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.

A Batch of Nexus 4 Orders Shipping This Week, Google Claims

For customers who were awaiting delivery of their pre-ordered Nexus 4 smartphones, news of a three-week delay was an unpleasant surprise. Google has now addressed the issue by promising that some of the pre-ordered devices will be coming this week after all. An exact shipping date hasn't yet been announced, but "this week" can't be that bad, right?

Google+ Profiles Integrates With Google Play

Google+ is now integ…
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More About: Google, Google Play, Necus 4, WTFJeans, features, first to know series, mashable

Barnes & Noble has updated its Android and iOS Nook app and made it available for download in the UK, the company has announced.

The new features on both platforms include support for British English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

The iOS app has been optimized for the iPhone 5; it now also supports Apple's screen magnification and VoiceOver features. The only new feature of note in the Android app is a name change, which will now be "NOOK" instead of ("B&N NOOK") in your app tray.

Of course, the most important change for both apps is their availability in the UK, which comes weeks after B&N launched its Nook devices in that country.

You can get the iOS versio…
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More About: b&n, barnes & noble

U.S. and European officials seized 132 domain names that were illegally selling counterfeit products online to unsuspecting customers at the height of holiday-shopping season.

In an operation called "Project Cyber Monday 3," the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations seized 101 websites, and produced one arrest. The European Police Office, as well as law-enforcement agencies from Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania and the UK, retrieved the 31 other sites as part of "Project Transatlantic," according to a release.

"Our partnerships enable us to go after criminals who are duping unsuspecting shoppers all over the world," ICE director John Morton s…
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More About: Cyber Monday 2012, counterfeit, cyber monday

With proper training and carefully planned workouts, finishing a race can be easy. All it takes is getting off the couch, turning off the TV and finding the motivation to run that extra mile.

Smartphone users are in luck. With the accurate tracking and real-time statistics that dozens of apps provide, you'll receive performance-enhancing advice that will not only get you through today's run, but help improve your time for the next one.

For Beginners

Couch to 5K (C25K) was designed for the couch potato or beginning runner. It features a step-by-step program that allows users to build strength and stamina during an eight-week time period. The app only requires you to dedicate thr…
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More About: Lifestyle, apps, contributor, features, health & fitness

As seniors age, it becomes increasingly difficult for family members to care for them. Many opt to place their loved ones in a nursing home, but a new, more high-tech option is now available.

Informally known as "granny pods," the MEDCottage is a "mobile, modular medical home" that is temporarily placed on a caregiver's property to provide rehabilitation and extended care for seniors in need, according to its official website.

SEE ALSO: Older Americans Love New Tech But Hate to Admit It [STUDY]

Described as a "state-of-the-art hospital room," the MEDCottage is equipped with sensors that alert caregivers to problems and medication reminders v…
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More About: MEDCottage, nursing homes, old age, senior citizens

A new air conditioner is designed to repel mosquitoes while it cools -- specifically, in malaria-stricken regions of Africa.

More About: LG, Newsy, africa, sustainable technology, technology, videos

It's already been a good holiday season for PayPal.

Speaking to a small group of reporters Monday afternoon, PayPal President David Marcus talked about Black Friday weekend, the company as a whole, and also shed light on what we can expect from PayPal in the future.

"It's been an amazing shopping weekend for us, especially on mobile," Marcus said. Mobile payments were up a whopping 196% on Cyber Monday. He said that PayPal is seeing an increasing number of consumers buying items with mobile, as well as pre-shopping for major purchases on their mobile devices.

Not just limited to online anymore, PayPal is now available as an in-store payment option at over 17,000 locatio…
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More About: paypal

"The way to get startup ideas is not to try to think of startup ideas. It's to look for problems, preferably problems you have yourself." These are the words that kicked off a blog post this month by Paul Graham, the founder of Y Combinator and among the best known funders and advisers to entrepreneurs.

Reading the piece, I was struck by how similar the genesis of a startup, as he describes it, was to my experience starting EasyBib.com.

EasyBib started as Paul would describe "organically." My friend and I thought there was a better way to create a bibliography for research papers, so as fun project, we built a tool for ourselves to automate the process. Bibliographies wer…
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More About: startup, students, wikipedia

Do Google search results amount to content that the company "publishes" and is responsible for? One high court in Australia says yes -- and the decision, if unchanged on appeal, could have far-reaching repercussions.

For starters, Google will be forced to pay $200,000 to music promoter Milorad Trkulja, the plaintiff in this case. Trkulja brought the suit in 2009 after Google refused to remove links to sites that claimed, incorrectly, that the promoter has connections to organized crime in Melbourne.

Google's stance, which makes a lot of technological sense and has been approved by other courtrooms around the world, is that it is not a publisher. Its search algorithm points to the…
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More About: Google, libel

Actors typically promote their television shows to the public, as a large viewership means high ratings -- not to mention continued employment. But Angus T. Jones, the 19-year-old star of sitcom Two and a Half Men, is doing the exact opposite.

In a new YouTube video, above, Jones tells viewers to "stop watching" his show, calling it "filth." (Check out his appeal at the 7:45 mark.)

"If you watch Two and a Half Men, please stop watching Two and a Half Men. I'm on Two and a Half Men; I don't want to be on it. Please stop watching it. Please stop filling your head with filth," says Jones, who has been on the show since 2003. "People say, 'It's just entertainment.'"

"Do some researc…
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More About: Angus T. Jones, two and a half men

As smartphone use becomes more common, people are increasingly using their phones to take pictures, check their email or do online banking. That's what a new study reveals, hinting once again that phones have become so much more than just calling and texting devices.

"Cell users now treat their gadget as a body appendage," Lee Rainie, the Director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, told Mashable. "There is striking growth in the number of people who are taking advantage of the growing number of functions that these phones can perform and there isn't much evidence yet that the pace of change is slowing down."

The study, released yesterday by Pew Inte…
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More About: cellphones, online banking, pew study

Be thankful that with all that you're saving this Cyber Monday, you're not paying as much as the gifts given in "The 12 Days Of Christmas." The 364 items mentioned in the classic carol would put a $107,000 dent in your wallet, according to PNC Wealth Management. The steep price tag for all those leaping lords and egg-laying geese is a 6.1 percent bump from last year's cost.

The biggest price uptick came from the bird gifts following a 2011 drought that raised the cost of corn and other feed. Get out your wallet and check out the list below.

Partridge, $15; last year: same
Pear tree, $189.99; last year: 169.99
Two turtle doves, $125; last year: same
Three French hens, $165; las…
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More About: Christmas carol, PNC Wealth Management, cyber monday

Did you virtually shop 'til you dropped on Cyber Monday? More people are choosing to peruse their favorite stores from their desk computer rather than brave the crowds at brick-and-mortar stores. But what are they so eager to buy?

Buy.com, the third largest online retailer in the world, released this list of the most sought-after products on Cyber Monday, at least on its site. The list reflects all shopping on Monday ending at 3 p.m. PST.

Barnes & Noble Nook
Toshiba Portege Ultrabook
Viewsonic LED 23" Monitor
Canon EOD Rebel T3 Bundle
Samsung 65" LED TV
Samsonite 3 Piece Luggage Set
Classic Comfort Raschel Blanket

Tech purchases were up 61% on Buy.com from t…
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More About: cyber monday, ecommerce, online shopping

Noted Laker hater, outspoken tweeter and entrepreneurial icon owner Mark Cuban says there's one fan base you don't want to mess with on Twitter.

More About: NBA, Sports

If you find yourself spending a lot of time on your PC gaming but you're still using a regular keyboard, you may get frustrated. For those looking for a serious keyboard for their gaming lifestyle, Razer has two unique products for you.

The two newest Razer gaming keyboards are decidedly high end. The Razer BlackWidow and Razer DeathStalker Ultimate both offer a variety of features for gamers who want to play more accurately and comfortably.

The BlackWidow

The Razer BlackWidow, pictured above, is a mechanical gaming keyboard. You don't really appreciate mechanical keyboards until you've used them for a while: Every key is its own independent switch, as opposed to most modern k…
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More About: Gaming, Razer, keyboard

Now you can chat with your Facebook friends from directly within Firefox.

With a new Firefox feature, Facebook Messenger shows up on the side of your browser window. The integration allows you to see which of your Facebook friends are online, and chat just as you might from Facebook's website without having it open in your browser window. The idea is that you can keep up with what's happening on the social network without having to constantly switch between tabs in order to do so.

In addition to keeping up with chats, the feature also lets you see instant notifications when new comments are made on your posts and when you're tagged in photos.

SEE ALSO: Try Out Mozilla's M…
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More About: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Firefox, mozilla

Belgian beer maker Stella Artois has released a Facebook app that lets you send actress Alice Eve and her band of carolers to your (virtual) doorstep.

On Stella Artois' Facebook Page, you can create a singing video gram to send to yourself or a friend. Enter a home address, and Alice will appear to make her way to your (or your friend's) door, where she'll round off a song and present a gift.

The holiday gram is reminiscent of Arcade Fire's award-winning 2010 music video, "The Wilderness Downtown," which asked viewers to enter the address of their childhood home, turning it into a uniquely personalized short film. Stella Artois' app likewise uses Google Street View and other mappin…
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More About: Facebook, apps, stella artois

A new exploit being sold for $700 may put tens of millions of Yahoo Mail users at risk.

Once victims click on a malicious email link, the exploit allows an attacker to steal and replace tracking cookies, while remotely controlling the victims' browsing sessions.

"After the victim clicks the link, he will be redirected to the email page again," a demonstration video for the hack explained. "And you can redirect him to wherever you want."

According to Yahoo, fixing the exploit won't be nearly as difficult as finding it. That's because it's an XSS flaw set off by a URL, a hole that can easily be patched, but hard to locate.

"Fixing it is easy," Ramses Martinez, Yahoo director of…
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More About: Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, hackers, security

Looks like social media stayed at home this Black Friday.

An IBM study found that shoppers referred from social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube generated only 0.34% of online sales on Black Friday -- a decrease of more than 35% from the year before.

Twitter literally contributed nothing (0%) to the revenue.

Though shoppers weren't using social media to find items, they were using the medium to express satisfaction with purchases. The report said shoppers voiced "positive sentiment" at a 3 to 1 ratio on social networks, referring to stores' promotions, shipping or convenience.

SEE ALSO: iPad Wins 88% of Black Friday Tablet T…
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More About: Twitter, black friday, holiday shopping, online retailer, online shopping, thanksgiving

Meet the Univision weather cat, setting a new standard for news blooper cuteness as it wanders on camera during a live barometric breakdown.

More About: Media, Watercooler, news bloopers

PureView

The 8.7-megapixel camera in the Lumia 920 carries Nokia's PureView label, a name the company first introduced in the 41-megapixel Nokia 808 PureView handset earlier this year.

Click here to view this gallery.

There's no denying that the Nokia Lumia 920 has one of the best smartphone cameras out there. Along with our Lumia 920 review unit, Nokia sent us the phone's camera sensor so we could see exactly what's going on inside the phone.

The 8.7-megapixel camera carries Nokia's PureView label, a name the company first introduced in the 41-megapixel Nokia 808 PureView handset earlier this year.

PureView cameras use BSI (backside illuminated) sensors rather than the FSI (front-side illumiated) sensors that are used in older smartphones. The difference between the two lies primarily in the path that light takes to reach the photosensitive area of the sensor. With BSI, light isn't restrict…
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More About: Lumia 920, Nokia, PureView, Windows Phone 8

Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means that homes and storefronts across the nation have switched out their turkeys and pilgrims for mistletoe and Christmas trees. By some unwritten law, it also means that everyone on Earth is allowed to play nothing but Christmas songs for the next 30 days.

Personally, we're ready for some of these holiday music traditions to expire. For Music Monday, we wanted to offer an alternate soundtrack to the endless renditions of "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Jingle Bells" that will undoubtedly dominate the airwaves until the year's end.

In formal protest to the nonstop airplay of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," we put together a…
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More About: Christmas, Holidays, mariah carey, music monday

Five months after her sexy pre-race warmup dance went viral online, Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke still struggles to comprehend her Internet fame.

More About: Sports

David Kappos, Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, will leave that office at the end of January, a spokesperson confirmed to Mashable.

Kappos has been the USPTO director for more than three years, overseeing a period of massive overhaul and streamlining. His most well-remembered legacy is likely to be his work on the America Invents Act, which will switch the United States patent system from "first to invent" to "first to file" in March of next year. Translation: patents will be awarded to the first person to file them, not the first person to put the idea to practice.

Some observers applaud the switch as an overdue update to the country's patent system, as the United…
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More About: US, patents

1. "This Kindle Fire sale is purrrfect."

Image courtesy of Flickr, deerwooduk

Click here to view this gallery.

Even kittens and turtles know that braving the mall during the holiday shopping season is so 1990s. In the 21st century, it's all about online shopping and Cyber Monday is the pinnacle of web purchasing, even for our animal friends.

Cute critters in search of deals put their paws to the keyboard and hit the web -- although, typing without fingers can prove even more challenging than licking your own butt.

SEE ALSO: You Should Avoid the Stores This Holiday Season

Scamper through the gallery above for 10 adorably penny-pinching animals that took advantage of Cyber Monday bargains.

More About: Watercooler, cute animals, cyber monday

One year and 352 million miles later, the Curiosity rover celebrated its birthday Monday with a TIME Person of the Year nomination.

Safely tucked inside a Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, Curiosity left for the Red Planet on Nov. 26, 2011. TIME notes that it was that dramatic Aug. 5 landing -- dubbed the "seven minutes of terror" -- that drew the world's attention, perhaps earning it the prestigious nod.

But the Curiosity rover's accomplishments stretch far beyond its grand entrance.

Just three months into her two-year mission, Curiosity has already returned more than 23,000 raw images, driven 1,696 feet and delivered history-making data about the mysterious Red Planet. And…
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More About: Curiosity, Mars, Mars rover, NASA, person of the year, space, time magazine

Ever wondered what would happen to your Samsung Galaxy S III if someone sat on it? Well, don't worry about it -- Samsung already thought of that and subjected the device to this and many more similarly damaging scenarios.

In the video above (the audio is in Korean, but the visuals speak for themselves), you can see Samsung phones sprayed with water, sat on and exposed to many, many button clicks and screen presses.

SEE ALSO: iPhone Falls to Galaxy S III as World's Most Popular Smartphone

In a particularly disturbing scene, a Galaxy S III mingles with hundreds of oddly shaped pieces of plastic in soapy water. We're not sure which scenario this particular test simulates, but…
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More About: samsung, stress test

Forget the red this Christmas season -- it's all about the green this year.

CeeLo Green and the lovable (and more green) Kermit the Frog are taking over the holidays, along with the rest of the Muppet gang. Miss Piggy, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear are all there and want you to know they don't need too many presents under the Christmas tree this year. So what do these googly-eyed characters want this holiday? Just love -- a whole lotta love.

SEE ALSO: 15 Cheesy Christmas Music Videos on YouTube

So stop decking those halls and jingling those bells and grab your favorite Muppet pal (or round, bald Voice coach) and give 'em a squeeze.

And if this video doesn't quench your Muppet thi…
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More About: Christmas, Muppet, holiday 2012, muppets

Zillow has acquired HotPads, a real estate listings site that focuses on rentals, for $16 million, the two companies announced Monday.

More About: real estate, zillow

On Black Friday, the plan was simple for a couple of pranksters -- go to Target dressed as employees and have a little fun with shoppers. The faux workers, sporting Target-red t-shirts, pointed customers in the wrong direction and offered everything but a Kindle when asked about the tablet.

While these tricky fellows shouldn't expect Target to extend job offers, the duo did provide some much-needed tension breaking on the fiercest shopping day of the year.

SEE ALSO: This Prank Will Make You Think Twice About Public Calls

Watch the video above as unsuspecting shoppers get pranked during their Thanksgiving weekend shopping sprees.

BONUS: Pranks Gone Viral

http://www.f…
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More About: Target, black friday, pranks, store employees