Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting stories.

Samsung Reports Record Profit in Q2

Samsung has reported a record $5.86 billion quarterly profit, up 79% from the same period last year, fueled by very good smartphone sales.

According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung shipped 50.5 million smartphones in Q2, nearly twice as much as Apple, which is estimated to have shipped 26 million units.

Facebook Now Has 955 Million Active Users

At its yesterday's earning call Facebook revealed it now has more than 955 million active…
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More About: Facebook, amazon, features, first to know series, mashable, samsung

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games officially start with today's opening ceremony, which will take place at 21:00 BST (16:00 EST) in London, and today's Olympic-themed Google Doodle reminds us to tune in and watch the show.

Called "The Isles of Wonder," this year's opening ceremony will be directed by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

This year's Olympic Games will last until August 12, with more than 10,000 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participating.

Will you watch this year's Olympics? What do you expect from the opening ceremony? Share your thoughts in the comments.

BONUS: Here ar…
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More About: google doodle, olympics

Often, we need an added push to go the extra mile with exercise. For some, that extra push comes in the form of an overzealous spin instructor or passionate personal trainer.

For those who like exercising solo or individuals who prefer being outside the gym, we've rounded up tip-top fitness apps that will advance your routine.

SEE ALSO: Workout Gadgets Will Soon Be Battery-Free and Powered by You

These fitness apps will make you sweat by unleashing zombies, calculating the efficiency of movements and pitting you with friends.

Will you use get-fit smartphone apps to boost your workout? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, lululemon athletica

More About: Mobile, android, apps, exercise, fitness, fitness app, iphone, trending

Dateline: July 26, 2013.

A gentle trilling on the bedside table rouses me from slumber; I fumble for the familiar blue-edged smartphone, and click its single button -- adorned with a thumbs-up logo -- to quell the alarm.

The phone snaps to life; as per usual, it drops in a few notifications then takes me straight to my Smart Feed. I remember not so long ago, when my phone's default screen was a tray full of apps. Why, I wonder, did I ever want that terrifying level of choice? Just remind me about my appointments and to-dos, take me straight to the feed and be done with it. I can always swipe to the side to access my Facebook apps should I need them.

I spend a happy few minutes…
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More About: Facebook, Facebook Phone, op-ed

Tired of the typical work routine? We've got the answer. Shake things up with one of these great upcoming events, where you'll be able to break from the usual while still propelling your work forward. At these assorted business conferences and exhibitions, you'll have a chance to learn about fresh innovations in social media, marketing and entertainment. No matter your industry or location, the Mashable Events Board is bound to add something fresh to your work calendar.

Every week, we showcase new events that you won't want to miss, and even more listings are added every day. Check back for networking opportunities, meetings and expos that will give you a chance to learn and network w…
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More About: Entertainment, Events, Marketing, Social Media, features, mashable

Before this year's Olympic champions win their medals, we want to hear your own tech and social media gold medal moments.

The moments when athletes achieve greatness are one of the best parts of the Olympics. Who can forget Kerri Strug's perfect landing, despite an injured leg, at the 1996 games in Atlanta?

Maybe you haven't dashed to the finish line within a millisecond of your competitors or made the perfect, splashless dive, but personal conquests happen each and every day -- and you've likely experienced one or two.

SEE ALSO: 10 Unforgettable Olympic Moments

So tell us about a personal feat, as it relates to digital. Maybe you have succeeded in a personal or professional sit…
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More About: 2012 London Olympics, Social Media, community, olympics, open thread

@marcgeorges

Click here to view this gallery.

When thunder and lightning strike, is your first thought to find shelter -- or take out your camera phone?

If you answered the latter, you're not alone.

As the East Coast was hit by an expectedly severe storm on Thursday -- an unusual straight-line windstorm known as a Derecho -- people took to Twitter and Instagram to document the ominous skies. Some images showed the threatening side of the storm, which has already cut power to 300,000 residents in the north-east.

Others captured the serenity of the dark clouds moving over New York City (and many noted that it looked like a scene from Ghostbusters).

Check out the gallery above to see our pic of the shots of the storm, many o…
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More About: instagram, new york city, trending

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday in the company's first-ever earnings call that "it wouldn't really make much sense" for the social networking monolith to build its own smartphone.

A "Facebook phone" has been rumored for sometime, however -- and many analysts regard its appearance as a matter of when, not if.

So what's the evidence that a mobile device based entirely around the social network is on its way?

Back in November of last year, the scuttlebutt originally reported by All Things D was that Facebook and HTC were working together to develop a phone codenamed "Buffy" that would hit store shelves in 12 to 18 months -- as soon as this coming fall.

Buffy was said…
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More About: Facebook, Mobile, smartphones

The lesson here, as always: Be careful what you put on Facebook.

A San Francisco woman's legal claim was derailed by Facebook bio information in which she proclaimed her prowess as a "pimptress," according to a San Francisco Public Defender's Office press release.

The woman's profile apparently indicated that she double-majored in "Advanced Pimpin," and "keepin hoes in LINE!!!" Her profile also said she worked as a self-employed "head pimptress in charge."

The unnamed woman had accused 23-year-old Anthony Dorton of beating her up in a parking lot in the city's startup-heavy SOMA neighborhood. But a jury acquitted Dorton of felony assault and other charges after a public defender…
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More About: Facebook, advanced pimpin

Google announced on Thursday that 3D imaging is now available on the latest version of the Google Earth app for the new iPad, iPad 2, iPod touch and iPhone 4S.

"With today's release of Google Earth for iOS you can literally fly through breathtaking 3D city landscapes and images and follow virtual tours of places you've never been -- all with a simple swipe of your fingertip," Peter Birch, Google Earth product manager, wrote in a blog post.

Birch highlights Tour Guide in the blog post, writing that it lets mobile users browse through thumbnails to explore any city or landmark. Some of the photos are user generated and uploaded to Picasa or Panoramio.

Currently, you can browse th…
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More About: Google, apps, google earth

Buzz surrounding the Olympics continues as fans gear up for the most social and digital game ever -- but what exactly are they talking about?

Your Twitter feeds have likely been filled with common terms like "London," "gold," "torch," or "athletes," among other sporty words. According to Networked Insights, who created the infographic below, most of the chatter is coming from the greater New York City area.

Out of all the sports in the summer Olympics, basketball received the gold medal for being the most discussed online.

Do any of these stats surprise you? What sport are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

More About: Sports, infographic, olympics 2012

The Lieberman-Collins cybersecurity bill moved one step closer to passing Thursday afternoon. The Senate voted in favor of a motion to proceed 84-11 after a lengthy and contentious debate. The bill now faces additional changes before being brought up for a full vote.

The Cybersecurity Act, or CSA, is the Senate's attempt to address cybersecurity reform. Senate leadership considers such reform a priority for the current term that ends in January.

As written, the CSA would set up an optional program where businesses deemed critical to the national infrastructure (such as power grids) would be asked to meet cybersecurity standards set by a group of government agencies. It would also estab…
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More About: Politics, US, congress, cybersecurity, internet, technology

Every time we promise no more "Call Me Maybe" lip dubs, a video pops up on YouTube that makes us think the poor dead horse might still have a little kick left in it.

Team USA Swimming takes the infectious tune for a few laps around the pool in a performance worthy of an instant replay.

SEE ALSO: 8 Cute Animals Model Ryan Lochte's Sunglasses

Jumping the shark, it seems, looks so much better in a Speedo.

More About: Watercooler, YouTube, lip dubs, london 2012, viral videos

Nokia 808 PureView

The Nokia 808 PureView comes in several colors. It's heavier than your average phone, with the camera lens protruding from the back. By far its most interesting feature is the 41-megapixel camera, which takes amazing photos.

Click here to view this gallery.

The Nokia 808 Pureview blows other cellphone cameras out of the water -- but its clunky interface makes it almost not worth the effort.

Earlier this year, Nokia said it would release the 808 PureView, a phone with a 41-megapixel camera. That's a number not found on many other cameras on the market, and Nokia claimed it would allow users to take jawdropping photos of far-off scenes that could be easily zoomed and manipulated.

Mashable put the camera to the test to see if it lived up to the promise. You can see the gallery of images from our tests above. These images were taken on the roof of the building that houses the Mashable offices in Manhattan, about 12 stories up.

As you can s…
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More About: Nokia, Nokia 808 PureView, camera phone, digital cameras, photography, trending

Triumph is the joy you feel when you achieve success. Athletes experience the feeling of triumph when they compete hard or contribute to a win. Watching someone else experience triumph can feel great, too. The sight is both emotional and infectious.

Olympians aren't the only ones to experience moments of triumph, success and victory. Accomplishing a personal goal, such as kicking a bad habit, is also a triumph. That feeling when you make it to the top of the hiking trail or finish a huge project — that's triumph.

Moments of notable success occur every day. For this week's Mashable Photo Challenge, we want you to send us your best pictures of triumph.

SEE ALSO: Lords of the…
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More About: Mashable Photo Challenge, community, photography

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg and CFO David Ebersman hosted their first earnings call early Thursday evening.

The three executives spoke primarily about the company's advertising products, which accounted for 86% of its revenue in the second quarter. Zuckerberg emphasized the need to make ads more social -- most ads on Facebook right now are not. He noted that Sponsored Stories, Facebook's primary "social" ad product, is now generating $1 million in revenue per day, about half of which comes from mobile.

Sandberg added that Sponsored Stories on desktop and mobile were performing much better in terms of engagement than ads displayed on the right rail of the News …
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More About: Advertising, Facebook, trending

Digital advertising has been known to provide marketers with tangible results, answers to their ad campaign performance, and guidance on where to spend their dollars. However, marketers are now realizing that the most measurable ad medium isn't quite as transparent as we all might have assumed. As a result, pressure is building on brands as they shift their advertising spend to digital, and rely more heavily on data as part of their media strategy.

SEE ALSO: Does Social Media Marketing Really Work?

At the heart of this transition is attribution. Attribution is simply the ability to evaluate the performance of each media channel, and that has become a hot topic in 2012, as market…
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More About: Marketing, attribution, contributor, features, marketing funnel, online marketing

Following a lengthy outage on Thursday, Twitter said it is "deeply" sorry for the inconvenience it has caused users.

"We are sorry," Twitter said via a blog post. "Many of you came to Twitter earlier today expecting, well, Twitter. Instead, between around 8:20 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. PT, users around the world got zilch from us. By about 10:25 a.m. PT, people who came to Twitter finally got what they expected: Twitter. "

The social network added that the outage came from within its data centers.

"Data centers are designed to be redundant: when one system fails (as everything does at one time or another), a parallel system takes over," Twitter said. "What was noteworthy about today'…
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More About: Social Media, Twitter

We can all learn something from Annika, whether it's the intricate and detailed strategies of capturing poultry or the more evergreen principles of life. This 3-year-old with a new YouTube how-to channel has an astute understanding of both, and though the more complex maxims of living are couched into this video, we definitely heard them loud and clear.

Take for instance, "sometimes [chickens] don't want to be held." This is obviously a euphemism for the hard lesson we all must learn: sometimes you can't hold onto loved ones no matter how much you want to.

SEE ALSO: Kangaroo Catching in 3 Easy Steps [VIDEO]

And of course, "They won't bite you," is Annika simply trying to tell…
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More About: Viral, how-to video

Amazon shares were down 2% after the company reported second quarter earnings Thursday afternoon. Net income fell 96% from $191 million, or $0.41 per share, to $7 million, or $0.01 per share, as the company continued to invest in logistics improvements.

Amazon took recorded a net loss of $65 million, due largely to its $775 million acquisition of robot maker Kiva Systems, which the company is using to improve its fulfillment centers.

Sales were strong, up 29% from the same period a year ago to $12.83 million, and operating income of $107 million, about half what it recorded in Q2 2011. The company says revenue would have grown 32%, but were hurt by year-over-year changes in foreign exc…
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More About: amazon

Those champagne bottles are staying on ice at Facebook HQ.

The social network has been inching ever closer to the major milestone of a billion monthly active users (that is, folks who log into Facebook at least once a month). In April, as part of an amendment to its IPO filing with the SEC, the company announced it had 901 million monthly active users.

Some observers -- and more than a few Facebook employees -- had hoped this number would hit the magic billion by the time its second quarter results came out (ie. today). Others, such as Gregory Lyons, a senior analyst at iCrossing, predicted the billion mark would be reached in August. Now it's looking more like those champagne c…
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More About: Facebook, mark zuckerberg, trending

Following a widespread pop-up message in its iOS app, Instagram is saying it's unable to find users' Twitter contacts because of API tweaks on Twitter's end.

"Twitter no longer allows its users to access this information in Instagram via the Twitter API. We apologize for any inconvenience," reads the message to iOS app users. The feature appears to still work in the Android app.

We've reached out to Twitter for comment and will update this story when we have more information.

Just a few days ago Twitter CEO Dick Costolo told the Wall Street Journal he wants companies to build into Twitter instead of building off of it. And last month, Twitter cut ties with LinkedIn, ending a p…
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More About: Social Media, Twitter, apps, instagram, mobile apps, social networking

Facebook beat the Street's estimates for its second quarter, but investors were apparently looking for more.

In after-hours trading, Facebook's stock dipped below $24, a new low for the stock, which had made its debut in mid-May at a price of $38. Trading in afterhours fell more than 10% after a day in which the stock had already fallen 8.5%.

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More About: Facebook

Facebook launched a recommendation bar on Thursday that allows users to discover new articles based on what others in your network are reading and sharing.

When a Facebook user likes an article via the new recommendation bar, the story is published to their Timeline -- similar to what happens when you use the Like button -- and it shows up in friends' news feeds.

"The recommendation bar is another option for websites -- particularly blogs and media sites -- to be more social and active, keep people on the site longer, distribute content across Facebook and benefit from referral traffic," a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable.

Here's what it looks like: While a Facebook member re…
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More About: Facebook, Social Media, social news

Most smartphones today have built-in digital cameras, which allow you to take photos that rival what you might have taken with a high-dollar stand alone digital camera just a few years ago.

In addition to snapping some pretty stellar photos with your phone, you can also edit the pictures you take with your phone on your smartphone, dramatically improving the quality of the shots you share with others without ever having to involve your computer.

We're talking about more than Instagram filters. Whether you're looking to do something simply like remove a little red eye, or trying to add a speech bubble to the picture of your dog so it looks like he's talking, there are number of…
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More About: App, Documenting Your Life Series, android, editing, features, iphone, mashable, photo

Thirty percent of online buyers began researching their last online purchases at Amazon, more than double the number who began their research with Google, according to a Forrester Research survey released Thursday.

That's almost a complete reversal from two years ago, when 24% of participants said they began researching their last online purchases at Google, versus 18% on Amazon.

The stat points to the growing threat Amazon represents to other retailers, who are already struggling against Amazon's competitive pricing and popular price comparison app, which is designed to capture sales away from brick-and-mortar retailers right before checkout. As more shoppers turn to Amazon directly…
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More About: Google, amazon, ecommerce, forrester, retail

Facebook allayed some of the fears about its business on Thursday -- by beating Wall Street's estimates for its fiscal second quarter revenues and earnings.

Facebook posted revenues of $1.18 billion and non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.12. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters predict Facebook to report non-GAAP earnings $0.12 per share on revenues of $1.1 billion, which will be up about 5% from last quarter's $1.058 billion.

Advertising makes up the bulk of that; last quarter $872 million came from ads. Analysts were expected ad revenues of $921 million. Facebook beat that with $992 million in ad revenues.

SEE ALSO: Facebook Stock Hits New Low

The company also announced 552 mi…
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More About: Advertising, Facebook, facebook ipo

Something about the Apple Mountain Lion logo looked familiar to a few folks on the Internet. Was it the whiskers? Or the furry ears? Nope, according to the discussion board lollygaggers, the fierce OS feline bears an eerie resemblance to the late Steve Jobs.

Hypervocal created a GIF to help you judge.

Deliberate, coincidence or the bizarre delusions of crazy cat ladies?

Gif courtesy of Hyper Vocal

More About: GIF, Watercooler, apple, steve jobs

The most popular sport at the 2012 Summer Olympics will be women's gymnastics, according to predictive analytics run by the popular American sports media site Bleacher Report. And it won't even be close.

Bleacher Report analyzed web searches, searches on its own site and the performance of different Olympic themed articles and found that women's gymnastics consistently attracted between five and 10 times more interest than the next most popular sports, including swimming, men's basketball and track and field.

"It shocked us," says Dave Finocchio, the site's co-founder and vice president of content and product. "We're basically going to cover women's gymnastics like its the Super Bowl…
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More About: Media, Sports, olympics

Let's just get something out of the way -- Kaitlyn Leeb does not have three breasts.

The Total Recall actress busted onto the Comic-Con scene earlier this month when she sauntered in sporting the triple-breasted look of her film character. Google searches for "three boobs" spiked and news sites started running stories with headlines like "Kaitlyn Leeb does not have three breasts. Honest."

Turns out that curiosity about the plausibility and lustability of an extra boob has been bubbling up on the Internet since the original Total Recall came out in 1990. The always insightful Yahoo Answers community chimed in on the discussion with a series of questions we deemed worthy…
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More About: Movies, Total Recall, Watercooler