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General
July 16, 2011
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Microsoft spills beans on new ‘Tulalip’ social network

By on July 16, 2011 at 2:00 AM.

Microsoft spills beans on new ‘Tulalip’ social network

Microsoft accidentally spilled the beans on a new social network it has been working on called “Tulalip.” According to VentureBeat, a splash page for the the social network appeared shortly on Socl.com on Thursday before it was immediately taken down. In an effort to conceal its mistake, Microsoft issued a statement. “Thanks for stopping by. Socl.com is an internal design project from a team in Microsoft Research which was mistakenly published to the web. We didn’t mean to, honest,” Microsoft said. It’s unclear if Tulalip is a legitimate social network or if it really is just an “internal design project,” but given the similarities between Tulalip’s user interface and the tiles found in Windows 8 and Windows Phone, it would certainly be a nice fit. More →

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social
July 15, 2011
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Twitter now delivers 350 billion tweets each day

By on July 15, 2011 at 8:39 PM.

Twitter now delivers 350 billion tweets each day

Twitter now delivers an astonishing 350 billion tweets each day, the company said on Friday. ”Delivering 350 billion Tweets a day is a terribly fun engineering challenge. But, it doesn’t capture how passionate our users are,” the company said from its official Twitter Engineering account. Coincidentally we’re sure, the news comes just one day after Google bragged that it had amassed 10 million Google+ users in just two weeks, and that these users collectively share 1 billion items each day. Google+ has quite a way to go before it is anywhere near as popular as Twitter, of course, but it’s certainly doing well for a 2-week-old product. More →

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mobile
July 15, 2011
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BGR Interview: Sean Paul [video]

By on July 15, 2011 at 2:50 PM.

BGR Interview: Sean Paul [video]

We recently caught up with singer and entertainer Sean Paul, who’s in the middle of promoting a brand new single, to check in with him about how technology influences his life and career. From his addiction to his iPad and how he uses GarageBand for music production, to Twitter, to how he recently dumped his iPhone to switch back to a BlackBerry… we covered it all. Check out the full video interview after the break.

BGR Interview is a series of interviews and conversations with executives, influencers, tastemakers and innovators, covering the mobile and consumer electronics industries.

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59 Comments
mobile
July 14, 2011
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Want to try Spotify for free without waiting? Klout has invites

By on July 14, 2011 at 1:33 PM.

Want to try Spotify for free without waiting? Klout has invites

Spotify has teamed up with Klout, the online social influence measuring website, to offer U.S. invites to its unlimited streaming music service that launched Thursday morning. Simply sign up for a Klout account to get started and, if you have enough influence across various social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, you could qualify for immediate free access to Spotify. Spotify’s free ad-supported service is currently available by invite only in the U.S., though the paid services are open to all. Klout is also offering one month of Spotify Premium service if you get five of your friends to sign up. We’re loving Spotify so far and if you want to skip the wait without paying, Klout is definitely your best bet. More →

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General
July 11, 2011
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Netflix beats Hulu Plus in social streaming showdown [infographic]

By on July 11, 2011 at 2:11 PM.

Netflix beats Hulu Plus in social streaming showdown [infographic]

When we last heard from social media listening firm Mashwork, we learned that future smartphone buyers were much more interested in purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S II than the 4G-friendly Motorola DROID BIONIC. Mashwork is back on Monday with some more interesting findings: according to the firm’s latest research, 45% more people prefer Netflix over Hulu Plus than vice versa. Pulling data from 10,283 relevant tweets between June 28th and July 6th, 2011, 29% of all users prefer Netflix over Hulu Plus for streaming movies and TV shows, while 20% prefer Hulu Plus over Netflix. Also of note, 51% of those accounted for in Mashwork’s study use both services and are hoping to cut the cord with their cable or satellite TV providers. Hulu certainly would like to have been positioned better in the study; Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed at a recent Allen & Co conference that Hulu owners NBCUniversal, News Corp and Disney/ABC Television Group are currently trying to sell the company. Mashwork’s full infographic follows below. More →

24 Comments
Software
June 29, 2011
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Social media displaces porn as top online activity [video]

By on June 29, 2011 at 11:20 AM.

Social media displaces porn as top online activity [video]

Erik Qualman from Socialnomics recently published a new video that shows the power of social networks today. The most stunning fact, to us, is that social media has surpassed porn as the top activity on the web. The video, which lists a number of compelling facts, also said that — in the United States — Facebook gets more weekly web traffic than Google. Similarly, 20% of all divorces are now being blamed on Facebook. Have you ever thought about taking a class online? This stat may pique your interest: a recent study revealed students who take classes online have out performed those that enroll in face-to-face instruction. Hit the jump for the video for plenty more on socialnomics. More →

49 Comments
General
June 28, 2011
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Google+, Google’s answer to Facebook, is finally here [video]

By on June 28, 2011 at 4:01 PM.

Google+, Google’s answer to Facebook, is finally here [video]

Google on Tuesday finally took the wraps off of its answer to the social steamroller that is Facebook, and it’s called Google+. While Google has launched numerous social products in the past, Google+ is the Internet giant’s most comprehensive offering to date. It is largely an effort to play catch-up, of course — since Google has a lot of catching up to do — but the service also offers some nifty innovative elements that could appeal to users who navigate away from Facebook long enough to check it out. Key features include Circles, which allow you to group contacts together in various social circles and share things only with the particular circles you chose; Sparks, which are topics similar to Twitter hashtags; and Hangouts, which are video chat rooms. There is also a mobile element to Google+, and for the time being it focuses on text updates, photo and video sharing, and… you guessed it… location. Google+ is currently in private beta. A handful of videos covering the key elements of Google’s new service can be viewed below. More →

68 Comments
mobile
June 15, 2011
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MyTVRemote for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad gets revamped

By on June 15, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

MyTVRemote for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad gets revamped

On Wednesday Ryz Media announced that it has completely revamped its MyTVRemote for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, an accessory that allows iOS device owners to control their TVs without a standard clicker. The MyTVRemote has been updated with a newer IR transceiver, as well as a new orb design. It also provides support for a complete program guide for every zip code in the United States. Using the free MyTVRemote application, TV watchers can see what the most popular programs on TV are or connect using Facebook or Twitter to discuss shows. The MyTVRemote is available in four colors for $9.99 and the corresponding application is free. Hit the jump for the full press release. More →

8 Comments
mobile
June 10, 2011
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All new Barnes & Noble NOOK has web browser after all

By on June 10, 2011 at 3:09 PM.

All new Barnes & Noble NOOK has web browser after all

Barnes & Noble hasn’t acknowledged it yet, but the new NOOK actually does have a built-in web browser. It’s no surprise — the NOOK is powered by Android, so it should have some sort of browsing experience built-in — though it doesn’t work that well. We tested it with our review unit briefly by simply entering in a URL into the unit’s search function. Sites such as CNN and The New York Times failed to load at all, while others like Twitter’s mobile site booted just fine. The experience is far from perfect right now, but perhaps this means Barnes & Noble will patch the eReader with more robust support in the future. Hit the jump for a video of the browser in action, filmed by The eBook Reader. We’ll have our review of the all new NOOK up soon, so stay tuned! More →

9 Comments
General
June 1, 2011
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Twitter intros photo-sharing, revamped search [video]

By on June 1, 2011 at 3:10 PM.

Twitter intros photo-sharing, revamped search [video]

Twitter on Wednesday unveiled two new services tied to its massively popular social network. The first is one that companies like ImageShack and Twitpic will be none too happy about — a photo-sharing service built right into Twitter.com. Users will see a new camera icon beneath the tweet composition box on the site, and clicking it will allow them to upload images that will display with their tweets. Twitter has partnered with Photobucket to host the photos, and uploading will not initially be supported from mobile devices. Twitter says it is working with carriers on MMS upload support, and the company made no mention of integration with various official mobile apps. The other major announcement out of Twitter HQ is a revamped integrated search service that will now list images and videos alongside tweets on results pages. The new search is available immediately and Twitter’s photo-sharing service will roll out over the next several weeks. Hit the break for a video showcasing Twitter’s new photo sharing service. More →

7 Comments
social
June 1, 2011
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Facebook closing in on 700 million friends

By on June 1, 2011 at 6:18 AM.

Facebook closing in on 700 million friends

Facebook continues to be an overwhelmingly dominant force in the social space and according to Facebook stat tracker Socialbreaker, the massive social network is rapidly approaching 700,000,000 users worldwide. Emerging markets are showing the most growth by far, lead by Brazil, which grew by 11.4% in May of this year alone as it added nearly 2 million users. Indonesia added 1.5 million users, the Philippines added 1.3 million and Mexico and Argentina closed out the top-5, adding 1.1 million users each. The U.S. is still the top country in terms of volume of Facebook users with a staggering 149.4 million users, and Indonesia sits at a distant second with 37.9 million according to Socialbreaker. Turkey, the U.K. and India round out the top-5 with 28.9 million, 28.6 million and 26.6 million users, respectively. More →

14 Comments
Software
June 1, 2011
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Twitter launches ‘Follow Button’

By on June 1, 2011 at 5:49 AM.

Twitter launches ‘Follow Button’

On Tuesday, Twitter officially announced its new “Follow Button” that web developers can down insert into their websites for an easier way to gain new followers. Twitter said that more than 50 websites introduced the button today, ranging from GQ’s site to celebrity sites such as Lady Gaga, but you don’t have to be famous to get in on the fun. Simply head over to twitter.com/followbutton to configure yours and get the HTML embed code now. More →

1 Comment
mobile
May 31, 2011
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Twitter to announce photo-sharing service this week

By on May 31, 2011 at 10:15 PM.

Twitter to announce photo-sharing service this week

Last week Twitter confirmed its purchase of the third-party TweetDeck application, and now the social network is set to break more news. According to AllThingsD and Tech Crunch, Twitter’s CEO Dick Costolo will announce a new photo-sharing service this week during the D9 technology conference in California. Typically, users flock to photo-sharing sites such as TwitPick or Yfrog to share images on Twitter, and so the move sounds a bit like a huge blow to developers that created these platforms to help make Twitter more robust. Details surrounding the service are not yet available, but we’ll hear plenty more on Wednesday when Costolo takes the hot seat during D9. More →

3 Comments