Besides posting very good financial results for 2012, Rovio yesterday announced it will be bringing Angry Birds Friends to mobile devices.

Angry Birds Friends is the Facebook-integrated version of the popular game, where you can compete against your Facebook friends. It features weekly tournaments, daily rewards and gifts

The game will be available for tablets and smartphones, on both iOS and Android devices. Rovio did not give a clear release date, however, merely saying the game is coming "soon"

Angry Birds Friends has been a hit on Facebook, with currently more than 5 million active users according to Facebook's data. You can try out the desktop version of the game here Read more...

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There’s a formula to the typical business book: look at some successful companies, analyze them, make some true generalizations of those companies, and then advise others to do the same.

The trouble is, this is basically useless.

Here’s why: In a pool of thousands of companies, inevitably some are going to end up highly successful purely through luck—and by looking just at performance, you’ve got no way of distinguishing luck and solid business strategy. Take a distinctive and successful company—you’ve got no idea if the factors that make them distinctive helped them, hindered them, or were completely irrelevant to their success. Read more...

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A smaller, 5-inch version of LG's Optimus G Pro is now available in Japan, LG has announced

Japan's Optimus G Pro is obviously not the same device as the 5.5-inch G Pro we've seen in Barcelona, which has so far only been available in Korea

Other than the diminished screen size, however, it has nearly the same specifications: a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, a 13-megapixel camera, 2GB of DDR RAM, and 32 GB of storage memory, expandable via microSD memory cards

The size of the Japanese version is 139x70x9.9 mm, and it rocks a 3,000mAh battery — not that far off from the 3,140mAh variant seen on the original model Read more...

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Overly Attached Girlfriend, meet your match

A new YouTube video called "ONE NIGHT misunderSTANDing" (get it?) shows an overeager suitor creeping out his just-met lady-friend following a casual encounter. While he's not Overly Attached Boyfriend of meme fame, he certainly deserves the moniker

Watch the entire video, above; then, let us know what you think in the comments. (Disclaimer: The video features content that may be offensive to some viewers.)

Screenshot image courtesy of YouTube, ReverseCowboy Read more...

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Google has updated its Chrome web browser for Android, adding several interesting upgrades.

The new Google Chrome for Android enables users to access their saved passwords and have forms autofilled when they're signed into Chrome — just like the desktop version

This release also brings several stability improvements and a fix for blank-page loads in certain scenarios

If you don't see the new features (which have been available in the beta version for about a month) yet, don't worry — Google will be rolling them out to everyone over the next few days

You can get Chrome for Android over at Google Play. Read more...

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Taste the happy, Michael! Details for the global launch of the fourth season of Arrested Development are coming soon.

The much-loved cult sitcom is making its small-screen return, thanks to Netflix. Last year at NAB Show, Netflix formally announced the return of the Bluths this year. At the Television Critics Association press tour in January, the release date was confirmed for May. We're only a month away from May, so when do we get more release details?

According to Netflix UK's Twitter account, those details are coming "very soon."

Announcing the global launch date and more details for the highly anticipated Season 4 of Arrested Development very VERY soon. Stay tuned.— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) April 4, 2013 Read more...

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Just a week after launching comment replies on Facebook, the social network updated its API Wednesday to help brands better monitor and respond to them

In a post on its developer blog, Facebook product engineer Alex Madjar says developers can now set up different comment "views" on posts.

The first view is called "top level comments," which are standalone comments on a post that are not replies to individual comments. Next, "replies," are comments responding to other comments. Finally, the last view, "comment streams," show all comments — both top level and replies — together; this view lists comments in chronological order, helping programmers "get what's new." Read more...

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Best Buy and Samsung have teamed up to bring special Samsung-branded sections to Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile.

Dubbed the Samsung Experience Shop, the store-within-a-store offers customers a chance to explore and interact with Samsung's mobile products and accessories, as well as get help or training for Samsung mobile products they already own

All told, more than 1,400 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores will get the Samsung Experience Shop — with the first 900 scheduled for roll-out by May, and the rest to follow by early summer

Inside the Experience

While store openings don't really kick off until Monday, Samsung and Best Buy have been piloting a few stores with the Samsung Experience Shop over the last six weeks. Samsung and Best Buy showed us the Samsung Experience Shop inside a Best Buy in Lewisville, Texas. Read more...

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"This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and even it can inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it's nothing but wires and lights in a box."
-Edward R. Murrow

When Murrow spoke those words 55 years ago, he was referring to the instrument of television. But today, one can see how the sentiment applies to the Internet, and specifically, to television's successor, YouTube.

Organizations like TED and Khan Academy are pushing education farther into the 21st century with online lecture series and interactive lessons (check out TED-Ed if you haven't already) Read more...

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Within a year after launching its Android app, nearly half of all Instagram's user base comes from the Google-powered operating system.

Instagram revealed this statistic in a blog post celebrating its one-year anniversary Wednesday. The popular photo-filtering and -sharing app currently has 100 million monthly active users.

"Instagram for Android has helped make this community more global than ever," said Philip McAllister, an Instagram engineer. "Major events such as Brazil’s Círio de Nazaré festival, the 85th birthday of Thailand’s King Bhumibol, and a streak of severe thunderstorms throughout Malaysia have been captured by Android Instagrammers and shared to global audiences like never before." Read more...

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The Launchpad is a series that introduces Mashable readers to compelling startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Kareer.me

One-Liner Pitch: It's a discovery network for finding awesome employers — LinkedIn meets StumbleUpon.

Why It's Taking Off: Company culture attracts the best applicants, and recruiters need a better way to show it off. Job seekers are looking for more than a skill-to-task fit

At some point you may have come across (or written) a job listing entitled: "The job of a lifetime ... for the right person." Jobs these days, especially in digital fields, are increasingly unique. The career ladder isn't vertical anymore; it's often cross-department, as technology creates new needs and companies must hire someone with varied skills and talents to complete a task they've never seen before Read more...

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Solar chargers are getting even more convenient, and here's the latest example: This folding USB solar array from Brown Dog Gadgets captures power from the sun, delivered to you in a portable fold-up package.

This Kickstarter project's products were all designed to be simple and cheap. The company plans to manufacture three different solar array models, each containing three solar cells and a USB port into which you can attach your various gadgets.

The 5-watt model can charge an iPhone in "around three hours."

The 5-watt model can charge an iPhone in "around three hours." That's according to Brown Dog Gadgets proprietor Joshua Zimmerman, who says that the smallest model ($55 or more pledge) can send 1 amp of power at 5 volts into its USB port Read more...

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Finding a bottle of wine that suits your tastes — and doesn't turn out to be a disappointment once uncorked — isn't easy for the non-sommelierClub W, an online wine club, wants to change that by identifying what you like and making suggestions.

Mark Lynn, CMO at Club W, tells Mashable it's actually a "modern take on the traditional wine club." The service acts in partnership with wine makers around the world, sometimes even financing them, to deliver less expensive, great-tasting wines to your door

Learning Your Tastes

It starts with an online profile. When you sign up at Club W, you're asked to answer a series of questions about your tastes. Lynn says it's a way to identify your palate, as well as how adventurous you are. No wine questions here. It's mostly how you take your coffee and whether you like salt in your food. Read more...

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The NFL will require its teams to install locker-room cams to broadcast video on stadium scoreboards during games next season.

The move is apparently designed to further entice fans to come out to games as opposed to staying at home and watching from the couch, according to reports from the IMG World Congress of Sports conference in Naples, Fla

While teams will be forced to install the cameras, they will have more freedom on how to use the footage in-stadium. Video that teams do use, however, will only be viewable by fans at games and not by fans watching at home. The in-person-only option comes as the NFL tries to add incentives for sports fans to continue coming to games amid rising ticket prices and increasingly attractive TV options. Read more...

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When it comes to doodling, there's no stick figure beyond your capabilities. Sun rays are a piece of cake, clouds are no big deal (if you concentrate really hard) and trees eventually came with years of practice. And that about covers the extent of your drawing skills.

In this comic, Angela Liao of 20px shows what it's like to have a great idea for a drawing but not be able to follow through with it on the page. Can you relate?

Comic illustration by Angela Liao, 20px. Published with permission; all rights reserved. Read more...

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Perusing cat pics is the Internet's favorite pastime, but what do we really know about our four-legged feline friends (other than their uncanny ability to make anything viral/adorable)?

ASAP Science points out some quirky facts about cats we should all know, such as how each cat has a unique "noseprint" similar to a human's fingerprint. Also, every time you give Boots some catnip, you're simply enabling drug abuse

Plus, did you know your cat don't rub up against you just for fun? She's simply claiming her territory, so other felines know to back off Read more...

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Highly touted football prospect Brian Banks raped a young woman in a high school stairwell back in 2002 — or so the story went. He took a plea deal on charges of rape and kidnapping, went to prison for five years, got out, and spent five more years on parole

Wednesday, Banks signed a contract with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons

No, this isn't another story of double-standards and star athletes getting away with special treatment. Rather, it's one of the sports world's most amazing comeback tales in recent memory

Banks was officially exonerated of the allegations that robbed him of a promising career last May in California Superior Court. How? Facebook and a hidden video camera that caught his accuser admitting a lie Read more...

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The days of snail mail invitations are far behind us, with every backyard barbecue, birthday celebration and concert broadcasted through Facebook event pages or text message

Though you can let hundreds of friends know about your next party with the click of a button, the convenience takes away from the fun of planning: the invitesPhoster, a free iOS app, brings professional design to your posters and invitations and lets you stretch your creativity without the cost or effort. Check out the video, above, for more

You can promote your latest event using dozens of templates and photos from your device's camera. Using filtering effects and editing features, you can decorate posters and invites and add text Read more...

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Twitter launched an updated version of its apps for Android and iPhone Wednesday, adding, amongst other features, support for the new Twitter Cards it announced at a developer event Tuesday evening.

New Card options bring additional types of content — specifically, app, product information, and photo galleries — within the expanded portion of tweets

An App Card, for instance, will show an image from an app and a description of that app, as well as the app’s price and rating directly from the App Store or Google Play. Product Cards show an item and its description, with two other fields that can be customized by developers with additional information such as a price or rating for that item. Read more...

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The Breakfast Club is a harrowing tale of five strangers breaking stereotypes and forming the bond of a lifetime. But at its core, it's just about detention and the lengths kids will go to to keep themselves entertained

It's an '80s flick through and through. Just ask the cast's hair

But why hasn't Hollywood attempted a remake of the most classic of high school films? Because it's the darn 21st century and nothing is as interesting these daysFunri demonstrates why the plot of an updated Breakfast Club would just fall flat — they'd all be too busy Snapchatting and Instagramming to notice that they should be BFFs Read more...

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YouTube's takeover of the pop music landscape appears to be going global.

Music Weekly reported Wednesday that France's Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) and worldwide publishing powerhouse Universal Music Publishing have both reached international agreements with YouTube, the newest power player in the major music market.

The agreement allows for YouTube to distribute music published by SACEM and UMP to 127 new countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, a move that will boost YouTube's musical presence and make it easier for publications like Billboard Magazine, which recently began factoring YouTube plays into its Billboard Hot 100 charts, to better realize what's popular throughout the world. Read more...

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Have you ever wondered how much personal information Google or Facebook has about you? If you have, you certainly wouldn't be the first one. In Europe, a student named Max Schrems requested that Facebook disclose all the information the social network had on him and he received a stack of 1,222 pages

In the United States there is no legal requirement for companies to disclose such information to their customers. But that could be the case for just a matter of time, as a lawmaker in California is introducing a bill in the state Assembly to update the state's data collection and privacy laws.

The "Right to Know Act of 2013" would be the first law of its kind in the United States. It was introduced at the end of February by Democratic assembly member Bonnie Lowenthal, and it was amended on Monday in the California Assembly Read more...

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LucasArts had a three-decade career as a developer, publisher and licenser of games. On Wednesday, Disney announced it would be shuttering LucasArts as a studio and publisher, changing the company's focus to distributing licenses to Lucasfilm content.

The news led many fans to reminisce about their favorite games from LucasArts. The company has had a storied history, first in creating some of the most memorable point-and-click adventure games ever, then through publishing some great Star Wars-licensed games

We wanted to look back at some of the best games either developed or produced by LucasArts, and also wish the staff affected by the closure best of luck in finding new jobs. Read more...

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Bob Costas is such a baller. The legendary sportscaster appeared on MLBTV Tuesday evening and was faced with an important question: Who's your favorite rapper?

Lesser middle-aged white men may have stumbled here, stuttering and stammering while trying to spit out the first name that came to mind. But not Costas. He handled the situation like the bona fide professional he is

"I have got to give props to Ludacris," Costas explains. "Because, although he's not the only one, I think he was the first one to name-check me."

Costas then goes on the quote the following lyric from Luda's "Hip Hop Quotables" song: Read more...

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American Idol producers — for the first time in the show's 12-season run — will let the public determine one episode's theme this season, Idol's wireless sponsor AT&T exclusively told Mashable before Wednesday night's show

After host Ryan Seacrest makes the announcement during the April 3 performance show, people will be able to submit their suggestions on Twitter using hashtag #ATTIdolTheme. Past themes include genres, songs by an artist (or band) or something more generic.

"We’re really excited to hear from the fans and give them an opportunity to affect the show in a way they’ve never been able to before," David Christopher, CMO of AT&T Mobility, told us Read more...

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It's that time of the year again — picture day at the zoo. Animals don their trendiest threads and prepare for their time in front of the camera. It's an important day since this is the photo that goes in the yearbook that all their animal buddies will sign before summer

In reality, Zoo Portraits is a project by photographer Yago Partal who was inspired when creating an image campaign. He was interested in "humanizing animals" and decided to create portraits by mixing the animal world and fashion.

The end result was a set of well dressed zoo dwellers that the Internet is going wild (*pun intended) over. After all, who doesn't love seeing a tiger in chambray and a hipster ostrich? Read more...

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Zynga on Wednesday began testing the waters for Internet gambling with the UK-only introduction of ZyngaPlusPoker and ZyngaPlusCasino.

The downloadable and web-based versions of Zynga’s real money games for play in the UK is the prelude to the introduction of Facebook- and mobile-based versions of the games, Barry Cottle, Zynga's chief revenue officer and EVP, wrote on the company's blog on Tuesday. Zynga's stock rose 5.5% in after-hours trading on the strength of the announcement

Despite the boost, the news had been already been announced during Zynga's Q4 2012 earnings call in February. The company is expected to launch other real-money games in other European countries this year. Though online gambling is illegal in most states, Nevada legalized it in February. Anticipating that action, Zynga had filed for a preliminary finding of suitability for gaming in Nevada last year. However, it's unlikely that Zynga will be able to offer real-money online gambling in the state until 2014 at the earliest Read more...

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Facebook is holding an event at its Menlo Park headquarters Thursday to show the world its “new home on Android.”

No one is certain what exactly Facebook’s “new home” will be, but we’ve got a few a few solid hints

Although Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has always indicated — as recently as a few months ago — that a phone has “always been the wrong strategy” for Facebook, it looks like a phone may be just what we'll see the company announce on Thursday.

That "Facebook Phone" announcement, however, may not be what you think.

The Hardware Isn’t Going to Be Life-Changing

If the rumors are true, then Facebook will be announcing a phone called Facebook First, made by HTC. Read more...

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The new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone can share with friends and family what you're watching on the web, but it could potentially unmask embarrassing videos you want no one to know about, including porn

A report that circulated the web earlier this week noted the Z10's deeper integration with BlackBerry Messenger allows those in your contacts to see which songs and videos you're playing.

According to a screenshot posted to the Crackberry forum, contacts can see updates such as "listening to pornhub.com."

Although it's possible for a renegade blush-worthy clip or song to get thrown into the mix, a BlackBerry spokesperson told Mashable the "show what I'm listening to" feature has to be turned on. Read more...

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Though the print and radio industries have both suffered from the rising popularity of online advertising, one industry remains immune: television. U.S. advertisers are expected to increase their spending on TV this year by nearly $2 billion to $66.35 billion, according to forecasts from eMarketer. By 2017, that number is expected to reach $75 billion, an increase of 14% over five years.

At that rate, it will be some time before digital ad spending surpasses TV in the U.S., though it's expected to grow at a much faster rate (over the next five years, 18%). Advertisers spent an estimated $37.3 billion on digital advertising this year, and are expected to invest $60.4 billion in 2017. (Ad revenues from digital outpaced TV ad revenues in the UK in 2009.) Read more...

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