Webformation

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:16:28 +0200

Why One Startup Wants Your Mobile Carrier to Act Like Your Bank
Google, PayPal and major credit companies are all making land-grabs for the emerging mobile payments industry. Mobile carriers — used to controlling profits made from mobile phones — want to avoid being squeezed out. Now, thanks to a startup called BOKU, there’s a mobile payment solution that could satisfy all sides....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:18:07 +0200

10 Free Android Apps You’ll Use Every Day
1. Alarm Clock Plus You can start every morning with this alarm clock app. If waking up is tough for you, this app lets you set several alarms, each with its own ring tone. Are you the type that sub-consciously turns your alarm off in your sleep? There's a math feature that makes you solve a simple equation to dismiss it....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:52:47 +0200

Marketers: What Mobile Users Will and Won’t Put Up With [INFOGRAPHIC]
Young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are even more connected to their mobile devices than you might think. Nine in 10 young adults spend between one and five hours on their mobile devices daily. Nearly one in 10, meanwhile, are on their gadgets between five and ten hours each day....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:28:47 +0200

Adele Is First To Go Double Platinum on iTunes
Like many artists before her, global pop star Adele experienced a post-Grammys album sales boost, selling 730,000 copies of 21 in the past week. Unlike every other artist in history, however, Adele is the first person to sell 2 million copies of one album on iTunes in the U.S. The album, which has been out stateside since Feb....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:41:26 +0200

Use Online RSVP Tool to Help Your Party Make A Splash
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: Splash Quick Pitch: Splash offers a simple way for event planners to manage and share events with guests. Genius Idea: Splash users can track RSVPs and post event photos on a customizable event website....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:17:05 +0200

Samsung Totally Copies Us With Galaxy Note ‘Street Challenge’ [VIDEO]
The Samsung Galaxy Note, a so-called “superphone” that has a massive 5-inch screen, gives quite a first impression. Not only is it huge, but it sports an accessory that has waned in popularity over the last few years: a stylus. Those odd physical qualities are why we took it out to the streets to see what real people thought when they were suddenly confronted with the gargantuan, pen-toting Galaxy Note (you can...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:51:42 +0200

Advanced Infrared Camera Keeps Soldiers Farther From Dangerous Targets [VIDEO]
An advanced camera could help save the lives of U.S. soldiers in combat. The new camera was developed to navigate dangerous war conditions — darkness, bad weather and obscure surroundings. The camera was developed as a part of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) AWARE program — or the Advanced Wide Field of View Architectures for Image Reconstruction and Exploitation....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:26:40 +0200

NBA Fans to Decide Dunk Contest via Twitter in Most Connected All-Star Weekend Yet
Tweets, apps and status updates will join the usual barrage of dunks, three-pointers and no-look passes more than ever this weekend at the NBA’s annual All-Star event. For the first time, fans will be the sole dunk contest judges via Twitter, SMS and website-based voting. The league is also partnering with the social app Shaker to create a one-stop forum for fans to interact, chat and watch exclusive content....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:02:07 +0200

Google to Launch TV Service
Google is looking to get into the paid TV business. The company filed an application last week to provide video service to residents of Kansas City, Mo., according to The Wall Street Journal. If approved, the service could launch as soon as a month from now, according to the article, which cites a “media executive currently involved in negotiations to license channels to the service.” Offerings in the video package would include...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:39:01 +0200

Nostalgia Overload: New Tumblr Challenges You to Draw Classic Video Game Maps From Memory
What is it about video game worlds that etch themselves so vividly in our mind’s eye? A fun new user-generated blog aims to unearth the latent digital cartographer in you. Mapstalgia is the brainchild of Josh Millard, a self-described “nerd-type” from Portland, OR. It’s a Tumblr where readers submit video game maps they’ve drawn from memory....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:14:54 +0200

Awesome New ‘Borderlands 2′ Trailer Gives September Release Date [VIDEO]
Gearbox and 2K Games announced Wednesday that the sequel to the popular Borderlands will have a Sept. 18 release date for XBox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in the U.S., and on Sept. 21 internationally. The new trailer for Borderlands 2 released by 2K Wednesday showed off new playable characters, new skill tree selections, and environments that look radically different from the original game....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:26:37 +0200

Newly Launched PlayStation Vita Gets Twitter, Flickr and Netflix [PICS]
Vita Store Applications can be downloaded via the Vita store, under the Applications tab.Click here to view this gallery.If 15 games available at launch for PlayStation Vita wasn’t entertaining enough, early adopters of the game system are in for a treat. Free Twitter, Flickr and Netflix apps are now available for download at the PlayStation Store....

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:01:29 +0200

Guy in ‘College Freshman’ Meme Now Stars in a New ‘College Senior’ Meme
"Successful College Senior" Meme He’s back. DRINK! The college student — whose 2007 photo of himself as a freshman catapulted into meme territory last year — has made an unexpected and triumphant return to web stardom as a senior this week. The new image immediately caught the attention of Reddit users, who cleverly wasted no time turning it into a "Successful College Senior" meme....

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:37:53 +0200

Microsoft Accuses Motorola of Being a Patent Bully [VIDEO]
Irony, thy name is patent law. Microsoft filed a complaint with the European Commission against Motorola for aggressively asserting its patents, charging that Motorola ignored commitments it made to support industry standards. The filing comes shortly after Apple registered a similar complaint. In a post titled “Google: Please Don’t Kill Video on the Web,” Microsoft says Motorola (which Google is in the process of acquiring) has broken its promise on the contribution...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:00:19 +0200

Apple Investigator Has His Doubts About Nightline’s Foxconn Report [INTERVIEW]
ABC’s Nightline offered viewers a rare glimpse inside the Foxconn plants that produce Apple products Tuesday night. Apple has faced increased criticism concerning the working conditions within its factories. Fair-labor and human-rights groups have petitioned Apple to change its policies. And much of the credit for that goes to monologuist Mike Daisey. In early January, the radio program This American Life aired an episode titled “Mr....

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:00:15 +0200

Why Most People Say They’re Addicted to the Internet [INFOGRAPHIC]
Are you addicted to the Internet? If so, you’re not alone. Some 61% of people feel addicted to the Internet and are unable to quit browsing, according to an informal survey. Opinion pollster SodaHead surveyed 602 visitors to its site Feb. 16. about whether they experience Internet addiction, and found that many people are self-diagnosed addicts. Women experience addiction more than men, with 64% of women compared with 55% of men reporting the symptoms...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:36:16 +0200

Apple, Google and Other App Sellers Cut Privacy Deal with California
Your favorite mobile apps should soon be making it a lot more clear when they intend to use your data. The Attorney General of California, Kamala D. Harris, announced Wednesday a deal with Amazon, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Research in Motion; the companies agreed to strengthen privacy protection for users that download third-party apps to smartphones and tablet devices. In the deal, the companies said they would require app developers to...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:36:12 +0200

8 Ways Pinterest Is Inspiring Projects
How is Pinterest inpsiring you to take action? As Pinterest looks to turn the corner from buzz-worthy startup to mainstream social network, everyone seems to be talking about it. Most unique about it, though, is the way it inspires people to pin project-related content, be it recipes, design ideas, or wedding plans....

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:10:49 +0200

10 Staggering Facts Behind Apple’s Foxconn Factory
1. Hourly Wages Foxconn workers get paid $1.78 an hour. Click here to view this gallery.ABC’s behind-the-scenes look at Apple’s supply plant in Shenzhen and Chengdu confirmed a lot of what we already knew: Conditions are grueling, employees are overworked and underpaid, and living quarters are crowded. However, some of the stats revealed through Nightline’s 17-minute special surrounding hourly wages, living costs and the process that goes into making...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:45:30 +0200

Google Docs for Android Update Lets You Edit on the Go
Google announced a Google Docs update for Android Wednesday, allowing for easy native editing from your smartphone and tablet. The new feature was introduced in a blog post, in which Google says the update focuses on remote collaboration and is aimed at increasing users’ productivity. Google software engineer Vadim Gerasimov describes how he now can accomplish everything he does in the office — such as check his email and edit documents —...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:45:26 +0200

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Announces Social Media-Driven Music TV Channel
Sean “Diddy” Combs took to YouTube, Twitter and Facebook this week to announce the launch of REVOLT TV — a new socially connected music and news-driven cable channel coming to the Comcast-NBC network in 2013. Combs, the founder and CEO of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group and hip-hop artist, says he wants to connect music makers to music lovers....

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:19:40 +0200

Nike Unveils Nike+ for Basketball and Workout Training
Nike+ is no longer for runners only. At an event in New York City Wednesday, Nike unveiled a line of digitally connected footwear — some designed for basketball, others for more general workouts — that records data about the wearer and syncs it to accompanying Nike+ Basketball and Nike+ Training apps for the iPhone, iPod touch and web. The shoes are embedded with four pressure sensors and an accelerometer that can record distance,...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:19:36 +0200

FCC: Cybersecurity Is Crucial for America’s Future
Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said Wednesday that failing to meet the “challenges” of cybersecurity will mean the U.S. will “pay the price in the form of diminished safety, lost privacy, lost jobs and financial vulnerability — billions of dollars potentially lost to digital criminals.” The FCC chair called on Internet users, providers and policymakers to address multiple “cyber threats,” including botnet attacks, domain name fraud and IP hijacking. Botnet...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:04:16 +0200

PlayStation Vita: Everything You Need to Know
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita is quite big when you first unbox it. The system is 7.2 inches wide, and 3.2 inches tall, with the 5-inch screen smack in the middle. It also weighs in at 9.2 oz. -- over half a pound.Click here to view this gallery.The new PlayStation Vita, the portable gaming device, launches Wednesday in stores across the U.S., Europe and Australia....

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:39:22 +0200

Masternaut Tells You When You’re Driving Badly, Helps Save Gas [VIDEO]
Driving isn’t exactly eco-friendly, but one company has found a way to make it as green as possible — by improving your driving, and thus your gas mileage. Masternaut, a gadget made in the UK, aim to make sure you’re being a safe driver. It is your own personal driving instructor, in effect; it attaches to the dashboard of your car and could reduce gas cost by up to one-fifth....

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:23:21 +0200

‘Facebook Parenting’ YouTube Video Is More Viral Than ‘Friday’
Move over, Rebecca Black. Make room for Tommy Jordan. The heat-packing, tech-savvy dad who plugged nine rounds into his daughter’s laptop in a YouTube-broadcasted fit of parental retribution is rapidly blowing the pop star’s notorious “Friday” video out of the water in the 24/7 viral video derby. “Facebook Parenting: For the troubled teen,” uploaded exactly two weeks ago, has already amassed more than 28 million views on YouTube....

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:07:25 +0200

LinkedIn Buys Smart Email Startup Rapportive
Rapportive, a startup that makes a Gmail add-on that displays social media info about contacts as you email them, confirmed on Wednesday that it had been purchased by LinkedIn. Rahul Vohra, CEO of Rapportive, confirmed the acquisition on the company’s blog. “In business, partnership is dating — and we went on a lot of dates with LinkedIn....

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:07:22 +0200

Zipcar Wants to Make Your Car Part of its Fleet
Zipcar’s 673,000 subscribers currently share its fleet of 8,900 vehicles. But what if they could also rent yours? The company announced on Wednesday that it’s taking a first step toward finding out. Zipcar has led a $13.7 million round of funding in a peer-to-peer car rental startup called Wheelz. Like similar startups Getaround and RelayRides, Wheelz runs an online marketplace (there’s also an iPhone app) on which neighbors can browse and rent...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:41:12 +0200

The Pope Takes to Twitter to Save Lent
Pope Benedict XVI is bringing a segment of his daily papal message to Twitter, beginning Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, according to a Vatican Radio blog post. The reason? In its post, the Vatican says that while some Catholics view Lent as a time to volunteer, give something up or study the Bible, others have abandoned the season: “In our increasingly secular societies, many young people no longer keep the Lenten season in...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:41:07 +0200

Will Texting Become Extinct Thanks to Free Social Messaging Apps?
Phone companies missed out on $13.9 billion last year as more people opted to send free texts through SMS (short message service) applications like Blackberry Messenger and Facebook Mobile Messenger, according to a report. This follows a $8.6 billion loss in phone company provided text revenues in 2010. SMS revenues are down as people communicate through chat boards and within other applications like Words with Friends....