Friday 26 April 2013

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “New Apple Ad Highlights iPhone 5 Camera”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “New Apple Ad Highlights iPhone 5 Camera”


New Apple Ad Highlights iPhone 5 Camera

Posted: 26 Apr 2013 04:41 AM PDT

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Apple has launched a new ad for the iPhone 5, this time focusing on the device's photo features

The ad shows people taking photos with the iPhone in various conditions: in daylight, at night, at sports events. It also shows the iPhone's flash and panorama features

Near the end, the ad claims that "more photos are taken with the iPhone, than any other camera."

SEE ALSO: Apple Shows Off iPhone 5's Features in Two New Ads

How do you like the ad? Share your thoughts in the comments

Image courtesy of YouTube/Apple Read more...

More about Iphone, Apple, Iphone 5, Tech, and Mobile

Shed Light on Your Cooking With This Phosphor LED Fixture

Posted: 26 Apr 2013 02:46 AM PDT

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Even if you're the "Iron Chef" of you own home, if you can't fully see what you're chopping up for dinner, your guests may complain that little bits of fingernail are not part of the recipe. With that in mind, you might want to add under-cabinet lighting to complement your kitchen, and you definitely want to install something that could add real clarity to your cooking.

The new, dimmable Klauf Light Bar is unique for its remote phosphor and LED technology. That basically means that the light is highly mixed and fluid, meaning you'll see more even lighting on your work surface, which is better for all that veggie and meat chopping. The design also allows the lamp to stay cooler. Read more...

More about Kitchen, Kickstarter, Led Light, Lifestyle, and Home

AT&T Enters the World of Home Automation

Posted: 26 Apr 2013 01:56 AM PDT

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Armed with a smartphone and an app, you can control many aspects of your digital life. You can unlock your front door from afar with Lockitron, change the temperature in your home using a Nest thermostat or check in on what the nanny is doing with the kids using an easy-to-install home security camera

Of course you need to remember the passwords to control and manage all those apps and devices. That's where AT&T wants to step in and help you control your digital life.

The company is entering the home automation space — launching its Digital Life initiative in 15 markets beginning Friday.

The company is entering the home automation space — launching its Digital Life initiative in 15 markets beginning Friday. Kevin Peterson, senior vice president of AT&T Digital Life says the IP-based system will make customers' lives easier by simplifying home management — allowing for customizable features accessible from any PC or mobile device Read more...

More about Att, Home Automation, Gadgets, Mobile, and Lifestyle

The New York Times Already Has a Google Glass App

Posted: 26 Apr 2013 01:23 AM PDT

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Google Glass owners — all several of you — rejoice, as you can now peruse The New York Times on your shiny pair of augmented reality glasses

The official New York Times Google Glass app lets users get breaking news alerts and hourly news updates, with the option to have article summaries read aloud

To start using the app, users have to give it some permissions on their Google account — namely, to view basic information about their account, view and manage their Google Glass timeline as well as view their location

According to Google's Eric Schmidt, a year or so must pass until Google Glass becomes widely available, so the NYT will have plenty of time to work out the kinks on the app, with early Glass adopters serving as beta testers Read more...

More about Tech, Apps Software, Project Glass, and Google Glass

'XCOM' Becomes a Tactical Shooter in 'The Bureau'

Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:17 AM PDT

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Players can again enter the 'XCOM' universe and fight aliens later this summer, this time in a tactical third-person shooter, 2K Games announced Friday.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is 2K's attempt at turning the popular turn-based strategy franchise into a faster-paced shooter, while still keeping the signature difficulty of the franchise. The game was in development since 2010 by 2K, but this is the first time the company has released any details.

Set in 1962, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified puts you in the shoes of William Carter. It's the middle of the Cold War, and the Bureau was set up by President Kennedy to investigate some strange, presumably Soviet activity. Instead, the agents quickly learn they are dealing with extraterrestrials in America, and their goal is to stop them from harming the public, but also cover up all traces and prevent panic. Read more...

More about Gaming, 2k Games, Entertainment, Xcom, and The Bureau

Fan-Made Title Sequence Does 'Man of Steel' Justice

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 11:22 PM PDT

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You've seen the latest Man of Steel trailer and are primed for the summer blockbuster's June 14 release. But that's still almost two months away, so what to do until then?

Here's something to tide you over: a fan-made Man of Steel title sequence created by a small production studio called Will & Tale

Patrick Lee, one of the clip's producers, tells us that no pre-existing Man of Steel footage was used to create the project. All the animations you see were created in-house, and even the score was composed specifically for the video Read more...

More about Entertainment, Film, Videos, and Man Of Steel

Remember When Space Was Totally Awesome?

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 08:54 PM PDT

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If you're nostalgic for those times you could spend hours playing games instead of being an adult, you are not alone.

YouTube cartoon channel Animation Domination High Def posted this sensory-pleasing song and video of all the things we miss from our 80s and 90s childhoods, back-to-back with all the things we loathe from responsible adulthood

The video features totally radical 8-bit animation and a chiptunes backing track that will make you rock out. Don't feel too sentimental over The Never Ending Story and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles popsicles, because you still have that checkbook to balance. Read more...

More about Videos, Animation, 90s, and Watercooler

Man Proposes to His Girlfriend With a Drone

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 08:39 PM PDT

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In the age of Internet and ubiquitous technology, we've seen a lot of great, original marriage proposals, even geekily romantic ones. But this one, made with the aid of a drone, might very well top the geek scale.

In a video posted to YouTube, a man from San Francisco, Calif., Jason, proposed to his girlfriend, Christina. Jason took her to well-known Alamo Square Park with the excuse of taking some pictures of her — then had an RC helicopter drone deliver the ring

Watch this amazing marriage proposal in the video above.

Image courtesy of YouTube, Chris Geiger Read more...

More about Youtube Videos, Marriage Proposal, Marriage Proposals, Watercooler, and Videos

Get Ready for Summer With This Mega Trailer Mashup

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 08:20 PM PDT

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This summer, superheroes will face down evil, robots will clash with monsters, and monsters will ... go to college. Those are just a few of the plot lines this season's surefire blockbusters hold in store, along with zombies, magic, ghosts, fast cars, faster snails, space adventures and three hung-over dudes

But what if all of those stories combined for a single film? What if Captain Kirk and Vin Diesel united with Superman and Iron Man in one megamovie?

Now, set to the music from the most recent Man of Steel trailer, you can see what it might look like. In the spirit of past trailer mashups, Movies.com provides us with a rousing trailer combining moments from 27 other trailers. Read more...

More about Entertainment, Mashups, Film, Summer, and Trailers

Sports News App Aggregates Tweets Related to Your Favorite Teams

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 08:03 PM PDT

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Sports fans that use a tablet or smartphone — the "second screen" — during live game broadcasts are becoming more and more common these days. For this year's Super Bowl, a Century 21 Real Estate survey found that 36% of polled viewers said they would use a second screen to supplement the game-viewing experience.

A Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup is catering to that trend with a new tablet app that aggregates real-time tweets from 1,000 media sources and 2,000 players. So if the game is on or you just want to see the chatter surrounding your favorite teams, the free "Beyond the Box" app by Murphy Ave. Inc. does the legwork for you with refined Twitter updates from interesting people, players and sources. Read more...

More about Apps, Aggregation, Aggregator, News Aggregator, and Nfl

Spring Into Action With Homemade Scene From 'The Matrix'

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 07:46 PM PDT

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The "bullet-dodging" scene from 1999's The Matrix is one of the most iconic action sequences in film history. It's irreplaceable, right?

In a way. The folks at CineFix released their own, homemade version of the infamous scene — extra emphasis here on homemade. The video replicates the action without any special visual or audio effects, but still manages to capture its epic style

You can watch a side-by-side comparison of the above video and the original scene here. And check back to their channel every Tuesday for a new makeshift movie scene Read more...

More about Videos, Film, Watercooler, and Video Galleries

CISPA Probably Won't Be Introduced In the Senate

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 07:27 PM PDT

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The House of Representative's version of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, probably won't be taken up in its entirety by the Senate, according to a new report. CISPA passed the House last week with bipartisan support despite a veto threat from the White House.

"We're not taking [CISPA] up," an anonymous representative of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation told U.S. News and World Report. "Staff and senators are divvying up the issues and the key provisions everyone agrees would need to be handled if we're going to strengthen cybersecurity. They'll be drafting separate bills." Read more...

More about Cybersecurity, Us World, Politics, Us, and Cispa

George Lucas Museum Wants Your Facebook Likes

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 07:08 PM PDT

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Not so long ago, in a city near, near the Bay, a certain retired filmmaker decided to build a place he could hang his Death Star-sized art collection and share it with a public eager for inspiration. Now he needs you, loyal citizens of the Lucas Empire, to show your support for the project.

The George Lucas Cultural Arts Museum is currently just a dream. But on Friday, the dreamer par excellence will personally present his plans to the Presidio Trust in San Francisco, along with five other projects vying for the same space (currently occupied by a Sports Basement). The Presidio, a former military base, is already home to Lucasfilm itself, as well as the Walt Disney Family Museum. So you can see the urge to complete a Disney-Lucas trifecta there. Read more...

More about Art, Museum, George Lucas, Star Wars, and Lucasfilm

Luke Hairballer and Han Whiskero Star in Animal 'Star Wars'

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 06:44 PM PDT

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In a litterbox far, far away (under the stairs), Luke Hairballer and Han Whiskero battle Kittytroopers and Dog Vader.

That's the basic plot — give or take a gerbil playing Yoda — of "Paw Warz," a Star Wars parody by YouTube channel ThePetCollective. This version, though, has a much less dramatic climax when the Kittytroopers get distracted by a — oh, wait, we won't give it away.

Buckle up your collar, get a rabies shot and click play.

Image courtesy of YouTube, ThePetCollective Read more...

More about Dogs, Cats, Viral Video, Star Wars, and Film

Show Us the Beauty of Your Hometown

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 06:26 PM PDT

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When the luxury of travel to another city or country eludes us, we can turn to familiar haunts to get away from it all — without getting away at all. The comfort of a hometown haven can be as invigorating as a trip to a new land.

This week for the Mashable Photo Challenge, we want to see your hometown escapes: the local spots in your life that are most important to you. Whether it's a communal arena or the quiet privacy of your own backyard, we want to see your favorite part of the place where you live. Follow the directions below to submit your photo, and our guest curator will select some of the most creative and compelling submissions to feature on Read more...

More about Community, Photo, Photography, Social Media, and Mashable Photo Challenge Guest Series

ABC Wants Your Instant TV Feedback — With Emoticons

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 06:08 PM PDT

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So you sit down for some important programming, whether a Barack Obama speech or your favorite sitcom. You've got all the fixings: Comfy chair, tasty snacks and, of course, your second screen device of choice to keep up with online chatter

Now would you add one more thing to the mix by spending the next thirty minutes continuously clicking a range of emoticons to register the ebbs and flows of your viewing emotions?

That's the idea behind Social Sountracker, an iPhone app from ABC that's currently in beta form. The app lets users schedule reminders for shows and other programming, then sign in to give instant feedback via a set of five emoticons. There's a laughing emoticon, a booing emoticon, an "aww" emoticon, a clapping emoticon and a surprised emoticon Read more...

More about Media, Tv, and Entertainment

Aaron Swartz Documentary Seeks Funding on Kickstarter

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 05:19 PM PDT

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When Internet activist and hacker Aaron Swartz committed suicide, his death resonated far beyond his circle of friends, family and acquaintances, touching technology's greatest minds, other Internet activists, and millions of people whom he never met

His far-reaching influence is what motivated director Brian Knappenberger to decide to make a documentary on his life and death, and to launch a Kickstarter to fund it.

"I feel a real responsibility –- his story has touched so many people that I feel like I really want to [do] this justice," Knappenberger told Wired. "It’s touched people that didn’t really know him all over the world so, [the film] is about exploring why that is, why people knew about him and why he inspires people. … It’s not a memorial of him, either. It’s an investigative approach into what happened and who he was." Read more...

More about Us, Documentary, Kickstarter, Aaron Swartz, and Us World

Instapaper Bought By Betaworks — Why the Big Fuss?

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 04:51 PM PDT

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Do you use Instapaper? No, me neither. But the $3.99 app, which lets you save stuff to read later when outside a wifi or 3G zone, has a small and highly devoted following. Which is why a small segment of Twitter went nuts at the news Thursday that Instapaper was being bought by Betaworks, the burgeoning media tech company that bought the assets of Digg last year

Instapaper "has simply grown far beyond what one person can do," its creator Marco Arment wrote in a blog post explaining the sale (actually, Betaworks will only take a majority stake, not buy the thing outright).

"To really shine, it needs a full-time staff of at least a few people," Arment added. "But I wouldn’t be very good at hiring and leading a staff, and after more than five years, I’d like an opportunity to try other apps and creative projects." Read more...

More about Instapaper, Betaworks, Tech, and Apps Software

Yahoo's Chairman Resigns

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT

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Fred Amoroso, Yahoo's chairman of the board, is resigning his position, the company announced late Thursday.

Amoroso took over as Yahoo's chairman in May at the same time that Ross Levinsohn was appointed interim CEO. As chairman, he led the team that investigated Yahoo's former CEO Scott Thompson for fabricating some of his credentials. He also played a part in helping bring Marissa Mayer in from Google to serve as Yahoo's new CEO.

"Fred has been a wonderful chairman for Yahoo! over the past year, and I’m personally grateful for his trust and guidance as I took on the role as Yahoo! CEO," CEO Marissa Mayer said in a statement. “Fred’s mentorship and perspective has proved truly valuable to me in my first few months here at Yahoo!." Read more...

More about Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, and Business

Chevy Spark EV is World's Most Efficient Electric Car, Says GM

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 03:35 PM PDT

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The upcoming Spark EV is the most efficient production electric vehicle in the world, according to GM. The company backs up that audacious claim with some hard numbers about the Spark EV's EPA mileage stats for combined city and highway driving — measured at the equivalent of 119 miles per gallon

An equally impressive stat for the Spark EV is the EPA's estimate of its range, 82 miles per charge.

An equally impressive stat for the Spark EV is the EPA's estimate of its range, 82 miles per charge. That puts it in the same range as the Honda Fit EV, but not quite as long-range as the Fiat 500e, which can go 87 miles on a charge Read more...

More about Tech and Us

Mobile Apps Are the New Network TV, Without the Ad Dollars

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 02:55 PM PDT

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Researcher Flurry reported on Thursday that the audience for mobile apps has hit 58 million in primetime — 8 p.m. — a figure that rivals that of the top three TV networks on a very good night, but revenues are still just a fraction of those of TV

The IAB estimates that the U.S. mobile ad market brought in $3.4 billion in 2012. The IAB didn't break out revenues for apps vs. the mobile web, but Flurry has estimated that 80% of mobile activity occurs on apps. Comparatively, Kantar Media calculated that TV advertising accounted for $74 billion in ad revenues in 2012. Even if apps generated 100% of mobile ad revenues, the market would still be just 4.5% that of TV. Read more...

More about Mobile Advertising, Flurry, Business, and Advertising

Microsoft Office Ad Turns 'Forbes' Magazines Into Wi-Fi Hotspots

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 02:43 PM PDT

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Like other tech companies, Microsoft has advertised some of its products in the past by offering free Wi-Fi in public places like subways and park benches. Now, the company is doing something a little more original and promoting a product by offering free Wi-Fi inside a magazine.

Yes, you read that right. In a new promotion, Microsoft is advertising Office 365 by installing a T-Mobile router into the latest issue of Forbes magazine, turning the print publication into a Wi-Fi hotspot for two weeks. The promotion was first reported by Engadget and has since been confirmed to Mashable by a Microsoft rep, who noted that it was only to included in a "limited number" of the magazines. Read more...

More about Media, Advertising, Microsoft, and Business

Pinterest Brings Back Beloved Design Features

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 02:33 PM PDT

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In March, Pinterest rolled out a new site design with larger images, a cleaner layout, and several new discovery and navigation features. Since that time, users have praised and criticized various aspects of the design — and Pinterest has listened.

On Thursday, Pinterest announced it's brought back a host of features from the older version of the site, including the ability to discover the users you follow pins from and the ability to mention your friends by typing "@" before their name. You can also find out which of your Facebook or Twitter friends are on Pinterest once again.

In addition to reinstating several older features, Pinterest has also rolled out better search and widened the range of user activity notifications. Soon, users will be alerted when their newsfeed has been updated with new pins. Read more...

More about Pinterest, Business, Startups, and Dev Design

Wounded Veterans Send Inspiring Message to Boston Survivors

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 02:11 PM PDT

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"We stand with you."

Those are the powerful words delivered by U.S. veterans to survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings in this new video.

Shoulder 2 Shoulder, a Virginia-based Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, produced the YouTube clip that features veterans from the Wounded Warrior Community. The vets show off all the amazing things they can still do despite their disabilities

The YouTube description elaborates on why the organization felt inspired to create the video:

Given the numerous amputees as a result of the bombings, we thought that it would be valuable to provide direct amputee-to-amputee perspective on dealing with initial fears, recovery strategies, and clear visceral proof that amputations do NOT preclude people from leading rich, full, and exciting lives Read more...

More about Viral Videos, Watercooler, Videos, Inspiring, and Boston Bombings

Amazon Stock Flat After Strong Earnings Report

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 01:42 PM PDT

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After missing analysts' expectations for three consecutive quarters, Amazon beat the Street's forecast, reporting earnings of $0.18 per share compared to earnings of $0.28 per share last year. Wall Street analysts were expecting earnings of $0.10 per share.

Despite the good news, Amazon's stock was up only 1% to approximately $277 per share in after-hours trading.

The report shows that sales continued to grow at a slightly slower clip in Q1, up 22% year-over-year to $16.07 billion. Growth for the last four quarters has averaged 28%. Operating cash flow increased 39% to $4.25 billion. Free cash flow declined 85% to $177 million, which Amazon attributes to its $1.4 billion investment in property and corporate office space at its headquarters in Seattle. Read more...

More about Amazon, Business, Marketing, and Startups

Texting Your Parents About Drug Deals Is Terrible (and Hilarious)

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 01:27 PM PDT

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Comedian Nathan Fielder made parents across the country Google "rehab" with a little game that he challenged his 39,000 Twitter followers to play

The fun all started with this tweet encouraging followers to prank their parents:

Experiment: text your parents "got 2 grams for $40" then right after "Sorry ignore that txt. Not for you" Then tweet pic of their response.

— nathan fielder (@nathanfielder) April 24, 2013

Sure enough, the responses rolled in quick — and they are hysterical. Here are some of the best parental reactions, which range from enraged to sassy and sweet to totally clueless: Read more...

More about Watercooler and Conversations

10 Places You Can't Use Google Glass

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 01:14 PM PDT

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Google Glass, the tech giant's augmented reality eyeglasses project, lets you capture photos, record video and surf the web all at eye level. But this kind of innovation isn't free of limitations.

Currently, Explorer editions are only available for a chosen few. Even so, certain places and activities have already forbidden the use of Google Glass, whether for safety, privacy or copyright issues.

We've compiled a list of places that have either preemptively forbidden the glasses or likely will, once the product is available to consumers. It's safe to consider that Google Glass will likely be banned anywhere cellphones or recording devices are, so you'll have to visit government buildings, strip clubs, casinos and maybe even gym locker rooms Glass-free. Read more...

More about Google, Features, Tech, Gadgets, and Project Glass

NFL Draft Fans Even Have Opinions on Players Who Don't Exist

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 12:56 PM PDT

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Fresh from the Jimmy Kimmel School of Blowhard Shaming comes this video of ever-expansive NFL Draft fans pontificating, as they do, on pro prospects' relative strengths and weaknesses. The catch? The players in this video, including a Buster Highmen and one Neil Antblo, don't exist

Kimmel set a high bar this week when his show hilariously interviewed Coachella fans about bands that don't exist, but this video from FootballNation is a worthy follow-up indeed. As you'll see, the fact that a player is completely made-up doesn't stop many fans from eagerly breaking down his chances of NFL stardom. Except for the guy at the end. He gets it. Well done, guy at the end Read more...

More about Nfl, Entertainment, Videos, and Sports

Leap Motion Delays Pre-Order Ship Date

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 12:54 PM PDT

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You'll have to put aside those dreams of a Minority Report-style interface for just a bit longerLeap Motion, the pint-sized technology that can turn an average desktop or laptop into a gesture-controlled computer, is not shipping to customers on May 13 as previously promised.

Now, those who ordered Leap Motion device early can expect them on July 22. In a letter to press on Thursday, Leap Motion co-founder and CEO Michael Buckwald, said, "After a lot of consideration, we’ve decided to push back the date and will now be shipping units to pre-order customers on July 22nd. This is not a decision we take lightly. Read more...

More about Pcs, Tech, Gadgets, and Leap Motion

The 10 Most Engaging Facebook Cover Photos

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 12:26 PM PDT

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Ever since Facebook introduced its new cover photo design back in fall 2011, brands, celebrities and ordinary folks have been challenged on how exactly to use that prominent piece of real estate.

For those looking for some inspiration, ZoomSphere recently took stock of the most engaging cover photos on Facebook, which is defined as the photos that drew the most overall interactions. ZoomSphere culled the list from its top 1,000 Facebook pages as measured by overall fan followings. The list of cover photos shows that just having a lot of fans doesn't necessarily mean your photo will get high engagement. In fact, of the top 10 most-followed, only one — Shakira — had one of the most-engaged cover photos. (Take that, Rihanna!) Read more...

More about Facebook, Marketing, Vin Diesel, and Business

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