When a big name joins Twitter, it's common for official accounts of the microblogging network as well as Twitter execs to give the newbie a big public welcoming shout-out

Such was the case for Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez on Monday, when he got plugs from the official @TwitterSports account as well as Twitter Media headman Ben Grossman, among others:

Only eight @MLB players have hit more than 600 Home Runs, he's one of them - let's welcome 14-time All-Star @AROD to @Twitter.

— Twitter Sports (@TwitterSports) June 24, 2013

New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) has joined Twitter. Please welcome him accordingly.

— Ben Grossman (@grossman) June 24, 2013 Read more...

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Ahhh, summer. Sun, sand, surf ... and accidents

From extreme weather to cuts and bruises, summertime brings a whole hoard of potential emergency situations. We've rounded up five of the top first aid apps you should have on hand. In case anything turns south, you're better off safe than sorry.

Did we miss any good first aid apps? Let us know what first aid apps you rely on.

1Pocket First Aid & CPR

The recently redesigned Pocket First Aid and CPR app now reflects the updated American Heart Association's guidelines on CPR and emergency cardiovascular care. It has clear and concise instructions for adult, child and infant CPR, as well as 34 videos and 46 high-resolution illustrations Read more...

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The OUYA — the gaming console that set Kickstarter funding records last summer — is launching in retail stores in the United States, Canada and the UK on Tuesday.

Kickstarter backers began receiving their OUYA consoles in April, and since then the company has been working to iterate before the console went to mass market, CEO Julie Uhrman said.

"We've been collecting feedback from backers, developers and gamers, and improving the OUYA from that," Uhrman told Mashable in an interview Monday. "We've done the entire product development in the open, and we called the last few months a 'preview period' as we made changes." Read more...

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If you're looking to install a do-it-yourself security system in your home, Swann has a new system that can stream widescreen video straight to your smartphone.

Swann announced Tuesday the 4200 Series TruBlue 960H DVR, which supports widescreen, DVD-quality video. That means you can connect the system to an HDTV and see live and recorded video in 960 x 480 resolution at 30 frames per second — functions that could be useful if you're trying to discern faces, license plates or other details.

Swann's 4200 Series includes four-, eight-, nine- or 16-channel versions, and multiple cameras can be monitored and recorded on a split screen. Read more...

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NBA star Russell Westrbook is doing his off-season right

When a fan asked Westbrook for help in pulling off a novel marriage proposal via Twitter recently, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard obliged and now the fan and his fiance will have a uniquely adorable story to tell their grandkids one day

It all started when a young man named Charlie Bright sent Westbrook a Facebook message asking for help in putting a ring on his girlfriend Rachel Haycraft, according to NewsOK.com. Somehow, Westbrook saw the message and replied a few days later, asking Bright what sort of plan he had in mind Read more...

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The Internet is full of information ... too much information. Whether you're searching for breaking news, compelling longform narratives, or viral videos and GIFs, finding relavent content can seem impossible.

If you're a Google Chrome user, the Chrome Web Store is full of apps and extensions to make your web browsing experience less painful

We searched high and low in the Chrome Web Store to bring you the best extensions for content discovery. You'll find tools to quickly find enjoyable content on social networks like YouTube, Pinterest and Tumblr, make blogging more efficient, quickly find relavent information on long web pages, and save and share the best links while surfing the web. Read more...

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BlackBerry has launched Secure Work Space, an app that lets businesses and organizations manage employees' Android and iOS-based devices through BlackBerry's Enterprise Service 10

Apps and data managed through Secure Work Space are secured with 256-bit AES encryption, and separated from users' personal apps and data

This means employees will be able to check out their BES 10 email, calendar and contacts from their iPhones or Android devices. Web browsing as well as document viewing and editing, through Documents to Go, is also available

On the other hand, company admins will be able to secure and manage the data on all employees' devices, even Android and iOS ones Read more...

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We've written before about the massive impact Google Glass could have on sports and even shared a couple early examples from sports-minded Glass Explorers this spring

But now we have our closest look yet at the intersection of sports and Google Glass. It comes thanks to Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the 58th-ranked women's tennis player in the world and herself a Glass Explorer, one of the first consumers to use the new wearable technology

Mattek-Sands is wearing Glass this week at Wimbledon, and the YouTube video embedded above gives an early look at her preparations for the tournament and arrival in London. Seeing life shot from her perspective through Glass is pretty sweet, indeed. The two-and-a-half-minute video includes meetings with trainers and media, her prepping for the trip and some of her earliest practice work on Wimbledon's grass courts Read more...

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Are you look for a simple way to secure your iPhone while you're travelling in your automobile?

We've found 10 superb solutions that will hug your Apple mobile en route, whether that's by securing to the dashboard, windshield or cup holder

Have a look through our selection of ingenius in-car iPhone holders in the product gallery above. In the comments below, let us know about any other mounts for motorists you like that we may have missed.

Homepage image courtesy of Nite Ize Read more...

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Sony updated its smart watch Tuesday, introducing the Sony SmartWatch 2 at Shanghai's Mobile Asia Expo.

Designed to be used as a second screen for your Android smartphone, the water-resistant smart watch has NFC (near-field communication) connectivity, and can be personalized with apps based on how you want to use it.

“Competitors are only now launching first-generation devices, while we are already launching a third-generation device with all the insight gained from over half a million customers combined with Sony’s wealth of technology expertise to create the best ever smart-watch experience,” Stefan K Persson, head of companion products at Sony Mobile Communications, said in a press release announcing the watch. Read more...

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Who says a large-screen phone can't be thin as well?

Sony announced the Xperia Z Ultra Tuesday during the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai, a handset that pushes the limits both when it comes to screen size and thinness.

The Android 4.2 handset has a massive 6.4-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, and an 8-megapixel built-in camera for snapping photos

The Xperia Z Ultra is 6.5mm thick. making it one of the thinnest smartphones on the market. In contrast, Samsung’s Galaxy Note II has a much smaller 5.5-inch screen, and is much thicker, measuring in at 9.4mm.

Much like Sony’s Xperia Z, the Xperia Z Ultra is waterproof. The phone has an IP55 rating, making it not only water-resistant, but enough so that it can actually be used for things like shooting video underwater. Read more...

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Out of all the possible summer vacations, road trips have the unique ability to crumble apart as soon as they begin. What you predict will be a long, character-building family trip through the countryside quickly dissolves into a car of hungry, screaming relatives — if you're not careful.

We've compiled this list of free, helpful apps to make your road trip roll smoothly, and to keep your family from attacking each other at the next truck stop.

1RoadNinja

Mashable composite, images courtesy of RoadNinja

Download: Android and iOS.

Billboards become redundant with the free RoadNinja app — users learn the locations of restaurants, gas stations and points of interest near every highway exit. View real-time gas prices and access RoadNinja special offers and coupons. Read more...

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If today was your first contact with the internet, and you saw Google's homepage, you'd likely have trouble recognizing the company's name from its logo. The colorful, stylized Doodle today celebrates the 161st birthday of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, born on June 25, 1852

Gaudi is best known for his colorful buildings and out-of-this-world parks and gardens in Barcelona, Spain. Some of his most recognizable works include the Sagrada Familia church, Park Güell, and the Casa Batlló and Casa Milà buildings, all located in Barcelona

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Animated Google Doodles [VIDEOS]

Gaudi never managed to finish his masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia church, as he was struck and killed by a tram in Barcelona in 1926. The church is one of the largest in the world, and remains one of the most visited sights in Barcelona to this day Read more...

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A restroom attendant can be convenient if you're attending a particularly fancy event, such as an award show or concert. However, in this restroom, things get a little uncomfortable.

The folks at OfficialComedy placed the attendant in a tiny, single person bathroom at a small town gas station. Much to the patrons' surprise, they were politely greeted by the man who looked to "assist" in any way he could. When he tells the folks that he's going to stay in the lavatory while they finish their business, the situation gets hilariously awkward.

Watch as the exceedingly polite man asks for tips and generally joshes the individuals before they leave. Successful prank or no? Let us know in the comments below. Read more...

More about Viral Videos, Watercooler, Videos, Restroom, and Gas Stations

What if John Lennon auditioned on The Voice? Although the legendary musician and Beatles member died 33 years ago, one viral video imagines how Lennon would've fared on the singing competition show.

Posted to YouTube on Monday, it's edited to show Lennon performing his classic song "Imagine," while judges Adam Levine, Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton respond with cringes and bored stares. They then proceed to "tell" Lennon his singing is not up to snuff.

Critics have previously accused The Voice, American Idol and similar singing contests of failing to recognize and reward unconventional talent that doesn't fit a cookie-cutter mold. It seems, at least in this video, that Lennon is one such person Read more...

More about Voice, Singing, John Lennon, Entertainment, and Music

The accidental on-air F-bomb is a rare-enough news blooper, but the double f-bomb? Downright legendary

That's exactly what Spokane, Wash., TV reporter Lindsay Nadrich pulls off in the video above, however, while describing a bowl of strawberries. But it's not just the rare double f-bomb that makes this clip sing. The in-studio anchor's reaction at the 12-second mark is even better

Not surprisingly, the news lowlight has become a YouTube highlight, with some 100,000 views since hitting the web on Saturday. Check it out for yourself above to see why Read more...

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Warning: Videos include violent imagery. Viewer discretion is advised.

What happens when your favorite childhood movie meets one of the most controversial video games of our generation? Bittersweet destruction.

An online user created a character mod of Grand Theft Auto using Toy Story's most recognizable figure, Woody. And it's every bit as creepy as you think.

Dressed in his trademark knee-high boots and cowboy hat, Woody is depicted as a cold-blooded vigilante terrorizing New York City's Times Square. In the first seconds of the clip, Woody fires off a shot into a crowd of men standing on the sidewalk. He also mercilessly sets fire to hot-dog vendors and local banks, runs over cars with a tank and opens fire on the homeless in subways Read more...

More about Viral Videos, Entertainment, Gaming, Video Game, and Toy Story

Nothing like a little magic to spice up a casual museum visit.

Over several months, employees at the Manchester Museum noticed one of their statues spinning slowly while sitting in its glass case. The odd thing was that it had no physical contact with anything while on the shelf.

According to the museum's YouTube video description, the statuette sat on the shelf "for decades and has never moved before." Curious about what could've caused the movement, employees set up a time-lapse video that would capture the statue's image every minute for a week Read more...

More about Videos, Museum, Watercooler, Statue, and Manchester

As one ad exec noted, last week's Cannes Lions festival was a great advertising vehicle for both Facebook and Twitter, both of which dominated discussion this year. While both companies made pitches during the event, the consensus seemed to be that what Twitter lacked in scale, it made up for in agility.

In particular, the social network's ability to let marketers capitalize on real-time trends and conversation evoked some envy for its 1.1 billion users-strong rival. Twitter isn't resting on its laurels, though. The company is looking to both solidify its lead in real-time marketing and expand the functionality of tweets. Broadly, those two goals appear to present a roadmap for Twitter's growth over the next year or so Read more...

More about Advertising, Twitter, Netflix, Tv, and House Of Cards

The indie rock trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs have expressed that they're not too fond of having people record them when they perform — but they don't seem to mind being filmed on top of the Empire State Building in their new music video.

The official video for "Despair," the second single off the band's latest album, Mosquito, was released Monday in collaboration with New York City's monstrous 1,454-foot symbol and VICE's music channel Noisey

DESPAIR! NSFW if afraid of heights!! http://t.co/pauepzHoIg @NoiseyMusic #Despair

— Yeah Yeah Yeahs (@YYYs) June 24, 2013

Read more...

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More than 320 people attended The Digital Detox's no-technology summer camp for adults, "Camp Grounded," from June 14 to 17 in a rural part of Northern California.

I previously wrote about my own experiences at the camp, but I wanted to find out what fellow campers thought about the unique digital detox weekend. At camp, there was no "W" (work talk) and we all used nicknames, so many of us exchanged information with our real identities after the experience was over.

Some of the campers were prominent startup founders in the real world. I even discovered that one of our fellow camper-counselors was former One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush. Read more...

More about Travel, Technology, Summer Camp, Camping, and Lifestyle

At the beach. At a barbecue. In the sun. At night. At a picnic. At a party. No matter the setting, some songs just feel like summer

Whether in the form of songs vying for the coveted title of Song of the Summer (there now seems to be a battle between Daft Punk's groovin' "Get Lucky" and Miley Cyrus' game-changing "We Can't Stop"), classics that can't shake their sunny glow, or all the songs that fit in between, music is always ready to join you on summer vacation.

We asked for your help in presenting our summer 2k13 playlist. You suggested everything from the standard "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams, to the catchiest of '90s songs "Boom Boom Boom Boom" by Vengaboys, to indie rock's top summer 2012 song "The House That Heaven Built" by Japandroids. Read more...

More about Music, Community, Summer, Spotify, and Music Monday

We've been dreaming about self-driving cars for a while — but what what about self-parking cars?

According to a Volvo press release, the company's newest concept car will find a vacant space and park there — even without a driver. Its smart car can interact safely with other cars, pedestrians and curbs.

After the driver turns on the service using a mobile app, the vehicle uses sensors to find and navigate its way to a free parking space. When the driver gets back to his car, the process is reversed.

However, the service works only with parking spaces designed to be compatible with Vehicle 2 Infrastructure technology Read more...

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There are few things more satisfying than a spot-on GIF

In the video above, YouTube duo TheFineBros asked kids for their thoughts on some the Internet's most recognizable GIFs and memes, like Surprised Patrick and super cute sloths

Which GIF reaction can you relate to most? Let us know in the comments below.

Image courtesy of YouTube, FineBros Read more...

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Startup culture became known for several things over the years: hoodies, ping pong, beer consumption and really awesome offices. Amazing offices became a perk of startup life, perhaps thanks to the litany of amenities at the Googleplex.

SEE ALSO: Are These the Best Startup Perks You've Ever Seen?

But even if you're not Google, you can foster a certain vibe and inspire your team with a creative, well-designed space. And the good news is, it doesn't have to cost a fortune. We spoke with 13 startups and got the scoop on their approach to design, where they stocked up on decor and what they love most about the space. After speaking with these companies, it's clear that the essentials for a startup office are: Writable walls, an open, lofty and well lit space, plush sofas for lounging, cleverly named meeting rooms, custom art, a homage to the city, DIY projects and of course, a kegerator. Read more...

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Edward Snowden's exact status is unclear, but his final destination is believed to be Ecuador. There, he might well be welcomed with open arms by President Rafael Correa. This is certainly not because Correa has warm fuzzy feelings for the freedom of information, though; Ecuador ranks 119th out of 179 countries, according to Reporters Without Borders' 2013 Press Freedom Index.

Image courtesy Reporters Without Borders.

The situation is only getting worse. "Ecuador fell 15 places to 119th after a year of extreme tension between the government and leading privately-owned media," noted Reporters Without Borders' study Read more...

More about Us World, Us, World, Nsa, and Edward Snowden

If E la Carte has its way, you may eventually be able to order your meals using a tablet at most restaurants in the U.S.

Two years ago, the startup unveiled a tablet designed for restaurants called the Presto, which let customers browse menus, place orders and pay bills — all without getting up from the table or depending on a waiter. E la Carte launched the product in about 20 stores in San Francisco and Boston, and has since expanded nationwide with several thousand tablets at casual dining establishments, including Evergreen Restaurant Group, which is a franchisee of Outback Steakhouse.

Read more...

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Brad Pitt's zombie-apocalypse flick, World War Z, hit theaters over the weekend, giving antsy moviegoers around the country a first look at Hollywood's latest undead undertaking.

At time of writing, the film had raked in upward of $66 million domestically (roughly $110 million worldwide) and had notched a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer. Per the review-aggregating site, 86% of audience members enjoyed the movie, landing it an average rating of 4.3/5. Of course, many critics — professional, armchair and otherwise — also turned to social media platforms to make their voices heard. Read more...

More about Entertainment, Movies, Paramount, Paramount Pictures, and Film

Many of us use more water than we really need, which can lead to unfavorable financial and environmental results. But the line between excess and necessity can often be hard to discern.

So Anthony Jakubiak, a recent graduate of Northwestern University, designed a gadget intended to monitor and measure your water use. MyWater displays real-time usage and compares how much water you've used with other homes in the area. The device also shows your personal water habits over time.

The MyWater display plugs into outlets by your water source (above a sink, close to the shower or near the washing machine). Fill out some basic information, including your approximate location and household size. Then, the gadget's screen displays that day's water use and compares it to others in your area as well as your own monthly average Read more...

More about Startups, Gadget, Water, Conservation, and Tech

Jaguar has introduced its first sports car in 50 years, and age sure looks good on its new F-TYPE model.

The two-seater, which starts at $69,000 and runs up to $92,000 (based on the engine), is not your father's Jaguar. In fact, the F-TYPE collection is probably unlike any you've seen in a classic Jaguar showroom before. Sure, the company is no stranger to rolling out luxury sedans, XK coupes and 2 x 2 convertibles, but it's shied away from its heritage of performance cars for more than five decades. It's ready to get back into the game, and it's leaning on social media to get the word out.

Read more...

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