the service. The basic Google TV service will be free, although we anticipate that the company will also be working on deals to bring premium subscription content to the device. In addition to Apple, Google TV faces competition from the upcoming Boxee Box, the Roku streaming players and the connected offerings that many HDTV and Blu-ray manufacturers are already building into their devices. Sony, which will be making some of the Google TV set-top boxes as well as integrating the service into some of its new devices, has put lots of effort into making the Playstation 3 a one-stop media center for movies, games and TV shows. We look forward to the release of the Google TV so that we can try it out against the other options. In the war over the living room, do you have a favorite device? Let us know. Reviews: Blu, Google More About: Apple TV, connected tv, Google, google tv, iptv For more Tech coverage:
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| 10 Free WordPress Themes for Small Businesses Posted: 07 Sep 2010 10:09 AM PDT   This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. There are a lot of WordPress themes out there. Whether you’re looking for a souped up, paid premium template or a free alternative, it seems everyone and their grandma has created a tweak on the basic two-column or three-column WordPress model. While it can be a little daunting to sort through the many options, the explosion of available templates is a healthy sign of a vibrant, sometimes prolific, design community. This is good news, of course, if you’re a designer. This is not such good news if you’re a small business looking for a simple, free, and adequately outfitted theme for your company. Picking a theme for your blog can be much like picking the right pair of shoes. It’s a personal choice as much guided by the needs of your company as your own aesthetic ideals and personality. With that in mind, we tried to do some of the heavy-lifting by picking out 10 of the best all-around, free WordPress themes for small business. We’ve included some points on how each theme could be maximized, but feel free to experiment, modify, and select for yourself. After all, you are wearing the shoes. Have a look through our picks, and do let us know if there are any personal favorites we missed in the comments. Don’t forget to let us know why you picked your site’s theme. 1. Notepad Think of this as small business 101. Notepad is a simple theme with a clean, clear landing page. The theme is best for showing off your product, slogan or any other branding you’ve developed. 2. Colourise Colourise is a nice choice for edgier, more graphics-based companies. And no, not just because it’s black. The theme comes with a huge header image (shown here in the muted rainbow) that enables you to showcase your business’s logo or other design features in a variety of ways. This is balanced with all the standard navigation features and a prominent display for your company blog. 3. Makisig Makisig is a little more corporate with cleaner lines and more conventional design choices. One of its best features is an expertly designed sidebar with plenty of room for prominently placed ads and easy navigation through your previous posts based on several criteria. 4. The Unstandard While it initially looks suited for photogs, this WordPress theme is a great way to feature a set of hot-selling products. Each thumbnail on the homepage can be based around your products; the flashy design is a great way to draw readers in. Warning: Top-notch photography is a must with this scene as it dominates the user experience. 5. LaunchPad This is the only theme on the list that isn’t really a “theme.” LaunchPad is meant to be an effective placeholder when you’re developing your real website. Rather than offering a blank page to pre-launch visitors, you can add a short message and have potential customers sign up to your RSS feed or mailing list. Consider it a necessary tool as you develop your homepage. 6. The Morning After The Morning After is a classic for magazine style WordPress themes. Don’t let the moniker fool you, this theme comes packed with sleek navigation features and tons of space for brand headers, featured products, and thumbnails. If you’re looking for a sharp theme with lots of multimedia, this might be your cup of tea. 7. Charred This stream-lined theme is something a little simpler for companies wanting to focus on product info or news. The dark design means this probably isn’t the best bet for your organic farm blog, but for simplicity, this theme is still a good starting place for smaller businesses. 8. TheSevenFive This theme is best for small businesses looking to build communities and share information with its users. Posts can be organized in a variety of formats including collected photos, tweets, and straight-up news posts. The lack of a huge header image or brand-focused landing page, however, makes this theme less useful for showcasing products. 9. Snapshot Snapshot is another photo-heavy theme best used for showcasing your products. This theme provides an elegant solution to giving a product overview if you don’t feel like downloading a marketplace widget. There is ample room in each photo box for a detailed description but not enough for substantial news posts. 10. Bueno Much like The Morning After, this theme’s bold, clean, graphics-heavy design is perfect for balancing news, brand, and product highlights. This is a great choice if you’re looking for a site design that can help you build community with enough features and flexibility to promote yourself and your goods. More Business Resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, MandarineTree Reviews: Notepad++, WordPress, iStockphoto More About: bueno, business, charred, colourise, LaunchPad, makisig, notepad, snapshot, template, the morning after, the unstandard, theme, themes, thesevenfive, Wordpress For more Business coverage:
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| Announcing the 4th Annual Mashable Awards [Help Shape the Categories] Posted: 07 Sep 2010 09:00 AM PDT   Mashable is proud to present the fourth annual Mashable Awards (formerly known as Open Web Awards). The Mashable Awards celebrate major innovations and achievements in the digital and social media landscape by companies, people and projects via an open, multilingual, international, community-nominated voting platform. Millions of votes will be cast in 25 categories ranging from "Best New Gadget" to "Best Music Discovery Service" to "Must-Follow Brand." Following three months of competition, the Mashable Awards Gala will kick off the 2011 International CES convention week on January 6, 2011 at Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity stage in Las Vegas. The venue capacity is 1,200+ and the event will be streamed live. Tickets are now on sale exclusively through Eventbrite. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact sponsorships at Mashable. The website launch and nominations period will officially begin on September 27, but before we get started we want you, our readers, to have a say in the categories. Based on ideas and suggestions from our editorial team and previous comments from you over the years, we've come up with the following 18 categories. However, these categories are not set in stone and we want your opinions. Suggestions, praise, ideas, complaints and conversations are all welcome! The Current Categories1. Best New Gadget Online Timeline:Nominations: September 27 to November 29 The Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity (Vegas)In partnership with Cirque du Soleil, The Mashable Awards Gala event will bring together the winners and nominees, the Mashable community, partners, media, the marketing community, consumer electronics and technology brands, and attendees from the 2011 International CES Convention to Las Vegas on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Together, we will celebrate the winners and the community of the Mashable Awards at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage in the beautiful New York New York Hotel. The event will include acts and performances from our partner Cirque du Soleil Zumanity. In addition, there will be special guest presenters and appearances. Date: Thursday, January 6, 2011 (during International CES Convention week)  We look forward to your feedback and stay tuned to Mashable for more details, the launch of the Mashable Awards platform and website and please feel free to ask any questions below. Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Mashable, Twitter More About: mashable awards, open web awards For more Social Media coverage:
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| Samsung Fascinate Coming to Verizon Stores on September 9 Posted: 07 Sep 2010 08:17 AM PDT   Samsung has announced that the Samsung Fascinate, the Verizon-branded version of the Galaxy S, will be available online on Wednesday, September 8 and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on September 9 for $199.99. Samsung Galaxy S is one of the most powerful Android-based smartphones on the market right now, with a 5-megapixel camera that records 720p video and a 800×480 pixel, 4-inch Super AMOLED display. It’s powered by a 1 GHz "Hummingbird" processor with 512MB of memory and 16GB of internal storage that can be further expanded via a MicroSD memory card. Fascinate also has a little bonus: LED flash for the camera, which is not present in some of the other versions of the device. The Samsung Fascinate is available for $199.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) and a new two-year customer agreement with Verizon. Disclosure: Samsung is a Mashable sponsor. Reviews: Android, Mashable More About: Fascinate, galaxy s, samsung, verizon For more Mobile coverage:
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| The Future of Ad Agencies and Social Media Posted: 07 Sep 2010 07:40 AM PDT
But keeping up with change is never good enough in this industry; the most successful, game-changing campaigns are generally a bit ahead of the curve. It’s not enough to hitch your star to an existing facet of viral content; you have to create the content yourself. And you can’t wait for mass markets to catch up to new technologies before you begin thinking about how to incorporate new tech into campaigns and creative; you need to test how that tech will work now. Mobile and social ads are no longer new; what’s more interesting now is figuring out how brands can integrate creatively and effectively with location apps and casual games. We talked with five people who are familiar with the connected worlds of digital media and ad agencies, and here’s what they had to say about the future of social media and advertising. Software Is the New MediumTom Bedecarré is CEO of AKQA, an agency well-regarded for its digital and interactive work, a field in which AKQA specializes; you can see some recent examples of that work on the agency’s Facebook page. He told us in an e-mail recently, “One of the newest forms of media is not media at all, but software and platforms. Increasingly, AKQA is developing applications and marketing platforms that provide greater utility, entertainment and information to our clients' customers without relying on traditional media channels. One example of this is the Fiat eco:Drive application we created that allows Fiat drivers to monitor their driving skills and fuel efficiency and helps drivers to lower CO² emissions.” More and more, agencies will be called on to be (or at least have the capacity to behave as) short-order web and mobile dev shops. You’ll need to make sure your creatives have access to skilled hackers and experienced web designers; you might even consider including a few highly technical, very creative engineers in your creative team, not just as part-time or freelance collaborators. Groups and Friends: The Power of the Hive MindIf you want to get inside your clients’ customers’ heads, just take a look at what their friends and peers are doing, saying and buying. We asked David Armano, Senior Vice President at Edelman Digital, if he thought group or friend buying behavior could be used as a recommendation system for goods and services. His answer was resoundingly affirmative. “If the numbers behind Groupon’s recent success with The Gap is any indicator, the answer is yes.” For reference, the partnership between the group-buying site and the national retailer completely smashed sales records for both entities with a simple digital coupon. But group buying is most powerful when combined with sharing across social networks. “The key,” continued Armano, “is that the group buying activity needs to be be present in your friends’ streams. Combine ‘likes’ with mass purchase behavior, and you’ve got the perfect storm of a signal that says, ‘Your friend got in on the deal, maybe you should too.’” Transparency Is Still a Long Way OffPart of the art of selling is the illusion that the company is doing what’s best for the consumer and not for their own bottom line. We asked Jeremy Toeman, founding partner of San Francisco-based agency Stage Two if he thought online marketing has (or should have) more or less transparency in this regard than traditional marketing. “This might sound odd,” he began, “but I actually think online marketing has less transparency than traditional does. “In traditional marketing, your advertising was effectively blatant, from TV/radio/newspaper ad buys to junk mail to billboards on the side of the road. Online companies use tactics like SEO, spam/spam-blogs, pop-ups, text-link-ads, fake viral videos, etc.” Steve Hall, creator and editor of industry blog Adrants, wrote in 2008 that most of the “viral” videos then (particularly the “guys backflip into jeans” clip that ended up being part of a Levi’s campaign) were, in fact, advertisements. And earlier this year, another tattoo-related fake viral video was discovered to be a marketing gimmick from Ray Ban. Fake virility isn’t limited to YouTube; often, we find commercial entities trying to “push” supposedly non-commercial content on platforms such as Digg, Facebook and Twitter. Of course, consumers don’t figure it out… until they do. And they’re getting more savvy about fake transparency all the time. Toeman believes brands and agencies should strive for more genuine methods of bringing an advertising message to consumers. “Personally,” he said, “I’d nix all the ‘hide the fact that this is an ad’ tactics completely and eliminate the methods of gaming systems.” If you need more convincing that labeling ads as ads might be a good thing, consider Old Spice’s recent campaign. Pure creativity and Internet-culture awareness drove a YouTube campaign that was very clearly advertising; still, the company’s sales doubled as a result of the YouTube clips. Location Campaigns Are the New Targeting MechanismIn the past couple weeks, Foursquare took over Times Square and Facebook launched Places. Clearly, location-based services and related ad campaigns are going to become huge very shortly. “We're right at the beginning of an exciting time for the development of location-based services and marketing that integrates geo-location into advertising and applications,” said Bedecarré. “Recent announcements by Facebook and Google reflect the importance of location services.” Hall says location-based marketing “will change everything.” He explained:
Getting your clients thinking now about how to integrate location and checkins into a campaign is key. While we can’t yet construct fully formed campaigns around Facebook Places, there are a slew of other services you can use as case studies for an at-scale campaign. Starbucks, which does an excellent job in the social media advertising and marketing category, has seen good results from a recent Foursquare campaign, as have many other brands. And they were right to jump on the bandwagon early. Between the intelligence you can gather about your clients’ customers and your ability to find more highly qualified targets than ever before, location is indeed the holy grail for advertisers. Display Ads Are EvolvingJesse Thomas runs one of the most forward-thinking creative agencies around, but he’s not ready to pick out a headstone for display ads just yet. However, he did tell us that “the usual suspects” of banner ads and skyscrapers are definitely undergoing a change. “Facebook’s ads have singlehandedly made ads social,” he wrote to us in an e-mail. “The idea of ‘liking’ an ad is genius… The idea of advertising a Page in Facebook via the Facebook ad engine and being able to access special advertising powers is nothing short of revolutionary. In a world of [expletive] Google text ads, Facebook’s social ads are a breath of fresh air. But we have a long way to go!” And not all of Google’s ad-buy offerings are as excremental as Thomas thinks the text ads can be. “Google offered the ability to integrate the Facebook checkout (one-click purchase) option to their ads, and that was awesome at the time. You will see more of this in the future: Making ads better by integrating features from other parts of the platform that are no longer cool anymore.” In other words, display can still be part of your ad buys and collateral, but you have to think creatively, target carefully, measure thoroughly and react accordingly. Use all the tools at your disposal to do so. Series supported by Gist  This series is supported by Gist. Gist keeps you better informed with less effort by giving you a full view of your professional network in one place bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts giving you the right information at the right moment to get a meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection. More Business Resources from Mashable:
Reviews: Digg, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Internet, Twitter, YouTube More About: ad agencies, ads, advertising, AKQA, business, future of social media series, JESS3, MARKETING, small business, social media marketing, trending For more Business coverage:
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| Social Good Summit: Tackling Global Challenges with Social Media Posted: 07 Sep 2010 07:01 AM PDT   Mashable is proud to be partnering with the UN Foundation, 92Y, Livestream.com, CNN and a host of teams and organizations to produce a unique opportunity to make UN Week accessible to the public — both online and offline. Today the organizations behind the Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit and the UN Week Digital Media Lounge are making a joint announcement communicating our shared goals. We’ve published the full announcement below, and our partner Weber Shandwick has also made the release available via the wires this morning. Additionally, the announcement is available for download on PressLift. We hope you’ll join our shared vision: To leverage social media for social good. Mashable, 92nd Street Y and UN Foundation to Showcase Power of Social Media in Fighting Global ChallengesFirst-of-its-kind Social Good Summit opens up UN Week and brings the dialogue online for the first time NEW YORK CITY (September 7, 2010) — On September 20, as global leaders head to New York for United Nations Week – including a historic summit on global issues known as the "Millennium Development Goals" (MDGs) and the annual General Assembly – Mashable, 92nd Street Y and UN Foundation will bring together leaders from the digital industry, policy and media worlds for a groundbreaking Social Good Summit focused on how technology and social networks can play a leading role in addressing the world's most intractable problems. Speakers will participate in person and via Skype video calls. As a media partner, CNN.com will be live-streaming select parts of the event. Participants include: • Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook and founder of Jumo, an innovative startup that aims to link millions of individuals to organizations working to change the world beginning this fall. Hughes also directed online organizing for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. In contrast with official events that week, which will largely be invitation-only affairs for government leaders and official representatives, the Mashable and 92nd Street Y Social Good Summit is open to the public and will enable millions to join the conversation in person or via livestreaming. "The Social Good Summit is a watershed moment for harnessing the potential of social media for the social good," said Sol Adler, Executive Director of 92nd Street Y. "This Summit will bring together leaders of new media and of global development for the kind of exchange that can spark collaborations of unforeseen potential." Mashable, the Social Good Summit's lead organizer, is the top source for news in social and digital media, and 92 Street Y is the renowned nonprofit cultural and community center recognized for its commitment to the open exchange of ideas and perspectives. Digital Media Lounge Hosted at 92Y, the fully wired Digital Media Lounge will provide the on-line community exclusive access to high-level UN officials and international leaders. Newsmakers and experts in global issues and social media will talk with bloggers and journalists both in person and through a Skype video calling facility. Parts of the event will be also streamed online with Livestream.com. There is no fee required to access the Digital Media Lounge but accreditation is necessary for access and can be obtained at http://mash.to/2hRQL. "Digital media are driving the involvement of millions of citizens, and delivering invaluable information and knowledge for development efforts," said Kathy Calvin, CEO of the United Nations Foundation. "Through the UN Week Digital Media Lounge, we are helping make conversation about the world's biggest challenges a truly global dialogue, driven by a digital pulse." The week's conversations will be all tied to the Millennium Development Goals. These goals set by world leaders and adopted by the United Nations in 2000, focus on massive reductions in poverty and hunger; promotion of universal primary education; gender equality; reduction in child deaths and the deaths of women in childbirth; the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases, and environmental sustainability. "Every American and every world citizen has a stake in advancing the MDGs," said Kathy Calvin of the United Nations Foundation. "Yet many people are still looking for ways to have a positive impact. By coming together in partnership, we can make this happen. And when we do, the world will be a better place." About the UN Foundation: The UN Foundation connects people, ideas and resources to help the United Nations solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. We are an advocate for the UN and help the UN take its best work and ideas to scale—through advocacy, partnerships, constituency building and fund-raising. About Mashable: Founded in 2005, Mashable is the top source for news in social and digital media, technology and web culture. With more than 30 million monthly page views, Mashable is the most prolific news site reporting breaking web news, providing analysis of trends, reviewing new Web sites and services, and offering social media resources and guides. Mashable's audience includes early adopters, social media enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, influencers, brands and corporations, marketing, PR and advertising agencies, Web 2.0 aficionados and technology journalists. Mashable is also popular with bloggers, Twitter and Facebook users — an increasingly influential demographic. About 92nd Street Y: 92nd Street Y's unique fusion of community and culture makes it the only place of its kind in the world. 92Y is a community center, performance stage and lecture hall; a literary salon and home for artists; a school, outreach organization and summer camp; a gym, a residence and more. 92nd Street Y, a proudly Jewish institution since its inception in 1874, has become a community of communities, welcoming people of all ages, races, faiths and backgrounds. Now serving more than 300,000 people each year in its New York facilities, 92Y also reaches millions of "virtual" guests around the world through its website, satellite broadcasts and other electronic media. Committed to making its programs available to everyone, 92nd Street Y awards nearly $1 million in scholarships annually and reaches about 7500 public school children through subsidized arts and science education programs. For more information, please visit www.92Y.org. For more information on Social Good Summit, please contact: For more information on Digital Media Lounge, please contact: Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit: Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, Skype, Twitter More About: social good, social good summit, UN week, un week digital media lounge For more Social Media coverage:
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| Morning Brief: Google Music for Xmas, Mark Hurd to Oracle, Samsung Fascinate Available Tomorrow Posted: 07 Sep 2010 06:32 AM PDT This series is brought to you by HTC EVO 4G, America’s first 4G phone. Only from Sprint. The “First to Know” series keeps you in the know on what’s happening now in the world of social media and technology.   Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. We're keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today. Google Music Service to Launch by Christmas [REPORT] Google VP Andy Rubin, who oversees Android development, has been in talks with record labels and hopes to have Google’s music service “up and running by Christmas,” an anonymous source has revealed to Reuters. As we reported previously, it seems the company plans to first launch a music download service and expand to offer online subscriptions, which would stream directly to Android mobile devices from the cloud, by next year. The forthcoming service has the potential to be a major threat to Apple’s iTunes. Former HP CEO Mark Hurd Joins Oracle Business software and hardware company Oracle has confirmed rumors that former HP CEO Mark Hurd is joining the firm as a president and director. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison publicly defended Hurd after his resignation from HP last month, following an investigation into inaccurately filed expense reports and a sexual harassment allegation. Samsung Fascinate Available Tomorrow The Samsung Fascinate, the Verizon version of the new Android-based Galaxy S line of smartphones, will be available for online order on Wednesday, September 8 and in Verizon stores on September 9 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year contract, both companies announced this morning. Further News
Disclosure: Samsung is a Mashable sponsor. Series supported by HTC EVO 4G This series is brought to you by HTC EVO 4G, America’s first 4G phone. Only from Sprint. The “First to Know” series keeps you in the know on what’s happening now in the world of social media and technology. Reviews: Android, Foursquare, Mashable, Twitter More About: android, first to know series, Google, google music, HP, mark hurd, oracle, samsung, samsung fascinate For more Tech coverage:
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Name: 
Over the 
The growth of social media in the past five years was fueled not just by innovation from Internet entrepreneurs and developers, but by several key advancements behind the scenes. The rise of 
Given the dynamics of a faster, ubiquitous Internet, a social media landscape defined by apps built on top of a few key services, and 
To keep up with ever-changing advertising and marketing options, ad agencies are rapidly adopting new strategies and outlooks on how consumers interact with brands. While many ad agencies have been slow to adopt social media, others have been keeping up with the trends quite well.| 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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