Were you curious about what Google was going to do with Motorola?

The search giant is making its first major move since fully acquiring the company in May, which will be to cut about 20% of jobs at Motorola Mobility Holdings, or roughly 4,000 employees.

A "person familiar with the matter" told Bloomberg Businessweek that two-thirds of the cuts will be outside of the U.S. Google will also close one-third of Motorola's facilities.

"Motorola is committed to helping them through this difficult transition and will be providing generous severance packages, as well as outplacement services to help people find new jobs," Motorola Mobility said in an email statement.

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Posh Spice Won't Dance

Via RealityTVGIFs

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Throughout the London 2012 Olympic Games, the social web has shared moments of inspiration, hilarity and pain in GIF form. Even though NBC finally decided to air the Closing Ceremonies live Sunday evening, the Internet continued it's new Olympic GIF tradition during ceremonies.

Two of the most shared GIFs on Twitter and Tumblr featured the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour Party Leader Ed Milliband rocking out to the Spice Girls, and a shot of four of the Spice Girls dancing while Victoria Beckham, a.k.a. Posh Spice, stands still.

SEE ALSO: Nut-Punched: The 2012 Olympics' Most Painful Moments [GIFs]

As much as none of us want the London Gam…
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More About: GIFs, london 2012, olympics, trending

This weekend, there was major buzz surrounding Mitt Romney selecting his VP, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, and the end of the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Mashable had those headlines as well as major tech and social media stories.

Don't worry if you missed a few stories during your downtime. You can check them all out here, in one easy-to-read digest. Take a gander at the links below for our Weekend Recap, where you can catch up on the latest news.

Editor's Picks

The Many Looks of Spiderman Over the Past 50 Years [INFOGRAPHIC]

Top Ten GIFs of the Week

Aliens Ordering Pizza is Viral Treat [VIDEO]

Spice Girls Among Performers at London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony…
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1. Carpool School Edition

This app is designed specifically for students who carpool to school. Find out who lives near you and invite them to form a carpool group. You can add members of your group manually or import them from your contacts. The app lets you manually create a schedule, or it will automatically generate one based on the driver's preferences, for example, if one person likes to drop off in the morning, or prefers pick-up. If you have a note or update for the group, you can add it in and everyone will be notified. Particularly useful, you can also email the carpool schedule to those members who don't have an iOS device, so they can view it on their computers and print it. Price: Free for iOS devices.

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It's difficult to think of logistics while you're on the beach or on summer vacation, but before you know it, the new school year will be here. Once you've purchased the school supplies, it's time to start planning a carpool strategy.

Can you rideshare with another family? Do you need to arrange an after-school ride for your child? What about carpooling to get to work? Planning around schedules and availability can be both difficult and stressful.

SEE ALSO: 10 Transportation Apps to Keep You Moving

Relax, there's an app for that. We've got six of them right here to get you started on the road of carpooling. Let us know if we're missing any.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, CEFutch…
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More About: Mobile, apps, features, lifestyle, productivity, transportation

Barnes & Noble is slashing prices for its Nook Tablet and Nook Color devices, beginning Monday.

With growing competition from rivalling tablets and e-readers, the book retailer announced its "lowest pricing ever" in a statement on Sunday.

The 8GB Nook Tablet will now sell for $179, down from $199, while the 16GB version will be $199 from its original $249. The least expensive Nook Color will fall to $149 from $169.

All three devices, with their 7-inch displays, have access to a digital library of e-books, movies, television shows and music.

The price-drop may be a response to the runaway success of Google's Nexus 7 tablet, which garnered glowing reviews. After the gadget debu…
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More About: Nook Tablet, barnes & noble, e-readers, nook, nook color, trending

DJs can now stop worrying about wires and starting plugging in to the latest music tracks. Pioneer's latest technology, the XDJ-AERO, taps into Wi-Fi, freeing DJs from the ties of cables and electrical outlets.

It works by playing music from up to four different devices. It's compatible with anything from a smartphone to a tablet from which users can preload their playlists. When you're ready, the XDJ-AERO will download the tracks and let you spin without plugging in.

SEE ALSO: Hacked BMX DJ Bike Lets You Mix Music By Riding [VIDEO]

The accompanying app lets you do all the specifics -- cue points, beat grids and organize your set. Though the…
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Thanks to the upcoming U.S. elections, it's no surprise that political talking points came up in many reader comments on Mashable this week.

For instance, a father's letter disowning his gay son went viral shortly after appearing on Reddit. It triggered long discussions on sexuality and religion, drawing many passionate comments from readers.

The issue about easy access to guns online came up again after a man received an illegal rifle from Amazon instead of the TV he ordered -- barely a month after the Aurora shootings.

A Barack Obama "look-alike" left a handful of people confused whether his website, I Look Like Barack Obama, was a joke or not. Speaking of jokes, the fact tha…
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Twitter is planning to restrict access to its API, and developers are worried. Some are publicly protesting via their blogs and group petitions. One bold group is seeking to build a full-featured social network to compete against Twitter and other ad-supported social networks.

After having raised $600,000 (and counting) via fundraising platform Kickstarter, the team behind App.net is ready to build a "real-time social service where users and developers come first, not advertisers." The solution? An open, ad-free network funded by users (who pay $50 per year for basic access) and developers (who pay $100 year for API access and support).

The campaign was inspired by a widely ci…
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More About: App.net, Twitter, dalton caldwell, kickstarter, open web, trending

Technology and enterprise software firms have been snapping up social media management tools left and right -- a sign, for many, that social media is officially big business.

In May, Oracle paid $300 million for Vitrue, a cloud-based firm that handles social media communications for McDonald's, American Express and Gillette, among others. Oracle followed that acquisition by seizing social media monitoring firm Collective Intellect in early June. That same month, Syncapse bought a smaller social media firm, Clickable. The most recent, Wildfire, was acquired by Google for $350 million (so I'm told) in late July.

But none of those firms comes close to the $689 million Salesforce…
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More About: Buddy Media, Business, Salesforce, Startups, features, michael lazerow, trending

Ever had an insatiable craving for cabbage? Yeah, neither have we.

In the video above, a health-crazed pooch just wants to nosh on some good ol' greens but can't seem to outwit the ... table.

SEE ALSO: If Life Gives You Lemons, Give Them to This Beagle [VIDEO]

This is a good reminder to eat our vegetables, and that no matter what gets in the way, we should all get our paws on some salad. This dog makes it look downright delicious. And wearable.

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1. Drax Office

007: Legends will feature familiar locales from six classic Bond films, such as Drax's office from Moonraker.

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You might be a little surprised to see Daniel Craig -- the most recent James Bond -- running around a Moonraker level shooting lasers and disabling alarms, but in the 007: Legends video game, chronology is not an obstacle.

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As more educational programs turn digital, teachers are finding that blending technology into the learning experience offers kids a crucial leg up in the classroom.

Karen Martinez's daughter, Daniella, graduated fifth grade with honors this year and is now reading at a sixth grade level. Just two years ago, she was diagnosed as a special-needs child who struggled with reading. What made the change? Her mother pulled her out of a school that rarely used computers for learning, enrolling her in Rocketship Education, one of five charter schools in San Jose, California. Students there spend 25% of their school day in a computer lab with online content targeted to their development level.…
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1. pDrop in Transit

Peter Bragiel travels a lot and documents his journeys along the way. His recent trip took him down the entire length of the Mississippi River in a canoe. He stopped in many noteworthy ports of call to experience the local color and to rest his weary body. If you're stuck in an office somewhere, this channel is a great way to spark your inner outdoorsman.

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Does it feel like summer is starting to slip away? Have you visited the beach enough this summer?

If you haven't been able to stick to your travel plan resolutions, don't sweat it. These 10 YouTube channels will do one of two things -- either satiate your inner adventurer or make you miss the outdoors so much you'll take the rest of the day off.

SEE ALSO: 15 Travel Twitter Accounts to Follow

Whatever your reaction and wherever you plan to go, this assembly of travel channels will inform you about the cuisine, scenic spots and cultures of dozens of destinations.

If we've missed a few solid travel channels, feel free to add them to the comments section.

More About: Video, YouTube, features, lifestyle, travel

Students in MIT's Robust Robotics program have defied the laws of airplanes.

They have created a robotic airplane that can fly at high speeds, through obstacles, using only on-board sensors. And it's doing all that without benefit of GPS. The students set out to create "autonomous plane navigation in confined spaces," and that's exactly what they did.

Using a laser rangefinder, the plane calculates 15 different variables while in flight -- keeping it from crashing into things.

The MIT researchers completed a serious of flight tests around pillars in the parking garage under their labs. The plane worked like a charm -- gliding and threading,…
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All of the Fab Five -- Sporty, Posh, Baby, Ginger and Scary -- reunited to perform at the London Summer Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday.

The Spice Girls, a wildly popular all-girl group from the late 1990s, sang their hits, "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life."

They emerged from bedazzled London taxis, wearing outfits matching their spicy personas -- albeit more mature versions of them. Eventually, the girls climbed atop the cabs, and sang to cheering audience members, as they were driven around Olympic Stadium.

Also known as Melanie Chisholm (Sporty), Victoria Beckham (Posh), Emma Bunton (Baby), Geri Halliwell (Ginger) and Melanie Brown (Scary), the Spice GIrls disbanded in…
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More About: 2012 Olympics, The Spice Girls, olympics, summer olympics, trending

Looks like even Gotye knows his song, "Somebody That I Used to Know," is an overplayed, viral sensation that has spawned an entire genre of YouTube covers. So the singer decided to acknowledge the hundreds of piano-playing, harp-plucking, and guitar-strumming fans who paid tribute to the catchy tune.

How? He made a whole new song from the covers.

Gotye calls it "Somebodies," and it's just as annoyingly awesome as the original. He's one of the first artists to take covers of their own song, and create new music. Talk about crowd-sourcing talent.

SEE ALSO: What Happens Every Time Gotye Starts Playing

When Gotye posted the video on YouTube, he wrote, "Reluctant as I am to add…
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1. Baby Shark Attack

We're starting you off gently with this clip. It still might make you jump, though....

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Hurrah! It's the most wonderful time of the year again. No, we don't mean the holidays — we mean Shark Week. To celebrate all things great-big-scary-fish-related, we have collected some awesome, user-generated shark clips.

SEE ALSO: 10 Epic Trick Shot Stunts on YouTube

Grab a cushion to cuddle and prepare to be terrified (well, mildly concerned at the very least) as you peruse the fearsome footage we have dug from the watery depths of YouTube. Be prepared for peril and some NSFW language, so if that's not your bag, don't click.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Allan Lee

More About: Entertainment, Shark Week, TV, Video, Watercooler, YouTube, animals, features, viral videos

In case you didn't catch that, Jake the Dog is making bacon pancakes.

By the way, you will never be able to stop playing this song in your head -- for the rest of eternity. Try singing "It's a small world after all" to get it to stop.

SEE ALSO: Replace Baby Pics in Your Facebook Feed With Bacon and Cats

But if not, at least you'll be singing about bacon and pancakes, so we don't apologize.

BONUS:: Check out our top 5 viral videos of the week:

A recent study found that 73% of people use players like Pandora or Spotify but only 20% will pay for that music.

More About: infographics, music player, pandora, spotify

The tech world had a monumental week, rolling out a raft of astonishing products and ideas that could change the world, while familiarizing us with other worlds at the same time.

Cars were in the news, with a remarkable milepost passed by Google's self-driving car, the rollout of Poland's first supercar, and the spectacular show where NASA landed a car-sized rover on Mars.

Meanwhile, back here on terra firma, chatter reached a fever pitch about the impending iPhone, and we found even more evidence of its alleged larger screen and maybe even unibody construction.

SEE ALSO: Previous editions of Top 10 Tech This Week

And that's just the beginning of the treasure trove of tec…
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More About: Experia, Supercars, Tablet, Top 10 Tech, ipad, iphone, trending

What are some ways recruiters can hire faster with the power of video? We've outlined a few ways to use video in the recruiting process.

More About: Mobile, Recruiting, Video, features, job search series, mashable

There's no shortage of iPhone rumors right now, but you might not have heard the latest one revealed here by our pals at The Joy of Tech.

More About: Sunday Comics, The Joy of Tech, apple v. samsung, trending

Playful and inspiring -- these might be ten of the coolest Pinterest pins we've collected yet.

If you're anything like us, you love spending time looking through the many boards of Pinterest in search of your next perfect repin.

On our Pinterest account, we have boards ranging from cool gadgets for your home to extraordinary iPhone cases that will leave your old case feeling a bit plain.

FOLLOW Mashable on Pinterest

For our top pins this week we found photos and tips from all different corners of Pinterest. What were the best Pinterest pins you found this week?

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In celebration of the Spice Girls reunion happening at tonight's Olympics Closing Ceremony, we dug through the girl power archives for a piece of vintage spice. What we found was a classic clip in which the humor did not quite translate for Baby and Posh.

A year into his stint as host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart welcomed half of the Spice Girls for a chat on the couch. On October 25, 2000, Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham and Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton made an appearance on the Comedy Central show to promote the group's new album.

Stewart made a few light-hearted jabs and a cyclops reference that Mrs. Beckham didn't seem to find amusing. She made sure to tell Stewar…
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More About: Watercooler, jon stewart, london 2012, olympics, spice girls, viral video

Did you find yourself a little low on watercooler chat this week? It's ok, better late than never. In this week's Viral Video Recap, we rounded up this past week's most adorable moments, awe-inspiring videos, jaw-dropping stunts and hilarity-ensuing parodies in one spot.

The world went abuzz this past week when Curiosity landed on Mars, but no one could top the excitement of NASA behind the scenes. Two cats were bamboozled by an iPad trick leading to epic cuteness. There was some drama when a pilot couldn't guide his plane into a smooth landing. And just as much drama when we witnessed what a 1,000-foot fall does to an iPhone.

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Whether traveling for business or pleasure, no one wants to arrive at a hotel to find expensive Wi-Fi access. Hotels could potentially lose business by charging guests high or hidden fees for Internet. But many establishments -- especially luxury lodging -- still charge a pretty penny to go online, with little guarantee for a fast connection, either.

According to a recent J.D. Power & Associates study, about 55% of all hotel guests access the Internet during their stays -- up 20% from 2006. About 87% of that group is using Wi-Fi.

Although most travelers have come to expect connectivity to be cheap or included, it's not always the case. The good news is there are ways to avoid payi…
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More About: How-To, features, laptop, smartphone, travel, trending, wi-fi

The Audi e-tron has such a forward-looking design, it doesn't even have a rear window. That's an easy problem to solve, though, with a race-inspired AMOLED screen in the place of its rearview mirror.

More About: Electric Car, Supercars, audi, trending

Following through on her promise, Madonna spoke out against discrimination of people based on sexual orientation during her MDNA tour concert in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The city of St. Petersburg recently passed laws banning pro-LGBT speech, and as The Advocate reported, Madonna vowed to break those laws during her concert in the city.

"At the center of non-violence, stands the principle of love," Madonna read from a fan's t-shirt, which quotes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

She distributed rainbow "No Fear" posters, and she and her dancers incorporated rainbow flags into the show.

"You cannot use religion to treat other people badly, you cannot use God's name to treat other peo…
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More About: LGBT, Video, Watercooler, gay rights, madonna, pride

To recognize 80 years of toy creation, Lego has released this 17-minute story of the company's history, sure to invoke feelings of nostalgia in every adult who loved the plastic brick toy as a kid.

More About: Watercooler, YouTube, legos, toys, trending

1. Screen Capture

Screenshots will only render what's visible on your monitor. If you want to grab an entire web page, this handy extension couldn't be simpler to use.

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Google Chrome is the go-to browser for many, especially those who work on the web. Despite its speed and fluid functionality, we're always looking for shortcuts that can save us time on repetitive or mundane tasks. Fewer copy/pastes or emails each day can make you more efficient in the long-run.

SEE ALSO: 10 Killer Google Chrome Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts

We've tested a swath of productivity extensions from the Chrome Web Store, and these eight tools stood out as practical time-savers. These Chrome extensions are all free, so grab them yourself and see if they fit into your work flow.

If you have any suggestions, we're open to them in the comments.

More About: Browsers, Google, Productivity Apps, apps, chrome, features, productivity, trending