Thursday 3 January 2013

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Polaroid’s Fotobar Stores Will Let You Print Photos From Your Phone”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Polaroid’s Fotobar Stores Will Let You Print Photos From Your Phone”


Polaroid’s Fotobar Stores Will Let You Print Photos From Your Phone

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:19 AM PST


Polaroid is launching retail shops called Fotobars that let people come in and print digital photos stored on their phones.

The first store, set to open this February, will be located in Delray Beach, Fla.; store openings in New York, Las Vegas and Boston will follow. In total, Polaroid plans to open "at least ten" Fotobars in 2013.

In practice, Fotobars will work like this: Customers will be able to select the photos on their camera phones (including photos on Facebook, Instagram, Picasa and "several other" platforms), then wirelessly beam them to one of the bar-top workstations.

Besides standard paper photos, customers can get their photos printed on other material, such as met…
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More About: Fotobar, polaroid

Google to Resolve FTC Antitrust Case Today, Report Says

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 01:54 AM PST


The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's nearly two-year antitrust probe into Google will come to a close Thursday, according to a report.

After 20 months, the search giant will end the case with a "voluntary agreement and a consent decree" on its alleged abuse of patents, Bloomberg said.

Launched in June 2011, the investigation focused on whether Google uses its search dominance -- as the world's most popular search engine -- to drive traffic to its products, disadvantaging competitors in the process. Microsoft, Yelp and Expedia are among the companies that have accused Google of engaging in antitrust practices.

SEE ALSO: Google Responds to FTC Antitrust Investigation

The FTC is abo…
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More About: Antitrust, Antitrust investigation, FTC, Google, Google Antitrust

6 Easy Ways to Make Your Website Tablet-Friendly

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 01:16 AM PST


There are nearly 70 million tablet users in the U.S. alone, a figure that has doubled from the year before. This means that nearly 30% of the country's Internet users are browsing on a tablet device.

Tablet traffic to e-commerce sites grew by 348% from 2011 to 2012, overtaking smartphone traffic for the first time. With the tablet market as young as it is, its footprint is only going to expand.

This trend sends a strong message: If you haven't already, now is the time to prioritize your website's design considerations for tablet functionality. Ignoring this could negatively impact your website's overall conversion rate, return visits, sales and more.

What Is Tappiness?

When a we…
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More About: graphic design, responsive web design, UX, UX design, website design

LinkedIn’s Endorsements Have Become Meaningless

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 11:59 PM PST


Mashable OP-ED

In social media, friction is often presented as the enemy. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, for instance speaks of "frictionless sharing" as a goal. Last year, Facebook worked with media companies like The Washington Post and The Guardian for frictionless sharing apps that automatically share articles a user is reading with her friends.

Now, those "reader" apps are gone. Maybe friction isn't so bad after all.

Case in point: LinkedIn's Endorsements.

LinkedIn rolled out Endorsements in late September. The idea was that rather than go through the trouble of actually writing a Recommendation, you could merely check off a box. Think of it as a Facebook "Like" for busine…
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More About: linkedin

YOLO, So Don’t Waste Your Time Saying These Banned Words of 2013

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 10:56 PM PST


For one university, ringing in the New Year also means getting rid of a few tired old words and phrases.

Lake Superior State University compiled its annual "List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness" for 2013. The list, which was first launched in 1976, accepts nominations for banned words year-round.

Check out the list, below, followed by select comments from nominators:

fiscal cliff - "Makes me want to throw someone over a real cliff"
kick the can down the road - "I would definitely like to kick some cans of the human variety every time I hear politicians use this phrase to describe a circumstance that hasn't gone their way.…
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More About: banned, trending, YOLO

Viral Nike Ad Speaks to Hockey Fans’ Angst as NHL Lockout Drags on

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 10:00 PM PST


The NHL lockout is well over 100 days old now, and even with the players' union delivering another counteroffer to the league on Wednesday, hopes for a salvaged season appear dim. More than half of the season has so far been obliterated.

The NHL has already stoked fans' ire with an Instagram meme fail pimping its Pinterest page, while negotiations in early December spawned a pair of parody Twitter accounts. Over the past few weeks, however, another piece of digital media has encapsulated fans' defiant feelings as well as anything.

The Nike ad embedded above has been viewed on YouTube more than 500,000 times since being uploaded Dec. 19, and is still going strong on the social web…
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More About: Advertising, NHL, Sports

Bottle Captures Everyday Noises and Creates Music

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 08:57 PM PST


What would the soundtrack to your day sound like? The Re: Sound Bottle remixes everyday noise into a different song every time the bottle is opened.

More About: design concept, japan, music recording

French Minister Demands Twitter Censor Hate Speech

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 07:55 PM PST


After #SiMonFilsEstGay ("If my son is gay") trended on Twitter for days in France, the country's Minister of Women's Rights said the micro-blog must begin to censor hate speech.

Najat Belkacem-Vallaud argued that this sort of speech is illegal according to national law in the French newspaper Le Monde.

The homophobic trending topic is not an isolated event, Belkacem-Vallaud points out. Anti-Semitic and racist topics including #unjuifmort ("a dead Jew"), #unbonjuif ("a good Jew") and #SiMaFilleRamèneUnNoir ("If my daughter brings home a Black") have trended in France over the past two months.

"At a moment when the government is implementing an action plan against violence an…
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More About: censorship, france, Twitter

The Most Misheard Lyrics of 2012

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 07:01 PM PST


Songwriters agonize over crafting seductive, witty, insightful lyrics for us to sing along to. Yet, we butcher them every time.

Okay, who are we kidding? Whoever wrote, "Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad" is in desperate need of some grammar lessons. And the people who wrote, "Let's go crazy crazy crazy till we see the sun" were really just scribbling on a napkin while waiting for their fries, or something.

SEE ALSO: Watch the Mashup You Wait for Every Year: 25 of 2012's Best Songs

So, it's really not our fault that we spent the entire year singing all the wrong words to some popular songs. According to the video above, which features the most misheard lyrics of…
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Solar Charger Powers a Smartphone After a Day in the Sun

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 06:33 PM PST


Place this smartphone-sized charger in the sun for a day, and it will be able to charge your smartphone or tablet and give you eight hours of reading light, too. That's the claim of the makers of the Wakawaka Power Compact Solar Charger, a Kickstarter project that's far surpassed its original expectations. It's received more than $232,000 worth of pledges, blasting through its $50,000 goal with 8 days to go.

Wakawaka already has an impressive track record, launching the Wakawaka Solar Lamp on Kickstarter last year that's now in use in 50 countries all over the world. That unit, developed in the Netherlands, is currently being manufactured in China. The company calls it "the best solar lam…
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More About: kickstarter, smartphone, solar charger, Video, Wakawaka Power

Samsung Brings the Sexy to Windows 8 Touch Laptops

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 06:00 PM PST


Samsung launched a varied selection of Windows 8 devices when Microsoft's new operating system debuted in October, but its only touch-screen laptop was the Series 5 Ultrabook. Now it's expanding its selection of touch laptops with the Series 7 Chronos and Series 7 Ultra PCs.

The Series 7 Ultra (above) is definitely the looker of the pair. A proper Ultrabook, the laptop has a 13.3-inch touch screen with full HD resolution: 1,920 x 1,080. The metallic exterior gives the notebook an eye-catching appearance -- a bit similar to Asus' beautiful Zenbooks. It's not the thinnest or lightest touch laptop we've seen (that's still the Acer Aspire S7), measuring 0.74 of an inch thick and weighing 3.6…
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More About: CES, CES 2013, PCs, samsung, Windows 8

Comic Artist Uses Robots to Quit Smoking

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 05:44 PM PST


1. Bryan Bruner




Illustration courtesy of Bryan Bruner

Click here to view this gallery.


Comic artist Bryan Bruner has been smoking for 19 years, and he hates it. This year he's quitting cold turkey, with the help of some robots.

In effort to help his smoke-free mission, Healthline has commissioned Bruner to create a 21-page comic. The illustrations tell the 36-year-old's smoker story, featuring a wide cast of robots.

The story tells how "Ash Bender," the smoking robot protagonist, became "programmed" to think smoking was cool.

SEE ALSO: 6 Online Tools to Help You Quit Smoking for Good

The comic is also part of a broader anti-smoking movement. Readers are invited to join Bruner on his journey by uploading photos to their personal Instagram and Twitter accounts with…
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More About: comics, pics, robots, Watercooler

Top 5 Non-Profit YouTube Videos of 2012

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 05:25 PM PST


1. Invisible Children's "Kony 2012"


Click here to view this gallery.


As non-profits become more social media savvy, they're releasing more and more viral content on YouTube. As we kick off 2013, Google's social video platform released a list of the five most-viewed non-profit videos of last year exclusively to Mashable.

Not surprisingly, Kony 2012 tops the list, having garnered nearly 100 million views. Non-profit Invisible Children's 30-minute viral documentary trounced the other front runners -- the second most-viewed video had 35 million views.

SEE ALSO: What Non-Profits Can Learn From Cat Videos

Check out the top five videos by view count in the gallery above. Which non-profit video did you find most memorable this year? Let us know in the comme…
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More About: non-profits, Social Good, YouTube

High Schooler’s Unbelievable Dunk Is Viral Video Gold

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 04:56 PM PST


This insane, abusive dunk must be seen to be comprehended, and it still doesn't quite compute after multiple viewings.

More About: Sports

Dating Website ‘High Season’ Means More Fish in the Sea

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 04:37 PM PST


A lot of people are hoping 2013 is the year they find love -- or at least a lot of dates.

Grant Langston, vice president of customer experience at eHarmony, tells Mashable an increase in sign-ups happens every year on Christmas Day, bumps up on New Year's Day and goes until Valentine's Day. December through February is high-season for dating websites.

"All this increased activity makes the pool [of prospective daters] bigger," he said.

Match.com reports that 64% of singles' 2013 New Year's resolutions are about finding love this year. And since 1 out of 5 relationships start online, dating websites make a good place to look for love.

SEE ALSO: Three Major Online Dating Sites
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More About: dating, dating websites, love, Match.com, online dating

Which Movie Had the Sloppiest Science in 2012?

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 04:08 PM PST


Science in sci-fi movies is rarely all that accurate. We get that. It's OK. Space battles wouldn't be nearly as cool on screen if there weren't any impossible explosions taking place in a vacuum. But some movies take their disregard for the basic principles of science to the next level. And according to Popular Science, the worst perpetrator of 2012 was Prometheus.

The crew at PopSci called Ridley Scott's Alien prequel "a funhouse of ridiculous and horribly distracting violations of science -- and common sense."

Among those violations include scientists who take off their helmets within minutes of setting foot on an alien planet; a crew of a high-tech mission never having met before t…
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More About: Movies, popular science, prometheus, Sci-Fi, Science, science fiction

This Brutal College Football Hit May Be the Best Tackle Ever

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 03:51 PM PST


A very violent thing happened in a New Year's Day college football game.

More About: college sports, Sports

12 Bizarre Subreddits You Shouldn’t Live Without

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 03:28 PM PST


Reddit is a weird place. Beyond the memes and inside jokes on the front page, there are thousands of niche communities where folks get nitty and gritty about the darndest things.

SEE ALSO: A Beginner's Guide to Reddit

We've plucked 13 subreddits where you'll find vibrant discussions about horse masks, infomercial actors and birds with arms.

1. r/YouTubeHaiku

Sometimes you find poetry in the most unlikely places. This subreddit is dedicated to short YouTube clips (less than 14 seconds) that have a certain transcendental beauty.

2. r/DogTalk

Dogs

Posts entitled "GrrrrrRUFF!" and "BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK" are met with equally insightful comments like "BARK B
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More About: features, reddit, Social Media

Parents Offer Best Reaction Ever to ‘Les Miserables’

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 03:09 PM PST


Looks like someone should've read a few more reviews before hitting the theaters.

This guy's parents apparently had no idea the emotional trauma they would be put through by watching Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman sing their faces off in Les Miserables.

The result is an extra weepy set of parents on the ride home.

SEE ALSO: I Dreamed a Meme: Les Miserables Meets the Internet

"HOW CAN YOU LAUGH?"

I don't know Mama Weepy, but we know it's hard to see Anne trade that body she got as Catwoman in turn for this rain-drenched gal. And Hugh without the Wolverine claws is something to sob over.

"I CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT ANYMORE."

Don't worry guys, go home, watch The Prince
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More About: anne hathaway, Les Mis�rables, viral videos, Watercooler

Al-Jazeera America: Mideast Channel Buys Current TV

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST


Qatar-based cable news channel Al-Jazeera will soon have a foothold in about 50 million U.S. households after closing a deal to buy Current TV.

"Al [Gore] and I are thrilled and proud to announce that a few moments ago Current was acquired by Al Jazeera, the award winning international news organization," the memo from co-founder Joel Hyatt reads.

"When considering the several suitors who were interested in acquiring Current, it became clear to us that Al Jazeera was founded with the same goals we had for Current: to give voice to those whose voices are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the important stories th…
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More About: al jazeera, current tv

NYE Fireworks in Reverse Is Explosion of Amazing

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 02:45 PM PST


Rihanna might describe this scenario as diamonds in the sky.

We'd rather liken it to a supernovas being sucked up by vacuums.

Nonetheless, Melbourne's New Year's Eve fireworks in reverse still looks pretty spectacular no matter which way they go.

SEE ALSO: Watch San Diego's Fourth of July Fireworks Fail [VIDEO]

But we do wonder, if the fireworks go backwards, did it turn 2011 at midnight instead of 2013? Let's ask Rihanna.

Photo courtesy of Flickr, anthonycrampvideo courtesy of jcltay

More About: fireworks, new years eve

Is Snapchat the Next Frontier for Marketers?

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 02:28 PM PST


In what may be a first for the platform, a New York frozen yogurt chain is leveraging Snapchat for a promotion that presents users with a coupon that self-destructs within 10 seconds.

The idea came about when the chain -- 16 Handles -- noted that a lot of its young users were using their Snapchat handles to interact on social media. The program works like this: If you snap a pic of you or your friends at a 16Handles location tasting one of their flavors, you can send it to Love16Handles on Snapchat. In return, you'll get a coupon for anywhere from 16% to 100% off on your purchase. You have 10 seconds to let the cashier scan the coupon, though.

Obviously, 16 Handles could have run a sta…
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More About: Marketing, snapchat

Comic: New Year’s Resolutions of the Tech Stars

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 02:26 PM PST


By now, you've probably narrowed down your New Year's resolutions. Perhaps you've chosen one of our favorite WTF resolutions, such as "Stop using my cat as an excuse for a boyfriend."

Our friends Nitrozac and Snaggy at The Joy of Tech did some eavesdropping during the recent holiday celebration, and discovered the New Year's resolutions of tech celebrities such as Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Jony Ive, Steve Ballmer and even Apple's stock:

Resolutions: The Joy of Tech comic, used with permission

SEE ALSO: Previous comics

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

More About: New Year 2013, New Year's Resolutions

Can CES Survive the Mobile Revolution?

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 02:15 PM PST


Mashable OP-ED

I'm in CES prep mode: Crawling through hundreds of emails, making last-minute appointments, trying to ferret out interested bits of gee-whiz information from tight-lipped tech companies. On the surface, it's a rerun of the past nine years of my life. Deep down, however, I know that CES 2013 is different, and not necessarily in a good way.

It's the first year since 1999 that Microsoft will not deliver the keynote address. In fact, the software giant won't even be in attendance at the Las Vegas tradeshow. In the company's place is Qualcomm.

That's right, Qualcomm, the mobile CPU company, will take the stage and, I suspect, show off a lot of other people's finished prod…
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More About: CES 2013, smartphones

ESPN Shows Male Athlete Kiss Husband in Apparent First

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 02:10 PM PST


ESPN took a big step toward legitimizing homosexuality in sports by showing a pro bowler kiss his husband. The moment has created a buzz on social media.

More About: Sports

Facebook Jumps 5% As Wall Street Learns to Like the Stock Again

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 02:08 PM PST


Facebook is off to a good start this year. The stock jumped by more than 5% on Wednesday to close at $28 a share, pushing the company's market cap back above $60 billion.

Several other big Internet stocks like Google and Yahoo also enjoyed gains on the first day of trading this year thanks to renewed investor confidence following the news that the U.S. Congress had approved legislation to avert the worst of the fiscal cliff.

However, there's more to Facebook's stock surge than general market optimism. After months of downgrades and sell-offs, analysts are gradually learning to like Facebook's business potential again.

Several analysts have put out positive forecasts for the compan…
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More About: Facebook, stocks

Portlandia ‘Spoiler Alert’ Sketch Will Totally Spoil Everything

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 01:56 PM PST


Anyone currently catching up on old seasons of Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Dexter or The Wire -- not to mention anyone who hasn't finished the Harry Potter series or watched Empire Strikes Back -- ought to be very careful before viewing the new season of Portlandia.

The sketch above, Spoiler Alert -- which, to be fair, does flag itself with a "viewer discretion advised" warning -- contains multiple spoilers delivered at a rapid clip. Many pass by too fast to be noticed, but if (like me) you're only a season or two into The Wire, you'll probably want to skip the sketch entirely.

Portlandia's satire deftly skewers many modes of hipster behavior, but is never better than…
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More About: Portlandia

Disney Pixar’s ‘Monsters University’ Gets Quirky College Website

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 01:55 PM PST


Disney Pixar unleashed a new college-inspired ad campaign this week for "Monsters University," the upcoming prequel to 2001's "Monsters, Inc."

More About: disney, Entertainment, films, Monsters, monsters university, Movies, pixar

YouTube’s 20 Most-Shared Ads in December

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 01:32 PM PST


1. "Rewind, YouTube Style 2012" (YouTube)


See if you can name all the references (and guest appearances) in this mashup of 2012 culture.

Click here to view this gallery.


In the last month of 2012, the most-shared YouTube ads included some favorites from earlier in the year.

The most popular was YouTube's own blowout year-end wrap-up/mashup. The hilarious music video, set to the year's defining pop hits, "Gangnam Style" and "Call Me Maybe," brings in viral stars like PSY, Felicia Day and Jenna Marbles. With callbacks to a plethora of news events and videos throughout 2012, watching is like playing a game in itself. How much do you remember?

The rest of the list has something for everyone, with videos of Victoria's Secret models and Abercrombie & Fitch guys singing and dancing for your viewing pleasure. You can also catch some amazing sports videos, no m…
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More About: Advertising, features, Marketing, Social Media, Video, YouTube

Google’s Eric Schmidt Is Going to North Korea

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 01:19 PM PST


Eric Schmidt, executive chairman at Google, is reportedly planning a visit to a somewhat unusual locale: North Korea.

Schmidt is joining a private humanitarian trip being organized by former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, according to the Associated Press citing "two people familiar with the group's plans."

Schmidt's visit will be the first to North Korea by a top Google executive.

It's not exactly clear what Schmidt will be doing while in North Korea -- the United States heavily restricts trade with the largely isolated Communist nation, so it's unlikely that he'll be negotiating any business deals. Far more likely is that he'll be pushing for North Korea to open up the web…
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More About: eric schmidt, Google, North Korea, World


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