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8 Ways a Human Business Takes a Holiday
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:47 AM PST
| 8 Ways a Human Business Takes a Holiday Posted: 13 Dec 2012 05:08 AM PST by
Rosemary O’Neill Working All the Time? Last week, I was out to dinner with my 7 year old daughter, and while we were eating, I got a ping from a customer that I needed to answer. I pulled out my iPhone and told her, "I just need to do this one thing and then I promise I'll put it away." She looked at me, cocked her head, and said, "so Mommy, you're pretty much working all the time, then, right?" (Cue video of knight being shot with 20 arrows through the heart.) Whoah. That knocked me back on my heels a bit. Days later, her question is still pinging through my brain. 8 Ways a Human Business Takes a Holiday I spend a lot of time writing and talking about the human-centered business, really trying to promote the idea that customers should be spoken to like humans, and employees should be treated with respect. But there's another human inside the equation. You are a human too. So am I. And humans need sleep, daydreaming, play, quiet, contemplation, singing, and time to enjoy their fellow humans (both small and grownup). If you've decided to run your small business with humans at the heart of it, here are some things to think about: - Have you declared any "office shutdown" days over the holidays?
- Can you hold any necessary meetings by Skype of Google Hangout instead of going in to the office?
- How about flexible time during the week to allow for shopping or ice skating, as long as the work is getting done?
- Don't forget the folks who make your office life bearable—how about some cookies for your FedEx person, or a video message for your favorite vendors?
- Regardless of which holiday you celebrate, take some time to be frivolous. Wear reindeer slippers under your desk, give someone a surprise day off, go caroling in your office building, hide chocolate coins in desk drawers.
- Consider stockpiling some content this week so that you don't even have to stress out about blog posts going up over the holidays, or invite some guest posters.
- If you're the boss, try not to schedule time-sensitive tasks during this time.
- Use the holiday downtime to recharge, and be ready to tackle the beginning of 2013 with gusto!
Next time I go out to eat with my daughter, the iPhone stays off. And here's a virtual cup of egg nog, from me to you.
Thank you, Rosemary! You’re irresistible! ME “Liz” Strauss  | 
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13 trends in social video
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:46 AM PST
| 13 trends in social video Posted: 13 Dec 2012 05:12 AM PST - Digital video consumption reaches a tipping point. Already here in 2012, give-or-take 1 in 2 people consumes video content online; by the end of 2013, the audience for video online will not be significantly different to the audience for video on a television. The total amount of content consumed will still skew toward the TV, but any audience desired by advertisers will be available online.
- Web shows go mainstream, start to deliver real earnings. You'd have to live under a rock not to have noticed Web-delivered entertainment starting to bubble up. Starting with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, it became clear an audience could be created; shows like Sanctuary demonstrated that an effort that started off online could be (profitably) ported back to the silver screen. In 2013, more investment will be made by better-known talent, and the path to entertainment success will start to inevitably pass through the Web.
- Video channels take a run at displacing TV. Not just individual shows, but whole channels will start to threaten traditional OTA offerings. YouTube has made no secret of the millions it's invested in channels, seeking to attract the brand advertising dollars that are still set aside for TV; and there are plenty of independent operations effectively executing the same core strategy (say, for instance, Funny or Die). 2013 is unlikely to be a time period where online channels create an existential threat to TV channels; but they may create an unsettling sense of near-term turmoil.
- Ad demand continues to outstrip online video inventory. Despite the foregoing bold predictions of attacks from the online content world on the TV world, the likelihood that today's greatest decelerator will hold firm: There is simply more demand for digital video advertising inventory than there is supply. A swifter pace of user adoption will help, as will a proliferation of new content sources; but realistically, the likelihood is low that 2013 will be the year of balance. Look for innovative ways in which to use the inventory that is available — perhaps we'll even get past the lightly edited 30-second spot moved online — and for inventory sellers to enjoy continued high margins, at least for the time being.
- Audiences will continue to be choppy for big publishers. Unlike a newspaper or a magazine, a digital publisher can't sell an edition and then expect the reader to consume everything. In practice what this means is you can't rely on, say, the sports enthusiast to pay for the Restaurant Critic — online, the visitor looks at only what they want. As a result, audiences can be very inconsistent across a Web property. In the coming year publishers will become adept at adopting strategies to either (1) terminate content that cannot develop its own audience; and/or (2) develop audience for lesser-traveled content. The latter will use new technologies to micro-segment traffic sources to deliver value.
- Big Data delivers result to publishers and advertisers alike, and programmatic ad sales become publishers' best friend. To date it's fair to say that advertisers have had the better deal from Big Data, buying inventory at better pricing and squeezing their investments to deliver better outcomes, while publishers see any buying that is programmatic simply squeeze their margins. In 2013, publishers will harness the power of the programmatic ad space to buttress the margins for genuinely premium inventory — and actually see overall eCPMs increase.
- Marketing, sales and operations merge into a hybrid engine, and RTB becomes the model of choice for publishers. To date, publisher teams have been divided into fairly distinct groups: Sales and marketing have tended to focus on the direct-sold, guaranteed inventory, while operations have taken responsibility for filling remnant space through programmatic selling. As the technology for matching programmatic and direct-sold models improves, look for a meeting of the minds — and the organizations — to deliver a singular set of values, and an improved revenue line to the business.
- Mobile grows as a channel, both in terms of apps and of ads. People love to show the “hockey stick growth” charts of the dollars running through mobile, but the absolute dollars spent remain frustratingly low. Look for 2013 to be a true coming-out party for mobile, as brand advertisers solve the puzzle of getting apps onto users' devices, and ad technology matures sufficiently to drive real ad volumes (in terms both of impressions and dollars), as well as measurable user engagement, through the mobile channel.
- Device fragmentation opens up an opportunity — possibly a necessity — for innovation in advertising approaches and units. As users increasingly consume content across a myriad of different devices (and not one at a time, but rather in a constantly-switching modality), a need will arise for mobile-native ad units. Today's approach of simply copying the way in which ads sit on regular Web pages seems not to be translating well, and some enterprising agency will eventually decode the mobile genome. Once that happens, the floodgates will open and innovation will not only flood the market, it will turbo-charge the available spend.
- The app becomes a full-scale part of the advertising ecosystem. The app is the classic Trojan horse: deliver enough value to intrigue a user and you can attract them to downloading and interacting with it. An app that, for instance, helps a consumer to plan out, price out and locate an example of the exact automobile they'd like to buy gives the manufacturer a distinct advantage against its mobile-challenged competitors. 2013 will be the year that dedicated service providers start to make significant inroads into advertising spend to deliver customer-friendly, desirable apps for brands.
- As Facebook, Twitter and Google tweak their APIs again, the future of the platform starts to look shaky. Dozens, possibly hundreds, of startups have been funded in the last two years to build software and services that sit on top of other companies' platforms. They have discovered not only ways to get funded, but also how painful it can be when a company owns the infrastructure on which their software relies — which draws into question whether it makes sense to base a business on the self-interest of a third party. Look to 2013 to be a year of exceptionally low investment in businesses that cannot survive without someone else's API.
- HTML5 finally replaces Flash, and confusion ensues. Flash never worked on the iDevices; now it isn't a core part of the Android ecosystem. To say it has been on its way out for a while is to wildly overstate the point: the engineers have been pointing us to HTML5 for a couple of years already. But when the needle tips to predominantly HTML5 to deliver video, chaos will break out, as we come to realize how much good Flash did for us in papering over the difference between Operating Systems, Devices and Browsers. Look for it to be 2014 or later before all is once again calm in the world of cross-device video ad delivery.
- Cross-platform identity platforms emerge. The knock against mobile advertising is the lack of tracking pixel; a user bouncing from browser to browser, machine to machine can be equally hard to track; and the Do Not Track standard that is brewing quickly may render much of this moot. 2013 will mark the year when entrepreneurs come close to solving the problem of creating and tracking an identity across devices, software and modality. It may end up costing publishers big, but the ability to track users more effectively will easily be paid for by the additional dollars advertisers are willing to pay for this sort of certainty.
This post by Simon Jones, senior vice president of marketing at Alphabird.
Related Posts: 13 trends in social video originally published by SmartBlogs | You are subscribed to email updates from SmartBlogs » Social Media
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Digital disruption a force for change
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:42 AM PST
| Digital disruption a force for change Posted: 14 Dec 2012 12:28 AM PST Reading Ben Rooney's article this morning in the Wall St Journal about digital disruption in the education sector got me thinking. When did disruption, as a term used in business parlance / marketing / PR / technology etc, become a good thing? Not that long ago I was stopped dead in my tracks and asked why I was talking about disruption so much as it sounded like a bad thing. Digital disruption is not only being embraced right now across all iindustries it seems, as the WSJ article reports, but it's being sought-after and encouraged. This is great to see. I feel like ever since I entered the technology and digital sectors in the late 1990s that digital disruption was the big important thing and those firms that could harness and take advantage of this disruption would be the winners. It's great to see reports of the more traditionally-minded sectors embracing disruption too. The way I see it disruption comes in waves. The waves swell and break on different industries at different times. Some surf the waves. Some get the waves break on them and suffer the mayhem of being unprepared. Some wait for the waters to calm and move in after. For me this time of disruption is hugely exciting to be part of. | You are subscribed to email updates from Drew B's take on tech PR
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Localmind Acquired by Airbnb – Year One Labs has its First Exit
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:39 AM PST
| Localmind Acquired by Airbnb – Year One Labs has its First Exit Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:18 AM PST  Today, I’m pleased to announce that Localmind has been acquired by Airbnb.
See Techcrunch’s story and Airbnb’s blog post for more info. Localmind was Year One Labs’ first investment, and it’s our first exit as well. It’s a fantastic day for the team: Lenny Rachitsky, Beau Haugh and Nelson Gauthier. They worked like crazy over the last couple of years to develop a platform and vision around how we will communicate, interact and share in a mobile + local + social world. They’ve pushed a lot of thinking in this space and will continue to do so as part of the Airbnb team. If you’re not familiar with Airbnb, you should be. They’re killing it. The company announced in June that it had booked 10 million guest nights since it started in 2008. And recently, CEO Brian Chesky said that by December, Airbnb will be booking more rooms than all Hilton hotels combined. Their showing hockey stick curve growth with incredible potential and opportunity going forward. I’ve written about Localmind a few times since I started working with them. Looking back on those posts is instructive of the progress and challenges they faced: Like any startup, Localmind had its ups and downs. I learned a lot working with the team. I learned a lot from the experience of helping the company start with an idea, build a product, raise capital, scale and exit. I’m grateful for that. It was an incredible journey. Lenny, Beau and Nelson now have an opportunity to make a bigger impact with a faster growing company on a ridiculously big scale. I have no doubt in my mind that they’ll be incredibly successful with Airbnb and with whatever they choose to do in the future. | You are subscribed to email updates from Instigator Blog
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The New Celebrity Spokesperson Needs Social Media Smarts
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:38 AM PST
| The New Celebrity Spokesperson Needs Social Media Smarts Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:01 AM PST The value of a celebrity spokesperson is now rooted in their social eminence. Brands have used the power of celebrity to promote their products with varying degrees of success over the years. Michael Jackson for Pepsi, Michael Jordan for Nike, David Beckham for Burger King, and Katy Perry for Pop Chips. The brand is hoping more people will pay attention to its message because it's being delivered by somebody that consumers ostensibly care more about than the brand being pitched. Odds are that, because audience members are interested in this celebrity, they will at least pay closer attention to the commercial or, even better, take the spokesperson's word and go buy the product. In short, celebrities are hired by brands for their power to influence. The Problem With Celebrity Spokespeople  The trouble is, the expectations of celebrity endorsement deals must be re-imagined in the age of social media.
It's going to take more than just looking good or sounding good to make a true impact. Just shooting a couple 30-second spots and posing for some print ads was fine in 1995, but it's not going to cut it today when the potential to quickly connect with customers is so much greater via digital media. That means that we, as marketers, need to take a longer look at who we decide to hire and focus more on those folks that have diligently built their own social following. An Example For example, a client of mine, a major CPG player, maintains a cadre of celebrity spokespeople across sports, music, and entertainment. Let's take a look at two of these spokespeople: one a prominent athlete, the other a famous recording artist/musician. Each is arguably as famous as the other, but our athlete has zero social presence while our musician as almost 10 million Twitter followers. Over the last couple of weeks, my client was able to activate the recording artist in a way not possible with the athlete by having her talk organically about the brand across her massive social following. According to Sysomos, her mentions helped my client to reach over 12 million people over a very short period, up sharply from normal. What's more, this kind of reach is even more powerful as her fans are highly engaged and more likely to take a cue from her than they would from the brand itself. Meanwhile, our athlete has been making news for remarkable performances on the field, but we've not been able to take advantage of this groundswell because he is completely absent with regards to social. No Twitter, no Facebook, no Instagram, no following, and as a result = no social value. The best we can hope for is a fortuitously planned TV buy coinciding with a strong game-day performance. What Changed Social is beginning to become more and more foundational in a brand's overall media mix. Our musician has equipped herself to be more influential for the brand and, as a result, must be considered more valuable. In a previous role, I helped oversee sports sponsorship strategy. I always struggled with the value of these sponsorships because—aside from a logo on the wall at Fenway, a few free tickets and related perks—it was hard to truly measure the impact of the deal. Now, social is starting to make ROI for endorsement deals easier to quantify and place a true value on the partnership. Social listening tools can tell us how often our spokespeople are mentioning our product, how and in what forum they are doing so, how many people were exposed to these mentions, and most importantly, how many conversations were generated as a result of those mentions. These mentions equate to storytelling and powerful storytelling sells product. When evaluating and exciting and glamorous list of celebrities to help spice up your next campaign, do a little digging into their social eminence. Will their influence fade as soon as the viewer fast-forwards through your TV spot? Or will they cast a longer shadow for your brand via their social clout? | 
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#Infographic – 25 Marketing Predictions for 2013 from @ExactTarget
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:35 AM PST
| #Infographic – 25 Marketing Predictions for 2013 from @ExactTarget Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:49 AM PST While it may not be possible to accurately predict the future, examining marketing's past and present helps us shape and inspire what's yet to come. That's why we've collected the predictions of the industry's top interactive marketing experts—bringing you exclusive insight into marketing trends that will be relevant to your brand in 2013. In this year's annual guide, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013, you'll encounter predictions about the future of email, mobile, social media, marketing automation, and cross-channel marketing from industry thought leaders, including: - Matt Fleckenstein, Microsoft
- Jay Baer, Convince and Convert
- Jeff Eden, DEG Digital
- Brent Hieggelke, Urban Airship
- Marcus Nelson, Addvocate
- Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute
- David Berkowitz, 360i
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The Ultimate Holiday Promotion Idea
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:23 AM PST
| The Ultimate Holiday Promotion Idea Posted: 12 Dec 2012 08:11 PM PST How much time do you spend trying to convince your target audience that you have the best product or service for them? Probably a lot. After all, that’s what most of marketing is supposed to do, right? So now imagine everything you’ve done is working. Your customer believes that you offer the best experience. They want to give you their money. They are ready to buy. But then they don’t. It happens all the time, and it’s the hardest thing to explain. What kept them from buying? Finding a good answer to that question may be the most important question to ask yourself, because usually that happens for a very specific reason. Let’s call that reason the last hurdle. The last hurdle is the final mental barrier in your customer’s mind that keeps them from pressing that buy button or pulling out their wallet. The last hurdle is a killer. Beating it requires something that sounds super simple, but actually is quite hard: knowing what it is. If you can do that, you can devise a creative way to get past it.  To get your ideas flowing, here are two of the greatest examples I’ve recently seen of businesses who manage to help their customers past the last hurdle with a perfectly inventive idea:
1. Woolly Mammoth Theater Says “Bring The Kids” If you are a theater lover like I am, and also have young kids – chances are you probably don’t make it to the theater as often as you’d like. It’s hard to always find babysitting for the kids or plan it ahead of time. So, to get you past that last hurdle – Woolly Mammoth launched an experiment this holiday season where you can bring your kids with you and they will take care of them while you enjoy the show. It’s a great way to get theater loving parents of kids to come out to the theater. And once they see it’s possible, they might just come back for the next show of the season too. 2. Squarespace Volunteers To Give You A Discount Website making platform Squarespace spends a lot of time and attention to show you templates of all the great websites you can build with their tools. They do an excellent job getting you through the online checkout process. But at the last stage you’re confronted with that uncomfortably empty box that asks for a “discount code.” So of course you open a new window and search for a code to put in there. But instead of a listing of expired codes from some site like RetailmeNot, Squarespace brings you right back to a landing page – where they give you the code you were looking for (see image below). Why would they voluntarily give up revenue? Simple – because the sooner they get you back to the checkout process to finish, the less likely you are to be distracted and promise yourself to finish later (which may never happen). 
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How to Thank a Customer
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:12 AM PST
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Friday Five: Line ‘Em Up – The Dividing Line of Social Media Storytelling
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:12 AM PST
| Friday Five: Line ‘Em Up – The Dividing Line of Social Media Storytelling Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:00 PM PST Edelman Digital Stories, digital and traditional, involve a storyteller and a listener. The line that divides the two is where things get interesting. Social media storytelling has transformed the traditional roles of conversation between a brand and user, and it's no longer about one person talking and one person listening. Every platform offers a different line of division and today's Friday Five takes a look at how thick that line really is on key social platforms. 1. Facebook Facebook has allowed brands to participate in the social conversation with a keen focus on transparency, drawing a distinct line between brand and consumer within Newsfeeds and ad placements. Individuals often engage with the brand's story (good or bad), rather than creating the narrative. Brands work to attract fans to their Facebook pages through likes, comments and shares, rarely releasing control of the narrative by bringing the conversation within the confines of their Timeline; an exercise supported through ad spends. Without a transparent separation of fans and brands, the social conversation would lose some of its luster. 2. Twitter Twitter embraced real-time dialogue between brands and consumers from day one, facilitating conversations with noteworthy early adopters @TheRealShaq, @ComcastCares and @CNN. Twitter allows fans to grab hold of the conversation, including the trend of using branded hashtags in sarcastic tweets. With much of the conversation taking place on their fan's pages, brands have had to scramble to manage their story on Twitter. But with advertising dollars continuing to boost amplification, brands have been able to adjust their storytelling, engaging with fans while maintaining their message. 3. Google+ Brands have been on Google+ just over a year and the line between who owns the story on the social network (nay, social layer) is still being defined. Much like Facebook, conversation is typically confined to the brand's Google+ page, granting brand control of the story. The line is muddled when users incorporate Google+'s core features; Hangouts, Circles and Ripples and their latest dive into Google+ Communites. Users are able to organize their online lives and conversations through these features, controlling how the story approaches them. 4. Pinterest Real-time has become a buzz word in social media lingo. Consumers are looking for real-time responses, answers and updates. Pinterest revolutionized this aspect of real-time conversations by focusing on three other factors instead: Discovery, Sharing and Memory. With the announcement of Pinterest brands pages, the definition of a brand is starting to become clear. At the heart of Pinterest, if a user is looking for inspiration, brands want to be that form of inspiration. However, there is a reason repinning is 80 percent of activity on the platform. On Pinterest, it's not who is controlling the story and when, rather, it's focused on brands and users sharing a common vision. 5. Instagram Instagram offers many of the same functions as other popular social media sites – the ability to like or comment on a picture. However, it doesn't have a suitable comparison to the repin, retweet or share function that is so common on other social media sites. Instagram is focused on telling your individual story – regardless of whether you're a brand or consumer. Whether it's capturing the perfect meal or showing a behind-the-scenes look into a brand, Instagram forces brands and consumers to stop focusing on the big picture and look to simple moments of the everyday. Instagram proves that a narrative is not just about being the story teller or the listener; it's about finding the moments, big or small, that matter most. Thousands, if not millions, of stories are told each day across social media. As each narrative finds its way to fans, followers and consumers, what do you think is most vital for brands to demonstrate its involvement? Photo credit: kennymatic Written by Edelman Digital | | Capitol Tweets: Social Media and the 2012 Presidential Debates Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:39 AM PST Tim Lau NOTE: This is the second part of a special Capitol Tweets post-election series. Presidential debates have often served as pivotal moments during election seasons. Richard Nixon's uneasy performance versus John Kennedy and Al Gore's repeated, exasperated sighs in reaction to opponent George W. Bush influenced Americans' perceptions – and likely their votes. The 2012 presidential debate season provided campaign-altering moments of its own, such as Republican candidate Mitt Romney's momentary surge in the polls after a mediocre first debate performance from President Barack Obama on October 3rd. This election season, the rise of social media added a participative dimension to the debates, bringing real-time conversations out of individuals' living rooms and into the public sphere as the debates unfolded. These conversations not only provided insight into voter opinions, but also armed candidates and campaign teams with additional channels for direct, reactive engagement. Social media users went so far as to memorialize key debate moments with memes and parody Twitter accounts, extending the lifespan of the conversations long after the 90-minute debates. Twitter and Search Trends: The New Debate Conversation Barometers Generating more than 10 million tweets during 90 minutes, the first 2012 presidential debate in Denver became, at the time, the most tweeted-about event in U.S. political history and set the bar for the three remaining debates. Beyond the sheer scale of Twitter participation (totaling 27.5 million tweets over 4 debates), Twitter data revealed spikes in conversation – often surpassing 100,000 tweets per minute (TPM) – that provided insight into the debate moments that viewers found particularly buzz-worthy. These conversation spikes ranged from specific policy issues (Biden on the timeline for leaving Afghanistan, Romney's tax plan, etc.) to candidate sound bites (Romney's "Big Bird" and Obama's "horses and bayonets") to quips from the moderators. Similar to Twitter, Google produced analyses of rising search terms throughout the debates. "Who is winning the debate?" was a top search term for all but one debate. Popular sound bites on Twitter also trended on Google, with "Big Bird," "malarkey," and "horses and bayonets" generating significant search traffic in respective debates. Most importantly, specific policy issues such as Simpson Bowles, Dodd Frank, Syria, and drones also rose in search traffic. This underscored the role of search in providing supplemental information to debate viewers, whose online participation took place on mobile devices, tablets and personal computers during the telecasts. Fact Checking, Tweet Sponsorships, and Live Engagement In addition to acting as a conversation barometer, social media provided a platform for candidates and campaign teams to engage directly and in real-time with debate viewers. Both presidential candidates' teams created their own fact-checking Twitter accounts (@TruthTeam2012 and @RomneyResponse) that "live tweeted" the debate telecasts. Various congressional members contributed to the live commentary, with some adhering to party talking points and others injecting humor. Still others had to delete tweets that were misspelled, inappropriate, or politically incorrect, but still captured by the Sunlight Foundation's "Politwoops” tool, which aggregates deleted tweets from politicians. Real-time sponsorship of emerging Twitter trends served as another way for campaigns to engage with debate watchers. Both campaign teams paid to promote topics and hashtags as they trended organically, driving attention to content from the candidates' Twitter handles. President Obama's campaign team was aggressive with this strategy, sponsoring trends with political sensitivity (Ahmadinejad, Nuclear Iran) and those hashtags originally generated by the opposition (#CantAfford4More). Memes, Parody Accounts, and the Debates' Digital Aftermaths An interesting phenomenon of this election season was the popularity of memes and parody/spoof accounts that satirized – and thus memorialized – key moments from the debates. In the first debate, Mitt Romney's proposal to cut funding for public broadcasting – and allusion to Sesame Street character Big Bird – led to Big Bird Twitter accounts (@BIGBIRD, @FiredBigBird, etc.) receiving more than 12,000 followers each within X hours of the debate. Additional parody accounts satirized everything from moderator Jim Lehrer's passivity (@SilentJimLehrer) to Vice President Joe Biden's laughter (@LaughinJoeBiden). Mitt Romney's claim in the third presidential debate to have received "binders full of women" for staffing his Massachusetts Governor's Office became a viral meme shared across Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. In fact, even @BIGBIRD weighed in on the "binders" sound bite; such "cross-meme" interactions underscore the longevity of candidate sound bites when preserved by social media. The table below summarizes the debates based on conversation spikes, rising search terms, trending debate topics, and popular parody accounts: 
How did you use social media during the presidential debates? Share in the comments below! Written by Tim Lau | You are subscribed to email updates from Edelman Digital
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EA and Visceral Games announce voice control for Dead Space 3 on Xbox 360 with Kinect
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 03:04 AM PST
| EA and Visceral Games announce voice control for Dead Space 3 on Xbox 360 with Kinect Posted: 14 Dec 2012 02:55 AM PST Over the last several years, video games have been becoming more and more interactive with new and innovative controls. The Nintendo Wii spurred this change in video game controls when it introduced motion control to the gaming arsenal. When Microsoft unveiled the Kinect, game developers and publishers began adding even more motion controls and voice control as well. 
EA has announced that it and Visceral Games will be adding new voice control features to the coming and highly anticipated video game Dead Space 3. If you don’t own an Xbox 360, you won’t be able to take advantage of the voice control aspects. Even if you do own an Xbox 360, you will need to have a Kinect to be able to enjoy voice controls. The voice control functionality promises to make it easier for co-op partners to share health or ammo, find objectives, revive one another, and more. The game is set to launch on February 5, 2013. Some of the voice controls Xbox 360 gamers using the Kinect will be able to take advantage of include find partner, fire stasis, attacked enemy, and more. While the voice controls will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 with Kinect, the standard version of the game will come to other platforms. The game will also be available on the PS3 and PC. Gamers in Europe will be able to purchase the title on February 8, 2013.
EA and Visceral Games announce voice control for Dead Space 3 on Xbox 360 with Kinect is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Amazon Instant Video comes to Apple iPhone and iPod touch Posted: 14 Dec 2012 02:40 AM PST  Retail giant Amazon has announced that its streaming Amazon Instant Video service has now landed on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The streaming service is now supported via an official app that is available for download on the App Store right now. The app allows both streaming and downloading of Amazon Instant Video movies and TV episodes.
Amazon Prime Instant Video is also available for streaming on the app allowing Prime Members to stream TV shows such as American Horror Story, Downton Abby, and Fringe. The streaming app also supports popular movies such as Goodfellas and Thor. If you’ve already purchased or rented content on Amazon Instant Video on your PS3 or other devices, you will be allowed access it via your iPhone or iPad as well. The app for the iPhone and iPod Touch offers a Watchlist feature allowing customers to make a list of all the movies and TV episodes they want to watch. Content can be added to the Watchlist whether you own the video or TV episode or not. The app also features a Your Video Library section giving access to content that you purchased and rented from the web-based service. The application is a free download is available on the App Store right now. Rolling out an application for the iPhone and iPod touch is Amazon’s latest tactic in combating Netflix and other popular streaming services that have been available on the iPhone and other Apple gadgets for a while.
Amazon Instant Video comes to Apple iPhone and iPod touch is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Comcast Xfinity TV player app gets the ability to download offline content Posted: 14 Dec 2012 02:28 AM PST Comcast customers can now download a new version of the company’s Xfinity TV Player app. The new version of the application brings with it a new and welcome feature with the ability to download TV shows and movies directly to mobile devices. Once the shows are downloaded, they are available for off-line viewing. 
The new app was available to download as of yesterday and customers have the ability to download thousands of premium TV and movie choices from Showtime, Starz, Encore, and Movieplex. The app is available for the Apple iOS devices and Android smartphones or tablets. The ability to download content for off-line viewing is a big deal and is perfect for people who spend a lot of time on a train or in a car where there’s no Internet connection. Some of the most popular series from the premium movie channels are available for download including shows like Dexter and Homeland on Showtime. Users of the app can also download full-length movies such as Cars 2, The Muppets, and others. The content is available for download over Wi-Fi connections for all users. However, Comcast and Verizon Wireless have teamed up to offer users the ability to download and stream content to their mobile devices over the Verizon 4G LTE network.
Comcast Xfinity TV player app gets the ability to download offline content is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Bing Desktop updated with support for Windows XP, more languages Posted: 14 Dec 2012 12:20 AM PST Microsoft has launched an update for Bing Desktop, bringing it up to version 1.1 while adding new support and more languages. Bing Desktop brings a Bing search bar to your computer’s desktop, making it easier to search without pulling up your Web browser first. Likewise, it also brings the iconic Bing backgrounds to your desktop, giving you some snazzy wallpapers to look at while you type in your search query. 
Bing Desktop version 1.1 supports all versions of Windows starting at XP, unlike previous versions of the application. In addition, it brings with it support for four additional languages, opening it up to more users across the world. Now those who speak French, German, Japanese, and Chinese can enjoy having Bing directly on their desktop. As for wallpapers, the images are pulled from Bing’s global image database, meaning it gets its images from more than just the U.S. Bing home page. Users can tweak settings and preferences via the Bing search bar on the desktop. Perhaps one of its best features, a small tidbit of information about the image will appear when the user hovers his or her mouse over the information icon on the search bar. 
If you don’t like your current wallpaper background or want to enjoy a specific one a bit longer, users can now toggle through past wallpapers (up to the last nine days worth, anyway) and select one to use. Highlights for popular news, videos, and more can be viewed by clicking on the headlines button on the search bar, which rolls down a small menu displaying summaries and links to content. Says Microsoft, “At Bing, we're known for our iconic homepage images. The photos serve to highlight the beauty of our world with the goal of sparking your curiosity and sense of exploration.” [via Bing]
Bing Desktop updated with support for Windows XP, more languages is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | BBC launches improved iPlayer for Android, will steadily increase quality in 2013 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:52 PM PST The BBC has been fairly regularly updating its iPlayer for Android app, with a release having come out in October, and now another update having just been rolled out that adds new support and better image quality. Rather than just push out a new update and call it a day, however, BBC went on to state in the announcement that Android is “extremely important,” and that it will be rolling out a series of regular updates to improve the player’s quality and performance. 
The image above represents the previous and new versions of iPlayer for Android, with the previous version being demonstrated on the left and the new version being demonstrated on the right. The improvement in video quality is very noticeable, and is the result of new video encoding that reduces artifacts. The new version of iPlayer for Android supports Jelly Bean 4.2, has improved video quality when streaming over Wi-Fi, the design has been tweaked a bit, and the channel BBC Alba has been added. Says BBC, “When we launched, seven inch Android tablets weren’t driving significant usage. Fast forward three months and the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7 are now both firmly in the top five Android devices for BBC iPlayer and the BBC Media Player. The Android platform is extremely important to the BBC and our audience and engineering for it requires an ongoing commitment.” The company then goes on to state its overall goals for iPlayer, which encompass improved video playback, feature parity between the iOS and Android apps, and support for multiple screen sizes. Improvements will start being implemented before Christmas, with one of the first plans being to increase quality on 4G networks and decrease quality on 3G networks. More updates will be pushed out in 2013, ultimately resulting in an app far more refined than what is currently available. [via Android Community]
BBC launches improved iPlayer for Android, will steadily increase quality in 2013 is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | BlackBerry 10 to be tested by U.S. Immigration and Customs in 2013 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:33 PM PST On October 22, we reported that the U.S. Immigration and Customs agency had ditched BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone, stating that RIM’s platform was inadequate for its needs. This came as a bit of a blindside, considering that BlackBerrys have been a staple of government agencies in the United States for years. Now RIM has announced that ICE will be one of the first government agencies to test out its BlackBerry 10 smartphones in early 2013. 
This testing phase doesn’t mean that ICE is ditching the iPhone, and RIM is shelling out the money for this so called pilot project. Says ICE’s press secretary Barbara Gonzalex, “We’re not backing away from iOS, nor RIM. We’ve had a long and good relationship with RIM.” Unlike some of the other government agencies that have completely dropped RIM, ICE will use both BlackBerrys and iPhones. ICE plans to drop a cool $2.1 million on nearly 18,000 iPhones, according to a document released in October. BlackBerry suffered heavily this year in terms of both market share and getting kicked to the curb by agencies that have long utilized its phones. BlackBerry 10 is RIM’s potential salvation, although whether it can ever regain the ground it has lost is up for debate. Back in October, ICE made this statement: “[The iPhone will be used by a] variety of agency personnel, including, but not limited to, Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and Office of the Principal Legal Advisor employees. The iPhone services will allow these individuals to leverage reliable, mobile technology on a secure and manageable platform in furtherance of the agency's mission.” [ via Bloomberg]
BlackBerry 10 to be tested by U.S. Immigration and Customs in 2013 is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Windows Phone Store launches in 37 new markets Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:55 PM PST Microsoft has announced the launch of 37 new markets for the Windows Phone Store, bringing the total up to 112 globally. Says the announcement, including phone Store with the web Store brings the total market number to 191. In addition to the market expansion, a variety of new features have also been tossed into the mix. 
The new markets include Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Togo, Paraguay, Niger, El Salvador, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Zambia, and Yemen, among others. Says Microsoft, the Windows Phone Store will continue to expand to new markets in 2013 in addition to more features being added. “The team worked hard this year to expand the Windows Phone Store to new markets and add improvements making it easier to find and download great apps and games.” Regarding new features, there are a few to speak of. First up is the addition of universal search, which decreases the hops one must take in order to locate whatever it is they are looking for. Apps and tutorials can now be located via the same search results, simplifying the task of hunting down the specific article or application you want. There’s Store support for installing apps using an SD card, with app pages now including a “Download and install manually” option. The apps are downloaded to the computer as a .XAP file, which can then be transferred to the phone’s media card and installed directly. Finally, there’s the Reinstall feature, which allows users to reinstall apps via their Microsoft account; and no, you won’t have to re-buy paid apps to use it. [via Windows]
Windows Phone Store launches in 37 new markets is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Australian police issue warning about Google Maps Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:59 PM PST Curiously enough, a few days after police in Australia warned that Apple Maps was sending drivers off into a waterless, scorching desert-like national park, another Australian authority, this time in Colac, has issued a warning about Google Maps. The issue at hand seems far less severe, however, and Google has a reasonable explanation for why Maps sends drivers where it does. 
The issue, according to Colac authorities, is that Google Maps sends drivers down a one-way road called Wild Dog Road that was not designed for heavy traffic. In doing so, Google Maps is creating a “significant safety issue for tourists, locals.” The road in question lies near the Great Ocean Road in Colac, which is near Melbourne in southern Australia. A Google spokesperson offered an explanation about the issue, stating that drivers are only directed down Wild Dog Road if the destination is located on that road. If the destination is located nearby, Maps will use a route that takes drivers down either Skenes Creek Road or Forrest Apollo Road, avoiding Wild Dog Road. If what the spokesperson says is true, this can hardly be claimed a “potentially deadly error,” considering that sending drivers down a road in order to get to a destination located on the road is necessary. If Wild Dog Road is receiving more traffic from tourists and residents than it can handle, blaming the glut on Google Maps – or any mapping service – that is legitimately navigating drivers to destinations on that road is hardly sensible. Still, Colac’s police sergeant said this: “My concern is that one day we’re going to be at the coroners court [being asked] well what did you do about it. We’re trying to do something about it, but if a 22-seater bus rolls off Wild Dog Road today, [there wouldn't be] the multi-agency response to this issue that I would like.” [via Yahoo]
Australian police issue warning about Google Maps is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | McAfee Labs says that Project Blitzkrieg is a real threat to the US Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:13 PM PST McAfee Labs has issued a report that states Project Blitzkrieg is a credible threat to the United States’ banks. This follows a string of DDoS attacks that targeted banks through the US back in October. If Project Blitzkrieg is carried out as claimed, the ramifications will be far beyond that of October’s attacks. 
Project Blitzkrieg is run by an individual known only as vorVzakone, and was discovered by RSA researchers. On a Russian forum, vorVzakone announced that 30 US banks would be targeted early next year using a trojan to infect users computers. He then began actively recruiting other hackers to join him in his mission. VorVzakone claims that the trojan’s creation began back in 2008, and that thus far it has been used to transfer $5 million. According to McAfee, the forum post is “very generic,” but makes mention of a new trojan. Some have been inclined to believe the claims and trojan are real, while critics have expressed doubt over the project. Now McAfee has tossed its voice into the mix: “Our analysis suggests it is authentic, though the timing of the fraudulent activity is unknown. In order to validate some of the claims, we tracked down the server that
vorVzakone used in early pilot stages of Project Blitzkrieg and identified the variant that infected victims … Additional investigation has led us to confirm the variant and time frame when this particular campaign was live at a given location, further validating that Project Blitzkrieg is real and not fictional.” [via McAfee]
McAfee Labs says that Project Blitzkrieg is a real threat to the US is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Apple relaunches app gifting, lets buyers postpone “shipping” Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:15 PM PST Apple‘s app gifting option ended with the arrival of iOS 6, but has finally been brought back narrowly in time for the holidays. Joining the service is the new ability to select when you want the recipient to receive your digital gift. Buyers can schedule an app to be sent on Christmas, for example, or on the recipient’s birthday. 
The digital gifts can be sent to multiple people at once, saving time. Giving an app is about as simple as can be hoped for: simply choose “Gift” from the app’s information card and choose the recipient(s). If a date isn’t selected, the app will be fired off right away. Gifts can be scheduled as early as three months in advance. According to the Wall Street Journal, users cannot give app gifts from a mobile device running iOS 6, although the feature is available with iOS 5. Those running iOS 6 devices will have to do their app gifting via iTunes using their computer. This is a tad inconvenient, but not terribly so, considering that you still don’t have to trudge out into the cold. Of course, you can also nab an iTunes Gift Card if you’re not sure what app your recipient wants. For those on your shopping list who use Android, Google doesn’t offer an app gifting feature, but users can buy a Google Play Gift Card of up to $50 and give that instead. Not quite as awesome as having specific apps sent to your friends’ phones on Christmas, but still nice. [via Apple Insider]
Apple relaunches app gifting, lets buyers postpone “shipping” is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Seattle partners with Gigabit Squared to offer gigabit Internet Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:24 PM PST Seattle’s Mayor Mike McGinn has announced that the Emerald City will be getting its own gigabit Internet connection in the relatively near future. This comes after an agreement with the University of Washington and Gigabit Squared. Also in the pipeline is a plan for adding a city wireless Internet network, which would come after the connected network. 
The service will be offered in three iterations: fiber connections for homes and businesses, dedicated gigabit connections for multi-family homes and offices, and “next generation mobile wireless Internet.” The endeavor is part of Seattle’s Gigabit Neighborhood Gateway Program. The initial launch will bring the service to 12 neighborhoods. The Seattle locations to be graced with gigabit connections are as follows: “Area 1: the University of Washington's West Campus District, Area 2: South Lake Union, Area 3: First Hill/Capitol Hill/Central Area, Area 4: the University of Washington's Metropolitan Tract in downtown Seattle, Area 5: the University of Washington's Family Housing at Sand Point, Area 6: Northgate, Area 7: Volunteer Park Area, Area 8: Beacon Hill and SODO Light Rail Station and Areas 9-12: Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello, and Rainier Beach.” There’s no word on how much it will cost to use the network, nor when residents can expect it to be in place. It looks like the prices won’t break the bank, however, with Gigabit Squared stating on its website after the announcement was made: “Our rates are yet to be finalized, but households and businesses should expect extremely competitive rates.” [via Seattle.gov]
Seattle partners with Gigabit Squared to offer gigabit Internet is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | United States says no to U.N. telecommunications treaty Posted: 13 Dec 2012 06:31 PM PST Today, nations gathered in Dubai to vote on the UN’s telecommunications treaty, which many fear threatens the very foundations of the Internet. The United States rejected the agreement, stating that it will not sign unless “major revisions” were implemented. Many nations say that the UN treaty would result in a restrictive, censored Internet. 
Many hold the stance that the telecommunications treaty should not encompass the Internet, which would suffer under the new regulations and fall heavily under government control. The United States isn’t the only nation to take this stance, being joined by Canada and various European nations. On the other hand, Russia, China, the UAE, and several other nations are all in favor of changes. On Wednesday, an Internet resolution from Russia and the UAE, among others, was won by a majority vote. As such, the resolution would cause the Internet to fall under the telecommunications union framework. This comes after Russia and its supporters attempted to have a clause resembling the resolution added to the treaty. Ultimately, the nations withdrew that in favor of something less extreme, but the change was not significant enough to earn the US’s support. The head of the American delegation in Dubai Terry Kramer made this statement. “It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that the United States must communicate that it is unable to sign the agreement in its current form … We cannot support a treaty that is not supportive of the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance.” [via New York Times]
United States says no to U.N. telecommunications treaty is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: December 13, 2012 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 05:16 PM PST Welcome to Thursday evening everyone. Today Verizon confirmed that Jelly Bean will begin rolling out to the Galaxy S III starting tomorrow, so get ready for that to drop. Apple released its iTunes Best of 2012 list today, while Facebook rolled out a native app for Android, which can boast speeds that are twice as fast. Google has brought double tap functionality to its mobile ads, meaning that you no longer have to worry about accidentally clicking an ad, and a US court has found that the iPhone infringes on three MobileMedia patents, with those patents revealed later in the day. 
Curiosity showed us today what the night sky looks like from the surface of Mars (spoiler alert: it’s pretty awesome), while PlayOn has provided Wii U users with 45 Internet video channels. The Windows 8 store is now accepting PEGI 18 games, and New York City Taxi apps have been approved for a pilot test program. Both the 2014 GMC Sierra and the 2014 Chevy Silverado were revealed today, and both are sporting new MyLink and IntelliLink technology. Pudding Monsters got its first gameplay video today, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II players are in for yet another double XP weekend. We found out this afternoon that Samsung’s president uses Apple products, and that the Hitman HD Trilogy will be launching in the US and Europe next year. The Humble THQ Bundle has closed with more than $5 million raised, and there’s a new Borderlands 2 patch that fixes the rank reset problem on Xbox 360. A very ridiculous sounding rumor pegs Intel with a desire to buy NVIDIA, while Kingston has launched a new 128GB Wi-Drive for Android and iOS devices. Finally tonight, we have to urge you to check our new original posts. We take Apple Maps and Google Maps with us to the airport to see which one performs better, while Chris Burns delivers his review of the new iOS Google Maps app and Chris Davies tells us what he thinks of the HTC Windows Phone 8S. That does it for tonight’s evening wrap-up, we hope you enjoy the rest of your night folks!
SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: December 13, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | NASA to deliberately crash probes into the moon Posted: 13 Dec 2012 05:14 PM PST NASA has announced that it’s set to deliberately crash two “tiny” probes into the Moon’s surface on Monday the 17th. These two particular probes named Ebb and Flow are small, and have been orbiting the moon for months while gathering data. Of course, small is relative: the probes are about the size of your dishwasher or washing machine. 
Sadly for us, there won’t be any pictures of the event, as Ebb and Flow will land on a mountain covered in a shadow at the time. Also, despite the fact that they are going to hit the Moon at about 3,760 miles per hour, there won’t be any grand explosions. Likewise, the probes’ crash landing will be controlled. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory project manager David Lehman offered this statement. “We’re not expecting a big smash, a big explosion. Their fuel tank will be empty and they are the size of a washing machine.” Meanwhile, MIT’s Maria Zubar was quoted as saying, “I couldn’t have imagined even in my dreams that the mission would be so successful.” The deliberate crashing of the probes is due to their low fuel levels, which have resulted in a decent too low to perform any additional missions. Still, though its their time to retire, Ebb and Flow achieved quite a few things, including nabbing the highest resolution gravity map that has been procured from a planet or moon. Their mission began on January 1st; Ebb and Flow are going down just a couple weeks before their first orbital anniversary. [via Google News]
NASA to deliberately crash probes into the moon is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Borderlands 2 patch fixes rank resets on 360, new DLC confirmed Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:42 PM PST A while back, we heard about a pretty nasty Borderlands 2 bug that was resetting players’ badass ranks and the stat boosts they had purchased with badass tokens. It was an issue that had a lot of players upset, but Xbox 360 players are finally receiving a fix in the latest Borderlands 2 update. The fix restores badass rank and will reissue the badass tokens you earned while exploring Pandora, letting you increase your stat bonuses back to where they were or go a completely different route this time around. 
In order to make sure that your badass rank is restored, Gearbox recommended that you continue your game and then save and quit once you’re in the world. Doing this with each character will “ensure you are credited for as much progress as possible.” G4 reports that Gearbox has even given 10 golden keys to those who were affected by the issue, so some players have a lot of high-quality loot in their immediate future. Things get more exciting, though, when we learn that all players can now reset their challenge progress to increase their badass rank further and earn more tokens. Your current badass rank and bonuses will stay in tact if you opt to reset your challenges, which is something you can do if you’ve “completed 85% of all non-DLC, non-area-specific challenge levels.” It sounds like a pretty cool feature, as it gives players who have maxed out at level 50 something else to do. Meanwhile, one Gearbox forums member posted PS3 trophy information on a piece of Borderlands 2 DLC dubbed “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt,” a title Gearbox later confirmed to Polygon. There’s a bronze trophy for completing a mission titled “The Fall of Nakayama,” a silver trophy for discovering all of the named areas in the DLC, and a gold trophy for completing all of the DLC’s side missions, but other than that details are slim. We don’t know if we’ll be getting the long-awaited level cap increase with this DLC, but you can bet that fans are hoping. We’ll have more details for you once Gearbox is ready to talk, so stay tuned.
Borderlands 2 patch fixes rank resets on 360, new DLC confirmed is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Google Maps vs Apple Maps hands-on to the airport Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:16 PM PST When faced with the idea that either Apple’s Maps solution or Google’s Maps solution might be better at everyday situations here on the first day when both are available for use on the iPhone, we decided to put them up to the test. The test in this case was getting from here (at a hotel in Saint Paul) to the Minneapolis International Airport, deciding as we do so what constitutes a more effective set of controls. 
Search Searching for the location we’re headed to here has points going to Google for putting the Minneapolis airport (the closest airport to us at the time) up on top of the search list while Apple suggested we look through every airport in their collection, no matter the distance. If we searched “Minneapolis Airport” of course both apps brought up the correct location first. It’s extremely important that Google’s solution is location aware in this search piece of the puzzle, without a doubt. 
Saying “I want to go to there” Of course if you want to head to the Airport after you’ve searched for it, a classic Liz Lemon command should do it, right? As the iPhone works with Apple’s Maps solution with Siri, actually commanding Siri to bring us to the Airport had the correct airport on the list right up near the top of the list – tap it and you’re on your way. This is just about the simplest process in the book, and Apple certainly gets points for the simplicity factor in attaining a voice-commanded request. 
Unfortunately even if we open up the official Google search app (basically the Apple equivalent of Google Now for Android) we can’t get to Google Maps directly as Siri does with Apple Maps – instead we’re directed to a site that says Google’s Mobile version of maps (in this case meaning in-browser) isn’t ready for action quite yet. Alternate Routes It’s possible in both the Google Maps and Apple Maps to choose alternate routes depending on where you’re going. The first display you get when heading out in a Google Maps is a list of routes listing the amount of time it’ll take, “via” the largest road, a note about traffic (heavy, light, etc), and the physical distance you’ll be traveling. With Apple Maps you get suggested routes on the birds-eye-view map with tags on them that say “Route 1″, “Route 2″, and more – when you tap on each of them, the amount of time they’ll take for you as well as the physical distance is shown in the status bar above the map. 
If you tap “show traffic” while you’re viewing your alternate routes in Apple Maps, you can see red dotted lines where heavy traffic exists, but these markers are hidden under the large blue lines that are your routes – so you won’t be able to see if there’s traffic there either way. Google’s method for giving you options in your routes here gets points for transparency and ease of use. Driving Actually traversing your chosen route is largely the same on both platforms, believe it or not, with the big differences being in the before and after portion of this puzzle. If I, Chris Burns, had to choose which version looked more aesthetically pleasing, I’d certainly choose the flattened modern look of Google Maps over the third dimension skeuomorphisms present in Apple’s approach. Google’s visuals also offer a bit more detailed information about the turns that are coming up while Apple simplifies a bit more than is necessary at this juncture in the process. 
The accuracy of each of the map ecosystems is really up to you – its your area that you’re going to be navigating, and if you’ve used one or the other and found it to be less than pleasing, we suggest giving the alternative a try. Wrap-up This is just one of many tests we could perform on and with these map apps. A third alternative you really should be considering is Telenav’s Scout – a rather graphically intense version of all this with controls and details precise and excellent from top to bottom – with that app you’ll be getting a whole different game, all about navigation and exploration at once. Remember that both Apple Maps and Google Maps are free apps, with the former being installed on your iOS 6 device right out of the box and working with Siri and the latter being based on Google’s approach, integrated with your Google account. We recommend you give both for a whirl, just for kicks.
Google Maps vs Apple Maps hands-on to the airport is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Intel to acquire NVIDIA in wild rumor with Jen-Hsun at helm Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:26 PM PST It appears that one of the crazier of rumors we’ve heard for a while has fired up in the processor business with NVIDIA being acquired by Intel with a CEO switch-up placing none other than NVIDIA’s current head in charge of it all. The folks at Bright Side of news have a bit of an unsubstantiated set of claims here that we’re going to go ahead and report on just as much for its possible validity as for the entertainment value it provides you, the reader, as the possibility of these two titans teaming up is not exactly on the top of our “yes, that will happen” lists for 2013. 
These sources say that “a coffee table” is being sat at by NVIDIA and Intel where they’re discussing the possibility of a team-up in the near future. Not so much of a team-up when it comes to the cash, as the deal is said to have Intel purchasing NVIDIA while the head of NVIDIA replaces the head of Intel. As you attempt to swallow all of this information, note that it’s said to not just be about the mobile processing unit of NVIDIA, but the GeForce segment as well. The one ding in the armor that is the impossibility of this deal is the fact that Intel’s BoD announced earlier this year that they’re considering a new CEO that wouldn’t necessarily come from in-house. The board at Intel noted specifically that they would "consider internal and external candidates" for the new CEO and that a transition would take place in May of 2013. The transition is happening now, in fact, with a 6-month period separating May from the original start of the move. The move for Intel has been suggested to be partially due to the lack of power Intel has shown in the mobile business (tablets, smartphones, and everything in-between). If NVIDIA’s power moves over the past several years are any indication of how well they’re being received as a mobile force to be reckoned with, Intel certainly has had considerations on their mind on how they might take a bite of that delicious SoC pie. Will that suggestion of a taste end up resulting in an outright purchase of NVIDIA? We’ll just have to wait and see!
Intel to acquire NVIDIA in wild rumor with Jen-Hsun at helm is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Kingston releases 128GB Wi-Drive for Android and iOS devices Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:20 PM PST Kingston‘s relatively recent Wi-Drive expands the measly storage of your iOS or Android device by providing an external storage solution that communicates with your mobile device via a wireless connection. It’s great for those with massive storage needs while on the go, and now the company just outed a 128GB version for those who need even more storage. 
Previously, the Wi-Drive only came in 32GB and 64GB flavors, which certainly helped double the storage capacity of any iOS or Android device, but you can already get phones that have up to 64GB of storage anyway, so the introduction of this 128GB version really hits the spot for those looking for a big storage boost. The Wi-Drive is is about the same size as a smartphone and it looks a lot like an iPhone 3G or 3GS, except that it doesn’t have a display and it only has a solid state drive on the inside. Kingston is saying that the extra space doesn’t change the Wi-Drive’s expected four-hour battery life, so there doesn’t seem to be any drawbacks for going bigger. As far as price, Kingston’s website is selling it for $273, but Amazon has it for way less at a more reasonable $176 plus shipping. With a 64GB version costing $110, the 128GB seems like the better deal here, but will cost you more money up front. Either way, if you’re wanting to take your library of digital movies and music with you on the go, the Wi-Drive is a solid option. Have a look at our hands-on of the device from last year. [via Android Community]
Kingston releases 128GB Wi-Drive for Android and iOS devices is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Curiosity snaps images of space from surface of Mars Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:16 PM PST The hubbub surrounding the Curiosity rover seems to have died down a bit in recent weeks, but it’s reminding us today that it’s still working away on the surface of Mars with a set of new images. Most of the pictures are of the surface itself, but for two of the shots, Curiosity turned its lens toward the sky. If you’ve ever wondered what space looks like from the surface of Mars, wonder no longer. 
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call “awesome.” The shots were shared today on Curiosity’s Google Plus page, along with 15 other black and white photos snapped from the Red Planet. The other photos are mostly what you’d expect – images of rocks, hills, and mountains with a smattering of Curiosity itself here and there. That’s not to say they’re boring, though, as any picture from Curiosity is certainly enough amaze. 
But those images of the starry sky are truly breathtaking. Curiosity has been on Mars for a few months now, launching from Earth way back in November 2011 and touching down on the surface in August of this year. In the time since, it’s found plenty of interesting things to examine, sending photos of its journey back here to Earth the entire time. 
Curiosity will be spending two years examining the environment on Mars. It will study a lot of different things during its mission, but one of the major goals of this trip to Mars is to better understand if the red planet could have ever supported life. These images definitely aren’t the last we’ll hear from Curiosity, so stay tuned.   
Curiosity snaps images of space from surface of Mars is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Google brings a double-tap to in-app advertisements Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:46 PM PST Those of you using apps with advertisements and banners inside of them know the horror, one way or another, of accidentally tapping on that link to he facial cream service you never knew you wanted – Google is about to alleviate all that. With a change to the way mobile advertisements are implemented on the regular, Google has made a single click into a double click – but without actually changing the way the advertisements are added to an app. 
What you’re seeing here is an upgrade to the system that Google has in place already with text links in banners. You’ll be taken to the link directly if you click the Blue arrow in the banner, but if you click anywhere outside the arrow button, you’ll be prompted to confirm your decision to leave the app. This update moves this system over the image-based banners as well. 
What you’re going to see here is the blue arrow on all advertisements of the image persuasion in your Android apps. If you’re not the sort of person who works with apps that have advertisements running through their veins, you’ll see nothing new. Google’s own Allen Huang, Product Manager of Mobile Display Ads had the following to say on the situation earlier today: “This is only the beginning. As devices continue to converge there will be new challenges in the fight against what many have called the 'fat finger' problem. But implementing confirmed clicks is an important step that we think will benefit users, advertisers, publishers, and the mobile ecosystem overall, and we'll continue to look for ways to improve mobile ads for everyone.” – Huang
Have a peek at the mobile advertisements in your Android apps (if you’ve not already) and prepare for a whole lot less of the ol’ “woops” clicks in the very near future. Never forget – double tap! 
[via Google Mobile Ads]
Google brings a double-tap to in-app advertisements is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Call of Duty: Black Ops II hosting double XP weekend Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:14 PM PST The first big event for Call of Duty: Black Ops II since its initial launch earlier this month will be a double XP weekend starting tomorrow. Also, throughout the weekend, Treyarch will be hosting clan competitions for the first time, which means that while you can your clan take on your rivals, you’ll be earning double XP at the same time. 
Double XP will be awarded across all platforms starting at 1 PM ET on Friday, December 14, and ending at 1 PM ET on Monday, December 17. That’s a full 72 hours when you can run and gun while earning double the rewards. Xbox 360 gamers will also be able to partake in a “Game with Developers” event on December 14, where gamers can go head-to-head with the developers of the game itself. As far as the clan competitions, there will be three different categories: Core Domination Captures, Core Kill Confirmed, and Core Team Deathmatch. Each category will be played on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. Sign-ups are now live, so if you and your friends have any interest in the competition, now would be a good time to pen down your names. According to a tweet from the official Call of Duty Twitter account, there’s also going to be a live stream on YouTube. We’re not exactly sure what the live stream will feature, but it’ll mostly stream the “Game with Developers” event and possibly a few clan matches throughout the weekend.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II hosting double XP weekend is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | MobileMedia vs Apple case: the three patents listed Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:01 PM PST Earlier today it was reported that Apple was found guilty of infringing on a set of three patents owned by the group known as MobileMedia. These patents have been revealed as dealing with the display of call options on a smart device screen, a method of determining the worth of an incoming call, and another dealing with a camera on a smart device. Each of these patents being found infringed upon by Apple has made MobileMedia Chief Executive Officer Larry Horn “very pleased”, his post-session interview with Bloomberg letting the world know that MobileMedia “feels [the ruling is] justified” on all counts. 
Reported as the case was going on this morning, we had some insight on what the possible outcome could be with a report listing several patent infringement allegations that were indeed taking place in the case. Now the final verdict has been revealed and the claims have been listed. The Jury Verdict was handed down and scanned in by The Verge, this document revealing the following three patents to have been the culprits in this case. Patent US 6,070,068 – Inventor: Fukuharu Sudo – Original Assignee Sony Corporation Includes the ability to control call options for multiple calls and also covers the ability to display call options on a screen – this includes everything from your ignore button to the call button and back again. Patent US 6,253,075 – Inventors: Justin Beghtol, Kenneth Mar – Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd. For deciding whether or not an incoming call should be ignored or rejected – the ignore button on your device is covered under this basically one way or another. Patent US 6,427,078 – Inventors: Kari-Pekka Wilska, Reijo Paajanen, Mikko Terho, Jari Hamalainen – Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd. For a mobile phone with a camera that works with a processor and a display as well as a user input and optics for collecting images. This system is also able to transmit the collected image information with a radio frequency channel – like magic! 
We’ve yet to hear word from either party outside of the short Bloomberg blurb made by the MobileMedia CEO, but we expect some rather pointed sentences to be coming from at least one side or the other in the very near future. Stay tuned to see how this unfolds – and if anyone will be liable for monetary compensation.
MobileMedia vs Apple case: the three patents listed is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Facebook for Android goes native, is twice as fast Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:44 AM PST Facebook released a native version of their app for iOS back in August, but Android was left in the dust at the time. Finally, after months of waiting, Facebook is rolling out a native app for Android today. The app ditches HTML 5 in favor of native code to speed up loading times and improve overall performance. 
If the native Facebook app on iOS is any indication, the new app for Android should be about twice as fast, allowing for speedier navigation and faster loading of photos and pages. Facebook has claimed to have fixed many of the sluggish performance woes, and have completely rebuilt news feed, notifications and Timeline in order to achieve improved performance. Exact details on what was all changed and updated is not known — we’ll have to wait for the app to hit the Google Play store before we can get a look at the changelog. However, the folks at Facebook mention that they've rebuilt everything with speed in mind, just like the iOS app update released a couple of months. They’re calling the update version 2.0, and while nothing has changed design wise, users should definitely notice a huge difference in speed. The update isn't available just yet in the Google Play store, but it should be making its way in there at some point later today. We’ll update this story once the app update is live. UPDATE: The app is now live in the Google Play store. [via Android Community]
Facebook for Android goes native, is twice as fast is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Verizon Galaxy S III Jelly Bean update official Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:33 AM PST You folks out there working with the Samsung Galaxy S III on Verizon’s 4G LTE network will be glad to know that it’s been officially updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, this upgrade including no less than Google Now. The Google Now service is one of Google’s most high-profile releases in the software upgrade world as far as Android goes at the moment and brings on a collection of update cards that give you information on your daily doings on the fly. This update also comes with more live camera filters. 
Interestingly enough, this update brings on a selection of new live camera filters such as warm vintage, cold vintage, black and white, sepia, and more just as the likes of Twitter are bringing on their own in-app filters and photo massacres. This update also adds the ability to pause and resume video all in one take – this allowing you to create fabulous multi-part videos without needing to edit them together in post-production. Google Now will be able to be accessed by you by holding your Home Button down for a couple of moments – you’ll be prompted to participate with Google Now as it does require access to some of your information such as GPS location and recent searches. Search for the Minnesota Vikings a couple of times and Google Now will know that they’re you’re favorite team – try it out! The Samsung Galaxy S III’s update the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean makes it the next in line to be able to work with the Verizon-supported ISIS digital wallet system. The ISIS system is live now in Austin Texas as well as Salt Lake City – coming soon to an area near you! You can grab the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update in an over-the-air update that’ll be coming to you automatically – or you can go into your settings and roll all the way to the bottom of the list where you’ll find info that’ll have you pinging Verizon – say hey! Let’s do this! [via Verizon]
Verizon Galaxy S III Jelly Bean update official is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Apple reveals “Best of 2012″ in the iTunes App Store Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:17 AM PST Facebook has already done their year-end thing for 2012, and so has Twitter and Google. Apple is joining in on the fun with their own “Best of 2012” apps in the iTunes App Store. There are hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from in the App Store, and there's a pretty good chance you missed some great ones that came out in 2012. Apple has your back, though. 
As far as numbers go, Google’s YouTube app topped the list of free iPhone apps, with Angry Birds Space taking the top spot as far as paid iPhone apps, as well as paid iPad apps. Skype took #1 on the free iPad app list. Instagram, WhatsApp, Temple Run, and Where’s My Water? all took second place, respectively. Apple also took the opportunity to single out some iOS favorites, by naming Action Movie FX its iPhone App of the Year, and Rayman Jungle Run the iPhone Game of the Year. On the iPad, Paper and The Room took top honors, respectively. We’re not sure what Apple was basing their judgements on, but none of these apps were toward the top of their respective lists. Aside from apps, Apple also rounded up the best of 2012 with music, movies, TV shows, books, and podcasts. Frank Ocean took top honors as Best Artist, The Avengers as the Best Blockbuster, Breaking Bad as the Best TV show, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller as the Best Novel (The Fifty Shades trilogy owned the top three spots as far as Best Sellers), and NPR: TED Radio Hour took the Best Podcast.
Apple reveals “Best of 2012″ in the iTunes App Store is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | PlayOn provides Wii U with 45 internet video channels today Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:17 AM PST If you were looking for a way to work with video content on your brand new Wii U and are a bit bummed that Nintendo’s own Tvii might not be coming until sometime into 2013, you’d be well off checking out PlayOn. We had a chance to peek at PlayOn over the past few days and can say without hesitation that yes, indeed, it does work like a charm – bringing you 45 new channels of video content where otherwise you’d have only 4 selections (and Netflix and Hulu are in here too!) ![hero-gfx-wiiu-noft[2]](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/SdgGaAfPpzcpGgWKt3vVLvQSYcOMjWZHWmhuMN83DoHN3MrciJy6sIHQJKbFVadUKyI9lcOKVryJN9MQ_Fh7lSyQgXnSnU35iOCuITlFF2G2kyo97IBRdcVClXGh2w=s0-d-e1-ft#http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/hero-gfx-wiiu-noft2.png)
The service known as PlayOn collects 45 different brands together into one big batch, adding not just service like HBO Go and Amazon VOD to your television set through your Wii U, but your own videos from your Windows PC as well. Have a peek at the chart below to see the vast selection of connections you’ll be working with right out of the box – and note that the four selections in the upper left-hand corner are already on Wii U as their own app – daunting! ![wiiu-comparision-chart[2]](https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/WZZ_-VswuhslbvbSWR2fbSdS7KH54UcLULrQ7Fc1e9mfBsAqQW1VO53kDVwhnJotKWv8UOfMYKxWSylPCGHYf58Eh9ods2dcrl7_sSXEaxowmFth5nehDmHbCFxYIGIreIU23_XFZlZDVQ=s0-d-e1-ft#http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/wiiu-comparision-chart2-521x500.png)
The PlayOn ecosystem is available with a one-time lifetime license cost of $39.99 – one time and you’re hooked up forever. Just like a real software build should be. Once you’re good to go, you’ll find that all of the services above are available to you on your Wii U as well as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the original Wii as well! There’s also a massive amount of other devices that the PlayOn interface works with, and you can work with DLNA-compliant devices galore, too – have a peek at the full device list for compatibility – you’ll find the iPad, iPhone, Android phones with OS 2.2 and up, Google TV, and Roku appearing there as well. 
The Wii U GamePad remote allows you to use your touchscreen controls to make selections and you’re able to watch videos on either your Gamepad or your TV. You can watch Hulu for free on your television (the free version) without a Hulu+ subscription where otherwise you’d not have been able to, but of course you’ll need a Netflix subscription to get on the Netflix train, and Amazon video needs the necessary costs to be the boss, too – but with all the rest of the massive amount of channels you’ve got here, you’ll have more than enough free video to go around! 
The Wii U support page has gone live today – note that you will need a Windows PC or a Mac running some form of Windows virtualization to get this party started. Get that video right this minute!
PlayOn provides Wii U with 45 internet video channels today is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Humble THQ Bundle closes with more than $5 million raised Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:12 AM PST If you didn’t pick up the stellar Humble THQ Bundle, then we’re sorry to say that your window of opportunity has passed. The bundle closed last night with gamers throwing a total of $5,097,629.01 at the promotion. 885,307 bundles were sold during the run, easily making this one of the most popular Humble Bundles ever. 
It isn’t hard to see why it was so popular either, as THQ was letting gamers name their price on a bundle of excellent triple-A games. That was a first for Humble Bundle, as they’re usually comprised of indie titles from up-and-coming developers (though we have seen music and eBook bundles in the past). Titles like Darksiders, Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War, and Saints Row: The Third were included in this bundle, so it isn’t any surprise that it did so well. At the end of it all, the average purchase price for this Windows-only bundle was $5.76, with THQ president Jason Rubin paying a total of $11,050 throughout the promotion. When the bundle first kicked off, Rubin dropped $1,050 on the Humble THQ Bundle, but as the deal was winding down, he paid out a whopping $10,000. He told a fan on Twitter that 95% of that $10,000 payment went to charity – in this case Child’s Play and the American Red Cross – while the remaining 5% was paid as a Humble Tip. THQ has been struggling a bit lately, so hopefully this Humble Bundle helped the company raise a bit of quick cash. It would be great to see more big-time developers and publishers do this in the future, but since this seems like an act of desperation more than anything else, that’s probably too much to hope for. In any case, we can certainly label the Humble THQ Bundle a success – did you pick one up?
Humble THQ Bundle closes with more than $5 million raised is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Pudding Monsters gets first gameplay video Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:44 AM PST Cut the Rope developer ZeptoLab is coming out with a new game soon, called Pudding Monsters. They officially unveiled the game earlier last week, but today, they released a short video that shows off some of the gameplay. It’s a little bit more involved than Cut the Rope, but casual gamers should be able to pick it fairly easily. 
The goal of Pudding Monsters is to essentially get blobs of pudding to stick together. Unlike Cut the Rope, Pudding Monsters is more of a puzzler than a physics game. Players are tasked to move pieces of pudding around a board, but unless they hit an object or another piece of pudding to stick onto, the pieces will fall off the board and the game will be over. Pudding Monsters will be released on iOS and Android simultaneously on December 20, and just like with Cut the Rope, ZeptoLab plans to sell licensed plush toys, comic books, and other merchandise based on the new game. Obviously, we're not sure what the merchandise will entail exactly, but if it's anything like Cut the Rope, we'll see a lot of the products based on the game's characters. Cut the Rope gained around 250 million total downloads, and currently still has around 50 million monthly active users, even after releasing over two years ago. Hopefully ZeptoLab can recreate that same amount of buzz for Pudding Monsters. From the gameplay video alone, we think it’ll be a sticking point for many gamers.
Pudding Monsters gets first gameplay video is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | NYC Taxi apps approved in temporary pilot program bid Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:36 AM PST Instead of approving the Taxi apps that’ve been popping up for the past several months for New York City in ernest, the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission has approved a temporary “pilot program” for the ecosystem. This follows a rather hotly contested possible vote to have the apps approved alongside a collection of rules that would have limited the services in a variety of ways. Now with NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission commissioner David Yassky speaking after the pilot program was approved, it’s been made clear that this whole arrangement needs some time to be tested before full action. 
Yassky made it clear that some “ground rules” would have to be met in order for the app-to-Taxi connection would be made on a grand scale. Instead of shutting down the collection of apps attempting to join the official ranks of yellow Taxi cabs across the city cold, Yassky sided with the idea that the technology should trump any concerns businesses had (and have) with their existence. The main opposition to the connection between apps and yellow Taxis has been from limousines and other call-to-pick-up car services who argue that their service was the only thing keeping the two groups of vehicles apart. With Taxis able to be called with an app, there’d be an intrusion on the specific business offered by the pre-arranged ride market. Yassky has dismissed this, saying that drivers and customers should be able to use this technology because it offers an easier way to connect a cab to a person – and that’s the end goal. Meanwhile Yassky also says there must be rules in place to accommodate the everyday average arm-raising cab-hailer too. The pilot program – whose rules will be laid out for the public sooner than later – will go into effect on February 15th. Wait patiently until then and start up with the downloads to see when you can get in on the action! At this very moment, the program appears to be covering “a cab within a half-mile range from locations south of 59th street in Manhattan” according to NY Daily News, this distance expanding 1.5 miles anywhere else in the city. “We should not ignore technology that’s out there. This is not speculative. This is real technology. We can look to other cities and see customers using these products and benefiting from them.” – Yassky
[via Washington Post]
NYC Taxi apps approved in temporary pilot program bid is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado reveal 2014 MyLink and IntelliLink technology updates Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:06 AM PST It’s a great time for the automotive universe as the technology and gadgets of our modern world converge with the likes of the 2014 GMC Sierra and 2014 Chevrolet Silverado. Both vehicles take on the future of this technologically aware society we’re all in and integrate the future into the now. Starting with the Chevrolet Silverado, GM is introducing the next-generation iteration of the brand’s MyLink infotainment system, complete with available 8-inch touchscreen thats reconfigurable to your desires. 
The Silverado’s newly integrated MyLink system offers connections to menus and media sources of your choice – iPods, Bluetooth-enabled smartphones of all kinds and apps like Pandora internet radio. The new Chevy Silverado offers as many as five USB ports for charging and connecting your devices as well as a 110-volt outlet and a 12-volt outlet too. This MyLink system can be operated with the available touchscreen interface or with “large, clearly labeled knobs” – or with integrated steering wheel controls – your choice! 
This system is able to store up to 60 favorite elements, this including “radio stations (AM/FM/XM), contacts, destinations, music and other media.” You can connect up to 10 devices at once, and voice recognition controls with MyLink provide as on-time a collection of abilities to control as you could ask for. Voice recognition software with MyLink offers customers the ability to place calls, enter destinations, browse media, and play music at will. 
Meanwhile the 2014 GMC Sierra brings forth the technology known as IntelliLink. This new brand brings on a high-definition eight-inch color touchscreen with a reconfigurable layout and much of the connectivity offered in the vehicle above. You can connect with all-new map displays, Bluetooth for connectivity to your smartphone, and of course a Pandora app to boot. Voice commands are also included in this release, allowing you to control your vehicles infotainment system with ease. 
Both of these vehicles work with Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning, too. These systems work with a camera embedded in the windshield that’s able to “study the road ahead” in order to alert drivers of incoming dangers. This system is able to be paired with the segment’s own Active Safety Seat, a feature which sends vibraions through the seat on one side or the other, this directing the driver’s attention in the direction it needs to go.
GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado reveal 2014 MyLink and IntelliLink technology updates is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | GM reveals 2014 Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:50 AM PST Today, GM unveiled their brand-new full-size pickup trucks, the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and the 2014 GMC Sierra. As with past iterations, both trucks look very similar to one another, except for the logo and a few small changes to the trim and interiors. With this new look, the Silverado and Sierra look meaner than ever. 
Upon first glance, you’ll probably notice a familiar, yet slightly upgraded look to the headlights and grille. It’s very similar to the last generation, where the headlights are still relatively square-shaped, and the grille is basically one large rectangle with thick chrome trimming, but the headlights on the new Sierra have upgraded to LEDs, as well as holding in regular lamps. 
However, one of the biggest changes is the interior, with a new steering wheel and a redesigned dashboard and center console. One of the biggest game changers, though, is that these new trucks will come with heated cloth seats, and it’ll be the first time that a pickup truck will come with this option, according to GM. 
The Silverado will have two V8 engines to choose from (a 5.3 and 6.2 liter), and a brand new 4.3-Liter V6 that’s based on the V8 motor. There are no turbochargers or anything too fancy, but they do have cylinder deactivation and direct injection to maximize fuel economy — similar to what last-generation GM trucks have. This is all connected to a six-speed automatic transmission, and GM is estimating around 17 MPG combined as far as fuel economy is concerned. This isn’t too stellar overall, but it’s certainly not bad for a HD pickup truck. If you’re wondering about power ratings, they aren’t out yet, but we’d expect improvements across the board.
GM reveals 2014 Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Google Maps for iOS Review Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:10 AM PST It’s finally time to get (back) to business with a Google-run map app for iOS, this time with Google Maps own unique app separate from the main built-in collection of iDevice apps. For those of you that haven’t followed along with the iPhone since its birth, you should know that it was only with iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 that Apple cut ties with Google Maps for their Maps app that comes with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch right out of the box, replacing it with their own branded Apple Maps. Now with Google Maps, Google has its own unique app that brings not only a new face to the iOS version of their central mapping ecosystem, but a new look for the app for all platforms as well – in iOS 6 this UI is unique! 
What we’ve got here is a Google Maps that allows spoken-aloud turn-by-turn directions for your iPhone (and other iDevices if you wish) as well as taking the full experience as it exists on Android on over to Apple’s products. The user interface is stripped down to the bone, leaving as much room for the actual displayed map as possible as you travel through your city in your own car, on public transport, or on foot. 
Open the app – the completely free app, mind you – and you’ll see a familiar Google Maps vision sitting directly on top of you. If you’re at Perkins, you’ll see that location in just about as basic an aesthetic vision as possible, with roads, buildings, and landmarks marked. You need to activate your GPS on your device to make this happen, of course, and once you’re in, you’re ready to navigate the earth. 
You have several choices for how you’re going to view the area around you (or anywhere on the planet that Google has mapped) including Traffit, Public Transit (not always available everywhere, same for traffic), and Satellite – this last option shows you a view from Google’s satellite photos taken of basically everywhere on our globe. You also have a link out to Google Earth, the app Google has to show you more 3D action on the fly of buildings and landscape in the areas they’ve mapped out thus far. 
Near the top of your display you’ll see a Search Bar that brings you instant results once you start typing addresses or names of businesses, and results are broken up into instant results and “nearby from your history.” This nearby section shows a history of results you’ve worked with based on your physical location – different results if you’re at home, work, halfway to Siberia. 
Tapping the current location button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen brings you back into your current place of existence facing the direction you’re facing at the moment, tapping it again shows your location with everything correct compass-wise. There’s a shortcut to recent locations you’d like to navigate to on the right of the search bar and all the way on the right of the search bar you’ve got a little person icon. 
This little person icon links you in to your profile and the ability to set Home and Work locations – you’ll remember this feature from SCOUT by Telenav, another GPS-centric mapping app that also offers free turn-by-turn directions as well as a top-notch user interface that really pops! 
Inside your settings you’ll also see the ability to edit your Home and Work locations, see your Maps history (and delete entries, if you wish), and a place to send Feedback. You can also Shake to Send Feedback – this being rather convenient if you’re extremely lost and want to complain about it really, really easily. There’s also a Tutorials section that allows you to see the gestures you can use to show all of the features in the app. 
Turn-by-turn directions are as accurate as they’ve ever been with Google Maps and match the accuracy of the platform on all devices – on your desktop the same as on your Android phone. You can preview the directions you want to take, step by step, you can display your directions as a step-by-step guide without turn-by-turn if you’re wanting to go back in time, and you can adjust for each of the separate means of transport Google Maps supports. 
Basically this is easily one of the most deceptively simple-looking navigation apps available for the iOS platform today, packing the power and reliability of Google Maps for the masses. You’ll want to take note that Google has had a “Navigation is in Beta” note on their Navigation piece to this puzzle for several years, be it on Android, here on iOS, or elsewhere, so it’s not perfect: but it’s close! The Google Maps app for iOS reached #1 in the iTunes App Store in less than 12 hours – and with more than 8,000 reviews up already before its first full day on the market, it might be time for you to check it out.
Google Maps for iOS Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Windows Store now accepting PEGI 18 games Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:10 AM PST After initially announcing that the Windows Store would not accept “mature content,” Microsoft today announced that they’re now accepting PEGI 18 games in the Windows Store. This means that popular games such as Mass Effect 3, Dishonored, Deus Ex, and The Walking Dead are now available for purchase directly from Microsoft’s store. 
Microsoft says that with introducing PEGI 18 games in the Windows Store, the company reinforces two principles that are fundamental to the Windows Store: “flexibility and confidence”. Microsoft says that users “have come to expect and appreciate rich gaming experiences on Windows and this includes games rated PEGI 18.” Previously, the Windows Store guidelines stated that games and apps with a rating over PEGI 16 would not meet the store’s certification requirements, which would prevent them from being available on the Windows marketplace. However, today marks the first day that PEGI 18 games can be submitted to the store, and Microsoft announced that The Witcher and Grand Theft Auto IV are coming to the platform soon. This is certainly good news for Windows 8 gamers, as most popular games out on the market currently are rated as mature content. We’re glad to see that Microsoft is loosening their restrictions a bit, and while that will result in more mature content being released in the Windows Store, it certainly won’t lesson the amount of appropriate content available for the younger crowds.
Windows Store now accepting PEGI 18 games is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Windows Phone 8S by HTC Review Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:04 AM PST HTC dug deep for its Windows Phone 8 line-up, coming out with a pair of distinctively designed smartphones that promptly earned Microsoft “Signature” status. The Windows Phone 8X already impressed us, and now it’s the turn of its smaller sibling, the 8S, to have its moment in the spotlight. Is the 8S more than just a pretty face, or has HTC cut too many corners to hit the midrange price tag? Read on for our full review. 
Hardware With the trend toward bigger and bigger displays, the 4-inch 8S is almost an outlier. At 120.5 x 63 x 10.28 mm it’s broader and thicker than the obvious 4-inch alternative, the iPhone 5, though shorter; the sharp bevel around the edges of the rear panel does help disguise some of the thickness, however. HTC’s polycarbonate plastic is bright and tactile, and the range of colors the 8S is available in is a welcome change from the typical choices of black, white, or silver. The two-tone finish – with the earpiece grille and camera surround matching the capacitive button section – shows admirable attention to detail for the midrange. 
Buttons are the Microsoft-mandated usual, with touch-sensitive keys for back, Start, and search under the screen, a power key on the top edge, and finally a volume rocker and camera button on the right edge. The headphone jack sits on the top edge, while the microUSB port is on the bottom; that whole section unclips (with no small amount of difficulty) to reveal a microSD slot and micro SIM slot. A removable memory card is a useful addition, considering HTC has been fairly humble with the 8S’ specifications overall. You get 4GB of onboard storage and 512MB of RAM paired with Qualcomm’s 1GHz dualcore Snapdragon S4 processor, WiFi b/g/n (though not dual band 5GHz support), and Bluetooth 3.1 (not 4.0). No LTE, but dual band HSPA (900/2100) and quadband GSM/EDGE, plus GPS/GLONASS, an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor. 
HTC opted for WVGA (800 x 480) resolution for the 8S’ Super LCD, and while that seems a shortage of pixels at first glance, the relatively small dimensions of the display mean it’s less of a drawback than you might expect. In fact, the screen is bright and clear, and while not the smoothest when it comes to on-screen graphics, the angular lines of Windows Phone’s Metro-style interface do a good job of working with the limitations of the resolution on offer. It suffers some when you take it outdoors, however, struggling to keep up in direct sunlight. 
The biggest compromise is in the camera, however. On the back there’s a 5-megapixel shooter with an LED flash, but it misses out on the finessed lens we’ve seen on some recent HTC Android devices; instead, you get an f/2.8 aperture lens and 720p HD video recording. There’s no front facing camera whatsoever, which means no Skype video calling. Considering HTC has been leading the way with wide-angle front cameras – fitting more people in-frame than rivals can – it’s a sad omission. Software We’ve already comprehensively reviewed Windows Phone 8, and despite some rough edges we like Microsoft’s latest platform. It’s distinctive in the handset segment, and straightforward for new smartphone users to get to grips with, though at the same time held back by a shortage of apps. That’s gradually changing, true, but it still makes recommending Windows Phones tricky, since if there’s a specific title someone needs, there’s a fair chance a device running Windows Phone won’t have it. 
On top of all this, HTC adds its own customizations, though they’re relatively minimal in comparison to HTC Sense on the company’s Android phones. There’s an HTC hub with weather, stock alerts, and news headlines (you can add more sources from HTC’s list, but there’s no apparent way to add further RSS feeds) and the Photo Enhancer tool we’ve seen before, as well as a Connection Setup app. 
The literally titled “Make More Space” tool shows you exactly what’s eating up your storage – split into music and videos, pictures, and documents – and then suggests you use the relevant apps themselves to actually delete any unwanted content. FInally, there’s a Beats Audio option added to the Settings page, though it only allows you to turn the system on or off; no more granular adjustments are possible. 
In practice, we found the 8S to be smooth running for the most part. There were the occasional hiccups, particularly when loading or switching between apps, though not to any extent that we’d consider them deal-breakers. The fact that HTC opted for 512MB of RAM means you shouldn’t come across any third-party apps which won’t be compatible, unlike some of Nokia’s cheaper Lumias. 
Camera 5-megapixels is pretty underwhelming for a smartphone today, though the midrange is a competitive place and we’re not especially surprise that HTC opted to cut costs here. Still, megapixels aren’t everything, and we’ve seen decent shots produced from humble cameras. Unfortunately, that’s not a claim to fame the 8S can make. 
There’s an odd blue tint to white sections in the frame, and grays – such as the overcast sky in our London sample shots – become strangely purple in the hands of the 8S. Meanwhile yellows and greens are muted and dull, while reds are slightly too saturated for the rest of the frame. Close-ups fare better, with text crisp even at short distance, and a reasonable amount of detail on show.         Video, meanwhile, is recorded in 720p at most, and suffers from noticeable blurring. There’s also occasionally an odd flickering to the footage, and smearing during faster pans. Audio quality is fair, but doesn’t hold up to what the 8X can produce. HTC 8S camera video sample: Phone and Battery The 8S doesn’t get any fancy in-call audio processing, at least none that HTC is shouting about, but it still puts in a good showing for calls. Earpiece audio is strong and capable of loud levels, and the speakerphone mode is similarly blunt. On the other end, callers said they could hear us with no problems, even when in areas with fairly loud ambient noise. 
HTC equips the 8S with a 1,700 mAh non-removable Li-Poly battery, and it’s sufficient for more than a day of use. We had push email switched on, and use the 8S for a combination of web browsing, messaging, photography, and some Bing Maps use, and it lasted through the day with charge still showing. Wrap-Up HTC very nearly nailed the Windows Phone 8 market. The 8S is well designed and a great size: not everybody wants a huge smartphone, and many people who told us they liked the design of the 8X but wanted something scaled more like an iPhone 5 had no such complaints about the smaller model. Where the story starts to fall apart is in specifications, and where HTC has opted to cut corners. 
Yes, the camera is poor, but HTC’s big problem is Nokia. In the time since we first saw the 8S and its arrival on the market, Nokia has revealed the Lumia 620: it pairs a pocket-friendly 3.8-inch screen with both front and back cameras, NFC, and interchangeable back shells that are just as distinctive as the 8S. It also looks like the 620 will be cheaper than the 8S when it arrives early in 2013. There’s no denying that HTC has crafted a good looking phone in the 8S, and the general user experience is solid. What makes it tough to recommend is the subpar camera performance and the absence of a front-facing camera; Microsoft is only going to emphasize Skype more, and for a new Windows Phone to launch without hardware provision for that is myopic cost-cutting. There’s certainly room in the market for a well-performing, affordable, compact Windows Phone 8 handset, but the HTC 8S lacks the all-round polish to fill that niche.                
Windows Phone 8S by HTC Review is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Hitman Trilogy HD announced for January 29 in North America, February 1 in Europe Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:37 AM PST If you’re ready for some more Hitman action, be prepared for late next month, because Square Enix and IO Interactive just announced a trilogy edition for the series. Set for release on January 29 in North America and February 1 in Europe, Hitman Trilogy HD will be released for the PlayStation 3, while Hitman Trilogy HD: Platinum Edition will release for the Xbox 360. 
Both versions for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 will include three classic Hitman titles that are remastered in HD. These include Hitman Contracts, Hitman 2 Silent Assassin, and Hitman Blood Money. Additionally, the Platinum Edition for Xbox 360 will include an exclusive art book featuring never-before-seen reinterpretations of classic moments from the three games. We’re not sure why the PlayStation 3 version was shafted out of a Platinum Edition, since it seems that it’s only the Xbox 360 receiving the special treatment. Also, there’s no word on a PC version of trilogy. We’re guessing that since Square Enix didn’t mention it in their initial announcement, there’s probably a good chance that it’s not coming. Both games are priced at $39.99 each and are available now for pre-order on Amazon. However, it seems Amazon isn’t offering release date delivery for the games, even if you’re a Prime member. The earliest you can receive the game would be January 30 if you opted for next-day shipping.
Hitman Trilogy HD announced for January 29 in North America, February 1 in Europe is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | iPhone infringes three MobileMedia patents: here’s what possible Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:36 AM PST It would appear that the patent-centric group known as MobileMedia has scored a hit against Apple this week as Bloomberg reports a U.S. Court finding the iPhone to be infringing on three patents held by the former company. This case is part of an ongoing assault struck up by the company known in full as “MobileMedia Ideas” which is jointly owned by Sony and Nokia as well as MPEG LA. The three patents in the case are being ruled upon by U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson in Delaware and include, first and foremost, a patent for a rotating display software feature. 
According to CNET in early November, the battle was made official when the judge rejected an Apple attempt to toss a lawsuit over involving the patents at hand. Judge Robinson confirmed that the suit would proceed and that patent No. 6,441,828, was “suitable for determination by a jury.” Three of the patents this case COULD be ruling over (NOTE: These are three main possibilities at this point, not confirmed to be THE final set of three) are as follows: - Sony patent No. RE39231 showing a “call incoming control method” allowing a user to tap a button (or press it) to mute calls or change the volume of said calls incoming - Nokia patent No. 6,253,075 for “rejecting incoming calls” which simply allows the user to “ignore” or “decline” incoming phone calls. - Sony patent No. 6,725,155 for “route search conditions” and GPS transmissions – these transmissions are sent to a remote server and ping to be “receiving guidance data transmitted from the server.” There’s also the Sony screen rotation patent numbered above which says that “by pressing the rotate button a maximum of three times for one image, the user can rotate the image clockwise.” Sony patent No. 6,563,535 deals with displaying images right-side-up “regardless of the orientation of the image or the physical orientation” of the device at hand. Stick around SlashGear for more information on this case as it develops!
iPhone infringes three MobileMedia patents: here’s what possible is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Samsung president says he uses Apple products Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:47 AM PST Samsung is the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer, but they’re also at the center of some pretty heated patent disputes with Apple at the moment. However, newly-appointed president and chief strategy officer, Young Sohn, said that Samsung plans to lead innovation in 2013 and years beyond. Interestingly, though, he also says he still uses mostly Apple products, not Samsung devices, at home. 
In an interview with MIT’s Technology Review blog, Sohn says that “Samsung was founded in 1938 and has a long history of successful business transformation.” While he notes that the company is one of the largest in the world, he doesn’t want to be complacent. “To get to the next stage of growth, the innovation engine is critical,” he says. Sohn said that Samsung is focused on research and development, and the company recently opened eight R&D labs in the US alone. He also said that the company plans to focus more on cloud technologies, big-data technologies, mobile-ecosystem technologies, and enterprise infrastructure in order to deliver a complete package to its users. As an example, he mentioned that he uses a Mac computer at home, as well as an iPhone and iPad, but also uses a Galaxy device. However, he said that he uses Samsung devices at work, but when he’s at home, he uses mostly Apple products. He notes that this is mainly because all of his “systems and files are done that way.” He says it’s a “sticky” situation, but he figured out how to sync all of his data between the two different platforms, and this is where Samsung wants to focus and improve on. [via Technology Review]
Samsung president says he uses Apple products is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | SlashGear Morning Wrap-up: December 13th, 2012 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:37 AM PST It’s nearly holiday time – and it IS holiday time for some, right here this week with SlashGear bringing on a brief interview with Dream JB for the jailbreaking of your iOS 6 devices – that Rick Roll rolled you good! The group known as Last.FM is about to go paid-only in the few countries it’s not being cancelled entirely in. At Walmart you’ll find the Kindle kicked out and the Nook family taking its place. 
Over at Adobe’s Lightroom 4.3 you’ll find a massive HiDPI Retina update for your super high definition devices. The Hubble telescope has begun spotting ancient galaxies with a massively old set of photos – Ultra Deep Field! Google Maps for iOS has reached the number 1 download spot in less than 12 hours since its release. The folks at Sprint have offered up $2.1 billion bucks for Clearwire just so long as the Softbank deal goes through. Those of you waiting for the Mercedes 2014 E-Class will have to wait no longer – here it is! The folks at have dumped smartphones worldwide as the Windows touch universe takes hold. The Vodafone Sure Signal 2 has shed a massive amount of bulk in favor of a 3D blackspot fill. The Samsung Galaxy Note III has been tipped for 2013 with a massive 6.3-inch display – soon Samsung will catch em’ all! There’s a Google Magazine now in the UK. Up on the Saturn moon Titan, a “mini Nile” has been discovered. Google has made a move to take on all iOS mapping top to bottom with a release of their SDK – that’s for developers wanting to use Google Maps data for their app – hot stuff!
SlashGear Morning Wrap-up: December 13th, 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Amazon Cloud Player app comes to Samsung Smart TVs and Roku media players Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:21 AM PST Today, Amazon has announced that their Cloud Player app is now available on 2012 Samsung Smart TV models, as well as Roku media players. The new app gives Cloud Player users access to their entire music library on these new devices, and they join a long list of products that the Cloud Player app is already compatible with, including the Kindle Fire, Sonos music players, Android devices, and iOS devices. 
Samsung Smart TV customers can install the Cloud Player app via Samsung's Smart Hub. Playback of music is also supported through any speakers or sound systems connected to Samsung Smart TVs, which effectively turn your home theater into a booming stereo system where you can play your entire music library. As far as Roku users, you can download the Cloud Player channel from the Featured or Music category in the Roku Channel Store. Of course, the app is free, and users will be able to listen to their music library on the Cloud Player through their TV and out of whatever speakers they have connected. On a similar note, Amazon released apps of their Instant Video service to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Amazon’s answer to Netflix and Hulu has over 30,000 movies and TV shows to choose from, and now they’re available at your fingertips while you’re on the road, assuming that you have an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad (which was supported by Amazon earlier in the year).
Amazon Cloud Player app comes to Samsung Smart TVs and Roku media players is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. | | Dream JB planned to release fake iOS 6 jailbreak earlier than December 22 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:11 AM PST Last night, the highly-anticipated untethered iOS 6 jailbreak that hundreds of thousands of people were waiting on turned out to be fake, with the jailbreak download files actually just linking to a Rick-rolling video on YouTube. Many notable iOS hackers knew it was all a hoax from the beginning, but there were certainly some excited users who thought that, just maybe, it was all real. We ended up getting a hold of Dream JB himself to hear what his thoughts were on what he called a “social experiment.” 
Dream says that the “entire series [of] events was planned from start to finish.” He initially mentioned a December 22 release date for the jailbreak, but released it early on the 12th because he claimed he didn’t want to wait any longer, and wanted to prove to the world that the supposed jailbreak was real. However, he actually planned to release it sooner than the 22nd all along, although he wasn’t sure what day exactly. He says that he “would not have been able to keep the community’s attention” if he waited until the 22nd — the experiment was starting to “fall apart” and “professionals were starting to analyse everything.” Dream notes that it was then time to release the fake jailbreak on the 12th, as he felt that he “would make the most impact on [his] viewers and followers.” 
Dream says that he created the social experiment “due to articles popping up on reputable jailbreak blogs and sources regarding a recent string of frauds and fakes. So many people are falling into fake jailbreak traps and getting scammed out of their money.” He says he wanted to teach a valuable lesson to users and hackers alike, that you should only follow the reputable dev team members for jailbreak updates, and that other fakers out there in the world should be warned. “Is what I did controversial? Absolutely. But in order to make a splash in the scene you have to be drastic. As more and more followed me on Twitter, the word of my “jailbreak” started to spread around some non reputable news sources, and slowly started to trickle into more reputable news sources.”
He notes that his website received almost 700,000 unique visitors from the time his experiment started, to the time that he released the fake jailbreak. His Twitter account, which has since been deleted, got more than 20,000 followers in less than a week. Dream says that if he “can save even 10%” of those visitors and followers, he’s happy with what he did. It was a “harsh lesson for many right now, but it will be appreciated further on down the line.” So when will a real untethered iOS 6 jailbreak arrive? According to reputable iOS hackers, don’t count on one. Stefan Esser (better known as i0n1c) says that an untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 isn’t coming anytime soon. Even if an iOS 6 untethered jailbreak was discovered, Esser believes that the hacker will hold the exploits until Apple releases the iOS 6.1 firmware update.
Dream JB planned to release fake iOS 6 jailbreak earlier than December 22 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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"Although the belief in a better future is often an illusion, optimism has clear benefits in the..."
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:45 AM PST
| "Although the belief in a better future is often an illusion, optimism has clear benefits in the..." Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:11 AM PST "Although the belief in a better future is often an illusion, optimism has clear benefits in the present. Hope keeps our minds at ease, lowers stress, and improves physical health. This is probably the most surprising benefit of optimism. All else being equal, optimists are healthier and live longer. It is not just that healthy people are more optimistic, but optimism can enhance health. Expecting our future to be good reduces stress and anxiety, which is good for our health. Researchers studying heart attack patients have found that optimists were more likely than nonoptimistic patients to take vitamins, eat low-fat diets, and exercise, thereby reducing their overall coronary risk. A study of cancer patients revealed that pessimistic patients under the age of 60 were more likely to die within eight months than nonpessimistic patients of the same initial health, status, and age." - Tali Sharot in The Science Of Optimism, cited by Maria Popova in Brain Pickings I also believe that optimists have better sex. Just saying. | | "Whatever has been planned, there are always unwanted consequences for a reason that has nothing to..." Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:07 AM PST "Whatever has been planned, there are always unwanted consequences for a reason that has nothing to do with the quality of the research or with the precision of the plan, but with the very nature of action. It has never been the case that you first know and then act. You first act tentatively and then begin to know a bit more before attempting again." - Bruno Latour, cited in Innovation in Policy - NESTA & MindLab ht @bryanboyer at HDL Sitra. (via gordonr) Otherwise known as abductive reasoning, when explanatory hypotheses are formed and evaluated experimentally. This is also the core of speculative design-based reasoning. I plan to push on the speculative design front in 2013. | | Tumblr Is Different Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:29 AM PST I was talking with some technoids earlier this week, and once again Tumblr came up in discussion. I continue to be surprised how few otherwise web-savvy people over 30 have signed up for a Tumblr account, and as a result really don’t know what’s going on in here. Bim Adewunmi wrote about her experience, and some UK stats: Tumblr skews young in the UK and US. You can hack it, you can bash it, but Tumblr’s still got it - Bim Adewunmi Tumblr is incredibly popular with pop culture junkies, it’s true. You only need to look through some of the tags to realise this. It’s also a social network for young people; again, just take a glance at the tags. UK Tumblr demographics reveal that 38% of users are aged 18 to 24, and 54% are female; 80% of users are child-free. In the US, 65% of Tumblr users are white, and 53% are university-educated (this drops to 36% in the UK). Across both locations, one thing is clear: the majority of Tumblr users don’t earn a lot of money. You start to see GNAA’s point, when you stick around some corners of Tumblr for any length of time: it is the domain of the incredibly staged self-shot photo, a land where “inspirational” quotes hover in mid-air over a background of shooting stars. Very quickly, it can inspire a existential rage you didn’t even know was within you. I should say that after lurking for a while, I got myself a Tumblr a couple of years ago – and I love it. I’m not very active on it (about 25-30 posts a month on average), and most of my posts are reblogs (a cross-post of someone else’s entry). A good amount of what I post features a showerof gifs (recently these have come from this summer’s Avengers movie, or Magic Mike and its many delights) and more often than not I am posting about visual popular culture – television, comic books and graphic novels, YouTube videos and films. If you fill your dashboard with like-minded souls, Tumblr rewards you every day, far more than you thought possible. It is also a hideous timesuck. Like any internet community, it is not without its flaws. Here, the hackers’ comments came uncomfortably close to a lot of Tumblr users’ excesses. It is sometimes a deeply silly place, keen on self-congratulation. It is also largely decadent, and because it is made of millions of fallible human beings, it’s not always terribly original or profound. But that does not mean it does not have the capacity to be those things, and it often is. Tumblr is where I go to laugh, but it also a fantastic place to learn: this is where I first read about Trayvon Martin, for example. It often hosts some of the most eloquent and nuanced conversations about society, from gender to race to equality and social justice. It is a community that gives and shares and supports its own – only last night, I witnessed people organise a whip-round for a fellow Tumblr user who needed to get out of an abusive situation fast. It can be a brilliant place, because it is a lot more than the sum of is parts: you get out of it what you put in. Not many sites can give you all of that and a gif of Chris Evans punching a bag in slo-mo. And for that reason, I’ll remain onboard. No contest. | You are subscribed to email updates from Stowe Boyd
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How to create a holiday “out of office” message that will be remembered
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:45 AM PST
| How to create a holiday “out of office” message that will be remembered Posted: 13 Dec 2012 05:53 AM PST In about a week, most of us will take a break for the holidays. Might be a day. Might be a week. But, most of us will be out of the office for at least ONE day in December. And that means you’ll have to set the dreaded “out of office” message on your email. 
If you’re like most of the workforce, you stick with the basics: “Thanks for your message. I’m out of the office for the holidays from Dec. 24-Jan. 2. I’ll respond to your message as soon as I can upon my return. If your message is urgent, please contact (INSERT NAME HERE). Happy holidays! (NAME HERE)” Pretty benign, right? But, safe. And for many, this adheres with “corporate guidelines” (I believe some companies have templates for these kinds of things). If you DON’T have to adhere to corporate guidelines (strictly), please consider getting a little creative with your message. I’ll give you a few good reasons why: * You’ll take folks by surprise. Few people use the creative out-of-office (OOO) message, although they are a bit more popular than they were a few years ago. As I always say, zig when everyone else is zagging. * Get some laughs. Most folks go for the laughs with their OOO. Even if you’re not inherently funny, you’re bound to get a laugh or two (see point #1 above). And this time of year, who couldn’t use a good laugh? * You’ll be remembered. I can’t tell you how many people have commented on my creative OOO messages the last few years. It’s almost like a marketing tool for me. I can thank Gini Dietrich for that one–she was the first person I noticed that was really using OOO’s effectively (and creatively). So, how do you go about creating an OOO that will get you remembered? Here’s a few ideas to consider: Include the basics Yes, you want to be creative, but you also want to communicate the basics to those who are sending you a note. Make sure to include: 1) How long you will be out of the office, 2) Who to contact when you are out; and 3) When you will return. Get specific Most of my OOOs aren’t all that funny–but they are pretty specific in terms of what I’m doing and why. When I took the family to the North Shore of Minnesota this fall, I told people exactly what I was doing and why (something along the lines of “I’m heading up to the North Shore with my family to sit by a fire, drink coffee and read a book for four straight days.” Chances are, many of the people who you interact with on email are interested in your life outside work–tell them! Go for ONE joke Don’t get crazy here. The OOOs I’ve seen work really well go for one joke and get out. If you go for multiple jokes, 1) You don’t have enough room–these OOOs need to be short, and 2) It feels like you’re trying too hard. One joke feels perfect. For example, when I went to Bayfield, Wisc. last year for a wedding with my wife, my OOO went something like “I’m heading to beautiful Bayfield for a wedding this week. I’ll likely be either 1) On a boat, 2) On a beach, or 3) On a boat or on a boat with a drink in my hand for most of the weekend. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can when I return on Monday.” Don’t get crass People like funny. People don’t like crass. Don’t get vulgar and don’t take your joke too far. You WILL regret it. Those are my ideas. Do you have any to share in the comments? Subscribe to Communications Conversations by EmailHow to create a holiday “out of office” message that will be remembered is a post from: Communications Conversations | 
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Maybe This Guy Runs for Senate?
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:42 AM PST
| Maybe This Guy Runs for Senate? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:17 PM PST | | Smoosh Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:49 PM PST Remember that scene in Star Wars when they're in the garbage compactor on the Death Star? Now imagine it's John Boehner in the garbage compactor. Now imagine John can't get through to C3P0. That's the gist of this article just out from the Post, only they somwhat bury the lede. Senior Senate Republicans, meanwhile, were at work on a fallback plan that would not significantly restrain the national debt but would at least avert widespread economic damage by canceling tax increases scheduled to take effect next year for the vast majority of Americans. That strategy calls for Republicans to capitulate to Obama's demand to let tax rates rise on wage and salary income for the wealthiest 2 percent of taxpayers. ... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has floated the strategy among Republicans in both chambers, according to lawmakers and senior GOP aides. It has been rejected by Boehner and other House leaders, aides said. But top GOP policy aides continued to refine the plan Thursday as a growing number of Senate Republicans clamored for action to prevent the fiscal crisis -- for which, polls show, Republicans would be blamed. Boehner is still at least nominally fighting over the tax hike for income over $250,000 a year, a battle that's clearly already been lost. It's not crystal clear to me whether this is Boehner's own viewpoint, to the extent something like that could be identified, or simply a measure of his weak position in the face of House GOP fire-eaters. But the difference may not matter. As Boehner digs in, McConnell is now openly working against his position, trying to organize a tactical retreat on the tax question and thus leaving Boehner increasingly exposed. A side irony is that the House is supposed to be the body more reactive to public opinion. But the current state of gerrymandering may have turned this on its head - something the last three elections have shown in spades. But GOP senators, both for reasons of self-preservation and self-awareness, can see the black hole Boehner and the folks in the House are leading them into. In my conversations with folks in the White House and on the Hill, I've been skeptical whether the Democrats and the White House really have a plan for what they do when the House GOP pushes the country into default. Now I'm wondering if I've underestimated the strength of their position. This whole drama could snap Boehner like a twig.     | | Sh#t Me Not!?! Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:32 PM PST | | On Rice Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:27 PM PST | | Crosstabs - December 13th Posted: 13 Dec 2012 01:49 PM PST PollTracker editor Kyle Leighton looks at the recent polling to see whether the public believes President Obama has a mandate for his proposals:
Full size version.
  | | John Boehner, Hardest Working Man in Derp Business Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:38 AM PST From TPM Reader LF ... To Brian Beutler's point, he is probably right that Boehner is doing the smart thing in trying to get a deal now. Let's face it--Boehner has the hardest job in Washington. Being the Speaker in opposition to a newly re-elected President just sucks. A President is more popular than Congress no matter what, and with far more abilty to control the media narrative. Add to it that Boehner's diminished majority, and the strength of some dead-enders, a caucus more conservative than one that he has been part of in the past, makes it even harder, and a Floor Leader that is more than happy to shiv him in the back as soon as the opportunity presents itself, makes it harder. And as Speaker, he does have to make things work in some basic fashion. The crowd encouraging the fall-back, of course, does not have this problem. Mitch McConnell has the easiest job in Washington. A Senate Minority Leader in opposition does not have to accomplish anything at all, but the Senate rules allow him to gum things up without leaving any real fingerprints. Add to the fact that his biggest conservative foil is leaving the Senate to run a think-tank, he is happy to fire from the cheap seats. But while the President has the clear leverage on the Fiscal Cliff, he still has it--and perhaps more--on the debt limit. That situation did not end well for Republicans in 2011--Congressional ratings dipped to margin of error levels--and they were not able to successfully pin the problem on Obama--who of course was just re-elected. And even if the politics were bad for Obama, it matters far less. Republicans in Congress have to go out and win elections in 2 years, while Barack Obama will never appear on a ballot again. Worse still, a default will hurt bondholders and rattle the markets. These just are not the core Democratic constituencies or the folks funding Democratic campaigns. Even if the trading class were OK with one hostage situation, the threat of repeated spooking of the markets will drive them crazy, and the pressure will make it untenable within a few days. We saw it when the House Republicans blocked the TARP in September 2008, the bottom fell out of the market the next day, and Wall Street (and surely some Senate Republicans) made them pass it after all--with nothing but cosmetic changes. The President knows all this. He's holding all the cards. And Boehner might know it too--but he's better off trying now than trying in a weaker spot in the future.    | | Special Live Chat Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:08 AM PST | | The Big Debt Limit Tell? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:34 AM PST We ran this piece about a month ago, before the steady drip drip drip of Republicans started arguing more or less the same thing. The basic argument was that House Republicans could limit Obama's policy victories -- and possibly secure some of their own -- by caving quickly on income tax rates for the rich. Once the grieving process had run its course, the GOP would find itself in a much stronger negotiating position next year. Obama would still be well short of his overall revenue goal, without a mechanism to force Republicans to yield again on taxes; and the debt limit would allow Republicans to reopen their 2011 playbook and force Obama to cut social insurance programs against his will. Since then a few things have happened to make me question this analysis: The "cave now, fight later" strategy has become something like conventional wisdom on the right. Democrats, who are still demanding Boehner extend middle-income tax cuts -- have realized they might end up hoist by their own petard, and are steeling themselves to resist any GOP debt limit demands in the months ahead. But despite having ample cover to throw in the towel on taxes, John Boehner's still trying to figure out some way -- any way -- to cut a big deficit deal with Obama, even if it means handing over more than Obama's minimum revenue ask. Maybe that's because one of Washington's mysterious religious precepts holds that every hopeless legislative negotiation must be strung out as long as humanly possible. But the fact is that it's much easier for Republicans not named John Boehner -- particularly Senate Republicans not named John Boehner -- to bluster about picking a new debt limit fight. Maybe Boehner's reluctance to fold and reshuffle the deck is a mere formality, and he's just waiting to do just that when the calendar "forces" him to. But as more and more Republicans give him their blessing, it's worth asking whether he's resisting because he disagrees with those in his party who think he can deal himself the same hand he held in 2011. At the end of the day, it's not John Cornyn nor Ron Johnson or Tom Cole or even Mitch McConnell who has to raise the debt limit. It's Boehner. And if he believes in his heart that Democrats really won't suffer a new, contrived debt limit hostage crisis, he knows he'll have a much, much bigger problem on his hand in six weeks if he can't cut a fiscal cliff deal before the end of the year. We'll see how this all shakes out very soon. But if, as recent reporting suggests, he's still entertaining big budget deals that his own leadership team can't support -- even though his party's telling him it'd be OK to just put the middle income tax cuts on the floor for a vote -- it's a sign to me that Democrats have successfully called his debt limit bluff.   | | Hostage Taking Forevah Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:12 AM PST | | Merkley Keeps Pushing Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:12 AM PST | | A Special Moment Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:01 AM PST | | Golden Dukes! Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:32 AM PST | You are subscribed to email updates from Talking Points Memo
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10 Tips To Help You Build A Successful Small Business Brand
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:38 AM PST
| 10 Tips To Help You Build A Successful Small Business Brand Posted: 13 Dec 2012 05:40 AM PST Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today's guest is from Ross Kimbarovsky – Enjoy! A brand is the sum total of the experiences your customers and potential customers have with your company. A strong brand communicates what your company does, how it does it, and at the same time, establishes trust and credibility. Your brand lives in everyday interactions with your customers, the images you share, the messages you post on your website, the content of your marketing materials, and in your posts on social networks. How can a small business develop a strong brand on a tiny budget? Here are 10 tips to help you get started: 1. Be unique. One of the most iconic brands of our time – Apple – was reborn after it launched, in 1997, an innovative campaign inviting people to “Think Different”. Today, Apple products are perceived to be better designed, more fun, and more reliable than products from Apple’s competitors. What makes your business unique? What’s your story? What do you do that others in your industry do not do? 2. Grow your community. Many of the world's best brands, including Google, Amazon, Facebook, Virgin, and Skype, spend modest sums on advertising and instead, focus on building and improving their communities. Those companies understand that if people trust a brand’s community, they will extend trust to the brand. Small businesses have many opportunities to build online and offline communities. For example, you can build online communities on Twitter, Facebook, your small business blog, on Instagram, or on other social networks. And remember that you can’t be in all places at once. Pick one or two places where you can focus building your community, and invest your time and resources there. 3. Build great products and services. Earlier this year, market research firm Millward Brown published its annual BrandZ study, ranking the world's leading brands. When you consider that the number one reason people write about brands is to share experiences (see graphic below from the BrandZ study), Apple’s top ranking is not surprising – people love Apple’s products. 
Some companies stop focusing on building great products and services when they become successful. This is a mistake. In 2008, Nokia was the world's ninth most valuable brand. In 2011, Nokia was ranked 81st and this year, it fell even further. Even a strong brand will suffer when it creates average or below average products or services. 4. Have a good name and logo. A strong brand is easily recognizable. Recognition starts with the name of your business. The name will appear on your business cards, letterhead, website, social networks, promotional materials, products, and pretty much everywhere in print and online to identify your company or your company's products and/or services. It’s not enough to have a recognizable name. People commonly associate brands with the brand’s logo. As you think about your logo, keep your audience and products/services in mind because you want your logo to reflect your company. A good logo builds trust and a strong logo will help to pull your brand together. Think about the logos of some of the world's most admired brands (Apple, Google, Amazon). How do you feel (emotionally) when you see their logos? If you want to learn more about naming your business, we invite you to read 10 tips for startups and small business on naming your company. If you want to learn more about getting a great logo, we invite you to read 10 logo design tips for buyers. 5. Find your voice. What you say is important, but don’t overlook how you say it. Your company’s “voice” is the language and personality you and your employees will use to deliver your branding message and reach your customers. Successful brands speak with a unique voice. Think about the brands you admire – what makes them unique? How do they communicate with you and other customers? What do you like about their voice? 6. Be consistent. Many small businesses mistakenly change their messaging depending on their audience. For example, a company might take a more serious tone on their website but a very lighthearted tone on their Facebook fan page. This can confuse your customers and potential customers. To build and maintain a strong brand, every aspect of your brand should be as good as your product or service and you must be consistent in presenting your brand. This includes not only your company's name, logo, overall aesthetic design, products and services, but also includes your marketing materials, website, appearances at trade shows and conferences, content posted to social networks, etc. Why should you care about brand consistency? You should care because brand consistency leads to familiarity, and familiarity leads to trust. Many of you recall that Duct Tape Marketing recently redesigned its website to better and more effectively communicate with customers and potential customers. The old site was cluttered and at times, confusing. A cleaner design and greater consistency resulted in significant benefits. 7. Keep your promises. Although this is common sense, you’d be surprised how many small businesses tarnish relationships with their customers by failing to keep their promises. Happy customers who feel good about your business are your best source of referrals. For example, Zappos has built great trust and credibility with customers by promising quick delivery (2-5 business days) but Zappos goes even further and upgrades most customers to free overnight shipping. As a result, Zappos has very loyal and zealous customers. 8. Stand for something. Think about brands you love. Those brands commonly stand for something (or against something) and connect with their customers emotionally. One of my favorite companies, 37signals, develops software to help people collaborate. 37signals believes that most software is bloated and difficult to use. They don’t compete on features – they compete on usability. They have developed a reputation as a company that stands for easy to use software. What does your business stand for (or against)? 9. Empower your customers. You are not in control of your brand. You can set your brand’s direction, but how your brand is perceived is determined by your customers and potential customers. People can become your brand’s ambassadors – spreading your ideas and brand to their own networks. Spend time nurturing relationships with such people. Who are they? What can they give and get in order to help your brand? Ultimately, successful brands recognize that if they help their customers succeed, the customers will in turn help the brand succeed. 10. Deliver value. Value doesn't always mean lowest price. You can focus on product leadership (having the best products in the marketplace, like Apple), operational excellence (having the lower prices in the marketplace, like Ikea), or great customer service (Virgin, Zappos). You can also focus on a combination of those things. As you think about the value your company delivers – you can ask the following questions: What sets your product, service and company apart from your competitors? What value do you provide and how does that value differ from that provided by your competitors? Think about which of the benefits are emotional – the most powerful brands tap into emotions. We’d love to hear from you in the comments. What makes your small business unique? What’s your story?  Ross Kimbarovsky co-founded crowdSPRING, the world’s #1 marketplace for logos, graphic design, and naming. Buyers who need a professional logo, website, custom graphic design, industrial design or written content post what they need, when they need it and how much they'll pay. Once posted, creatives submit actual work. Buyers select from among actual work (an average of 150+ per project), not bids or proposals. crowdSPRING has helped tens of thousands of small businesses meet their creative needs. You can follow Ross on Twitter @rosskimbarovsky and @crowdSPRING and on the crowdSPRING Small Business Blog.
If You Liked This Post. . . :10 Tips To Help You Build A Successful Small Business Brand is a post from: Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing  | 
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Commerce Weekly: Gift cards get Square
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:30 AM PST
| Commerce Weekly: Gift cards get Square Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:00 PM PST Here are a few stories that caught my attention in the commerce space this week. Give a gift through Square Mobile payment company Square got into the gift card business this week, launching a gift card service tied to its Square Wallet. Christina Chaey reports at Fast Company that Square Wallet users can buy gift cards in amounts from $10 to $1,000 from any of the 200,000-plus businesses that process payments with Square and give them to anyone — recipients do not need to be Square users. Once a gift card is purchased, it is sent to a recipient’s email inbox. From there, the gift card can be redeemed in a number of ways: for Square users, the card will automatically appear in their Square Wallet; iO6 users can save the card to their Passbook; and for those who don’t use either Square or Passbook, a QR code can be printed out for a merchant to scan. Given its recent partnership with Starbucks that catapulted Square into the mobile payment mainstream and its international expansion into Canada, gift cards might seem a bit of a departure from the platform’s mobile payment focus. Square CEO Jack Dorsey explained the move in an interview with The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Lynley. Not only is Square aiming to make the gift card experience cheaper for merchants — Dorsey explained that traditional gift cards can cost merchants 10% to 15% to issue, where Square will charge only the 2.75% they do for credit cards — but it’s also using the cards as a discovery tool and to streamline the experience for consumers. Dorsey said to Lynley: “The biggest problem merchants have is being remembered and being discovered, so it’s another tool for discovery. If I really like a place and I’m a good friend of yours, I can tell you, but if I give you a gift card, you’re really going to try it out. … It also starts getting into a concept of more remote commerce. People from their couch can send these experiences, can send these gifts, and they don’t need to pick out different things.”
You can read Lynley’s full interview with Dorsey here.
Mobile payments gets a new white label tool Several members from the team that developed the very successful Starbuck’s mobile payment app have launched a new white label mobile payments tool called Cardfree, Ryan Kim reports this week at GigaOm. The company, which is launching with $10 million in Series A funding, is looking to help businesses develop or expand their mobile payments and mobile platform strategies. Kim writes that the company’s payment component works with 90% of existing POS systems. Merchants can create digital pre-paid cards or mobile payments, and payments can be processed via barcode scanning, via the cloud, or (in the future) via NFC, Kim reports. Cardfree CEO Jon Squire told Kim that the company stands out from its competition not only in its team’s depth of experience, but in that they’re not looking to use the merchants as means to another end. Kim reports: “Squire also believes that merchants are wary of working with some third-party wallet services [that] want to share data and also build up awareness for their own brand instead of the merchant. With Cardfree, merchants can work with the tools they have in place and be assured they will control the experience and branding, Squire said.”
Smartphone-based commerce gets a personal assistant   Maluuba, Android’s personal assistant answer to Apple’s Siri, got an upgrade this week that could bring a whole new dimension to retail shopping. Ryan Kim reports at GigaOm that users now can shop with their phones by telling Maluuba what they want.
When a user makes a shopping-related request, Kim reports, Maluuba pulls data from Google, Best Buy and Wal-Mart, and shows results from local retailers as well — and results aren’t limited to online shopping; Maluuba also will return results for local stores that have the item in question in stock. Google’s results are displayed first, with tabs to Best Buy and Wal-Mart results. Once you find an item to buy, you click through to an external check-out process, which Ryan reports is a bit slow and clunky, but he notes that the streamlined search experience Maluuba provides might balance that out and “help spur on more smartphone-based commerce.” After testing, Kim says deeper ecommerce integrations are needed, but that Maluuba is “off to a good start.” Tip us off News tips and suggestions are always welcome, so please send them along. Related:  | | Four short links: 13 December 2012 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:53 AM PST | 
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Download Google Maps for iPhone, iPod
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:27 AM PST
| Download Google Maps for iPhone, iPod Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:33 AM PST Now you can download Google Maps for iPhone, iPod and all iOS devices. Google maps has made dramatic comeback on the iTunes store after Apple pushed its own Apple Maps on the new iOS6 software, and removed Google Maps.  While Apple Maps were not as great as compared to Google Maps, Apple fans continued to demand Google Maps be restored. But having good updated and accurate maps is very important as people use GPS services to track locations and get traffic directions on mobile devices. The last straw was when Australian police discouraged use of the Apple maps when people got stranded due to wrong map directions.
I especially love Google Maps and am fond of using the live traffic status, GPS guided current map location and browsing the sharp maps. Well now Google maps is back and available for free download from the iTunes store. Download Google Maps on iPhone now. Works with iPhone and iPod Touch (4th gen) iOS 5.1 and higher. In fact it is a resounding win for Google maps over Apple Maps, and they even created a video to express their joy! Also have more fun with Indoor Google Maps and offline Google maps!  | You are subscribed to email updates from Quick Online Tips
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What’s My Brand Identity and How Do I Communicate It?
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:26 AM PST
| What’s My Brand Identity and How Do I Communicate It? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:54 AM PST What's My Brand Identity and How Do I Communicate It? was originally published on BruceClay.com, home of expert search engine optimization tips. Businesses sometimes happen before brands do. Business owners are busy serving customers and doing everything that comes with running a business that sometimes, they don't have time to stop and think about, what is my brand? You brand is the identity of your company and what your customers and community can expect from the way you interact with them and the service/products you provide. A business is an operation, a brand is a more intangible aspect of this. 
Oftentimes, when a brand identity is not explored upfront, a brand already exists due to the culture of the company, its people and how they deal with day-to-day issues. But when the brand identity is explored and defined upfront, it adds order to a somewhat chaotic and intangible thing. When your company has this, it possesses the guidelines for how it will handle every situation, every customer, every staff member, every communication and every message – even down to the type of font you use on your website and the colors of your company. When you have those brand guidelines, you are able to always revert to them and ask, is this upholding our brand? And if the answer is no, you know what to do. But how do you figure out what your brand is? And how do you let people know about it? It all starts with research. Here, we take more traditional marketing tactics and transition them to the Web marketing space. In this post, I'll share with you ways you can use research to discover what your brand is and how to communicate that through content, your website, visuals and interactions with the community. Research: Talk to Your Community You may think you know your company better than anyone. And while you may know your business inside and out, this doesn't mean you understand your brand. It's not that you don't know, it's just that you cannot possible be everywhere at once. So how you think your company interacts and delivers might be based solely on your interaction alone. The best way to get outsider perspective and understand how your community feels about your company today is to ask them. 
You'll first need a sample of your community. The disclaimer on this is that there are companies out there who do nothing but quantitative and qualitative market research and take a very scientific approach so that the data is not skewed. If you're performing your own brand research, you'll need to be discerning with your sample. While this quick-and-dirty approach to research may not give you extremely accurate results statistically, the information you uncover is invaluable. So try to be as objective as possible when choosing your audience. First, identify all your possible audiences. In this example, it might be: - Current customers
- Past customers
- Vendors
- Internal staff
- Prospective customers
- Colleagues in your industry
- People in your social communities online (which could be a mix of all of those but their behavior and expectations might be different than offline community).
You may want to segment these audiences by location, department or whatever other segmentation makes sense. You might choose to pick people at random exclusively, or you might choose to add in a few people that are representative of those who've had a stellar experience with your company, and those who've had a horrible experience as well. You want to understand all points of view about your brand. Then you have to define the questions you want to ask. Also use discretion when you are choosing the questions you are going to ask your community. You want them to support the primary questions you are trying to uncover about your brand, and you also want them to be as objective as possible (no loaded questions that might sway their answers one way or another). Here, you are looking for things like: - Perceived value of your products, services and company.
- What people know and believe about your company today.
In the end, it may be completely different than what you believe they think. Here's a couple ways you can gather data: - Online surveys: Use a simple survey via Survey Monkey to only ask the most relevant questions. People typically don't want to answer a long, drawn-out survey, so make it as simple as you can for them.
- Phone surveys: Get some people on the phone to ask your community the questions. You might you get more responses this way. Again, make it brief as you can; respect their time.
- Focus groups: Sometimes it's more efficient to get everyone in a room together and hold a focus group. But this only works if you are looking for feedback from a sample of people in one particular area (this could work for staff interviews).
Research: Market Competitors You've probably heard of the SWOT analysis? It's a traditional marketing diagram that helps you get a picture of the competitive landscape and where you fit in. In the diagram, you explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a business. 
You can use the SWOT to get a picture of your market competitors – those companies that you believe to be your competition in your space (prior to keyword research, because your online competitors and market competitors tend to vary). In this research, you can begin to note what your differentiators are from your competition. During this exercise, you'll also want to note things your competitors are doing with their branding like: - What colors what imagery
- How they are talking to their community
- What caliber of content they are providing in their marketing efforts
Especially if you're in the business of creating content, take note at what sort of content they are offering their community to position themselves as thought leaders and capture the attention of their prospective customers. Research: Online Competitors Your online competitors are any competitors that are competing for attention online with you. It begins with the keywords and topics you are writing about. Assuming you already have a keyword set for your website, your online competitors start with that. Who is showing up in the results for the queries you are competing for? Look at those companies that are ranked for the keywords you are trying to target (Using tools to discover who is ranking is best so the results aren't skewed by the many factors that change Google's results.) Apply the same exercise to that primary competition using the SWOT and noting similarities, weaknesses, colors, imagery, messaging and where your brand differentiates. Your competitors can and will change on the Web for any given keyword, so keep that in mind before you do this. Probably the most revealing part of this exploration is what you can learn from looking at your online competitors and the quality of their site. You might identify quick wins for your site in the search results over your competitors. Take a look at the principles of Google's leaked quality rating manual to get a feel of what quality means to Google. You can also take a peek at a list of questions Google provided that are representative of what Google may be looking for when rating sites: - Would you trust the information presented in this article?
- Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
- Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
- Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
- Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
- Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
- Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?
- Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
- How much quality control is done on content?
- Does the article describe both sides of a story?
- Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?
- Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don't get as much attention or care?
- Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
- For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?
- Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?
- Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
- Is this the sort of page you'd want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
- Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
- Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
- Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
- Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?
- Would users complain when they see pages from this site?
Here at Bruce Clay, Inc., we apply the methodology of "least imperfect" when we optimize a website. Since there are more than 200 ranking signals in the Google algorithm that allow it assess your site as the most relevant for the query, no one website can get them all right. But you can aim to be better over your competition. So this is your opportunity to spy on how they've optimized their site, their link profile, the quality of their content, the user experience and so on (with the right tools). And then ask, how can we do better on our site? You can also dig into your reputation online – what people are saying about your company and your competitors online in social communities, in forums, in reviews. Google gives tips on monitoring your brand online and using the "Me on the Web" feature in Dashboard. Research: Brand Role Models What companies in any industry do you admire? What CEOs? What professionals? What are those companies in your space specifically that you feel are doing a really great job? Write those down. These are your brand role models. These are the brands you aspire to be. Maybe not just like them, but there will be attributes you love and want to emulate. Think about not just where your brand is now, but what you want it to be three, five, 10 years down the road. Look at these brand role models and explore what they're doing great. Also look at what they aren't doing so great and where you differentiate from them. Because there are always differentiators, and this is where your brand shines. Research: Key Messages, Colors, Visuals, Values What words some to mind when you think about your company, its people, the way it interacts with the community, the products and services? Write all of these down. In fact, you'll want to have these written down before you see the research that been performed with your community so your perspective isn't skewed. These are the things you believe your company stands for – your brand values. Every company has them; it's what the company was founded on and the things it's become. And although it might be a while since anyone thought about what the company stands for, dig deep. It's there. (And it's not just to exist profitability!) Now look at the visual and communicative elements of your company — are they streamlined or is there a mishmash of disjointed representations of your company online and offline? - What language (tone, key messaging)?
- What colors?
- What images?
- What fonts?
- What logos?
Now look at each element in that list I just mentioned: - Do you feel strongly about them as part of your brand identity?
- What can go and what should stay?
Keep in mind that while you may not think about the font you use on your site as part of your brand, it is – every element of how you communicate is a part of your brand. In fact, there are whole communities that thrive around typography and the various attributes a font communicates, what scenarios it's appropriate in and so on. If you're not sure what visuals represent your brand, start gathering those. Using both online and offline sources, collect any words, messages, videos and pictures that are an abstract representation of your brand — those things that give you a certain feeling that you believe is representative of your brand. You can use a physical wall in your office space and dedicate it to all the stuff you've gathered or you can use something like the secret boards in Pinterest, where you can invite others in your company to pin it as they come across items. Gather: Common Themes Once you've gathered all the data about your company and your competitors through your various means of research, start exploring common themes: - What are some of the messages you see being communicated time and time again from the various groups?
- What common themes were discovered in the online and market research?
Gather all of that information and document it. The negative stuff you uncover should be turned into an opportunity to look inside at your internal processes and find ways to improve. Your community has that perception for a reason. Explore the causes and create an initiative to address that with. 
The positive feedback may serve as a foundation for key messages about your brand identity. If people continuously see your company as warm and friendly, then that must be one of the things your brand stands for. Then, compare the common themes to your original perceptions of the company – any discrepancies? Any validations? Whatever the common themes are, group the findings together so you have a point of discussion about where the brand is today, and where you want to take it tomorrow. Communicate: Brand Identity Once you are done with your research, you should have a report that is representative of your brand identity. This gives you the basis for what you do company-wide, from the way your customer service department talks to people on the phone or in social communities online and offline, to the types of people you hire, to the key messages about your brand that you subtly weave into your content to the images you use. As I mentioned in the previous section, you will also have a basis for what might need to be fixed and what's working really well. All of the elements of the brand – down to the type of font you use and the uses of your logo or across mediums – should be documented. Then comes the streamlining and planning. Looking at all the messages your company disseminates day-to-day both online and offline (messages being the visuals, the personality, the interactions you have) and ask, are these representing our brand? If not, the work begins. 
Your content strategy online should be driven by your brand. Starting with the website and the baseline content you create for that, to the ongoing content creations strategy for your business. Every blog post, ebook, video, logo and Meta tag on a Web page should uphold your brand. The branding of a company should be based on research, and the implementation of it should be top down. In order for a brand identity to shine through, the key is in the consistency. Set rules for when you will absolutely always default to the brand to make key (and sometimes difficult) decisions easier. Ultimately, your brand identity will seep into every nook and cranny of your company – whether it's good or bad. So when you're ready to start exploring your brand, know that at the end of it all, you might not just have a new logo, you may have an entire cultural shift. | You are subscribed to email updates from Bruce Clay Blog
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Creative Professionals Need Resumes for Personal Branding, Too
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:25 AM PST
| Creative Professionals Need Resumes for Personal Branding, Too Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:30 AM PST I preach often that creative professionals need to have resumes. Case in point: My latest post over at the Creative Freelancer Blog. I was thinking about some of the mixed views I’ve heard regarding this, and it really baffles me. Why do creative professionals think they don’t need resumes, or that resumes do not apply to them? Is it because they’re indies now? Is it because they’re not on the “hunt” for jobs? Is a resume too corporate?  A resume is much more than a tool to secure a job. Creative professionals that have them are able to appeal to corporate clients that, despite a knockout portfolio, still want to see a resume. Because creatives work for other companies in most cases, they still need to appeal to what the company wants. And companies use resumes. You may be able to show off a portfolio and get the gig, but why limit your arsenal of marketing techniques to a collection of your work? Why not put together a concise document that tells the story of your experiences and showcases your skills?
Aren’t creative professionals supposed to market themselves regularly, since they are businesses, too? In that respect, they are their brand. They have a variety of techniques at their disposal, just like any other business. But a resume is for individuals, so a resume is a great marketing tool for an individual to have. Even if it’s only cited on your website, it still makes you look professional. A large company doesn’t have that advantage, but solo professionals do! Why aren’t more of them taking advantage of it? Still don’t think that you need a resume? What if your dream client calls with the perfect job and asks you to submit a resume–would you say no? I think the question that I’d like to put out there is: Why don’t creative professionals need resumes? Author: Kristen is a copywriter and author who enjoys what she does for a living. Kristen is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer. Kristen writes regularly for MediaBistro, SheKnows and FreelanceSwitch. She is a panelist on the biweekly, award-winning podcast FreelanceRadio. Kristen is the author of Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life and her new book, It Takes More than Talent: Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined is due out in January 2013. She has been featured on NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and CareerBuilder; and also in the Boston Herald, the New Jersey Star-Ledger and in the Asbury Park Press. | | Do You Have a Résumé or a ‘Job Description’? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:30 AM PST Editor's Note: This blog is a modified excerpt from professional "headhunter" and bestselling job-hunting book author Skip Freeman's next book in the "Headhunter" Hiring Secrets series of job-hunting books, CAREER STALLED? How to Get Your Career Back in ‘High Gear’ and Land the Job You Deserve─Your Dream Job. Publication is scheduled for early 2013. ________________________________________________________ Is your résumé more characteristic of a "job description" than it is of a professional document that clearly and quickly brands you as unique and sells your experience, qualifications and your potential for success to prospective employers? Unfortunately, the résumés of many professionals today more often resemble the former type of document than the latter type.  As a professional "headhunter" I have literally hundreds of résumés pop up on my office computer screen each and every business day, in response to positions I am trying to fill for my hiring company clients. In truth, a significant number of these résumés read more like a job description than as a professional résumé that can—and does!—give me what I refer to as "cause for pause" and make me want to read further. (Be assured that I am not the only hiring professional who feels this way.)
Let me give you a real life example of what I am talking about here, and this example, I'm sorry to report, is not at all unique. Earlier this year I was recruiting for candidates to fill a Quality Manager position for a major manufacturer I represent. Although the phraseology varied somewhat, here is how the typical applicant usually described his or her experience/qualifications for the position in his/her résumé: Quality Control Manager – Name of Current Employer – 2005 to present - Responsible for improving manufacturing processes and reducing defects and downtime. . . .
While the candidates who utilized this approach more than likely thought it to be entirely acceptable and appropriate, the fact of the matter was (and is), all this approach actually accomplished was to immediately relegate the applicants who used it to the "me too" pool! Why? Because this approach sounds as though it was literally lifted right out of a written job description—and in some cases it quite probably was! This approach gives the reader (who may spend 45 seconds or less on the résumé to begin with) no reason whatsoever to read on and learn more, i.e., there is absolutely no "cause for pause"! The end result for résumés which featured this approach? Hit with the big DELETE key! Applicants out of the running. Does this mean that I may have missed some really exceptionally qualified candidates by not reading more of their résumés? Maybe, but in my professional experience, highly unlikely. Plus, I, like all hiring professionals, simply do not have, and cannot take, the time to "plow" through hundreds of résumés in search of a "diamond in the rough." Résumé Should Both Tell and Sell! A résumé that reads like a job description does indeed accomplish at least one goal of an effective résumé: It tells the reader what the applicant actually does (or has done), i.e., "duties and responsibilities." A hiring professional of course needs to learn (and quickly) if an applicant possesses the basic, relevant experience to even be considered for a particular position. But far, far more important is how well the applicant has performed these duties and responsibilities! In other words, an applicant must include those things in his/her résumé that makes him/her unique, different and better than the typical, "run-of-the-mill" applicant. Referring back to the above example, consider how much more effective (and stronger) an applicant's résumé would be if he or she had taken this approach to explaining and amplifying his or her experience and qualifications for the position: Quality Control Manager – Name of Current Employer – 2005 to present - Reduced equipment failure rate by 89% in first year as Quality Manager, while increasing annual production by 15%, resulting in an overall revenue increase of $12.5 million.
Not only do applicants who take an approach like this tell the hiring professional what their current (and previous) duties and responsibilities are/were, more importantly, they are selling how well they are now performing these duties and meeting these responsibilities—by using the concrete "yardsticks" of dollars and percentages! The not-so-subtle, underlying message to a hiring professional, of course, is that "I can also do this for you and the company you represent!" If you were a hiring professional, which approach would most likely give you "cause for pause," and make you want to learn more about the applicant? Résumé First Glimpse into Your Professional Brand It's important to keep in mind that, for the overwhelming majority of job applicants, the résumé is the first (and many times, the only) glimpse into their professional brand. If you "blow it" out of the "starting gate" because your résumé doesn't immediately give the hiring professional sufficient "cause for pause," you won't be getting a second chance! And, while a résumé, no matter how "sparkling," will never actually get you the job, you certainly can't expect to progress to the next important step in the job search, either, i.e., getting an interview, if your résumé doesn't both tell what you do and effectively sell how well you do it! Obviously, there is much more that goes into a job-winning résumé than what I have included in this blog, e.g., visual appeal, overall length, appropriate use of keywords, to cite just a few of the elements that comprise an effective résumé. Take a long, hard look at your résumé before you send it out in application for another position. Does your résumé read more like a job description than a well-designed, professional document that sells what is unique, different and better about you? If so, then take the time and make the effort to rebuild it, so that it becomes an accurate, complete picture of your true professional brand and moves you ahead in your job search! Author: Skip Freeman is the author of "Headhunter" Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever! and is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The HTW Group (Hire to Win), an Atlanta, GA, Metropolitan Area Executive Search Firm. Specializing in the placement of sales, engineering, manufacturing and R&D professionals, he has developed powerful techniques that help companies hire the best and help the best get hired. | 
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The One Thing You Can Do Now to Help Your Blog Succeed in 2013
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:23 AM PST
| The One Thing You Can Do Now to Help Your Blog Succeed in 2013 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:22 AM PST 
Is to create a plan for your blog. This is the perfect time of the year to create a blogging plan for 2013. Everyone is slowing down and shifting away from work and toward the Holidays. Use this down time to get your plan in order now, so you start 2013 with a bang. Now, I know even mentioning the word ‘plan’ can cause hives for some. It can seem like once you make a ‘plan’ that you are locked into a set course of action. But that’s not the case, the true value of creating a plan for your blog is that it helps you crystallize your thoughts around what you really want to accomplish. For example, let’s say I ask you what’s your blogging goal for 2013 and you say ‘To make money’. How much? ’I dunno…$2,500 I guess? I just want to start getting paid for all the time I am putting into this blog’. Now that you have a dollar amount in mind, you can start to break it down. $2,500 a year is roughly $200 a month. So how would you use your blog to raise $200 a month? Could you do that with AdSense? Probably not without a LOT more traffic than you have now. What other options are there? Maybe sell monthly sponsorships on the blog? Or sell ad blocks yourself? What about ebooks? White-papers? The point is, now you’ve started to think about HOW you are going to reach your blogging goal of ‘to make some money’. You are now thinking about WHAT you could sell to make money, whether it’s ads, sponsorships or products. And that’s the whole point of a plan. Most of us have a general idea of where we want to be, but we don’t know what the road looks like that we take to get there. When you start creating a plan, then you start to understand why you need to do in order to reach your end destination. It’s a big time-saver as well. So first, let’s think about how to create a plan for our blog for 2013: 1 – Ask yourself what do you want to accomplish with your blog in 2013. And at this point it is ok to DREAM BIG. Maybe you want to make $10K from your blog next year, or maybe you want to land a book deal from your blog. Give yourself permission to be honest about your dreams. 2 – Once you have a goal in mind for your blog in 2013, then start to break that goal down and think about what it’s going to take you to reach that goal. We talked above about making money from your blog, but let’s say now your plan is to leverage your blog in order to get a book deal. There’s two things you really need to focus on (assuming you are a first-time author) in order to help you get a book deal. The first is a killer idea, and the second is a big platform. Your blog can help you in both regards, you could use your blog as a platform for establishing your killer idea, and at the same time, if your idea really is killer, then your blog readership should grow as well. So the blog becomes a way for you to flesh out and improve your killer idea, and at the same time, your following is growing, which appeals to publishers. 3 – Regularly evaluate and measure if your efforts are working. Say once a month look at what’s happening and see if you are making satisfactory progress. This is important not just to make sure everything is working, but to see if something is working well that you weren’t expecting. Let’s say you are implementing a plan to make money from your blog in 2013. As part of this, you are posting more content, and your readership is growing. But in March, companies start contacting you asking if you would like to post a monthly column on their site, for $100 an article. Suddenly this is a new opportunity for you to make money from blogging that you hadn’t considered before. There’s some pointers to get help on how to create a blogging plan for 2013. Need more advice? Perfect, because this Sunday’s #Blogchat topic is creating a plan for your blog in 2013! Please join us on Twitter at 8pm Central by following the #Blogchat hashtag!
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Commerce Weekly: Gift cards get Square
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:23 AM PST
| Commerce Weekly: Gift cards get Square Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:37 PM PST Here are a few stories that caught my attention in the commerce space this week. Give a gift through Square Mobile payment company Square got into the gift card business this week, launching a gift card service tied to its …  | | Next Issue: Why I recommissioned my old iPad Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:52 AM PST I had to take my first-gen iPad out of mothballs for this one. I’m talking about the Next Issue service and app. Like most of you I’ve let my print magazine subscriptions lapse over the past several years. I spend …  | | #Ebook Deal/Day: HTML5 Hacks - $13.99 (Save 50%) Use code DEAL Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:47 AM PST  Get "HTML5 Hacks" today using code DEAL and save 50%! This sale ends at 2:00 AM 2012-12-14 (PDT, GMT-8:00).  | | Four short links: 13 December 2012 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:41 AM PST Top 10 Chinese Internet Memes of 2012 — most are political, unlike Overly Attached Girlfriend. Evaporative Cooling — thoughtful piece about the tendency of event quality to trend down unless checked by invisible walls. (via Hacker News) What Was It …  | | #Ebook Deal/Day: Personal Productivity Secrets - $14.99 (Save 50%) Use code DEAL Posted: 12 Dec 2012 02:50 AM PST  Get "Personal Productivity Secrets" today using code DEAL and save 50%! This sale ends at 2:00 AM 2012-12-13 (PDT, GMT-8:00).  | 
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Gurley and Om
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:20 AM PST
| Gurley and Om Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:29 AM PST The first thing I do most morning is check #discover in Twitter. This morning I saw this in my feed: In conversation w/VC Bill Gurley/Benchmark Capital [six short easy videos. he & I talk VC, startups & @uber gigaom.com/2012/12/11/bil… @bgurley — Om Malik (@om) December 11, 2012 Bill Gurley and Om Malik are two people that I deeply respect. They are thoughtful and have been in the game for a long time. They know their stuff and they focus on what's important. There are six videos up on GigaOm, each about five or six minutes long, that captures a conversation they had recently. I encourage everyone to watch all of them, but this one is my favorite. It's about nine minutes long even though the player says 17mins. Bill is such a great analyst and historian of our business. And he's 100% correct as well. I am going to put this quote on my office wall: "You can't make money with a consensus accurate prediction" I just love that way of thinking.  | You are subscribed to email updates from A VC
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WordPress 3.5 Passed 1 Million Downloads
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:11 AM PST
| WordPress 3.5 Passed 1 Million Downloads Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:35 PM PST | | WordPress Plugin Releases for 12/13 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST New plugins ImageMapper allows you to create interactive and visual image maps with the Visual editor. WP-Elasticsearch replaces the default WordPress search with ElasticSearch. Updated plugins Bad Behavior complements other link spam solutions by acting as a gatekeeper, preventing spammers from ever delivering their junk, and in many cases, from ever reading your site in the first place. Batcache uses Memcached to store and serve rendered pages. bbPress is forum software with a twist from the creators of WordPress, available for the first time ever as a plugin. BuddyPress lets users register on your site and start creating profiles, posting messages, making connections, creating and interacting in groups and much more. It’s a social network in a box. Facebook makes your site deeply social by integrating functionality from Facebook. Fast Secure Contact Form lets your visitors send you a quick e-mail message and blocks all common spammer tactics. Additionally, the plugin has a multi-form feature, optional extra fields, and an option to redirect visitors to any URL after the message is sent. Hotfix provides unofficial fixes for selected WordPress bugs, so you don’t have to wait for the next WordPress core release. HyperDB is an advanced database class that supports replication, failover, load balancing, and partitioning. Q2W3 Fixed Widget fixes positioning of the selected widgets when the page is scrolled down. Theme-Check allows you to run checks on the current theme before uploading to WordPress. This plugin uses the same API and is kept more or less in sync with the WordPress.org uploader tool. Watu allows you to create exams with unlimited questions and answers, and define grades based on collected points. | You are subscribed to email updates from Weblog Tools Collection
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Picture of the Day 2012.12.13
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:04 AM PST
| Picture of the Day 2012.12.13 Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:55 AM PST 
I’ve been chipping away at the design for a new planner based on the ETP. The design is coming along 15 minutes at a time, part of my new morning ritual, and today I’m at the point where I’m pretty happy with the refined layout. Small spacing issues that have always bothered me have been better-resolved.  I removed half of the time tracking bubbles in the interest of having more space to write; I found I never put more than 2 hours in most of the time, and I think splitting up big tasks into two-hour chunks might not be a bad idea. I tried removing the hour bubbles from the day grid too, but without them it looks weak. I did remove the 15 and 60 minute indicators; they just confused people.
I think the new design feels more open and balanced, and it just feels more serene to me. Click the animated GIF on the right to see the difference between layouts.
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Have You Had This Shopping Experience Recently?
Posted: 14 Dec 2012 01:03 AM PST
| Have You Had This Shopping Experience Recently? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:30 PM PST Google Analytics posted a great little video to their YouTube channel today which provides a cautionary tale as to the online shopping experience your ecommerce site might be subjecting users to.  | | The Secret to Reeling in Holiday Shoppers? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:55 AM PST Every year on Black Friday, retailers splash out on ad campaigns and promotions to attract holiday shoppers. But what if the real secret to capturing holiday sales isn't steep discounts, national ad campaigns, and opening stores at midnight?  | | Forget Rankings: Here Are 6 SEO Metrics That Matter Posted: 13 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST Validating your work gets easier when you know the right metrics to share – and how to explain them to your client or boss. Armed with these six reports, you can explain how high rankings alone aren't enough – or even the most important SEO factor.  | | Social PR Tips to Get Fit for 2013 Digital Marketing Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:00 AM PST Create a relationship with your audience before the sales cycle starts. Marketers offer tips on how smart brands can gain market share (and muscle share) by leveraging the best practices of content marketing and thinking like a media company.  | | Citation Neighborhoods: How to Gain a Local Search Monopoly Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:00 AM PST An overview of major citation neighborhoods – local search engine properties, large directory sites, social media sites, review sites, and niche local and industry sites – as well as tips on how you can best take advantage of each and rank better.  | You are subscribed to email updates from Search Engine Watch
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Do Necessary Currency Conversions Before You Leave (347/365)
Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:46 PM PST
| Do Necessary Currency Conversions Before You Leave (347/365) Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:00 PM PST One of the most painful parts of my international travels has been the currency conversion process. Many banks, particularly those with international branches, will happily convert currency for you, but at a price. It’s understandable why they charge a fee. They’re providing a service, and then they have to deal with converting the funds themselves. Still, it’s an unnecessary expense, and it’s one that you can avoid with some clever preparation for your travel. 
Thanks to Niels Heidenreich for this pic of Polish zloty and Euros
The first suggestion I have is that, if you’re traveling internationally, plan to put many of your expenses on plastic. Use a credit card for as many things as you can so that you don’t have to deal with the currency swaps. To do this, contact your card issuer before you leave and make sure they know you’re traveling overseas. Talk to them and make sure that there aren’t any restrictions on overseas use – most large banks have few, if any, restrictions on using their Visas or MasterCards. You may also want to write down your card number and the phone number of your issuing bank and store it in a private place far away from your card, so that if your card is stolen in an international setting, you can get things fixed as quickly as possible. Still, it is very worthwhile to have some foreign currency on hand, and I recommend doing the currency exchange before you leave. Doing the exchange before you leave gives you more opportunities to shop around for the best rates and allows you to avoid the pain of having to deal with the exchange fees once you arrive and have more limited options. So, how do you shop for currency exchanges? Your best bet is to contact the branches of large banks in the city you’re flying out of. Cities with a large international airport often have bank branches that will do the exchange for you, often at a pretty low rate. The rate is even lower if you happen to be a customer, so if you’re a customer of a large bank with a lot of branches, contact your own bank first and find out what exchange fees they offer you. My experience has been that these bank branches will give you the best rates you can find. If that doesn’t work for you, the next best rates have come from actually using an ATM card overseas – but if you’re going to do this, contact your bank before you leave so your card isn’t shut down due to theft protection. Usually, the currency exchange fees (if any) on the ATMs is actually lower than dealing with the banks directly, but the ATM usage fees end up tipping the balance toward doing the exchange before you leave. The worst option is the currency exchange desks that you’ll often find in airports when you land. They’ll exchange currency for you, but the fees are painful and should be avoided. So, here’s the plan. Try to put most expenses on the credit card, and also take some currency with you by exchanging some dollars for your foreign currency of choice at a large bank before you leave. If you’re overseas and need cash, use an ATM – resort to a currency exchange desk only as a last resort. I’ve used this strategy with most of my more recent international travel and I’ve found the cost of converting my dollars to be much more reasonable than just playing it by ear. The savings can really add up. This post is part of a yearlong series called “365 Ways to Live Cheap (Revisited),” in which I’m revisiting the entries from my book “365 Ways to Live Cheap,” which is available at Amazon and at bookstores everywhere.  | | Reader Mailbag: Fingertips Posted: 13 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Social Security now or later?
2. White lies at Christmas
3. Real estate investing and mortgages
4. Stocking stuffers
5. Running for office
6. Sharing meal prep responsibilities
7. Retirement savings or debt repayment?
8. Forgotten splurges
9. Math on abandoning land lines
10. Housing cost calcuator I write for a living. I spend several hours a day mostly typing away at my keyboard. The other day, I sliced open one of my fingertips badly. There was significant bleeding and the wound is still seeping a bit even now, as I type this. It’s heavily bandaged, but the bandage is bulky enough that it causes me to bump an extra key with my finger every ten or fifteen letters that I type. Two days ago, I couldn’t type at all. My finger hurt and typing caused the wound to continue to bleed at a fairly alarming rate. Fingertips seem minor, but when you rely on them, it’s amazing how much they can impact your day-to-day life. Q1: Social Security now or later?
I am a retired teacher, 63 years old in good health, who receives $1715 after taxes and medical insurance deductions each month. We have approximately $60K in investments from a modest inheritance. Our youngest child graduates from college this spring. My Social Security benefits are approximately $1777 at 62, $2200 at 66 and $3000 at 70. I am about to begin a full-time job at my church that pays $12 per hour. I estimate an annual pay of about $24,000 before taxes. Until June, our income from teaching was about $70,000 per year. Bottom line is that by accepting this new job, we will be receiving about 1/3 of my former income. My question is multi-faceted. First, would you recommend filing for Social Security now? Should we try to hold on and wait by drastically changing our life style? Should we slowly draw down our investments until it becomes necessary to take Social Security? My wife will be eligible for about $220 per month in benefits next year when she turns 62 years old. I am aware that there is a penalty for earning more than approximately $15,000 per year when collecting Social Security. I believe that I will be able to continue working for a few more years. Even to age 70. Do you advocate taking Social Security early, or should we hold off for the higher amount?
- Roger I would avoid taking Social Security as long as you’re continuing to work and earn a steady income. According to my back of the envelope math, you’re still going to be making about $4,000 a month before taxes, which equates to a $50,000 a year job (more or less). Your actual reduction in take-home pay compared to the $70,000 job isn’t going to be as much as you think – it’s roughly a 20% drop in take-home (according to that envelope math again). It may be that your lifestyle can’t handle that 20% reduction in take home pay, but if it can, your best move is to wait a while for the Social Security, especially if you’re both in good health. Q2: White lies at Christmas
One of the big rules in our house is complete honesty. If someone asks you a question, you answer it honestly or you face pretty strong consequences. Usually, the consequences for dishonesty are worse than for whatever you did wrong. This brings us to Christmas. Everyone is keeping little secrets from everyone because of the holiday season. We’re struggling with how to relax the honesty rules so everyone can keep presents secret. How can some small white lies be okay here?
- Janet Use the Fifth Amendment. Simply state that you can’t say anything because, if you did, it would ruin a surprise. If someone asks a question that’s going to reveal a Christmas gift, make it acceptable to answer that they can’t say because it would reveal a Christmas gift. That keeps things honest without revealing any gifts. I don’t think gift giving occasions is a reason to tell white lies. You should be able to simply say, “I can’t tell you yet!” Q3: Real estate investing and mortgages
I recently purchased 6 homes starting in November 2008 to present and am thinking about one more. After that is done I will be 30 years of age. They are worth 1.6M now. That being the case, should I refinance all of them around 4.25% down to 3.25% as a 15year mortage so I can retire at 50 or should I not refinance and pay as if I had refinanced, or should I not pay any of them down and reinvest. My goal is to retire at 50.
- Shane It sounds like you’re diving seriously into real estate investing. I can’t really make a recommendation here without a fuller picture of your financial state. What is your debt to income ratio, for one? Are these rental properties or just ones you want to sit on and wait for them to grow in value? Is the housing market actually going up in your area, or is it flat (or even dropping a bit)? Knowing as little as I know about your situation, I would think that refinancing would be a good move provided it doesn’t move your monthly payments up into any sort of danger zone. If it causes your mortgage payments to reach 30% of your monthly income, I’d be very cautious about refinancing, especially if the real estate market isn’t booming in your area. Q4: Stocking stuffers
What kind of stocking stuffers do your children find inside their stocking on Christmas morning?
- Jane They find lots of things in their stockings. Clementines (miniature oranges). Small LEGO kits. A few candies of various kinds. A banana. Swedish fish. A child’s card game, like Old Maid. I think Santa finds these things at sales throughout the year and hides them in his workshop until Christmas Eve. Q5: Running for office
Have you ever thought about running for local or state office? I think you would make an excellent candidate for the Libertarian Party.
- Cary I’m not sure I would be a Libertarian candidate, though I appreciate the thumbs-up. When I read the party platform of all of the parties, I find significant things I disagree with in each one. For example, I genuinely believe that the budget needs to be balanced and that we might have to do hard things to get there. You might think that would make me a Republican, but if you look at the last thirty years, the only time a balanced budget has been passed was under Bill Clinton, and the worst spenders of the last few decades were Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Obama. I don’t really feel that either party genuinely wants to fight for a balanced budget (some people talk the talk, but it’s just a political game for them, it seems). I have things I agree with Republicans on. I have things I disagree with the Republicans on. I can say the same thing about Democrats, Greens, and Libertarians. I don’t really know where I fit. I certainly don’t think that all Republicans and all Democrats are bad people, and I’m disgusted by the notion that “liberal” or “conservative” is a bad word – whenever I see them used that way, I start ignoring whoever’s talking. I think my efforts would be best used at a local level, and that’s where I’m starting to become involved. I’m looking at a few positions that are not party-based in the local area. Q6: Sharing meal prep responsibilities
My husband and I decided to start making most of our meals at home in an effort to save money. We decided to take turns doing it. At first, my husband did well and made spaghetti and other things, but he seems to have given up and just orders takeout on his nights to make dinner. This isn’t really saving us any money at all. I’m still making meals, but it’s frustrating to see him take the easy road and spend our money when I’m putting in more effort and spending less of it. What should I do?
- Jenny You need to find out why your husband doesn’t enjoy making meals. There’s got to be a reason for it. He may not want to tell you what that reason is. It might be that he just doesn’t like the process. It might also be that he just feels unskilled at it and is bothered if you’re much better at it than he is. You might want to consider some swapping of other household tasks. He could be responsible for the dishes and garbage, for example, if you handle all the meal prep. Find a solution that works for both of you. It’s worth figuring this out. Q7: Retirement savings or debt repayment?
So here’s my situation…I just turned 24 and have been in the work force for all of 22 months. I am fortunate enough to not have any student loans to pay, but I am living in Boston (read expensive rent) and my spending habits are terrible (one of the reasons I’m starting to read blogs like your’s…I need to get my financial life together). All this translates into me making decent money but still living paycheck to paycheck. Recently, a huge opportunity to straighten out my finances came knocking on my door. I was asked to to temporarily relocate to work with one of our customers for a year and my expenses will be paid for…no paying for gas, rent, food, etc. With all these expenses out, I am obviously getting more money than before. I was about to increase my contribution to my 401K when my girlfriend reminded me that I have $0 in emergency funds/accessible savings. All this leading to my question to you…During this year of no expenses, should I maximize my 401K contribution (which brings up a whole other issue of roth vs traditional) or open up a savings account and start accumulating money I can access for unforeseen emergencies?
- Leon I completely agree with your girlfriend that it’s not a good move to be completely without any sort of emergency fund. If you lost your job or got suddenly tossed from your apartment, you’d be in a real pickle. I would build an emergency fund that would cover at least two months of living expenses in Boston. Once you have that covered, then consider bumping up the 401(k) savings. Remember, also, that a fat emergency fund can really help if you decide to take your life in a different direction. It can make it much easier to move, make a career shift, and so on. Q8: Forgotten splurges
I know what my biggest financial challenge is, but I don’t know how to solve it. Here’s hoping you’ll help. When I go shopping, I’ll see something fairly small like a book or something and decide that it’s okay to splurge on it. I’ll buy it and feel fine about it, but I’ll forget about the splurge before very long. Then, the next day or even later that day, I’ll be somewhere and decide to splurge again because I’d forgotten about that last splurge already. I don’t splurge on big things, just little stuff, but it adds up big time. What can I do to stop this cycle?
- Monica I’d suggest an allowance, preferably a cash one. Each week, withdraw a certain amount of cash that you’ve decided is acceptable to spend on splurges throughout the coming week. Then, use that money for splurges – but only that money. If you don’t have enough cash in your kitty, you don’t get to splurge. Each week, replenish that cash. When you get into the routine of doing this, you’ll often find that your “splurge” money has some leftovers at the end of the week, which is actually a good thing. It means you’re being more selective with your splurges and you’ll find that when you’re more selective, the splurges become much more enjoyable. Q9: Math on abandoning land line
I am married and the father of 2 young children. We live in a large condo complex with neighbors who are not home much and less than friendly. My wife and I both have cell phones. My wife is inconsistent in keeping her cell phone charged. I am not home that much due to work, etc. Presently we get land line phone service as part of a bundled package from our broadband internet provider ($55 per month combined with all taxes). What do you think of the safety and potential cost savings from getting rid of the land line and getting by with the cell phones only?
- Jeff If you made the move, your wife would have to adopt new cell phone habits. There’s just no other way around it. As for emergencies, your best route would be to keep a charged cell phone somewhere in the house, one that’s older and has been disconnected. You can still dial 911 on these old phones. Teach your kids how to use the emergency phone so that they can do it in a pinch (depending on how young they are). Cell phones are doing a much better job of appropriately handling 911 calls than they did several years ago. You might want to also consider getting a phone number associated with a Skype account, which can really help with calls from home. I have one and it cuts back significantly on our mobile minutes while only costing a few bucks a month. Jeff has another question. Q10: Housing cost calculator
I have seen a number of housing affordability calculators on the web. However, none seem to take into account regional differences in expense (e.g., New York City costs more to live in than rural Florida) or childcare expenses. Are there any calculators out there that do that?
- Jeff This is perhaps the best calculator I’ve found for what you’re describing. It lets you see how much salary you’d need in your destination area to match the standard of living you have in your current area. While it doesn’t break things down into specific areas like child care or housing issues, it does provide a pretty strong overall thumbnail that you can use for such decisions. By the way, I highly recommend the Des Moines area here in Iowa. It’s one of the best “bang for the buck” areas in the United States in terms of things like value of education for the dollar. Got any questions? The best way to ask is to email me – trent at thesimpledollar dot com. I'll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.  | You are subscribed to email updates from The Simple Dollar
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