Amazon has lowered the price of its 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD by $50 in a special one-day deal.

The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD sports a 1920x1200 resolution screen, a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor, a front facing HD camera and 16 or 32GB of storage memory. The standard price for the 16GB variant is $299.

Though the deal is valid only today, it might end before the end of the day, as Amazon warns that quantities are limited.

You can check out Amazon's offer here.

More About: amazon, kindle fire hd

Today's Google Doodle is a tribute to the woman that's considered to be the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace.

Born on December 10, 1815, Ada was the daughter of Lord Byron and his wife Anne Isabella Byron.

She was interested in science and math, and is best known for her work on Charles Babbage's mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Her notes on the machine are considered to be the first-ever algorithm encoded to be processed by a machine.

Ada Lovelace died of cancer at the age of 36, on Nov. 27, 1852. Today's Doodle marks the 197th anniversary of her birth, depicting her writing the famous notes, alongside a progression from the first mechanical com…
Continue reading...

More About: Ada Lovelace, google doodle

John McAfee reiterated his innocence in a live video session Sunday night, during which he updated viewers on his current situation, and answered questions from the press.

Wearing black square-frame glasses and sporting a goatee and mustache, the former tech entrepreneur who is wanted in connection to the murder of American expat Gregory Faull, hosted the news conference from a bare white room while in custody at a Guatemalan jail. McAfee was arrested for illegally entering Guatemala after fleeing to the country from Belize, where local authorities want him for questioning.

"Did I kill Mr. Faull? No. Let me be clear: I had absolutely nothing to do with the murder in Belize," he said.…
Continue reading...

More About: John McAfee, McAfee

The Police department of Mildura, Australia, is warning drivers not to rely on Apple Maps, since the location of that city in Apple's mapping app is incorrect.

According to the Mildura Police, Apple Maps puts Mildura in the middle of Murray Sunset National Park, some 70 km away from Mildura's actual location.

To make matters worse, temperatures in the park can go as high as 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit), and there is no water supply. According to the police, some of the drivers that ended up there have been stranded without food or water for "up to 24 hours". Some had to walk long distances through dangerous terrain just to get phone reception.

The Mildura Police ha…
Continue reading...

More About: apple, apple maps

1. Torchlight 2

The fantasy-RPG sequel to the wildly popular 2009 game Torchlight, Runic Games' latest installment in the franchise, doesn't mess with its recipe too much. And in this case, that's a big positive. Part steam-punk treasure hunt, part magic-heavy flight of fancy, Torchlight 2 capitalizes on the fast-paced, action-filled environment crafted by the designers of Diablo, Diablo 2 and Fate. Expect a lot of loot-grabbing from this game, as a bulk of the fun takes place in expansive and randomly generated cave systems practically filled to the brim with treasure and fancy equipment for your specific character class. Torchlight 2 really gilds the lily with a long-awaited and happily embraced local LAN option — meaning you can raid dungeons with three of your closest friends. This makes the experience, for the first time, a cooperative one, and has been one of the best new features. This game is really a continuation of that old-school play style seen in the previous Diablo installments, so if solo (or small group) hunting is your thing, download away. Price: $19.99 on Steam Platform: Windows

Click here to view this gallery.

You or someone you know is probably one of those fickle gamer types. While the regular masses would be awed by a freshly minted copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, you're searching for something deeper and more refined than the average franchise from your big box store.

Whether you want to be the "cool indie guy" who passes out sweet games to your friends, or you're looking to snag some new and interesting games to get you through that lull between Christmas and New Years, here are 10 indie games worth picking up.

SEE ALSO: 50 Winning Holiday Gifts for Gamers

From survival horror to puzzle platformers, there's a little bit of everything to satisfy all types of gamers. So, what are…
Continue reading...

More About: Entertainment, Gaming, features, holidays 2012

Amanda Palmer

Goal:$100,000 Pledged:$1,192,793 Singer/songwriter Amanda Palmer spent four years writing a record and putting her band together. Formerly part of the Dresden Dolls duo, Palmer broke away from a major record label to do her own thing. The album, supported by Kickstarter, was the first million-dollar music project on the platform. It debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Charts a few months later. Image courtesy of Shervin Lainez

Click here to view this gallery.

Crowdfunding has become a popular way to introduce products to people directly and raise awareness on important issues. Consumers no longer have to wait for a brand to innovate a product. Instead, they're finding simple solutions themselves and bringing it straight to consumers.

SEE ALSO: How Kickstarter Is Saving Hardware Innovation

More About: Startups, Year End 2012, crowdfunding, features, kickstarter

Users of free cloud-storage providers, such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Apple iCloud, are often faced with file-size limitations and lack of privacy. What's more, upgrades typically require recurring fees.

One Santa Clara, Calif.-based company is offering an alternative way to share, access and protect files. Called "Transporter," the device stores user data exclusively on your local network and the local networks of other Transporter users you authorize for access, according to the company's Kickstarter page.

"It's completely private, unlike the cloud," the page says. "Most cloud solutions store your files on remote servers that are shared with other customers and have terms of use…
Continue reading...

More About: Apple iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, cloud, cloud computing, cloud storage

The Harvard economics department has joined the "Call Me Maybe" parody craze, thanks to an administrator's idea and her 10-year-old son's editing skills.

More About: Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepsen, Entertainment, Harvard, humor, parody

These five job related movies that will offer you up some laughs as your hunt for the perfect career continues.

More About: features, job search series, mashable

Barnes & Noble has lowered the price of its Nook Simple Touch e-reader to $79 to compete against Amazon's entry-level e-reader, the Kindle.

The E-Ink e-reader, which previously cost $99, packs essentially the same hardware as the Kindle: Both devices have 6-inch black-and-white screens, Wi-Fi connectivity and 2 GB of storage. (Via a microSD card slot, Nook storage can be expanded to 32 GB -- only useful, really, if you want to store all your books and PDFs on your device, instead of archiving them in the cloud.)

The Nook is slightly wider, thicker and heavier than the Kindle (6.5 inches x 5.0 inches x .0.47 inches and 7.5 ounces, versus 6.5 inches x 4.5 inches by 0.34 inches and 6 oun…
Continue reading...

More About: Kindle, barnes & noble, nook

No matter where you are in your career -- unemployed, actively job searching, happily employed, or anywhere in-between -- networking is key in moving forward in your career.

More About: features, job search series, mashable

On lazy Sundays just before the workweek starts, there's nothing better than curling up on a comfy couch -- and giggling over viral videos.

So, here at Mashable we've rounded up a recap of the best ones, featuring cats, a rescue dog, a sleepy student and Mr. Burns' explanation of the U.S. fiscal cliff.

Check out this week's viral video recap, above. Then, tell us in the comments: Which is your favorite?

More About: viral video, viral videos

This Parrot virtual assistant clips to the sun visor of your car and handles your calls and texts while you drive.

More About: Gadgets, Gift of the Day, holidays 2012, parrot

Stitch Macbook Decal

Put everyone's favorite alien from Lilo & Stitch on your laptop. Repinned From: Jac St. John, Must Buy Board Source: Etsy

Click here to view this gallery.

Pinterest is home to an array of captivating images and helpful tips. Here are 10 of our favorites.

More About: pinterest, top 10 pinterest pins

Considering that email is the primary form of communication in most offices, we don't always choose our written words as wisely as we should. Especially when we're trying to get through a packed inbox quickly or answer messages between meetings on our phones, it's easy to be annoying, abrasive, or just plain rude without realizing it. With just a few words typed (or omitted), a quick email can go from a friendly message to a total disaster.

Well, it's time for an email intervention. Here are a few of the most common workplace blunders we unconsciously make -- and some quick-fix strategies to avoid them in the future.

1. The Subject is the Message
Have you ever received an email messag…
Continue reading...

More About: email, etiquette

Do Apple products seem just a little less "insanely great" since the untimely demise of Steve Jobs? Should Apple be wondering what Jobs would have done? Our friends Nitrozac and Snaggy at The Joy of Tech found a pair of Mac users getting into a circular argument about that point:

Comic illustration provided by The Joy of Tech. Published with permission; all rights reserved

More About: Sunday Comics, apple, comics, steve jobs, tim cook

The other day, I got a Skype video call from my mother. This was unusual since she rarely calls me via Skype. I answered the call and saw my mother sitting in her living room, the camera at an odd angle as I looked up at her.

"I hate Windows 8," she said to me.

This sentiment, I assured her, was completely natural.

Mother was in the midst of testing her new Window 8 tablet, trying to figure out the interface and get some work done. Calling me was her version of figuring out Skype on her newfangled but imminently confusing device.

Herein rests a problem for Microsoft. People just do not like Windows 8. My mother is computer-savvy but a bit set in her ways. She likes her iPad but c…
Continue reading...

More About: Opinion, Windows 8, microsoft, tablets

13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro, Side View

The 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro has a great screen and performs well. But is it good enough to justify the price tag?

Click here to view this gallery.

In June, Apple released its first Retina display-capable laptop, the phenomenal 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Last month, the company unveiled the next member of the high-resolution family, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina.

Apple boasts that the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina has the second-highest resolution screen on the market, a jaw-dropping 2,560 x 1,600 pixels (compared with 2,880 x 1,800 for the 15-inch beauty). Like the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina, the 13-inch model loses the optical drive –- a decision that both saves weight and allows for a larger battery.

Similarly, the machine is also decidedly upgrade-unfriendly. The RAM chips are soldered into the com…
Continue reading...

More About: Macbook Pro, apple, retina display, reviews

Instagram images are not displaying on Twitter cards as of Sunday afternoon. Instead, users are being shown an empty white space where a photo should live. A link to the Instagram photo is still included.

Update: A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to AllThingsD that Instagram has disabled all support for Twitter cards. Instead, Instagram shots shared via Twitter will only include a link to the photo's Instagram URL.

This is only a test. @ Mashable HQ instagr.am/p/TBySLoBpwj/— Alex Fitzpatrick (@AlexJamesFitz) December 9, 2012

Is this thing on? instagr.am/p/TByej4EGzn/— Jordan Cohen (@jorcohen) December 9, 2012

Goodbye, Instagram in my twitter stream. Le sigh. twitt…
Continue reading...

More About: Twitter, instagram

While NASA is placed on the back burner due to U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to cut the agency's planetary science funding, its private counterpart SpaceX has been green-lit to return to space.

The United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded two Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV)-class missions to the company: DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) and STP-2 (Space Test Program 2). The missions will be launched on SpaceX's Falcon vehicles in 2014 and 2015, respectively, according to a release.

For more on the mission, check out the video above. Then, tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Flickr, jurvetson

More About: SpaceX

1. Toddler Maze 123

Ages 2-6 Overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars Why we like it: Twenty well-designed, extremely simple mazes are found in this excellent starter app; ideal for introducing even very young children to the mechanics of multi-touch screen operation. Need to know: This is an excellent app for younger children that provides a solid spatial learning experience, though it would be nice if children could see the trail of their fingers. Ease of use: 10/10 Educational: 8/10 Entertaining: 9/10 $1.99

Click here to view this gallery.

Looking for great apps for your kids? Here are the top 5 apps for kids this week.

More About: Top Kids Apps, contributors, features, mobile apps

Typically vicious enemies in the patent wars, Apple and Google are reportedly forging an alliance to snatch up photo-sharing patents from Kodak, the now-bankrupted company whose once-innovative products brought instant photography to the masses.

Apple and Google are offering more than $500 million to buy Kodak patents that "relate to the capture, manipulation and sharing of digital images," reported Bloomberg while citing "people familiar with the situation."

Bloomberg also reported the two companies each led separate groups in failed quests to buy the patents last summer before joining forces in this fresh bid.

The report of the joint Apple-Google effort comes in the midst of a spa…
Continue reading...

More About: Business, Google, Kodak, Mobile, Tech, apple, technology

We all know that Justin Bieber is the Midas of social media. But he doesn't work alone -- he has a stellar team behind him, including a certain filmmaker. If you've seen Never Say Never or the Biebs' newest music video, Beauty and a Beat, you've probably admired the creative handiwork of director Jon M. Chu. He's also the brains behind dance films Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D, which have grossed more than $300 million, and he's currently in post production on his next film, G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

Chu does more than feature films and music videos -- he's also the writer and creator of The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, an original web series that was described as "the most beaut…
Continue reading...

More About: Entertainment, Innovation Index, digital entertainment, gopro, mashable, tablets

In 2012, love was in the air. From the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy to the running of the bulls in Pamploma, Spain, kisses all over the world were captured in photos. Here are our top 10 picks.

10. Underwater

Fran Calvo and Monica Fraile celebrate their wedding in a Sea Life Aquarium on August 6, 2012 in Benalmádena, Spain, where two couples took the opportunity to get into the pool to get married. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP/GettyImages)

9. Lassie and Uggie

Uggie, the dog who starred in the Academy Award-winning film The Artist, gets a kiss from Lassie, a descendant of the original Lassie, at his hand and paw print ceremony outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California,…
Continue reading...

More About: kissing, photography, romance

Texas A&M Quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman in history to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. Soon after he received college football's top award, he took to Twitter to celebrate.

Such a special night I cannot even put it into words. Such a blessing and an absolute dream come true! Aggieland I love you all!! #gigem— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) December 9, 2012

As of Sunday morning, the tweet's been retweeted nearly 5,000 times.

Known by fans of the sport as "Johnny Football," Manziel had a combined 4,600 total yards and led his team to a 10-2 record in their first season as members of the SEC. He's also the first freshman to throw for 3,000 yards and…
Continue reading...

More About: Sports, Twitter

The ultra-talented Jamie Foxx rocked Saturday Night Live last night with his opening monologue, calling out a variety of hilarious examples of how things are changing with race in America.

Hosting the show and promoting his upcoming movie Django Unchained (releases Dec. 25 in the U.S. and Canada) at the same time, Foxx not only made us laugh, but showed us he's also a wonderful singer, not a bad dancer, and the consummate actor.

Pic courtesy NBC/SNL

More About: comedy, saturday night live, snl

Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee has been on the run for weeks, avoiding Belize police who want to question him about the death of his neighbor.

In his strange cross-country journey, he claimed to have used a body double to distract authorities. He is accused of illegally sneaking into neighboring Guatemala, where he was denied political asylum and arrested, and he was rushed to the hospital following complaints of chest pains -- all the while keeping a blog detailing his saga.

Now, McAfee just wishes it was all over.

In a new interview with Reuters, McAfee said his goal "is to get back to America as soon as possible."

"I wish I could just pack my bags and go to Miami,"…
Continue reading...

More About: John McAfee, World

The legal and tactical legwork necessary to close a business is just as important as the steps it took to open. Be sure to close your business the right way.

More About: Small Business, features, mashable, open forum