Tech Stuff Lee Likes

2010-07-01T19:15:00.002-06:00

IMDb Brings Movie Discovery to Android Devices

2010-06-30T09:40:00.000-06:00

IMDb Brings Movie Discovery to Android Devices: "

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has released its IMDb Movies and TV app for Android devices.

Like the IMDb app for iPhone and iPad, Android users can use to the tool to quickly access movie news, showtimes, movie trailers, and information about their favorite actor or film.

The Android release is also coinciding with a new mobile and social initiative known as “IMDb Everywhere.” The goal with “IMDb Everywhere” is to encourage users to use mobile applications and social networks like Facebook and Twitter to discover and share IMDb content wherever they are.

As we noted in our original IMDb for iPhone review, the app itself is pretty stellar, adding a level of discoverability and an optimized viewing experience you just can’t get on the website itself. The Android version has been customized specifically for the platform and it includes a few things that even the Apple counterparts currently lack, including voice search and social sharing options.

The app is available worldwide but movie showtimes and TV listings are only available in the U.S. The app works on devices with Android 1.6 or higher.

One More Thing: IMDb Twitter Bot Is Awesome

In addition to the Android app, IMDb has also recently launched a new Twitter account, @imdbbot. You can send queries about a movie, TV show or person to the bot and then get an automated response with a link just 60 seconds later.

Simply send a tweet to @imdbbot in the form of “t [movie tile] or [TV show title]” or “p [person's name]” and the bot will reply with a little bit of information, like the year it was made, the average rating and a shortlink to the IMDb page.

Your Favorite Movie Apps

We want to know: What apps do you like best for finding movie or TV info on your mobile phone?

More About: Android apps, Film, IMDB, Movies

For more Mobile coverage:

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Subscribe to the Mobile channel
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Sounds Like Facebook Will Be Partnering With Foursquare, Not Competing

2010-06-30T09:05:00.000-06:00

Sounds Like Facebook Will Be Partnering With Foursquare, Not Competing: "

Union Square Ventures partner Fred Wilson has written a blog post about the somewhat convoluted path that led to the recent closing of a Series B financing round for Foursquare, in which USV has an investment. It was smart of Foursquare to take its time and think about the right path, he argues, as opposed to jumping into a financing or a takeover offer right away. But the VC also said something that has implications for Foursquare’s future growth, in particular its relationship with Facebook, which was rumored to be in talks to acquire the company.

Wilson says that the discussions Foursquare’s founders had with potential acquirers helped the company understand the risks of going it alone vs. those of selling the company outright (which founder Dennis Crowley did with his previous company, Dodgeball, to Google). The Union Square VC adds that discussions with potential acquirers also:

…allowed the founders to develop close working relationships with some of the most important Internet companies who can not only be acquirers but also distribution partners and monetization partners.

Without reading too much into that statement, it sounds like Wilson is saying Foursquare will be counting on Facebook (and possibly Yahoo and Microsoft, which were also rumored to be looking at an acquisition of the company) to be partners rather than competitors in the location-based services game — in particular, distribution and monetization partners. This adds some fuel to the theory that Facebook will use its social networking clout to become an aggregator of location-based services such as Foursquare and Gowalla, rather than launching its own competing service or trying to acquire one.

There was much speculation leading up to the F8 conference in April that Facebook would launch its own location services, including a piece in the New York Times that quoted sources close to the company. But nothing along those lines was unveiled at the conference, or even discussed (although there have been reports that Facebook has been experimenting with location features for advertisers like McDonald’s (d mcd)). While many observers have assumed that Facebook would inevitably crush Foursquare and Gowalla with its own location offering, Wilson’s post suggests that it’s far more likely the giant social network will wind up working with them rather than against them.

In any case, as Om noted, now that it’s closed its financing round Foursquare has to make the transition from being the cool new social service to being an actual operating company, with all that entails.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d): Location: The Epicenter of Mobile Innovation

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr user Dunechaser

Ex-Facebook Exec Backs 'Google Me' Social Network Rumors | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

2010-06-29T10:51:00.000-06:00

Ex-Facebook Exec Backs 'Google Me' Social Network Rumors | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

2010-06-29T09:20:00.001-06:00

2010-06-29T09:19:00.003-06:00

2010-06-29T09:19:00.001-06:00

PSA: Be very careful about quitting FB

2010-06-29T09:18:00.002-06:00

2010-06-27T20:20:00.000-06:00

Microsoft by the numbers

25 Jun 2010 12:30 PM

You probably saw the news this week that we’ve sold 150 million Windows 7 licenses in 8 months. That's more than 600,000 per day. And, perhaps fittingly for a product called Windows 7, it adds up to 7 copies every second of every day since launch.

As a communications guy, I’m generally most comfortable with words. But since Microsoft is a pretty numbers-driven company, the Windows 7 milestone got me thinking about some *other* numbers, too.

Of course, numbers are only one dimension of a story. And we live in a hyper-competitive industry, with loads of challenges to go along with loads of opportunity. All the same, with Windows 7, Office 2010, Bing, Xbox 360, Kinect, Windows Phone 7, our cloud platform, and many other products, services and happy customers, 2010 is shaping up as a huge year for us.

So, without further ado, a few of my favorite numbers:

150,000,000
Number of Windows 7 licenses sold, making Windows 7 by far the fastest growing operating system in history.^[source]

7.1 million
Projected iPad sales for 2010. ^[source]

58 million
Projected netbook sales in 2010. ^[source]

355 million
Projected PC sales in 2010. ^[source]

<10Percentage of US netbooks running Windows in 2008. ^[source]

96
Percentage of US netbooks running Windows in 2009. ^[source]

0
Number of paying customers running on Windows Azure in November 2009.

10,000
Number of paying customers running on Windows Azure in June 2010.^[source]

700,000
Number of students, teachers and staff using Microsoft’s cloud productivity tools in Kentucky public schools, the largest cloud deployment in the US.^[source]

16 millionTotal subscribers to largest 25 US daily newspapers. ^[source]

14 MillionTotal number of Netflix subscribers. ^[source]

23 millionTotal number of Xbox Live subscribers. ^[source]

9,000,000Number of customer downloads of the Office 2010 beta prior to launch, the largest Microsoft beta program in history. ^[source]

21.4 millionNumber of new Bing search users in one year. [Comscore report – requires subscription]

24%Linux Server market share in 2005. ^[source]

33%Predicted Linux Server market share for 2007 (made in 2005). ^[source]

21.2%Actual Linux Server market share, Q4 2009. ^[source]

8.8 millionGlobal iPhone sales in Q1 2010. ^[source]

21.5 million
Nokia smartphone sales in Q1 2010. ^[source]

55 millionTotal smartphone sales globally in Q1 2010. ^[source]

439 millionProjected global smartphone sales in 2014. ^[source]

9Number of years it took Salesforce.com to reach 1 million paid user milestone. ^[source]

6Number of years it took Microsoft Dynamics CRM to reach 1 million paid user milestone. ^[source]

100%Percent chance that Salesforce.com CEO will mention Microsoft in a speech, panel, interview, or blog post.

173 millionGlobal Gmail users. ^[source]

284 millionGlobal Yahoo! Mail users.^[source]

360 millionGlobal Windows Live Hotmail users.^[source]

299 millionActive Windows Live Messenger Accounts worldwide. [Comscore MyMetrix, WW, March 2010 - requires subscription]

1Rank of Windows Live Messenger globally compared to all other instant messaging services. [Comscore MyMetrix, WW, March 2010 - requires subscription]

$5.7 Billion
Apple Net income for fiscal year ending Sep 2009. ^[source]

$6.5 BillionGoogle Net income for fiscal year ending Dec 2009. ^[source]

$14.5 Billion
Microsoft Net Income for fiscal year ending June 2009. ^[source]

$23.0 billion
Total Microsoft revenue, FY2000. ^[source]

$58.4 billion
Total Microsoft revenue, FY2009. ^[source]

fxs

Posted by Frank X. Shaw
CORPORATE VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

BP Begins Fighting Oil Spill With Kevin Costner's Oil-Separating Centrifuges [Bp]

2010-06-25T19:31:00.000-06:00

BP Begins Fighting Oil Spill With Kevin Costner's Oil-Separating Centrifuges [Bp]: "

Woah! BP Has actually gone ahead and started using those centrifuges designed by Kevin Costner to clean up the oil spill. And there's video. More »

BP - Oil spill - Kevin Costner - Environment - Energy

history of the world...apple style

2010-06-25T12:47:00.004-06:00

from http://mashable.com/2010/06/25/history-of-the-iphone-infographic/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Mashable+(Mashable)

Dropbox gets stupid-easy two-click file sharing!

2010-06-25T10:56:00.000-06:00

Dropbox gets stupid-easy two-click file sharing!: "

Filed under: Utilities, Web services

Dropbox is pretty much the best thing to happen to file sharing since ... well, ever. It just got a lot better too, with an easy way to send a quick download link to a friend in only two clicks. Previously, you had to create shared Dropbox folders and invite friends to them or put files into your public folder to make them public. Under the new sharing model, just select 'get shareable link' from the contextual menu on any file or folder to share it.

Media files you link will play on the Web, and if you have friends with Dropbox, they can also quickly your linked files to their own Dropbox accounts. Of course, there are social sharing buttons, so you can post your new link on Facebook or Twitter with ease. Sharing folders is as easy as sharing files, and it's a quick way to show off a bunch of photos at once or share a music playlist.

I thought I couldn't love Dropbox any more than I already did, but I was wrong!

Dropbox gets stupid-easy two-click file sharing! originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dropbox - Facebook - Twitter - Filesharing - Context menu"

Windows Live Messenger Wave 4: Almost excellent, still flawed

2010-06-25T10:52:00.000-06:00

Windows Live Messenger Wave 4: Almost excellent, still flawed: "

I love instant messaging. I use it both for work—we use instant messaging extensively at the Orbiting HQ—and for play, talking to my girlfriend, my family, and random people around the world. For most IM protocols, I use Digsby, but for Windows Live Messenger I've always tended to stick with the official client. I depend on many of Windows Live Messenger's built-in features—photo sharing, multiple-location sign-in, and webcam support—that I just don't get with third-party clients.

I also use social networks, including Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter. So, I was looking forward to the new version of Windows Live Messenger. An update to the client I use all the time, designed to integrate better both with Windows 7 and the social networks I use all day sounds great. What could possible go wrong?

Read the comments on this post

Windows Live Essentials beta now available for download

2010-06-24T14:21:00.000-06:00

Windows Live Essentials beta now available for download: "

Filed under: Microsoft

Microsoft's new suite of Live apps is ready to rock -- in beta form, at any rate. If you're interested in checking out the new releases (a few of which are actually quite good), head on over to the Live Essentials beta download page and grab the slim installer.

Alternatively, if you'd like to go with the offline installer (which weighs in at just over 100MB), you'll find them here:

English

Chinese (simplified)

Dutch

French

Portuguese

Spanish

Remember, Live Essentials beta apps require either Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Thanks to Liveside.net for the links to the Live Essentials beta offline installers!

Windows Live Essentials beta now available for download originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft - Windows Vista - Windows 7 - Windows Live Essential - Software release life cycle"

Windows Live Essentials Available Starting Tomorrow

2010-06-23T20:59:00.000-06:00

Windows Live Essentials Available Starting Tomorrow: "

Windows Live Essentials, a suite of online and desktop services that includes hotmail, messenger, sync, movie maker and photo gallery – will go live for everyone tomorrow. Until now the service has only been available to a limited set of beta testers. The services will be available here when it goes live sometime on Thursday.

The desktop portions of the services only work on Windows devices. English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish versions of the service will be available.

Photo Fuse alone makes the suite worth trying out, in our opinion. The photo application, called Windowls Live Photo Gallery, will also now have facial recognition and person tagging prompts as well.

CrunchBase Information

Microsoft

Information provided by CrunchBase

Creative Ways to Use Google Voice

2010-06-23T12:05:00.000-06:00

Creative Ways to Use Google Voice: "

Now that Google’s free telephone forwarding, screening and voicemail service Google Voice is open to anyone in the U.S., web workers are finding many creative ways to use it. Google Voice has an extensive list of features; here are a few ideas on how to use them:

Forward cell or landline numbers to Google Voice. It’s not yet possible to port existing numbers to Google Voice, but forwarding allows you to take advantage of its automated message transcription service and some of its other features. Not surprisingly, the quality of the transcriptions varies, but they’re generally good enough to save the hassle of calling your voicemail to listen to messages.

Create a “voicemail-only” Google Voice number to use when you don’t want to give out your real phone number. When setting up such an account, you’ll need to forward it to an existing number in order to verify it, but you can then set the number to “Do Not Disturb, ” or delete the forwarding number entirely in the Google Voice web interface.

Create numbers in area codes other than your own. The phone company used to charge huge fees for “foreign exchange” numbers; now, you can create a Google Voice number in any U.S. area code where numbers are available (and there are lots to choose from, except in Alaska and Hawaii).

Create numbers that spell something memorable or fun. When searching for a new number, you can type in a word, and Google Voice will find numbers that spell what you’re looking for, or you can use a site like PhoneSpell.

Set up Google Voice numbers to track marketing campaigns. Using multiple numbers is an easy and free way to find out how effective a particular advertising medium is.

Note that Google Voice only allows you to sign up for one number per email address. But email addresses don’t have to be Gmail accounts; any valid email address will do. Also, you can only forward one Google Voice number to a specific phone number, and you can’t forward one Google Voice number to another Google Voice number.

What creative ways have you found for using Google Voice?

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Are You Empowering Your Mobile Workforce?

Google Building Music Download Service with an Android Twist [REPORT]

2010-06-22T17:16:00.000-06:00

Google Building Music Download Service with an Android Twist [REPORT]: "

The Wall Street Journal reported some new details about the long-rumored Google music service, this time with a tasty Android twist.

Google’s plan, it seems, is to launch a download service first — one that is tied to the company’s search engine — and then to progress to an online subscription service by 2011. The ultimate goal is to have a cloud-based subscription service that could stream directly to Android-based devices.

While rumors and reports about Google formally entering the music sales or subscriptions space have been ongoing for years, this time the talk might be for real. In October, Google launched its music discovery search features. At the time, we discussed its implications on the music business as a whole.

Additionally, VEVO (a partnership service between YouTube and Universal Records) has at least theoretically created better relationships between the major labels and the search giant. However, when trying to assess Google’s overall music strategy, Android appears poised to be the biggest catalyst.

At Google I/O, Google showed off technology that would allow Android users to stream music off of their desktop computers right on to their phones. That’s very cool and offers a glimpse of what a cloud-based subscription service may offer. While Android can support direct over-the-air purchasing from the Amazon MP3 store, the overall music player and music experience still doesn’t quite have the finesse of iTunes and its integrated multi-device solution.

While The Wall Street Journal article mentions Android in relation to phone handsets and a streaming subscription, I actually think the implications for such a service are even greater on other Android devices.

Think about it: If your Android-based Google TV can also stream any music you want to your home stereo, that becomes an Apple TV without limiting users to their own libraries. And what about automobiles with Android-embedded systems? Those products aren’t on the market but manufacturers are interested. Having the ability to access that streaming subscription from your car, your home and your phone could make a Google-branded music subscription service succeed where so many others have failed.

What do you think about the potential for an Android-enhanced Google music service?

For more entertainment coverage, follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Reviews: Android, Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube

Tags: android, Google, google music, music

Finally, Google Voice Open to US Residents

2010-06-22T12:44:00.000-06:00

Finally, Google Voice Open to US Residents: "

Google Voice, the service that has been behind a velvet rope for almost a year is finally opening up to all comers, at least in the US. Google Voice is based on Grand Central’s one number for life service. Google acquired Grand Central in 2007 for rumored $50 million and since then has been trying to integrate it with its various offerings.

little over a year ago, we released an early preview of Google Voice, our web-based platform for managing your communications. We introduced one number to ring all your phones, voicemail that works like email, free calls and text messages to the U.S. and Canada, low-priced international calls and more—the only catch was you had to request and receive an invite to try it out. Today, after lots of testing and tweaking, we’re excited to open up Google Voice to the public, no invitation required.

Over the past year, we’ve introduced a mobile web app, an integrated voicemail player in Gmail, the ability to use Google Voice with your existing number and more. Over a million of you are now actively using Google Voice, and many of the features released over the past year (like SMS to email and our Chrome extension) came as a result of your suggestions, so thanks!

When Google announced the service in July 2009, I pointed out that it was a good way for Google to become a phone company. Fast forward to today, and you can see the company is making strides, especially on the Android platform where it is completely integrated, allowing you to initiate and receive calls exclusively on the Google Voice number, thereby pushing the phone company into the background.

The app is so tightly enmeshed with Android OS and the address book and other apps, you hardly think that you’re using Google Voice. If Google bundles the Google Voice app with Android and sells it to makers of cheaper feature phones, it can start to insert itself between the consumers and wireless companies.

That said, when used on other platforms such as Blackberry, Google Voice is marred by poor sound quality, especially as calls are routed from other numbers. I think that is mostly because of the general degradation of voice on most networks – whether wired or unwired. Anyway if you want to try it out, visit Google Voice website.

Dropbox for Chrome Browses and Downloads Files from the Popular Syncing Service [Downloads]

2010-06-22T12:43:00.000-06:00

Dropbox for Chrome Browses and Downloads Files from the Popular Syncing Service [Downloads]: "

Chrome: Google Chrome extension Dropbox hooks up your browser with the popular file-syncing service, Dropbox so you can easily browse and download your Dropbox files without opening up the web site. More »

Dropbox - Google Chrome - Clients - WWW - Windows

Apple already knows where you are all the time — and is telling others | VentureBeat

2010-06-21T21:06:00.000-06:00

Apple already knows where you are all the time — and is telling others | VentureBeat

The E-Reader Price War Heats Up: Kindle Now $189

2010-06-21T14:50:00.000-06:00

The E-Reader Price War Heats Up: Kindle Now $189: "

Amazon just dropped the price of its Kindle e-reader to $189. This move comes just a few hours after B&N announced the launch of its WiFi-only Nook for $149 and reduced the price of its 3G-enabled version of the Nook to $189. No doubt, Amazon's price drop is a direct reaction to B&N's attack on Amazon's Kindle business and it will be interesting to see how B&N will react to Amazon's new challenge.

Sponsor

In its press release, Amazon doesn't address B&N's Nook directly. Instead, Amazon takes a thinly veiled swipe at Apple's iPad and stresses that the Kindle can be used in "bright sunlight" and that it is light enough for "one-handed reading." In addition, Amazon stresses that even though the Kindle is a 3G device, users won't have to pay monthly fees or sign annual contracts.

For Half a Day, the Nook was the Cheapest 3G-Enabled E-Reader

Now that the Kindle is $10 cheaper than the Nook 3G, Amazon's e-reader is now the cheapest 3G-enabled standalone e-reader on the market - a claim that B&N was still able to make in its announcement this morning. The WiFi-only Nook is still $40 cheaper than the Kindle, but with its 3G connection, the Kindle offers a very significant extra feature for what is only a slightly higher price.

How Will B&N React? Another Price Drop or Focus on Unique Features?

It will be interesting to see how this race to the bottom will play out. Amazon has already shown that it is willing to take a loss on the Kindle business in order to gain market share. If B&N decides to undercut Amazon's price again, chances are that Amazon will pull even within hours.

If B&N decides to keep its current pricing scheme, chances are that the company will focus its marketing on the unique features of the Nook ecosystem, including the ability to lend e-book to friends for up to two weeks and B&N's in-store reading program. In addition, the Nook's small touchscreen at the bottom of the device gives B&N's e-reader an additional hardware feature that the Kindle doesn't offer yet.

Discuss

Nook Wi-Fi Available for $150, Nook 3G Reduced to $200 [Nook]

2010-06-21T08:23:00.000-06:00

Nook Wi-Fi Available for $150, Nook 3G Reduced to $200 [Nook]: "

Good news all around for those of you considering a nook. An all-white, Wi-Fi only version, which leaked a bit early, goes on sale today for $150. That sounded pretty exciting...before the 3G version simultaneously dropped by $60. More »

Wi-Fi - barnes noble - E-book - nook - eReader

Is the new share-anything Google Docs the precursor to Google's in-the-cloud music service?

2010-06-21T08:21:00.000-06:00

Is the new share-anything Google Docs the precursor to Google's in-the-cloud music service?: "

Filed under: Google, web 2.0

Late last week Google turned on 'public sharing' in Docs. You could always share files with friends or via an obfuscated 'secret link', but the idea of public, searchable links is something new. Not only is it an issue for piracy -- I tested it with a 350MB TV show, and it worked fine! -- but this could also be the opening salvo of Google's counterattack against Dropbox and Microsoft's SkyDrive.

But enough of the public sharing feature! I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about the possibilities of cheap, API-accessible cloud storage. This is actually an excuse for me to play catch-up: Google Docs now lets you upload almost any kind of file! This functionality was originally turned on six months ago, but it's the kind of thing that most people wouldn't discover on their own. But the plot thickens...

The inner scientist compelled me to try out as many file formats as possible. AVI, RAR, ZIP, BMP, EXE, MSI -- the list goes on -- and when combined with help of a Download Squad reader, we tested an exhaustive list of 30 popular file formats. The results are interesting: everything worked fine, except for music files. For some reason, FLAC files have their extension removed, and M4A and ALAC have their extensions changed to 'MP3'. MP3s and OGG files are left unscathed.

Now, it would make sense for Google Docs to be the One Repository To Rule Them All -- why should accessing your music on your phone be any different from accessing your work? -- but... why would music formats be renamed? No other file types were renamed. That sounds a lot like either buggy legacy code, or that the Android music cloud-sharing service is quite tightly linked to Google Docs.

I think something juicy is going on behind the scenes.

With Android now mainstream and the imminent release of Chrome OS, I think we're about to see some sexy cloud storage services from Google.

Is the new share-anything Google Docs the precursor to Google's in-the-cloud music service? originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Docs - Google - Microsoft - Dropbox - Cloud computing"

Google Redesigns Gmail Contact Cards

2010-06-21T08:13:00.000-06:00

Google Redesigns Gmail Contact Cards: "

In the last couple of weeks, Google has been adding tiny improvements to Gmail; two recent ones were Google Maps previews and a redesigned chat window.

Now, it redesigned the Gmail contact cards, which show up when you move the mouse over a contact in Gmail. They still contain an image of the contact, their email, and links for quick emailing, chat, and video chat (together with several other options), but those buttons have moved from the top to the bottom of the card, and the card has lost the light-blue border, making it look more like a business card.

Interestingly enough, you can no longer edit the name of the contact directly from the card (you can do it in the address book), but you can still change their picture.

These are all very small, cosmetic changes, but put them all together, and you’ll see that Gmail has actually changed quite a lot in the last couple of years.

For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Tags: contact cards, gmail, redesign

Five Best Blogging Platforms [Hive Five]

2010-06-20T14:20:00.000-06:00

Five Best Blogging Platforms [Hive Five]: "

It's not difficult to argue that blogging has done more to spread knowledge and ideas than any other publishing innovation since the printing press. Here's a look at the most popular blogging platforms to help you get your ideas out there. More »

Business - FAQs Help and Tutorials - Blog - Posterous - Blogger

2010-06-18T23:08:00.000-06:00

Wordpress 3.0 arrives, with multi-blog support and new default theme

2010-06-18T16:26:00.000-06:00

Wordpress 3.0 arrives, with multi-blog support and new default theme: "

Filed under: Blogging, Productivity, Web services

If you're running several Wordpress blogs, your life just got a lot easier. Wordpress 3.0, codenamed 'Thelonious,' has finally arrived, and it supports multiple Wordpress blogs. You can manage them all from a central dashboard, too, with no logging out and back in. There's also a sexy new default theme called 2010, which is highly customizable and lets you post small 'asides' in addition to regular long posts.

Wordpress 3.0 also features extremely convenient bulk updates of plug-ins and themes, so you don't have to do them one at a time. On the widget front, the coolest new feature is custom menus, so you can do your site navigation your way. Because Wordpress can occasionally be confusing, there's also help on every page now, to help you get a handle on all the new features.

There are honestly too many improvements to Wordpress to do them justice in one post, so I suggest you check out the very useful overview video below.

Wordpress 3.0 arrives, with multi-blog support and new default theme originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WordPress - Blog - Plug-in - Download Squad - Tools"

How to Set Up OpenID on Your Own Domain

2010-06-17T17:43:00.001-06:00

How to Set Up OpenID on Your Own Domain: "

For some reason I was under the mistaken impression that setting up an OpenID on my own domain, ginatrapani.org, would be a big hassle: that I'd have to host my own OpenID server software and that it would take all sorts of installation and maintenance BS to do so. I feel strongly about owning my identity online, mapping it to my nameplate domain, and actively choosing an authorizing party instead of just accepting the sign-in service du jour like Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, or Google. Still, I never got set up with OpenID on ginatrapani.org because my perceived hassle factor was daunting. Instead, I used idproxy.net for my OpenID and put the domain setup on my 'someday I have to do that' list. It meant that my OpenID was ginatrapani.idproxy.net instead of my own domain. Idproxy is a great service and I thank them for getting me started with OpenID; but still, I want my OpenID URL to be a domain name I own and control.

Turns out I was dead wrong about the hassle. Setting up OpenID capabilities on your own domain name is a two-lines-of-HTML affair, and it's finally done. (Thanks to Chris Messina for bringing me into the year 2006.) If you're interested in doing the same, here's what to know.

First, Google Profiles (and, it turns out, idproxy.net and ClaimID and a bunch of other OpenID providers) can work with your domain name, so all I have to do is add a few <link rel> tags to your HTML to get things working. Second, you can specify multiple OpenID providers, so if idproxy.net was down or Google Profiles was down, you can have a provider fallback. Sweet. Now, in the <head> tags of ginatrapani.org you will find the following:

<link rel="openid2.provider" href="https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/ud?source=profiles" >
<link rel="openid2.local_id" href="http://www.google.com/profiles/ginatrapani" >

That sets Google Profiles as the authorizing party for my OpenID, but my OpenID URL is ginatrapani.org. You can see my new OpenID in action right here; I signed into this very site with my new OpenID and posted a comment.

I'm not sure yet how to set Idproxy as my 'fallback' provider just yet; if you know how to do that, post it up in the comments.

Thanks to the folks in this Stack Overflow thread for clearing up how to use Google Profiles as an OpenID provider and to Chris for a great discussion of OpenID, OAuth, and verifying identity on the web.

How does Windows Live Sync stack up to DropBox?

2010-06-17T17:43:00.000-06:00

How does Windows Live Sync stack up to DropBox?: "

Filed under: Utilities, Web services

Live Essentials 2011 is nearly ready for the launch of its beta and with it will come Live Sync, Microsoft's desktop-to-cloud storage app which provides Dropbox-like capabilities via SkyDrive. Both services provide a nice bridge between your computer and the cloud, and they're extremely handy if you use more than one computer system on a regular basis -- especially if they're in different locations.

So how do the two services match up? Let's take a gander.

Capactiy: tie (sorta)

Both Dropbox and Live Sync provide 2GB of accessible-by-anyone cloud storage for free. Dropbox, of course, offers paid upgrades while Live Sync presently does not. Whether Microsoft will allow you to expand into more of your SkyDrive's maximum 25GB of space remains to be seen.

Flexibility: Live Sync

Though Dropbox lets you choose which subfolders of your My Dropbox folder you want to sync, there's no easy way to include folders located elsewhere on your system (yes, there are ways to do it using symlinks). Live Sync lets you choose any folder on your system, plus it can also sync Internet Explorer Favorites and Office templates.

Peer-to-Peer Sync: Live Sync

Dropbox doesn't offer this function, and it can be incredibly handy. In addition to letting you sync 2GB of data to your SkyDrive cloud storage, Live Sync will also do folder-to-folder syncing on any machines you want to connect. Just sign in with your Live ID on both systems and create the folder pair.

Platform support: Dropbox

With apps available for just about every mobile device around and desktop versions for Windows, Mac and Linux, Dropbox has a clear advantage here. Live Sync will probably get a Mac client, but mobile access will likely be limited to the browser on non-Windows Phone 7 devices.

Bandwidth: Dropbox

My ISP is pretty stingy with the uploads -- I'm limited to about 34K/s, and my downstream gets choked whenever I approach that limit. As such, I prefer apps that provide an option to limit transfer speeds. Dropbox does, Live Sync doesn't.

This isn't to say that Live Sync is a hog. I never noticed any issues with my connection while running a sync operation, but I prefer being able to set a self-imposed limit.

Remote access: Live Sync

This may not factor in to the decision-making process for you, but if you're a Windows user and you think having full remote access to your computer might come in handy from time to time, Live Sync can do it and Dropbox can't. Even if you don't think it's a feature you would use often, there's always a chance that one day you'll need access to some file you've forgotten to sync -- and Live Sync's remote function will be a life-saver.

Final thoughts

If upgradeable storage and cross-platform (including mobile) support are crucial, go with Dropbox. If you're primarily concerned with accessing files on your Windows systems both at home and at work, Live Sync is tough to beat with its peer-to-peer sync and remoting options.

How does Windows Live Sync stack up to DropBox? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft - Dropbox - Windows Live SkyDrive - Windows Live Sync - Internet Explorer"

Summer Hacking School for kids based on Little Brother

2010-06-17T12:22:00.000-06:00

Awesome Book, very interesting idea...

Summer Hacking School for kids based on Little Brother: "
Neale sez, 'I liked Little Brother so much that I bought a copy for my niece and then based an entire Summer Hacking School around it. The kids were really excited about the premise of the book when I explained it to them tonight, and the fact that it's available for free in so many formats was just gravy. I put ePub and j2me versions on 5 mobile phones before they left for the night.'

Like all my books, Little Brother is free to download and remix. You can take Neale's course at Northern New Mexico College in Española, New Mexico.

How Does the New Hotmail Stack Up to Gmail? [Lifehacker Showdown]

2010-06-16T19:38:00.000-06:00

How Does the New Hotmail Stack Up to Gmail? [Lifehacker Showdown]: "

This may come as a surprise, but the new Microsoft Hotmail is actually pretty good. But how does it stack up to Google's email champion, Gmail? Here's a look at the good and bad of both services. More »

Gmail - Google - Microsoft - Search Engines - Hotmail

This looks awesome...wonder how the actual game play will look

2010-06-16T15:35:00.002-06:00

Some of my favorite Video Blogs from TWiT.tv

2010-06-16T07:21:00.000-06:00

Twit.tv hosts most of my favorite tech video blogs. I'd suggest This week in tech (TWiT) and This week in Google (TWiG) above the rest but I try and catch them all.

Here's a Schedule.

Would You Switch to Google Music? [Reader Poll]

2010-06-16T05:10:00.000-06:00

Would You Switch to Google Music? [Reader Poll]: "

According to tech site CNET, Google is building a cloud-based music service to take on iTunes that could launch as early as this fall. More »

Google - Search - Search Engines - Companies - Google Music

Could AT&T's iPad Email Leak Really Be A Much, Much More Serious Security Breach?

2010-06-16T04:57:00.000-06:00

It's articles like this that make me realize that being a super early adopter can be bad...that AT&T sucks...and that not having the money to buy one of the first iPads may not have been a bad thing.

Could AT&T's iPad Email Leak Really Be A Much, Much More Serious Security Breach?: "Last week, we wrote about the security glitch by AT&T, that allowed hackers to figure out the email addresses of 114,000 iPad users. A few people in the comments mocked this news, claiming that such info was pretty much meaningless, as email addresses are hardly private info these days. Of course, that ignored the connection of the email address to the fact that you bought an iPad. But now, some are realizing the potential security problems with this may be significantly worse. Slashdot point us to a story where someone walks through how poor security choices by the various mobile operators means that knowing the information revealed by the glitch can actually reveal much, much more. As the blog post walks through the details, it concludes that potentially, the data from the breach in some cases (though, not all) could then be used to figure out a lot more:

So yeah, knowing someone's ICCID can give you their full unpublished billing name, their cellular phone number (and hence their home address), their current location on a realtime basis, their voicemail, and if you're prepared to follow them around (within a few miles) then you get all their phone calls and SMS messages too.

There is a later edit, when he realizes that the voicemail/phone calls/SMS stuff might not be that big of a deal, since the iPad is not a phone device, but it's still instructive of how a 'simple' data breach can lead to much more in certain circumstances.

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Google TV Explained in Less Than Three Minutes [VIDEO]

2010-06-15T15:10:00.000-06:00

Google TV Explained in Less Than Three Minutes [VIDEO]: "

We’re been hearing word of Google TV since March, the excitement finally coming to a head at Google I/O last month when the ambitious project was revealed. Now, Google has a released a handy video that illustrates just how it works.

The platform — which integrates TV and web content to create one, smooth experience — is said to be a possible foil to the Boxee Box. Boxee’s release date has been pushed back to November 2010 (Google TV will also be available in the fall). Looking at the video above, we have to admit that the experience looks pretty intriguing (even though whoever made the vid has rather poor taste in television shows).

We’ve been privy to a lot of facts regarding Google TV, including its compatibility with Adobe Flash, its ability to search TV and the web simultaneously and to run Android apps, and its various form factors (external set-top box or integrated Sony TV). This video does a good job of simplifying the info.

What do you think? Do you plan on getting Google TV?

For more web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Tags: google tv, Hardware, video

Gmail Sender's Picture Adds Google Profile Pics to Gmail Messages [Downloads]

2010-06-15T08:13:00.000-06:00

Gmail Sender's Picture Adds Google Profile Pics to Gmail Messages [Downloads]: "

Chrome: If you like how Apple Mail adds sender's pictures to messages, or you're just better with faces than names, the Gmail Sender's Picture is a no-brainer. It simply inserts a person's Google Profile pic into your Gmail conversations with them. More »

Google - Searching - Search Engines - Companies - Google Chrome

Google Docs’ New Upgrades Go Live for Everyone

2010-06-14T23:16:00.000-06:00

Google Docs’ New Upgrades Go Live for Everyone: "

Google has recently made a slew of changes to their Docs office and productivity suite live for all users and all new documents. From now on, when you create a new spreadsheet, drawing, presentation or text document in Docs, you’ll be using the snazzy new interface and collaboration features as the default.

Two months ago, Google announced some major new features for Google Docs. Users were able to preview these upgrades, which included completely group chat, real-time collaboration tools, and completely redesigned editors for documents, spreadsheets, and drawings.

From now on, anytime you create a new document, you’ll be doing so from the new version of Google Docs. Documents already created using the older editor will remain in that interface, and you’ll soon be able to move those older documents to the new version of Docs, too.

Here’s a little video that highlights some of Docs’ new features:

Enterprise-level users of Google Apps will also see the new default interface soon.

Here’s what the rebuilt Docs looks like, in case you haven’t been testing it out over the past couple months:

This upgraded version becoming Docs’ new default interface comes at just the right time; Microsoft recently announced a Google Docs competitor in Office Web Apps, a web-based suite that includes a text editor/word processor, spreadsheet editor and presentation software.

Which company do you think has rolled out the better product for online document editing, collaboration and storage? And do you approve of the changes to Google Docs?

For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Reviews: Facebook, Google, Google Docs, Twitter

Tags: editor, Google, google docs, office, spreadsheets

Twitter Launches “Places” Feature with Foursquare Integration

2010-06-14T19:33:00.000-06:00

Twitter Launches “Places” Feature with Foursquare Integration: "

After months of rumors and hinting, Twitter is ready to unveil its new and major foray into the world of geolocation: Twitter Places.

This feature will highlight tweets around a given location. Starting now, Twitter.com desktop and mobile users can tag their tweets with existing Twitter Places and add new Twitter Places, too.

Twitter Places can be explored and will reveal a list of recent, public tweets from that location. Twitter will also show you nearby locations and points of interest, including restaurants and shops.

Twitter Places will be integrated with Foursquare and Gowalla, as well. ” Location is a key component of these tweets, so we worked closely with both companies to associate a Twitter Place with Tweets generated by these services,” wrote Twitter geo head Othman Laraki today on the company blog. Location data will also work with more browsers, including Safari and Internet Explorer.

Here’s what it looks like from the web interface:

Twitter is also releasing an API that will allow developers to play with Twitter Places in their third-party apps; we expect details and some interesting discussions will pop up in Twitter’s API Announcements group soon.

“Over the next week, we will roll this out to users in 65 countries around the world,” Laraki continued, “so keep an eye out for the ‘Add your location’ link below the tweet box.” Users of Twitter’s official smartphone apps can also expect upcoming integrations of Twitter Places.

If you’d like to stay up-to-the-minute on Twitter Places, you can follow @geo on the microblogging service.

Twitter first announced its geolocation API back in March, and Evan Williams announced at the Chirp conference in April that the company would soon be launching a Points of Interest feature.

What’s your opinion of this feature so far: Fun and useful, or just more noise?

[img credit: tsevis]

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Internet Explorer, Safari, Twitter, blog

Tags: foursquare, geolocation, gowalla, lbs, location, twitter, twitter places

Video Kinect Lets You Chat With Xbox Live and Windows Live Messenger [Kinect]

2010-06-14T13:29:00.000-06:00

Video Kinect Lets You Chat With Xbox Live and Windows Live Messenger [Kinect]: "

With Kinect, you can do video chats with other Xbox users (with Kinect), as well as Windows Live Messenger on the PC. Microsoft's also talked about Windows Phone 7. More »

Microsoft - Xbox - Windows Live Messenger - Video game - Games

The New Xbox 360 Is Smaller and Blacker, But Costs the Same [Xbox 360]

2010-06-14T13:28:00.000-06:00

The New Xbox 360 Is Smaller and Blacker, But Costs the Same [Xbox 360]: "

It's smaller, has more ports, runs quieter and costs the same: $300. It has a 250GB hard drive and built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi. They're shipping the new Xbox 360 to retailers today. More »

Microsoft - Xbox 360 - Xbox - Video Games - Games

Xbox 360 Gets Live Sports In HD From ESPN. Canceling My Cable In 5, 4, 3…

2010-06-14T13:05:00.000-06:00

Xbox 360 Gets Live Sports In HD From ESPN. Canceling My Cable In 5, 4, 3…: "

Everyone is busy talking about Microsoft Kinect (the project formerly known as Natal), but to me, some much bigger news just dropped at E3 from Microsoft: ESPN live sports access. Simply put: this was the only thing holding me back from completely canceling my cable subscription. As soon as this goes live, I’m done with cable forever.

No, this live sporting access won’t be entirely free, but it’s one hell of a deal. You simply have be an Xbox Live Gold member (about $50 a year), and you’ll get access to over 3,500 live events a year. In HD. Did I mention it was $50 a year? My cable bill is currently double that — a month.

According to BusinessofVideo.com:

Content includes college basketball, college football, soccer, MLB and NBA amongst others.

It’s hard to overstate just how big this news is for people fed up for cable. A little over a year ago I tried to cancel my cable after being fed up with Comcast’s sub-par (a nice way of saying it) service and absurd prices. I was fine using only my Xbox 360, Apple TV, and computer for all my content for several months. One thing I severely missed though was live sports. As crazy as it sounds, there’s only so many times you can drag yourself to a bar on a weeknight to watch every game you want to see.

So when I moved a few months ago, I signed up for cable again (this time without Comcast, thankfully). Once again, I find the only thing I regularly watch on cable is live sports — so I’m effectively paying $100 a month for that privilege since the cable companies still refuse to do a-la-carte packages where you can choose only the channels you want. With this new Xbox Live ESPN service, I can officially cancel cable — and never look back.

One thing not mentioned in the announcement was the biggest sports league in the U.S.: the NFL. Still, if I only have to drag myself to bars to watch those games, I’ll be a happy camper.

Back in December, when it looked like Apple was on the verge of talking some of the television networks into doing subscription-based TV packages through iTunes, I wrote that Apple may be on the verge of kneecapping the cable industry. Those deals have yet to come to fruition. And so their rival Microsoft beat them to the knee bashing. As long as I can throw that crappy cable box and its piece of garbage remote out the window, I don’t care who destroys big cable’s monopoly, I just care that it’s done.

CrunchBase Information

Xbox 360

ESPN

Information provided by CrunchBase

my idea of a public service announcement. Thanks Diggnation.

2010-06-12T15:17:00.000-06:00

Super Sexy CPR from Super Sexy CPR on Vimeo.

Comparing Office 2010 Desktop And Office Web Apps in Pictures [Screenshot Tour]

2010-06-11T16:00:00.000-06:00

Comparing Office 2010 Desktop And Office Web Apps in Pictures [Screenshot Tour]: "

We've compared Office Web Apps and Google Docs, and found plenty to like in both. But how does Office Web Apps measure up to the full-blown version of Office 2010 in terms of features? More »

Microsoft Office 2010 - Office Web Apps - Google - Microsoft - Google Docs

Soluto Is an Awesome Tool to Speed Up Your System Boot, Fix System Slowdowns [Downloads]

2010-06-11T15:56:00.000-06:00

I've been using Soluto since it won at disrupt last month. I've seen some marked improvements.

Soluto Is an Awesome Tool to Speed Up Your System Boot, Fix System Slowdowns [Downloads]: "

Windows only: Soluto bills itself as an "Anti-Frustration Software", and it's not hard to see why—it tracks all the applications in your system boot process, and tells you exactly which ones are slowing you down. More »

Windows - Microsoft Windows - Soluto - Operating system - boot

Hydropolis: A Hotel At the Bottom of the Ocean [Architecture]

2010-06-11T01:14:00.000-06:00

Hydropolis: A Hotel At the Bottom of the Ocean [Architecture]: "

The vision: a 220-suite hotel, off the coast of Dubai, totally submerged in the Persian Gulf. This was Hydropolis, a project conceived in 2006, delayed in 2008, and today nothing more than a pile of blueprints. Here's what could've been: More »

Dubai - United Arab Emirates - Middle East - Persian Gulf - Travel and Tourism

How Does Office Web Apps Compare to Google Docs? [Lifehacker Showdown]

2010-06-10T16:00:00.000-06:00

How Does Office Web Apps Compare to Google Docs? [Lifehacker Showdown]: "

Microsoft rolled out its free Office Web Apps earlier this week, introducing a free, basic Office suite for the web. How does it compare to Google's own Docs offering? Here's a rundown of each webapp's strengths and weaknesses. More »

Google - Google Docs - Searching - Search Engines - Microsoft

Gina Trapani’s Tip of the Week from This Week in Google (twit.tv)

2010-06-09T15:22:00.001-06:00

Maps in Gmail and Buzz.

Helping people find something you’re trying to lead them to has never been easier. A new google labs option in gmail (and buzz) will automatically turn any address into an embedded map in your emails.

go to the google labs link in your gmail to turn it on.

Thanks Gina!

Google Voice to Integrate with Gmail as a VoIP Service

2010-06-09T14:20:00.000-06:00

Google Voice to Integrate with Gmail as a VoIP Service: "Google tests a new feature that makes Gmail chat more useful: users are able to make and receive Google Voice calls from Gmail. A new phone icon opens a Gmail chat window with a dialpad, an option to find contacts, a credit balance and a call button.

Right now, if you want to call someone using Google Voice, you need a phone. You can either visit Google Phone's site on your computer, enter the phone number you want to call and wait until Google calls your phone and connects you for free or use Google Phone app on a mobile phone.

The new feature will allow users to make voice calls over the Internet and it's likely that it won't be limited to Gmail. In April, TechCrunch reported that Google 'built a Google Voice desktop application to make and receive calls' and that the application is tested internally. Google used technology from Gizmo5, a VoIP service acquired by Google last year.

For now, Google Voice's integration with Gmail is not publicly available.

{ Thanks, Anon. }

How Dana White Built a UFC Empire with Social Media

2010-06-08T18:08:00.000-06:00

How Dana White Built a UFC Empire with Social Media: "

When the media refused to cover the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the league cultivated its own massive following through grassroots social media rapport. Now the UFC is the fastest growing sport in the world, and its firebrand CEO, Dana White, still spends almost every day reaching out to fans on the Internet.

I had the opportunity to pick White’s mind about how he leveraged social media to beat his competition. Below are several keys to his success.

Social Media Boot Camp

Much of the UFC’s commitment to social media outreach comes from White himself, an avid Twitter-er. In order to bring his organization up to speed, White hired PR firm Digital Royalty to teach the fighters how to properly use social media. He gave the fighters a simple instruction: “I want you to Twitter your asses off,” recalled Amy Martin, Digital Royalty’s founder and CEO. Digital Royalty ran a one-on-one boot camp with the fighters, churning out 200 new media mavens over the course of three days. After the boot camp, fighter education is still an ongoing effort. “We’re constantly doing one-on-ones with them,” Martin said. “They also have my personal email address and mobile phone number.”

In addition to education, Martin helps orchestrate a real-time “behind the scenes” look at the fighters preparing for a match, video blogging their outlook on the fight. A guest fighter live-tweets from the official UFC account during each event. All this gives die-hard fans as much interaction as they can possibly handle. “The volume is pretty intense,” she said.

Martin maintains that the UFC’s openness and willingness to experiment with social media has been the key to their success. Many large sports franchises are still just dipping their toes in the social media ocean, and are missing an opportunity to capture fan enthusiasm as a result.

Raw Honesty

White is known for his unflinching honesty and his confidence to share even embarrassing or shameful moments with his fans. These important traits have become part of the UFC’s social media brand. When one of the UFC’s star fighters breezed through a prizefight with noticeably little effort, for example, White gave this apologetic interview (which has been viewed over one million times).

Transparency, outreach, and openness are now more important than ever, as social media allows fans to subvert traditional channels and voice their opinions directly. White is willing to meet them halfway, foregoing false showmanship in order to genuinely connect with fans: “Some fights are going to be the best fights you’ve ever seen, and some are going to suck,” White said. “And I think you’re better off to go out and talk about why the fight sucked and you know, be honest about it. You’re not going to fool anybody.”

The Power of Twitter

Before broadcast media would air the fights, the UFC was vaulted to popularity through direct interaction with fans on fighter enthusiast blogs. Now, in order to scale with the UFC’s global reach, White has a new favorite sounding board: Twitter. “I love Twitter,” said White. At more than one million followers, it’s clear that the love is mutual. White’s unusually strong commitment to @reply’s and real-life meet-ups has cultivated an incredibly responsive audience.

During the run-up to big fight in Montreal, a marketing agent asked White how he quantified Twitter. White responded, “How do you quantify billboards? How do you quantify newspaper adds? You can’t quantify it. But let me show you how [expletive] strong this is.”

White and his dinner companion strolled over to a local gas station at 11:30 p.m. and tweeted his location. About 36 seconds later one fan had shown up, after three minutes White estimated there were about 100 fans at the gas station.

“Twitter is amazing,” he gushed, “you can talk directly to your fans instantly.” A pessimist could chalk up White’s commitment to fan interaction as a crude PR calculation. The more he talks, however, the more it’s likely that White is a textbook case of what happens when someone has an unmitigated passion for their job.

“Why would I not want to talk to somebody who loves what I do just as much as I do,” White said. “Makes no sense to me… I could sit there and hang out and talk with the fans all day.”

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More social media resources from Mashable:

- 5 Things the Library of Congress is Archiving Online
- 5 Ways Government Works Better With Social Media
- How the U.S. Engages the World with Social Media
- How Social Media Can Effect Real Social and Governmental Change
- 6 Ways Law Enforcement Uses Social Media to Fight Crime

Tags: amy martin, dana white, digital royalty, social media, twitter, ufc, youtube

Surviving without Facebook

2010-06-08T14:47:00.001-06:00

It’s been a little over a week now, and less than a week to go before my Facebook account is deleted forever, and I seem free of withdrawal symptoms. I miss the friends that I was able to reconnect with via Facebook and the ease of communication with people, but easy isn’t always best. (I’ll spare you the story of where I first learned that lesson)

I’ve directed everyone to go to www.LeeGillenwater.com for links to any blogs I’m working on as well as links to my twitter account and IM addresses. Hopefully we’ll all stay in touch without Zuckerberg having access to my information and holding me hostage to his whimsical changes in privacy policy.

I did create a new ‘mock’ facebook page. I wanted to see the new privacy controls for myself so I created a facebook page for a dwarf rogue I play in World of Warcraft. Feel free to friend Arkhon Winterborn if you like. He’s lonely. :)

If I start missing the Facebook I’ll be sure to get back to you, but for now I’m feeling fine.

-Lee

Finally! A reason to take the train.

2010-06-08T11:52:00.000-06:00

Amtrak to take free onboard WiFi nationwide: "

Amtrak's Acela Express trains run along the Washington-Boston-New York corridor and offer two things not often seen by US rail passengers: decent speeds and free WiFi. One of those benefits could soon come to every Amtrak train nationwide. Guess which one?

Onboard WiFi has been a huge hit on the Acela trains. Amtrak announced last week that 39 percent of all Acela riders had logged onto the Internet aboard the train and that the service had given Amtrak a major competitive advantage over bus and air travel in the Northeast corridor.

Now, Amtrak wants to expand the bandwidth available to the system and hopes to extend WiFi service to its nationwide fleet. A request for proposals has just gone out to vendors, and installation should begin this autumn.

The Acela trains proved relatively easy to wire, for two reasons. First, cell phone towers in the densely populated Northeast corridor can provide a steady connection that (as I can tell you from experience) does not exist when blasting through rural New Mexico.

Second, the trains have a fixed set of cars. On other routes, Amtrak mixes car types together in different configurations, switches some between trains en route, and splits trains. Any WiFi system for such trains needs to handle this sort of shuffling without problems.

At a major rail convention in Europe this week, Amtrak talked up the success of its system and provided some details on the current Acela implementation. MuniWireless, which was at the event, provides the details:

Each train has a central system housed in a ‘brain car’ comprising up to eight data modems using all four major US cellular carriers; Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. A 5GHz wireless network connects the brain car to the rest of the train, providing speeds of 12-22Mbps between carriages with approximately 3.5Mbps total bandwidth available for passenger Wi-Fi connections to the Internet. The bottleneck in any train-bound system will always be the backhaul, so AmtrakConnect uses a quality-of-service system that segregates passenger traffic from on-board system traffic, and uses content filtering to manage bandwidth on a per user basis and block certain material including streaming video. The on-train system is augmented by multi-megabit trackside and in-station wireless broadband that offloads traffic from the cellular connections to platform-based infrastructure when a train is at the station.

WiFi looks inescapable. Like Amtrak, airlines now commonly offer the technology in-flight, and it's starting to make its way into cars and portable 3G/4G WiFi hotspots. All the data usage is good news for cell providers, who provide most of these data connections—assuming that they can handle all the traffic.

Read the comments on this post

Facebook privacy app from ReputationDefender changes your settings automatically

2010-06-08T09:49:00.000-06:00

Facebook privacy app from ReputationDefender changes your settings automatically: "

Filed under: Security, Web services, Social Software

If you want a set-it-and-forget-it option for increasing your Facebook privacy, ReputationDefender may have a solution for you. They've launched a new product called PrivacyDefender that shows you a simple diagram of your current settings and changes them for you automatically. PrivacyDefender's default settings tend toward 'friends only,' while Facebook's still encourage making your info public.

PrivacyDefender is a fast and easy-to-understand way to adjust your Facebook privacy, but it lacks the fine-tuning ability of Facebook's own settings screen. If you have different settings for different groups of friends, or if you're obsessive about your settings, it's worth taking the 10-30 minutes to change your settings manually. Also, does bringing a third party in to handle your privacy settings really help matters? That's just one more company you have to trust to do the right thing.

[via VentureBeat]

Facebook privacy app from ReputationDefender changes your settings automatically originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 05 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Facebook - Privacy - ReputationDefender - privacy settings - Download Squad"

The Social Network Users’ Bill of Rights

2010-06-08T08:43:00.000-06:00

The Social Network Users’ Bill of Rights: "

*Well, it might be an organizational step forward from the squalid, autocratic favelas that are current social networks.

http://cfp.acm.org/wordpress/?p=341

“It’s time for a Social Network Users’ Bill of Rights

“It’s time for a Social Network Users’ Bill of Rights — and CFP’s the perfect place to create one.

“A broadly-recognized social network users’ bill of rights will be a huge step forward for online freedom and privacy. For me, and hundreds of millions of others, sites like Facebook, Twitter, tribe.net, and free-association are how I stay in touch with friends and family. As Voces Contra Las FARC, Barack Obama, #iranelection, and hundreds of other campaigns have shown, social network sites are also vital for political activism. And yet, today we the users of the sites have only minimal rights.

“A bill of rights sends a message to sites about what their users expect. With enough momentum, it can give user-focused commercial open-source projects an opportunity to distinguish themselves by adopting the rights — and highlight the sites who aren’t willing to. It’s also a way of providing input in the ongoing debates about legislation and regulation. And just as importantly, the discussions around a bill of rights are a great opportunity for education and debate about what kind of online society we want to create.

“There’s already been a lot of excellent work towards a Social Network Users Bill of Rights from Jack Lerner, Lisa Borodkin, Mark Sullivan, EFF, the Madrid Declaration, free-association.net, OpenSocialWeb, John Battelle, Duncan Work, and others (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). CFP provides a unique opportunity to build on these efforts: We’ve had in-depth discussions of these issues for years.

“We’ve participation from all sides in the debate: corporations including Facebook, Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft; privacy and civil liberties organizations like EFF, ACLU, EPIC, and CDT; activists and journalists to bring their perspectives and help get the word out.

“With Facebook catalyzing a broad discussion of social networks and privacy, this year’s conference is perfectly timed to make progress and get the media to cover the story.

So let’s do it!

“Over the course of the conference, we’ll collaboratively draft a proposed Social network users’ bill of rights and circulate it broadly online for discussion and feedback….”

Very Funny

2010-06-07T15:19:00.002-06:00

Smooth Off - watch more funny videos

Showtime: Timo Arnall: Wireless in the World

2010-06-02T12:46:00.000-06:00

Showtime: Timo Arnall: Wireless in the World: "

*It’s… it’s just so beautiful… (wipes at eyes)

Wireless in the world 2 from timo on Vimeo.

As a follow up to the original Wireless in the World experiment vimeo.com/3684601 this film was made for the HABITAR exhibition at Laboral:

“Utopian and radical architects in the 1960s predicted that cities in the future would not only be made of brick and mortar, but also defined by bits and flows of information. The urban dweller would become a nomad who inhabits a space in constant flux, mutating in real time. Their vision has taken on new meaning in an age when information networks rule over many of the city’s functions, and define our experiences as much as the physical infrastructures, while mobile technologies transform our sense of time and of space.”

from: laboralcentrodearte.org/en/735-concept

On a lighter note...if you haven't seen Redeye...or PAB's intros for Redeye...I'm here to show you what you're missing.

2010-06-01T19:15:00.000-06:00

2010-06-01T09:45:00.001-06:00

Chris Saad: "Facebook's Claims About Data Portability Are False"

2010-05-28T23:26:00.000-06:00

Chris Saad: "Facebook's Claims About Data Portability Are False"

Why Facebook Users Are Considering Leaving [CHART]

2010-05-25T14:30:00.000-06:00

Why Facebook Users Are Considering Leaving [CHART]: "

Last week we asked you, our readers, to tell us why you’re planning on leaving Facebook (if you actually are, that is). Well, more than 5,000 votes later, and the results are in: 31% of respondents proclaimed their intention to stick with FB, and approximately the same number cited access to personal information as their number-one reason for vamoosing.

The Internet masses have been up in arms lately about Facebook, a wave of dissent that began forming around the time that Facebook launched a massive privacy overhaul five months back, and continued to grow as messages found their way to the wrong boxes (among other privacy gaffes) and the Open Graph was introduced.

Add to that ancient, expletive-laden IMs from Mark Zuckerberg, sites calling for users to quit, a Time Magazine cover and some promising Facebook alternatives, and you’ve got a legit protest movement.

So naturally we were interested to see how our readers were reacting to the uproar, and whether they would be in on the exodus. We’ve embedded a graph showing the results below, but there are some essential takeaways from this survey: Namely, people (even the social media-savvy fans of Mashable) are wavering in their dedication to the site, and giving up personal information seems to be the main issue.

We’re eager to see what Zuckerberg and Co. come up with when they announce Facebook’s new privacy controls on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if this turn of events restores any measure of confidence in the site.

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, Twitter

Tags: facebook, privacy

New Facebook Privacy Controls Arrive on Wednesday

2010-05-25T10:05:00.000-06:00

New Facebook Privacy Controls Arrive on Wednesday: "

On Sunday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised simplified privacy settings “in coming weeks.” It now looks like that timetable has been bumped up, with an executive at the social network revealing at an event in New York that new features will launch tomorrow.

What those features might look like is still anyone’s guess, but we’d expect to see an alternative (or outright replacement) to the granular controls that Facebook currently offers.

While that may appease some of those who think the site confuses users into sharing more information, the biggest question is whether or not recent feature additions –- specifically instant personalization and a series of social plugins -– will move from automatic opt-in to manual (a.k.a. –- default opt-out).

We see that as unlikely given the rapid adoption of the tools by web publishers, but we should have answers within the next day or so. Stay tuned.

[img credit: Darwin Bell]

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Tags: facebook, facebook privacy, privacy, trending

How Hospitality Companies are Using Social Media for Real Results

2010-05-24T13:43:00.000-06:00

How Hospitality Companies are Using Social Media for Real Results: "

The Real Results series is supported by Gist, an online service that helps you build stronger relationships. By connecting your inbox to the web, you get business-critical information about key people and companies. See how it works here.

Often, we think of our offline lives as distinct from our online presence, but social media is real life. Look no further than the hotels you stay in, the restaurants where you dine, the airlines you fly on and the theme parks you take your family to for proof. More often than not, there’s a Twitter and Facebook account — possibly even a Foursquare presence — behind the venue in question.

Because social media is a platform for the customer’s voice — and that voice can be heard by anyone in the world — the hospitality industry as a whole has embraced social media in a huge way.

Hospitality businesses of all sizes — from the biggest hotel chain to the little neighborhood cafe — have found their own unique way to harness the power of Facebook and the distribution possibilities made available via Twitter.

Personalizing Customer Service

Customer service is the most obvious way for the hospitality industry to use social media, and Twitter is the perfect vehicle for resolving customer issues or making a guest’s day with a simple “thanks for visiting” tweet.

But the best in the business are going above and beyond in the customer service arena. For example, the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore hotels use social media sites like Twitter and Foursquare to improve their customer service efforts and better meet the needs of their guests.

As the E-strategy Development Manger for the hotels, Jade Bailey makes sure that her team greets and caters to guests who check in there on Foursquare or tweet about being somewhere on the property, both on social sites and in person. The team has also seeded Foursquare with numerous tips inside the hotel, enlightening guests on the fascinating stories behind some of the more lustrous decorative embellishments.

Smaller businesses are going the extra mile as well. CoffeeGroundz — an independent coffee shop in Houston, Texas — uses Twitter as a way to make their customer service more personalized than their bigger competitors.

The store’s general manager is credited with making CoffeeGroundz one of the first businesses to take to-go orders via Twitter, an effort that began in October 2008. In addition to to-go orders, the boutique coffee spot now also accepts table and event reservations via direct message on Twitter.

Storytelling

At the Roger Smith Hotel in New York, social media has become immersed within the hotel’s unique culture. At its core, the Roger Smith Hotel is about storytelling — with a focus on art and people — and social media has become the way in which the hotel can share these stories and create new ones.

In fact, Brian Simpson, the hotel’s director of hospitality, says that while the hotel certainly attempts to connect the dots between social media and sales, ROI is not the focus of the team’s social endeavors. “We’re less concerned about how many rooms are booked because of social media, and more focused on telling stories and connecting people … you can’t pay a marketing firm to make those connections.”

It’s this type of open thinking that keeps The Roger Smith at the forefront of the social media curve.

Simpson primarily relies on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the hotel blog to distribute and collect stories, but also recognizes the value of location-centric social networks like Foursquare and Pegshot. He approaches each social site with a different strategy, saying, “We take all of these stories and figure out which social media networks support them best.”

Simpson points to an event back in 2009 as a catalyst for some of their creativity. The artsy hotel then hosted a Social Media Breakfast, which led to interest from other social media and web groups, and ultimately inspired Simpson to actively immerse himself in the social media culture.

Because The Roger Smith is independent, Simpson found ways to bend the rules for groups and startups, making the hotel inviting to all types of social media event organizers. For Simpson, exposure is key and hosting these events helps get the hotel’s name out there. Today, the hotel is essentially the social media-friendly hotel of New York; events are booked for each night of the week and its become the official hotel of many a New York web conference.

“We’ve made social media a part of the hotel,” says Simpson. “If we stopped doing social media, the culture wouldn’t change, but the stories that get told about us would change, and that would change the perception of the hotel.”

With storytelling at the center of everything the Roger Smith does online and off, Simpson is also looking for the next great way to engage current and potential guests. He says, “now that everyone’s on Twitter, and everyone has a Facebook Page, our objective is to find out what’s next and stay ahead of the curve.”

The hotel is also being extremely avant garde with their approach to installation art. They’ve commandeered an art studio on Lexington Avenue outside the hotel and turned it into an experimental space where art meets social media. The space is dubbed the RS Pop-Up Shop, or RS POP, and it’s open to up-and-coming designers and artists who want to showcase their work with social media flair.

Each selected RS POP participant is heavily supported with social media exposure, so artists and designers are featured both in the art studio and online via the hotel’s social media channels.

Disclosure: The Roger Smith Hotel has hosted Mashable events.

Making Good with Mom

Mom is a very important person in the hospitality space. She books the hotels, makes travel arrangements and handles most of the money matters. Mom is often the decision maker for the family.

As the former Vice President, Public Relations/New Media at Universal Orlando Resort, Cynthia Gordon developed The Universal Mom Squad to make Mom’s experience at the park second to none.

Gordon says, “Hands down the best way to reach moms is online and through mom bloggers. Let’s face it, mom bloggers are a full-fledged Internet phenomenon. You have 42 million women online, with nearly half of those visiting blogs to get advice and recommendations. Mom bloggers have powerful voices and their opinions are valued by their readers.”

She credits Disney for their social media outreach efforts saying they, “took the lead in courting mom bloggers and inviting them to experience their parks’ new attractions and services.”

Gordon is referencing the Walt Disney World Moms Panel — 43 hand-picked moms, and a few dads in the mix — who serve as online advisers and help answer park-related questions on behalf of Walt Disney World. The moms answer submitted questions and the inquisitive can browse through topics, search for answers, submit their own question or learn more about the panel. The program started in 2008 and new moms are added to the group each year.

Another hospitality brand catering to moms is the Royal Caribbean International cruise line. The company recently took the opportunity to invite a group of moms participating in the weekly hashtag Twitter event #gno (Girls Night Out) aboard their Oasis of the Seas cruise ship to host one of their Twitter parties while at sea.

The moms aboard the ship engaged with other moms the world round, spreading the message that cruise vacations are ideal for fun, family travel — there’s no cooking, cleaning or child care concerns to worry about. As the host, Royal Caribbean was a part of the thousands of tweets generated during the two-hour Twitter party.

Employee Education

Often, social media is siloed to an individual department. This situation sets the customer up for failure. Imagine an eager customer — aware of a company’s social media presence — who ventures out in the real-world and encounters employees with zero knowledge of their own company’s Twitter account or Facebook Page. The end result defeats the entire purpose of social media.

If social media is on the menu, then everyone from the doorman and the bartender to the CEO should know about it. Those in the know should make it a point to educate staff on their own social media presence and promotions, as well as encourage employees to embrace social technologies for their own personal use.

Simpson says this is what helps set the Roger Smith Hotel apart from its bigger competitors. He works with his social media partner Adam Wallace to maintain the Roger Smith accounts, but the two of them have also prioritized educating the hotel’s 100+ member staff. Together, they’ve inspired nearly a quarter of the team to take up tweeting by teaching them that it’s just about conversation.

As such, one of the hotel’s bartenders has developed his own following on Twitter. Simpson says that often the bartender will tweet while working his shift and even offer to pick up a drink for the first few patrons who stop by.

In connecting the dots between social media, management and staff, the hotel can ensure that guests’ expectations are superseded, and not deflated, when they walk in the door.

Series supported by Gist

Gist helps you build stronger professional relationships by bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts and their companies giving you the right information at the right moment to get a first meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection. Gist does all the work for you, assembling a dynamic collection of all your contacts and their companies from your email inbox, your social networks, or even your CRM system automatically building and updating their profiles as new content is published – by them or about them.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, lisegagne

Tags: business, coffeegroundz, disney, facebook, foursquare, MARKETING, real results, roger smith hotel, royal caribbean, small business, social media, social media marketing, twitter

Five Star Hotels At Motel Prices: Off & Away Is Swoopo For Hotel Rooms

2010-05-24T13:42:00.000-06:00

Five Star Hotels At Motel Prices: Off & Away Is Swoopo For Hotel Rooms: "

Ever dreamt of staying in a world-class, five-star hotel at rates that would be more appropriate for your local inn? Off & Away, a new site that’s launching at TechCrunch Disrupt, may be exactly what you’re looking for — assuming you’re not afraid of a little risk. If you’ve ever tried ‘entertainment shopping’ sites like Swoopo, then Off & Away should sound familiar.

When you visit the site, you’ll see a listing of upscale hotel rooms at rock-bottom prices. Click on one, and you’ll see that the price is actually slowly increasing — that’s because Off & Away auctions off each reservation, and other people are bidding for the same room. To participate you need to buy bids (they’re a dollar apiece); then you can bid as many times as you’d like until time runs out. Once that happens one user will walk away with the cheap hotel price. Everyone else can use the money they’ve put towards bids toward reserving the room at its normal price. The site itself looks great, with attractive graphics and slick transitions. Each hotel room page features numerous photos.

The site makes money by making a commission on rooms sold, and also gets “casual bidder revenue”. The site’s first auction for a suite in NYC goes live today at 3:30. Retail value for the stay is $40,000. As a promo, use the promo code DISRUPT for free bids.

These bidding sites have been quite controversial — some consider them to be scammy, while others enjoy their more exciting, game-like nature (and the potential to get major savings). Off & Away helps mitigate this a bit by allowing you to put money you’ve spent on bids toward a reservation at the hotel’s normal price. The logic being, if you’re going to reserve a hotel room anyway, you might as well do it on Off & Away and give yourself a shot at getting a super cheap deal. Of course, if you were only bidding on the hotel in the first place because you were tempted by the low price, then you’re probably out of luck.

Q&A:

Don Dodge: Just hotels?

A: Starting with hotels, could expand to restaurant etc later.

Chi-hua Chien – Can you bid with friends, get them to help them?

A: Not yet. But on the roadmap.

A: Hotels we’re working with think of it as progressive new marketing channel. Their rates for the masses stay about the same as they would otherwise.

Yossi Vardi: I think they should auction it minute by minute.

A: 2-3 auctions per day to start. Ramping up as we go on.

Chris Sacca: Do people get the bidding?

A: We’ve done our best to take confusion out of that model.

CrunchBase Information

Off & Away

Information provided by CrunchBase

The “like, er, lie” economy

2010-05-24T07:37:00.000-06:00

Scoble makes an interesting point. Are you 'liking' things you really like?

The “like, er, lie” economy: "

The other day I found myself over at Yelp.com clicking “like” on a bunch of Half Moon Bay restaurants. After a while I noticed that I was only clicking “like” on restaurants that were cool, hip, high end, or had extraordinary experiences.

That’s cool. I’m sure you’re doing the same thing.

But then I started noticing that I wasn’t behaving with integrity. What do I mean by that? What I was presenting to you wasn’t reality.

See, I like McDonalds and Subway. But I wasn’t clicking like on those. Why not?

Because we want to present ourselves to other people the way we would like to have other people perceive us as.

Translation: I’d rather be seen as someone who eats salad at Pasta Moon than someone who eats a Big Mac at McDonalds.

This is the problem with likes and other explicit sharing systems. We lie and we lie our asses off.

So, will we be rewarded for being honest with the system and each other?

How could we find out you like Big Macs too?

Well, we could give you a free one if you click like on McDonalds. If you really despise McDonalds you won’t accept the bribe anyway. That will out you and expose the secret lie you’ve been living.

Or, we could reward you for turning on a permanent tracking system so we could study where you REALLY visit.

But all this liking, er, lying, has me thinking. Just how accurate is all that data that Foursquare is collecting? After all, are you checking in only at cool places? Or are you also checking in at gas stations, super markets, or other lower-class places that you don’t really want to advertise that you’re at?

Is this a new bastion of privacy? One where we want to lie to each other without getting called out because we were just caught eating a Big Mac?

What else are we lying about to the companies that are studying us?

Did you delete that you were listening to Kenny G on your Facebook profile and Pandora and put something cooler in there? (I did, after all, we’re living in the like economy and there’s nothing worse than having my friends realize I listen to Kenny G).

So, why is this an economy?

Well, you are already getting free stuff for checking in. Starbucks is giving you a buck off if you become a mayor. You really want to lie to all of us and say you drink Peets or, even better, some local brand that is hipper and better than Starbucks. So now Starbucks has to bribe you to get you to stop lying to the world. That’s an economy of likes, er, lies.

How else can we make money off of our lies?

Places I've Been

2010-05-22T12:52:00.002-06:00

visited 33 states (66%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Google TV Announced

2010-05-20T16:44:00.000-06:00

Google TV Announced: "Google TV is a new platform that aims to bring the Web to TVs. Google developed a custom Android version that runs Google Chrome and improves the TV viewing experience by allowing you to find TV programs, showing recommendations and integrating content from the Web.

'With Google Chrome built in, you can access all of your favorite websites and easily move between television and the web. This opens up your TV from a few hundred channels to millions of channels of entertainment across TV and the web. Your television is also no longer confined to showing just video. With the entire Internet in your living room, your TV becomes more than a TV — it can be a photo slideshow viewer, a gaming console, a music player and much more,' explains Google.

Google's demo from the Google I/O conference wasn't very convincing. Google acknowledged that many other companies tried to create similar products without too much success. The explanation is probably that they were ahead of their time, but Google says that they were unsuccessful because they dumbed down the Web experience, they were closed and users had to choose between watching TV and browsing the Web.

Google partnered with Sony, Intel and Logitech to add Google TV to 'televisions, Blu-ray players and companion boxes'. The first Internet-enabled TV that runs Google's software will be launched this fall by Sony and it promises to provide 'richer internet access so you can browse the web just like you would from a computer.'

But why not connect your TV to a computer? Android is a great operating system for a mobile phone, but it doesn't look very well on a big HDTV. Not all the Android applications are useful on a TV and those that are useful won't take advantage on the huge screen estate of the TV. Google promises to introduce a Google TV SDK and some APIs for web applications, but that will happen next year.

Google TV has a lot of potential and I'm sure it could eventually become a great product. The software could make TV programs more interactive by detecting phone numbers, addresses or URLs, it could allow you to chat with a friend while watching the same TV show, it could create chat rooms for everyone who watches the same show, it could use visual search to show information about an object from the screen or it could translate a foreign-language movie.

If you already have an Android phone, you can use it as a remote control. Since the TV and the phone can run the same applications, you'll be able to sign in using the same Google Account and synchronize your data. Favorite an YouTube video on a phone, watch it later on your TV and use it to generate a list of recommended TV shows.

What You Need to Know About Google TV

2010-05-20T16:28:00.000-06:00

What You Need to Know About Google TV: "

The unveiling of Google TV today leaves many of us with more questions than answers. When can we buy one, and for how much? What kind of hardware and subscription services will we need? Can we get it in Canada?

Here are the facts straight from the CEOs of the companies involved in Google TV, including Google and Sony themselves.

Info for Consumers

With the Sony television sets, hardware will be integrated.
For non-Sony HDTVs, external hardware will use HDMI.
Hardware will be available exclusively from Best Buy.
Once you buy the hardware, the service will be free.
Google TV will eventually integrate with Sony Playstation.

Tech

Google TV is more robust than web TV or Apple TV; it’s not just a browser or a guide.
Instead of a “guide,” you’ll be able to search for and navigate both TV and online content.
You’ll be able to download and run Android apps from your TV.
You’ll be able to control your TV from your Android mobile device, including voice-activated searches.
Required bandwidth will depend on the kind of content you consume, but good performance can be expected from 3MB/s connections.
The technology “stack” is the Android OS (2.1 to start) with the Chrome browser.

Timelines

Developers can work on Google TV projects starting today.
Google TV will be available to consumers by fall 2010 in the U.S.
Aggressive international expansion is planned for 2011.
Android Market for Google TV will launch in early 2011.
Google TV APIs will be available in early 2011.
In summer 2011, Google TV will be open sourced.

We’re very excited to see and use Google TV ourselves, and we’re very curious as to what the exact price point will be. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Tags: google io, google tv

How Social Media is Changing Government Agencies

2010-05-19T15:49:00.000-06:00

How Social Media is Changing Government Agencies: "

A former local newspaper reporter, Tanveer is a student at the Medill School of Journalism learning all things digital and entrepreneurial. He also writes about political figures for WhoRunsGov.com and hopes to own the high score on multiple Ms. Pac-Man machines one day.

While many government agencies still tend to employ the “broadcast” model when using social media, some are engaging through hashtags, community building initiatives, and geo-location analysis. These efforts are helping to better inform the public and alert them to public safety emergencies in real-time.

A good recent example of this is how the team of energy companies and government agencies responding to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are putting these strategies to use.

Here are ways other government agencies, from local law enforcement to the National Weather Service, are seizing on these tools to improve their services.

Building a Transparent Community

At the most basic level, social media is about community building. Government agencies have adopted this mindset to varying degrees as a way to foster trust and dialogue with people. “It is truly a national town hall that has never been attempted during a disaster,” said Commander James Hoeft of the U.S. Navy, who oversees the cleanup effort’s social media team.

The idea has been implemented in parts of the U.S. government to varying degrees. In 2008, Admiral Thad Allen of the U.S. Coast Guard sent out a service-wide message saying, “[To] modernize the Coast Guard we must learn how to effectively use social media tools to enhance our ability to perform as a more transparent, change-centric organization.”

The Coast Guard has since deployed a series of Flickr, YouTube and Twitter accounts, both at the headquarters and regional levels, as a part of The Coast Guard Compass. Some are better than others, with many serving simply as multimedia RSS feeds. But there are stars, like the Twitter feed for the Portsmouth, VA-based District Five, which discusses their latest coastal rescue operations.

Much like the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency also has a multichannel scheme in social media. Its FEMA in Focus Twitter feed serves as a way to disseminate information in a timely way. The agency has a series of regional accounts, as well.

At the local law enforcement level, Web 2.0 technology has been implemented in some departments to give people details about what officers have been up to. At the Bellevue Police Department in Nebraska, Twitter is used to solicit help from the public and Facebook is used as a comment and complaint board for residents. In Great Britain, the Merseyside Police website personalizes information according to neighborhood, also appealing to the public for help as needed.

Social Media as a Real-Time Investigation and Response Tool

While the more traditional means of sharing information with people, such as press conferences or releases, will always be necessary to brief the public in detail about events, agencies are turning to social media to keep the public informed in real-time.

On April 3rd, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Payne of the West Midlands Police in the United Kingdom used Tweetdeck to keep an eye on demonstrations involving two controversial and politically opposed groups; the English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism. He checked out Facebook rumors of stabbings and vandalism, and posted on Twitter when the information was found to be false — potentially quelling violent backlash. “This is groundbreaking stuff for policing in the UK. We have used social media as a broadcast platform during protests in the past, but we have not had immediate updates from officers on the ground, enabling two-way conversations,” Payne wrote after the event.

Lauri Stevens, a Massachusetts-based social media consultant for law enforcement, said that such tools have been key in enhancing the reputation of agencies. “Cops are just getting the interactive engagement thing,” Stevens said. “I think the law enforcement’s policy should state you have to be competent with this stuff.”

Tracking and Creating Hashtags

Law enforcement and emergency response agencies alike are also becoming more sophisticated in how they use Twitter. While monitoring hashtags is commonplace, some agencies are creating them to denote specific social media priorities — particularly, getting users to document certain events.

During the 2009 PRIDE Parade, the Toronto police encouraged the use of the #PrideTO hashtag to keep an eye on any suspected crimes related to the LGBT community’s event.

The National Weather Service is enlisting the help of Twitter users, asking them to use the hashtag #wxreport to share significant weather reports. The website gives precise instructions for how to report damaging winds, snow, hail, tornadoes and other potentially serious weather events. As the website notes, the project is “experimental.”

Spot Trends Before Science Can

Researchers at government agencies are experimenting with social media to try and spot possible issues and trends before more scientific measurements can be taken.

During last year’s H1N1 outbreak, the Internet famously took a starring role in illustrating how the swine flu epidemic was spreading across the globe. Now, a group including researchers from City University London, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and Britain’s National Health Service are teaming up ahead of the 2012 London Olympics to develop ways to detect and respond to epidemics via Twitter.

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Twitter Earthquake Detector (@USGSTed) is a prototype that gathers real-time Twitter updates during seismic activities faster than scientific equipment can be tapped for more precise measurements and alerts. It examines earthquakes at an anecdotal level, and complements scientific analysis, according to the project’s overseer, Paul Earle.

“The skepticism comes when they think we are trying to provide public alerts that an earthquake has happened based on Twitter information,” Earle said. “We’re not doing that, we are augmenting our current tools.”

Conclusion

For government agencies, social media not only sends and gathers information instantaneously — it fosters relationships and trust, while encouraging users to share important information. While not all social media use needs to be creative, agency engagement with these platforms can help show people that government organizations are listening.

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More social media resources from Mashable:

- 5 Ways Government Works Better With Social Media
- How the U.S. Engages the World with Social Media
- How Social Media Can Effect Real Social and Governmental Change
- 6 Ways Law Enforcement Uses Social Media to Fight Crime
- Why Open Source is the New Software Policy in San Francisco

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Veni

Tags: facebook, government, government 2.0, social media, twitter

Google Wave, Available Without Invitation

2010-05-19T14:25:00.001-06:00

Google Wave, Available Without Invitation: "At the Google I/O developer conference, Lars Rasmussen announced that Google Wave no longer requires invitation. If you have a Google account, go to wave.google.com and you can use Google's real-time communication service.

Google Wave is now available in Google Apps, so that businesses, universities and other organizations can improve communication flow.

'Anyone on a wave can edit or reply to any section, keeping discussion in context with relevant content. Everyone's typing shows up instantly, and Google Wave lets new participants get up to speed quickly with organized discussions and playback to see how a wave evolved.'

Facebook to Offer More Simple Privacy Settings Soon [News]

2010-05-19T11:33:00.001-06:00

Facebook to Offer More Simple Privacy Settings Soon [News]: "

Facebook's head of public policy told a radio interviewer yesterday that the company has heard users' complaints that privacy settings have 'gotten a little bit too complex.' Soon enough, Tim Sparapani said, more easily understandable 'bands of privacy' will be available. By 'bands,' Wired's Epicenter blog supposes that Sparapani means an easier way to change all of Facebook's settings at once, based on basic sharing demands. We'd also hope that Facebook learns to show users exactly what their friends, and the web at large, can see about them, based on the popularity of third-party tools like the ReclaimPrivacy bookmarklet. Don't expect the social network to make a total 180 on customization and sharing features, but there's good news coming for those who don't have a sick day to call in to fine-tune their Facebook settings. [Wired.com / Epicenter] More »

Facebook - Privacy - Security - Tim Sparapani - Social network

Google buys a VoIP company, might build a Skype competitor

2010-05-19T11:33:00.000-06:00

Google buys a VoIP company, might build a Skype competitor: "

Filed under: Web services, Google, VoIP

Is Google getting ready to go toe-to-toe with Skype in the voice-and-video-over-IP market? Google's move to purchase a VoIP software maker, Global IP Solutions, certainly suggests that it might be a possibility. GIPS is an established player that currently provides Internet calling for companies including Oracle, Samsung, Yahoo!, and AOL, and it could add a lot to Google's current VoIP offerings (which are built into Google Talk).

Google Talk by itself was never going to beat Skype. It was more of a value-add for Google's text chat service than a selling point of its own. With this new acquisition, though, can Google's money and resources displace the company that turned Internet calling into a verb (Skype me!) in the same way that Google became a verb for search?

[via ZDNet]

Google buys a VoIP company, might build a Skype competitor originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 May 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Google - Skype - Global IP Solutions - Google Talk - AOL"

Everybody Can Ride the Faster, Easier Google Wave Now [Google]

2010-05-19T11:30:00.000-06:00

Everybody Can Ride the Faster, Easier Google Wave Now [Google]: "

There's a lot of under-the-hood changes to Wave to make it faster, more stable and more extendable with new APIs, among other improvements, but the big news for most people is that now anybody can use it with their standard Google (or Google Apps) account—it's just going to live in Google Labs for the time being. [Wave] More »

5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips

2010-05-18T18:34:00.000-06:00

5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips: "

Adam Rosenberg is the Online Community Manager at Salsa Labs. Most recently, he was the New Media Manager at the Center for Democracy & Technology where his work focused on Internet privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and open government issues.

The latest changes to Facebook have seen their fair share of criticism, with many users examining more closely the definition of “public vs. private.” Some users have been turned off enough by Facebook’s envelope pushing when it comes to privacy to go so far as to contemplate a mass Facebook exodus.

Whether or not the changes become the final blow to Facebook’s tenuous relationship with privacy remains to be seen. However, protecting your privacy is important on any social network, so while you’re still on Facebook, here are a few important privacy tips to keep in mind as you navigate the site’s newest incarnation.

1. Lists: Learn to Love ‘Em

The list function seems to be one of the most underrated privacy tools on Facebook. All privacy snafus aside, the past year has seen Facebook improve the granularity of privacy control settings by leaps and bounds. Users often forget that the tiny dial in the lower-right corner next to each post they share gives them an option to make that item visible to “Everyone,” “Friends Only,” or even particular lists.

It’s important to know that “Everyone” doesn’t just mean all Facebook users anymore. According to Facebook’s own website, it means the entire Internet. This is a good thing to keep in mind if you select “Everyone” as a share setting for a post. A search for the term “soo drunk” with Facebook’s “Posts by Everyone” option reveals some openly available results that were probably not intended for public consumption.

Lists can be extremely valuable for both privacy advocates and marketing professionals. The privacy cautious may want to use lists to restrict co-workers or professional contacts from knowing their relationship status, favorite movies, political views, etc. The marketer can use lists as a way to keep groups aware of products, announcements and events. And with “likes” now a very open cluster of data on the web, the list function is a more important privacy feature than ever.

To create and edit lists:

Go to Account
Click Edit Friends
Click Create New List (or Edit List if it’s for an existing list)
Add friends to this list

To use lists:

Go to Account
Click Privacy Settings
Click Personal Information and Posts
Select different areas and click Customize

You can also use lists on every post and update you make on your profile. Just look for the “lock” symbol and follow the “customize” directions above.

2. When in Doubt, Just Log Out

While the ability to “Preview My Profile” can be used to find out what specific people in your network can see, it still doesn’t give you the full picture of what the general public will find when they come to your page.

Sharing personal information with friends is one thing, but it’s important to be aware of the content you present to the world from Facebook. A great way to check this is simply to log out of your profile, refresh your browser, and then visit your Facebook page. If you see something there that you don’t want available to the public, go back in and make the change.

Another option is to completely remove your profile’s visibility outside of Facebook. To do this, simply:

Click Account
Click Privacy Settings
Click Search
Uncheck the Public Search Results option
This makes your profile invisible to non-Facebook users.

3. Audit Your “Likes”

Many Facebook users are eager to “Like” (previously, “Become a Fan Of”) many brands, causes, entertainers, etc. But the recent privacy changes have shined a brighter spotlight on the issue of “oversharing” information through social networks.

Unfortunately, the pages you “Like” cannot be masked through Facebook’s privacy settings, so anyone who has access to your profile can see them, and consequently make assumptions about your personality. While it may not be a big deal for people to see that I “Like” my employer’s Fan Page, or my favorite band, there may be things in your fan history that you’ve forgotten about — things you may or may not want the world to associate you with.

To combat this, it’s a good idea to edit your “Likes.” The easiest way is to do the following:

Click Account
Click Edit Friends
Click Pages on the left-hand column (remember, this includes pages for things in your activities, music, and movies sections of your profile, in addition to anything you’ve “liked”)
Go through this list and ask yourself, “Do I want this to be public?”
Then ask yourself, “If I want it public, would I be comfortable with strangers networking with me through these channels?”
If something doesn’t meet your criteria, click Remove Connection (click the X).

4. Spring Clean Your Third-Party Applications

One of the big changes to Facebook is the “Instant Personalization” feature, which allows several sites, including Microsoft’s docs.com, Yelp, and Pandora, to automatically connect to your feed by default.

Facebook has allowed these trusted partners access to your profile information in an effort to “create a better user experience.” Those who aren’t interested in these auto-connections, or who have privacy concerns, are required to manually opt out — and it’s not a very straightforward process. Here’s how to do it:

Click Account
Click Privacy Settings
Click Applications and Websites
Click Instant Personalization Pilot Program

While opting out will stop the flow of information to these partner sites, your Facebook friends who use them may still share information about you, unless you block the application altogether. To do that, you’ll need to visit the application pages for Docs, Yelp, and Pandora and click “block application.” It’s probably a good idea to login to your accounts on these sites to make sure you have opted out on that end as well.

Facebook organizes your applications in categories so you can easily see which ones have been granted access to your profile information. The trouble is, they also make it difficult to simply find a list of “all” applications that you can manage in one place. If you only do an audit on one “section” of applications, make it the “authorized” section, as these apps have access to more data and information than others.

It’s not that connecting to these sites through Facebook is necessarily a bad thing. It’s just important to understand how your information is being shared, and make the decision yourself about how much you want to put out there.

5. Control What Friends Can Share About You Through Applications

In December 2009, Facebook introduced a new privacy setting to control what information could be shared with friends through applications. This is a key privacy feature because it relates to not just information you post on your profile, but what your friends could offer up about you to an application or website they are using through Facebook.

For example, your friend might use the “Give a Dog” application, which can access information you have made public including your name, gender, birthday, photos, videos, etc. Your information is used and collected by the app developer, even though you were not the one to actively share it.

To manage these settings:

Go to Account
Click Privacy Settings
Click Applications and Websites
Uncheck everything you don’t want applications to share without you knowing
Click Save Changes (Note that most Facebook settings pages will auto-save for you, but application privacy settings require this extra step)

This somewhat confusing section is really just asking you what information you want collected and shared by third-party applications using your friends’ profiles as a conduit. It will not affect how much your friends can see on your profile. If you want to be in control of all of your data, we advise that you uncheck all the boxes here.

What other privacy settings have you found useful or important on the “new” Facebook? Be sure to share them in the comments.

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More Facebook resources from Mashable:

- Facebook Open Graph: What it Means for Privacy
- HOW TO: Disable Facebook’s “Instant Personalization” [PRIVACY]
- HOW TO: Find Long Lost Friends on Facebook
- HOW TO: Add Facebook “Like” Buttons to Your WordPress Blog
- What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business

Tags: facebook, List, Lists, privacy, social media, trending

The Cleverest Ways To Use Dropbox That You’re Not Using

2010-05-18T13:04:00.000-06:00

The Cleverest Ways To Use Dropbox That You’re Not Using

Use Dropbox For More Than Just File Syncing

2010-05-18T13:02:00.000-06:00

Use Dropbox For More Than Just File Syncing

Great Tool to Double Check Your Facebook Privacy Settings

2010-05-17T12:32:00.001-06:00

http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/

Daniel Suarez, author of Daemon

2010-05-17T00:51:00.000-06:00

...and now for a Tebow intermission

2010-05-16T21:26:00.002-06:00

Would You Desert Facebook Over Privacy Issues? - The Consumerist

2010-05-16T12:41:00.001-06:00

The poll results in this article are really interesting...

http://consumerist.com/2010/05/would-you-desert-facebook-over-privacy-issues.html?sms_ss=email

In Defense of Facebook

2010-05-16T11:09:00.000-06:00

Not sure I agree with all his points, but it's nice to hear a contrasting opinion...

In Defense of Facebook: "

The Social Analyst is a weekly column by Mashable Co-Editor Ben Parr, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space.

All eyes are on Facebook. Ever since Facebook revealed Facebook Open Graph, the world’s largest social network has been getting hammered by tech pundits, mainstream media, and its users.

Facebook’s used to this type of uproar after it changes something, but in my time tracking Facebook, I’ve never seen anything like this. Not even the Facebook News Feed fiasco of 2006 had U.S. Senate scrutiny. Facebook Open Graph has clearly struck a nerve with a lot of people.

Is Facebook betraying its users, though? Has Facebook compromised user privacy? After taking a lot of time to absorb the arguments and the big picture, I’m weighing in, and I doubt that my conclusion is going to be popular.

The central problem is that people believe that Facebook and the web in general should be able to protect the information we post online. I argue that this is untrue, because it goes against the fundamental design of Facebook, social media, and the web itself. We should be relying on ourselves for our privacy, and not turning Facebook into our convenient scapegoat.

True: Facebook Should Have Communicated Better

On April 21st, Facebook announced Open Graph, a platform for personalizing the web browsing experience on third-party websites and without logging into Facebook. It makes sense: Open Graph is spreading the tentacles of the social network across the web, making its presence and power known through the social plugins and “Like” buttons now plastered across the web.

The media and some of Facebook’s users haven’t fallen in line, though. Some technology pundits have deleted their accounts, all in the name of privacy. Mainstream media is hammering Facebook. There are even Quit Facebook Days being planned, although it’s unclear how many people will actually bite the bullet.

While I’ve seen Facebook’s users exude more anger than this in past incidents, this is the first time I’ve seen the media pile up so much on the world’s largest social network.

Clearly Facebook screwed up. Critics have a legitimate point saying that Facebook’s privacy options are too complicated. More importantly, Facebook hasn’t been communicating with its 425+ million users like it should: a Q&A with Facebook VP Elliot Schrage on the New York Times blog just doesn’t cut it.

I’m especially critical about Facebook’s lack of communication on the situation. I expected Mark Zuckerberg to write a blog post letting users know that Facebook is listening, despite previously stating that privacy is dead. He has done this before, and it went a long way to appeasing the angry masses.

Mark, better late than never. You need to personally respond in an open letter on the Facebook blog.

The Truth About the Web

In 2006, while I was still a junior at Northwestern University, I started a group called Students Against Facebook News Feed. It was the largest protest group against News Feed, which had recently launched at the time. My concern was privacy: I thought that Facebook was violating my privacy and not giving me enough options to control it. 750,000+ other Facebook users agreed — nearly 10% of the user base at the time.

Facebook appeased us with more privacy controls, but they didn’t take down News Feed. It has turned out to be the right decision. News Feed has become a central pillar of Facebook and indeed of all social media. Here’s what I said about News Feed, two years after the controversy:

“Here’s the major change in the last two years: We are more comfortable sharing our lives and thoughts instantly to thousands of people, close friends and strangers alike. The development of new technology and the rocking of the boat by Zuckerberg has led to this change.”

I actually agree with Mark: Privacy is dead, and social media is holding the smoking gun. Facebook, social media, and even the web itself are designed to share information. While you can be (justifiably) angry about Facebook’s lack of communication over the privacy issue, to believe that information on Facebook or other social networks is inherently private or “yours” is just wrong.

I don’t care if you have taken every precaution to keep your information private to just a few people: all it takes is one friend copying and pasting that information and posting it somewhere else to “breach” the privacy wall.

The truth is that the privacy wall didn’t exist in the first place. The web makes the transmission of information easier than ever. Social media makes spreading that information an even simpler task. An embarrassing picture can go from Facebook upload to public blog post in a matter of minutes. Even if you don’t participate in any type of social media, someone can still take what they know about you and put it online.

The web is a network of information, and information has no walls.

Protecting Our Privacy Is Up to Us, Not Facebook

The web is now the world’s social platform, and expecting any privacy controls or security settings to protect us is just irresponsible. Facebook’s not the enemy: it’s just the latest scapegoat for our fears and concerns surrounding the new world in which we live.

Before the web, if you wanted to keep something private, you didn’t talk about it. It was easier to track whether or not someone was spilling your secrets because you didn’t have as many suspects. That’s not true if you post information online, though. What was once gossip is now a “privacy leak.”

Why do we still expect anything to stay private in the YouTube and Facebook world? More and more, our habit is to share the pictures we take on our camera phones on Facebook, to share what we say over Twitter, and to upload the videos we record on our Flips. Almost everything is being caught by some form of social media these days.

Protecting our privacy starts with us, not Facebook. While the company should have more clearly communicated its recent privacy changes, if you didn’t want your pictures shared with the rest of the world, you shouldn’t upload them in the first place.

Actually, in the social media world, you shouldn’t be placing yourself in positions where people can take embarrassing photos of you. Yes, it’s unfortunate that the dumb mistakes teenagers make are getting posted online for the world to see, but that’s how the world works now.

Facebook isn’t to blame for how the web has changed our world. They are just embracing emerging trends and making the web more efficient in their wake. Being able to broadcast what I like on the web to all of my friends is smart, and making it easy for me to do that (via “Like” buttons) is brilliant.

I defend Facebook’s ambitious Open Graph project, because it does make the browsing experience better: syncing the interests I’ve posted to the website I visit is a natural extension of the Facebook platform, not a coldly-calculated invasion of my privacy. It will prove to be an innovation that makes the web more useful and more social.

Facebook Is the Wrong Target for Our Anger

I think what I said a year ago about social media, Facebook News Feed, and privacy still sums up my feelings best, so I want to quote my past self one more time:

“The thing we’ve realized is that we still have control over our privacy. It’s called choice. If you’re uncomfortable with speaking to people digitally, you can decline to sign up for those social media websites. Or you update them differently than others. I can either block relationship updates from News Feed or, in my case, I just never update about it.
News Feed truly launched a revolution that requires us to stand back to appreciate. Privacy has not disappeared, but become even easier to control – what I want to share, I can share with everyone. What I want to keep private stays in my head.
All of this in just two years. Just imagine how social media will change our society in two more.
I look forward to sharing my life and my experience with even more people. I’m not afraid of losing my privacy anymore. You shouldn’t be, either.”

I defend Facebook because it is the wrong target for our anger. It has done more to bring people together than any technology of the last five years, and the good it has brought far outweighs the bad. We made the decision to turn our personal information over to a private company, and for the most part Facebook made good use of it.

Quitting Facebook won’t solve the privacy conundrum: common sense and better education about how privacy has changed will. This debate has once again exposed the gap between how the world has changed and our assumptions about how the world works or should work. Attacking Facebook won’t help us come to terms with our society’s struggle over the changing nature of privacy.

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Tags: Column, facebook, mark zuckerberg, Opinion, privacy, The Social Analyst

Top 10 Ways to Upgrade Your Morning Routine [Lifehacker Top 10]

2010-05-15T10:28:00.000-06:00

Top 10 Ways to Upgrade Your Morning Routine [Lifehacker Top 10]: "

Never feel like there's enough time in the morning? Find yourself struggling to get up or into work mode? We know the feeling. Try out these tips on waking up, getting energized, and getting things done in the early hours. More »

Lifehacker - Programming - Languages - Time - Time Tracking

Get Facebook alerts when someone uses your account from an unknown computer

2010-05-15T08:36:00.001-06:00

I don't know that I'm as worried about someone hacking my Facebook account than I am worried by Facebook itself. But, I suppose this is helpful.

From: http://ping.fm/yHeEP