Saturday, November 20, 2010

19 new stories on The Next Web today

19 new stories on The Next Web today

Link to The Next Web

Instagram Updated with security fixes [TNW Apple]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 08:50 PM PST

Looks like Instagr.am has just updated their iOS app with “security improvements”. This could fix logins being sent out in plain text.

Yesterday it was reported that Instagram was sending out user credentials and passwords in the clear. On the Instagram GetSatisfaction page the message says “The company has a solution in progress.”

We’re doing our own testing (read packet sniffing) to see what we can find. We’ve also reached out to Instagram to see if they can confirm what these fixes, well, fix.Techcrunch, App store



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How To: 6 Easy Tips to Become a HootSuite Ninja [TNW Lifehacks]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 08:34 PM PST

The web-based Twitter client HootSuite has been getting a lot of attention lately. I think the new iOS apps are pretty smokin’, but the web app is really the hub of HootSuite. I’ve been an on-and-off HootSuite user since the early beta days. Lately I’ve been back to using HootSuite as my primary tool most of the time, but I’ve always had this sneaking suspicion that I wasn’t tapping into all the power and features that HootSuite had to offer. Yeah, I was right.

Last week I sat down with Dave Olson, Dir of Community at HootSuite, to a little HootSuite schooling. Some HootSuite Ninja tips if you will. Dave showed me some awesome tricks and I had the Flip camera and Camtasia at the ready to record the lesson.

Here are the tips we talked about:

  • Searching with location so you only get the tweets close to you
  • Dragging and dropping into the message bar to start a tweet
  • Drag and drop to make and add to lists
  • Filtering columns by Klout score
  • Filtering columns with keywords
  • The presentation view (like this example for “Harry Potter“

And now for the video…it’s about 20 mins, and I suggest you have HootSuite open in another tab or window so you can follow along:

In the video Dave talks about HootSuite for iPhone with geo-located search and the overlay map, here are shots from my iPhone with those examples:


photo credit



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Free MobileMe Coming with iOS 4.2? [TNW Apple]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 08:15 PM PST

MacRumors has dug into the guts of iOS 4.2.1GM and found some error messages that point to options for a free MobileMe service:

Could this what is actually delaying the launch of iOS 4.2? Although there is nothing in developer release notes to indicate they should be testing this, nor has any other indication been given from Apple, maybe this is something Apple has been cooking up and hopes to release around the holidays?

Speculate away, in the meantime we’ll dig into this a wee bit more.MacRumors, photo credit



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Video: Ubuntu On A Samsung Galaxy Tab [TNW Mobile]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 06:00 PM PST

So a few writers here at TNW have gotten their hands on the 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet, with Boris putting up our first review today after using the device for a week. Both Adam and Brad have also given us their first impressions on video. So far, the verdict is still out, but it would seem that we’re leaning towards: it’s no iPad.

A big part of that could actually be Android’s fault and not so much the hardware, so the video that surfaced today showing Ubuntu on the Galaxy Tab could certainly be an interesting development.

Apparently, a Galaxy Tab owner followed existing instructions online for getting Ubuntu running on a Samsung Epic phone, and since the latest version of Ubuntu has some touch capability, and the Galaxy Tab’s hardware is more than a match for lightweight Ubuntu, it actually isn’t all that bad. Take a look below (it’s a 12 minute video) and let us know what you think. Also, if you’re thinking of picking up a Galaxy Tab, we’re listed some of the various Black Friday deals featuring the device.



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Damp Gadget? Try rice to dry it out. [TNW Lifehacks]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 05:43 PM PST

No matter how careful you are, at some point a gadget you own will get damp. I’m not talking about the old dunk in the sink or a puddle, but just a little misted. Or you did dunk it and you want to get the last of the evil water out.

Back in my lab days we had this stuff called “dri-a-rite” that you heated up in an oven for a while (driving off all the water) then put it in special desiccation jars and sealed them up. If we needed to dry something out (usually samples) in they would go and extra moisture would be pulled out. Since I’m not in a lab any more my access to dri-a-rite and desiccation jars is limited, but I do have the next best thing:

plastic containers and dry rice

Yep. It’s the truth. If you have a slightly en-dampened gadget, just fill a plastic container with dry rice, put your gadget in there with it, and seal the lid. You don’t have to bury the gadget in rice (you don’t want rice to get into the device), just sitting on top is enough for most things.

How long does it take? At least over night, probably closer to 24 hours, to give the rice a chance to draw the moisture out.

And yes, I’ve done it and yes it works.

For devices that have a battery door, open it (open side up) to let the air get in there to make the air damp so the rice…

Fine you get the idea.

Oh and if you’re still doubting that this works…check out the photo credit for a real example with an iPod!Photo credit



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Debt collectors contacting debtors through Facebook – is that OK? [TNW Social Media]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 05:38 PM PST

According to a report by The Atlantic, debt collectors have started contacting debtors through Facebook, something that Facebook isn’t taking lightly at all.

It all started yesterday when news broke that a Florida woman named Melanie Beacham sued a debt collection agency called MarkOne Financial after an employee contacted her through her Facebook account inquiring about about $362 she owned on a car loan. A court filing says that the MarkOne employee, Jeff Happenstance, not only tried to contact Beacham on Facebook but also two of her friends and her sister.

In the message, Happenstance didn’t specify why he needed Beacham to contact him, only stating that he needed to talk to her.  In response to the case, MarkOne not only acknowledged that they did this, they also say that Facebook is part of their policy in tracking customers down:

MarkOne’s policy is to only use Facebook to locate customers when the customer has a fully public profile, and when the customer has not responded to MarkOne through conventional means. Our policy is to respect privacy disclosure requirements and no negative or account information is shared with third parties.

Facebook isn’t taking MarkOne’s policy very lightly either. In response, the company states that:

There are state and federal laws and FTC regulations that govern the actions of debt collectors. The collector in the St. Petersburg case likely violates a number of these laws and regulations and we encourage the victim to contact the FTC and her state Attorney General. In addition, Facebook policies prohibit any kind of threatening, intimidating, or hateful contact from one user to another. We encourage people to report such behavior to us, only accept friend requests from people that they know, and use privacy settings and our blocking feature to prevent unwanted contact.

So, Facebook is taking this seriously and Facebook users should be too. What if these debt collectors go after the wrong person and start contacting them or his or her friends?  There are hundreds if not thousands of Adam Mills’ on Facebook right now so it would be easy to make a mistake.

Another valid question: is this policy even legal? In an interview with ABC-WPLG, MarkOne’s company executives stated that they believe it to be legal. And the weird part is that it might be:

Debt collectors have long contacted family members and friends of debtors in attempts to locate them — and that behavior is protected by law.

But does that law apply to Facebook as well?

In three words, not right now.

According to the FTC’s Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, it does protect debtors against contact by embarrassing media as well as by postcard. It doesn’t discuss social network sites like Facebook, a policy that will likely have to change soon.

So who is right? The debt collection agency that says it’s within its legal rights because the profile is public domain? Or the debtor who has experienced what could be considered a monumental invasion privacy?

Chime in.

The Atlantic



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Mark Zuckerberg getting his own comic book & animated movie: pop icon in the making [TNW Social Media]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 05:32 PM PST

First the Social Network movie based on his time at Harvard and the birth of Facebook, now the story of Zuck is being brought to comic lovers:

Bluewater Productions have announced via press release that the publisher is teaming up with Hayden 5 Media to create an animated film based off the comic book about the Facebook founder, titled “Mark Zuckerberg and the Found.”

According to the press release, the production will lean on a mixture of live-action filmmaking and animation, for a visual look and feel that’s very similar to the film “A Scanner Darkly.”

via Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg Gets The Comic Book Movie Adaptation Treatment.

And not just in book form, but also in an animated movie.

Beyond my initial reaction of “why the heck do we need more of this…” there is the bigger issue. Our Editor in Chief  Zee Kane said this in the backchannel:

I think it’s pretty fascinating, I mean when was the last time an entrepreneur got made into a comic book character? Possibly Bill Gates, maybe Branson, but it’s a sign of the times…entrepreneurs are becoming the “heroes” in some respects.

Now I’d add to that becoming heroes again, because it wasn’t that long ago that the big icons of business were held up like modern-day gods. They weren’t called “Titans of Industry” just because it sounded good, it was a notion of something bigger.

Come on who wouldn’t be fascinated by a kid (I’m old enough that he’s still a kid to me) who has done so much to change how society connects and communicates in such a short time? Talk about a dream, come up with an idea in school, bring it to life, drop out of school, and become a billionaire. Yeah another (almost) Harvard grad Bill Gates did the same thing and that’s turned out pretty well.

Are entrepreneurs the new rockstars of our times?

Or are we still just fascinated by luck, guile, timing, and genius?

MTV



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The TNW Microsoft Week: We go Kinect and Windows Phone 7 crazy [TNW Microsoft]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 03:51 PM PST

Somehow, someway, another week has slipped through our fingers and it is time yet again to look back over the last seven days and talk about the biggest stories. We are getting this out to you a little later than usual so we are going to keep it brief.

Without further ado, the best and biggest from TNWmicrosoft for your perusal.

You get a Kinect, you get a Kinect, you all get a Kinect!

Guess what? The Kinect is selling well, and Microsoft could not be happier. They are so happy in fact that they took the time to reaffirm their 5 million unit figure estimate for 2010 sales.

In fact, in the first 10 days of Kinect’s release the gizmo sold more than a cool million units. Yeah, that is more than 100,000 Kinects moved a day before it was available in all parts of the world. We can call it a hit now, right?

Even more, people are really taking their Kinects and hacking them for rather wonderful purposes. Microsoft is not happy, but can’t really do much about it.

Windows Phone 7 is still a big deal

It was another big week for Windows Phone 7, with the phones staying in the press line throughout the week.

We took the time to put together a guide for people looking to get into Windows Phone 7 development, providing tools and resources for developers who need to expand into the platform.

What else happened? Well, the Windows Phone 7 application Marketplace has already doubled in size this month. Either our guide was perfect or there has long been developer momentum behind the phones. You decide.

Microsoft ads are amazing, no, wait!

We ran into an amazing ad from Microsoft that was astounding. In fact, it was so special we wrote a whole post extolling it. It turns out the idea that we loved is as stale as last month’s bread.

We had to back track on our adulations after watchful and well YouTube’d readers emailed in clips from earlier months and even years that had used the same concept as the Microsoft ad. After we wiped the grin off of our face we had to say that Microsoft had done a good job with a tired premise, but retracted most of our praise.

IE9 brings the controversy

The Internet Explorer team dropped the 7th developer preview of IE9 this week, and they made some damn bold claims about just what it could do. You see, Microsoft stated that their new IE build was the fastest online.

The internet did not take too kindly too that idea, going as far to say that Microsoft was rigging the tests. Whatever the case, the fact that IE9 was finally good enough to compete with the rest of the crowd on speed was surprise enough for us.

We will as always be covering Microsoft with oddly sharp precision, so stay tuned.Image Credit



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Samsung Galaxy Tab Black Friday deals aren’t crazy, but they’re worth a look [TNW Gadgets]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 03:38 PM PST

Alright so you’re seen our guide on buying a Samsung Galaxy Tab and hopefully you’ve already checked out me and Brad McCarty’s initial impressions of the device. Another obvious piece of the puzzle is where to pick this thing up if you’re on the prowl right now. Well, with Black Friday and its sales approaching, it’s only right that we point you in the right direction. So, without further ado, here are some Black Friday deals that will be going on for the Galaxy Tab.

Onward.

Let’s start with the official. Radio Shack announced yesterday that they will be selling Sprint’s version of the Galaxy Tab for the discounted price of $349.  That price is instant and won’t include a mail-in rebate. Not an amazing deal but not bad either. Remember, Sprint’s version of the Galaxy Tab is going to cost you a two year contract on the provider as well.

You also don’t have to wait until November 26th to take advantage of this year. It starts on November 21st.

Now, let’s get to the unofficial deals.

According to a leaked document over at Black Friday site, bfads.net, Office Max is going to be offering up Sprint’s Galaxy Tab for $349 as well. Now, the reason the Office Max offer could be a good call is that, well, who is going to go to Office Max for a Galaxy Tab? Answer? Not a lot of people. So if there is one close to your residence, it’s definitely worth considering. Keep an eye out though because this isn’t official yet.

Now for the big one, Best Buy.

Best Buy also hasn’t officially announced any deals for the Galaxy Tab yet but that doesn’t mean there isn’t leaked information out in the wild. Best Buy is supposedly (again, according to bfads.net) going to be offering Sprint’s Tab for, you guessed it, $349. Rumor has it they are also going to be offering Verizon’s off-contract Galaxy Tab for $550 down $50 from the original price of $600.

Now, this last one isn’t a Black Friday deal but it’s a deal nonetheless so we decided to throw it on here.

Costco will apparently start offering the Galaxy Tab for $589.99 off-contract and it might be in stores as early as today. A quick check online reveals that it’s not available through their website but you might have better luck going into a store. Of course, Costco hasn’t come right out and said that this is the case but it’ll be there.

Anyway, those are the deals on our radar right now, there could be more, and while not absolutely awesome, are worth considering if you plan on snagging a Galaxy Tab for a loved one or for yourself this holiday season.PC World



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Google Instant now available in 18 more European and Asian countries [TNW Google]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 03:35 PM PST

Google this week made Google Instant search available in 18 new countries, all in Europe and Asia.

The new countries are: Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden and Vietnam. Google said in a blog post today that this nearly doubles the number of countries that Instant is available in. Of course, all of these countries have localized language versions.

As we reported earlier this week, Google has received a patent that – while not specifically using the words ‘Google Instant’ – would seem to point to Google owning the patent for how Instant works. If so, competitors will need to either find another way to display “instant” results or license the process from Google.



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Google experimenting with new Maps features [TNW Google]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 02:41 PM PST

This morning, our TNW friend Jake Rieskamp tipped us off to a new look in Google Maps. We noticed that the icons on the right side used to be simple text buttons, but now they are small icons.

We finally got the official word from Google:

As part of our ongoing effort to help users quickly and easily find the information they’re looking for, we’re currently running an experiment in which some people see a different layout for the accessing layers in Google Maps. The feature is currently limited to a small number of users.

Do you have access to new Google Maps? If so, what do you think?



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Windows turns 25 years old tomorrow, let’s take a look back in time [TNW Microsoft]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 01:54 PM PST

I don’t quite know how to start this story off, after all Windows is such a large topic, how do you begin to cover it with a single post? Perhaps it is best to begin like this: 25 years ago, on November 20, 1985, Windows 1.0 was released.

25 years ago tomorrow, to be exact. Can you even recall what Windows 1.0 looked like? We had to do some digging to be completely honest, it’s somewhat difficult to recall from memory exactly what each version of Windows looked like. Well, let us (with the help of Wikipedia’s image library) take you on a trip back in time.

Try and look at each version and see how it fits into the overall direction of the operating system through time. This product has defined computing for the past quarter century, will it do so for another 25 years? Time will tell, but for now, let’s start from day 1:

Windows 1:

I am not sure how many ways we can spell ‘ugly,’ but one of them has to be w-i-n-d-o-w-s-o-n-e.

Windows 2:

That blue is toxic. Apparently Bill Gates did not feel the need to hire a graphic artist or real design team until later versions.

Windows 2.1x:

Windows 3:

Grey is less painful, but this version looks so monotone that we want to fall asleep just looking at it.

Windows 3.1x:

Windows 95:

Remember when this bad boy came out? Talk about an overnight revolution. Microsoft from this point until 2009 did not make a single change to Paint.

Windows 98:

This OS was so buggy it made Sim Ant jealous. That lasted until 98SE came out and set the world straight. I used this operating system for far too long personally.

Windows 2000:

Any real nerd remembers Windows 2002 SP2 which was rock solid. It was the XP SP3 of its time.

Windows ME:

Windows ME usually referred to as Windows MEh for obvious reasons.

Windows XP:

The granddaddy of modern Windows if you don’t dance with Windows 7. Corporations are loathe to let their old friend XP die, despite proddings from Redmond.

Windows Vista:

All of the hype of Windows 7 and none of the follow through, let’s just move on.

Windows 7:

Microsoft gets it right.

That brings us up to today folks, as we humbly await the first real service pack for Windows 7. Oh, and Windows 8? We don’t know much, but let’s hope it is as well received as Windows 7 has been so far. Happy birthday Windows!

Image Credit



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Video: Awesome iPhone Virtual Treasure Hunt For A Mini Car [TNW Mobile]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 01:42 PM PST

I love looking around the world for inspirational campaigns and I loved this one the second I saw it. Treasure hunts are common online (and we have even done a couple ourselves) but this one takes things a step further using an iPhone app, location based services, the chance to win a mini and a battle with your friends all across a Stockholm. Although the technology behind this is pretty impressive it's the simplicity of the concept and the viral nature of this that gets me excited. Who wouldn't want to battle their friends around the city for a brand new car? I would very rarely get involved in campaigns or competitions to try them myself but I think if this was happening in Dublin I'd actually go out there and try and see if I could win it! Brilliant concept, check it out…



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Instant! Our Need For Speed as told by Mark Zuckerberg [TNW Social Media]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 01:07 PM PST

Remember this sound?

The anticipation for “You’ve Got Mail,” was as cruel as nails on a chalkboard. Now, in 2010, our need for speed has evolved rapidly and our desire for information borders on the insatiable.

In the past year, Google got even faster when they rolled out “instant search,” which Google described as “Search before you type.” We live in a world of instant. We have Netflix Instant, YouTube Instant, iTunes Instant, instant oatmeal and “instant tax services.” This week, Facebook announced their new “Messages” system, which integrates email, text messages and Facebook chat and messaging services into a single stream, resembling a text message conversation would appear on a smartphone. Zuckerberg said his inspiration for the new messaging system came from his interaction with high school students who said that email was too formal and slow.

As told to The Daily Telegraph, Mike Schroepfer, Facebook's VP of Engineering said:

“The speed of change is a new development, born from a culture of small, online companies and massive expansion.When you're well past 500 million users, that makes launching products challenging, because if one per cent don't like a change you've made, that's millions of people who are mad at you, and they all tell you about it. The natural temptation is not to change anything any more – you get incentives across the board to keep doing what you're doing and don't change anything.”

But Zuckerberg is vigilant and aims to keep Facebook nimble. Schroepfer says, “Zuckerberg tried to instill a culture at the company of consistently re-evaluating everything – time and time again you go into a meeting with him and the question he always asks is ‘If you were doing this from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do?’ Then he says, ‘Let's figure out how to get there'.”

Facebook’s “move fast and break things,” attitude puts the emphasis on speed, rather than perfection. And we have to realize that this attitude is mirrored in our contemporary culture. Fast Food predated the Internet, but still reflected a society too impatient to gather around the dinner table. Today, I can take a picture of my lunch on Foodspotting, and with one button check in on Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. Then I can see what I’m eating as I’m eating it on the Internet, and everyone else can too. We have instant friends on Chatroulette (just kidding). We have instant opportunities to date with location based dating apps like Grinder and MeetMoi. We have instant colleagues on Twitter.

Blogging, for example, exemplifies a vanguard that can sometimes feel like “post now, fix later.” But blogging is also a culture where speed is survival. As a blogger, I cry over slow connections and look forward to the day when we can say, ah yes, it’s “as instantaneous as the Internet.” But when we move at this rapid pace, hurdling towards an answer, are we overwhelming ourselves? In a world where e-mails are considered too slow, can our brains keep up? Are creativity, reflection and passion getting lost? We want information and we want it now, but at what cost?

The Daily Telegraph



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GetGlue and Fanvibe Talk about the Non Geo Check-In [TNW Location]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 12:53 PM PST

We've written quite a bit on this blog and others about how check-ins aren't just for places.

On the user experience side, it's faster and easier to check in on your phone than it is to type a status update.  On the business side, structured check-in data tied to an object (place, product, merchant) is far more useful and valuable than free form status updates scattered in an unstructured firehose.

Conceptually, it seems to be a no brainer that check-ins are destined to expand beyond the realm of location sharing.

And indeed, it's already happening.

Today we'll hear from two of the thought leaders in bringing the check-in gesture beyond location; Alex Iskold of media check-in network GetGlue (site, iPhone, iPad, Android) and Vish Prabhakara from sports check-in network Fanvibe (site, iPhone).

I asked Alex and Vish a series of questions about the rise of the non geo check-in, its strategic importance to brands and marketers, and how this space might evolve.

Here we go.

Q: Can you talk about the importance of the check-in gesture as it relates to your company?

Alex (GetGlue): Check-in on GetGlue is a light-weight way to share the entertainment with friends.  Watching a show or listening to music or reading a book is something that people enjoy all the time and GetGlue makes it easy to tell everyone.

Vish (Fanvibe): Check-in is a great feature for fans to announce “I’m here and I’m watching!”.  Its taking on such a broader meaning than just physically being at a location – its a signal about what you are doing.  Fans love simple ways to cheer and express their fandom. Checking-in on Fanvibe is the simplest way to do that.  Once you do that, there’s lots of stuff you can do – pick the winner, answer prediction questions, shout (and cross-post to Twitter/Fbook/4sq, etc).

Q: Why do you think the check-in has expanded beyond location?

Alex (GetGlue): There are a few reasons. First of all it is a simple and familiar gesture.
It signifies attention, it says I am here. Compare to LIKES check-ins can
be repetitive and this makes them more powerful. Secondly, it is a cool
concept, it is fun and it resonates with people, which is why it is spreading quickly.

Vish (Fanvibe): People have been saying they are doing things for ever – via text, via facebook status, via a tweet.  A check-in just does that for you in a button, and sends it to the right people for the right context. You can’t tweet every game you watch, but you can check-in on Fanvibe.

Q: What is the value of aggregated check in data to media companies like HBO and ESPN?

Alex (GetGlue): Aggregated check-ins are interested because big brands like HBO are looking to learn more about their audience. There is a big disconnect now, and services like GetGlue help bridge the gap. What is more interesting, is that there is a big power hidden inside the aggregate check-ins.  When thousands of people on GetGlue check-in to Boardwalk Empire, millions of friends and followers are reached on Facebook and Twitter. This is very exciting to the brands, because it drives tune in and brand awareness.

Vish (Fanvibe):  ESPN is great at collecting large checks from large companies – to the tune of about $6bn a year.  However, they make virtually zero compared to that direct from the consumer.  Check-ins let you drive transactions for fans favorite teams, opening up the multiple billions of dollars fans spend every year out of their pocket in a scalable fashion.  In addition, you can do cool, innovative sponsorships utilizing the game mechanics Fanvibe provides.  We’ve already done the Kia NBA Tip-off badge, and there are more coming!

Q.  Can you share any check-in volume and trends?

Alex (GetGlue): GetGlue receives over 10 million ratings and checkins per month.

Vish (Fanvibe): A month ago, we looked at our data and realized we doubled check-ins in the two prior months.  Today, we’ve doubled it again in just one month.  Our growth is accelerating significantly

Q.  How do you see check-ins evolving 1,2,3 years into the future?

Alex (GetGlue): Hard to say, but I can tell you a few things I believe. I think that check-ins
are coupons in the end of the day, you need to provide tangible discounts for
people who are checking in. Also, check-ins maybe around for a long time
because they are a very simple gesture, people get how to do that.

And finally, I don’t think that check-ins alone create sustainable user engagement.
You need more for people to stay engaged, including taste profile, recommendations,
rewards, discounts – more utility to make the service sticky and mainstream.

Vish (Fanvibe): Its all about what comes after the check-in, with the right context.  We provide scores, stats, and more.  Without that, the check-in would be pointless.  That’s why Hot Potato didn’t grow like crazy – it was just a better Twitter. That’s hard for a user.  But the companies that provide lots of value behind the check-in are the ones that will win.

Q.  Will we ever see the implicit / automatic check in overtake the explicit check in?

Alex (GetGlue): Possibly, but I don’t think likely. I am hearing some brands discussing this, but from my personal experience people prefer control and don’t like things that
are implicit.

Vish (Fanvibe): I think if the user opts-in, sure.  I could say “Yes cablebox, check me in to every game I watch”.  Or “Yes, iPhone, check me in to every starbucks i walk into, but NOT every company i’m interviewing at”.  Or I could authorize certain people to see my auto-checkins, and I would have to explicitly share others.  Its a complicated privacy puzzle that will take years to sort out, i believe.

Summary

The check in gesture is still in its infancy.  Foursquare took a behavior (location sharing) that was already happening all over the web in a clunky and unstructured way, and made it fun, simple, and game-like.  It worked.

Upstarts like GetGlue and Fanvibe are doing the same for other pre-existing behaviors – the consumption of media and sports.

With the rise of the mobile device as a computing platform, I believe that the check-in gesture is extremely well positioned to encroach on the status update as a preferred form of one to many updates and self expression.

Bring on the vertical players.

Thanks to Alex and Vish for their time, and if you're reading this, please check out their apps: GetGlue (site, iPhone, iPad, Android), Fanvibe (site, iPhone).

Update: For more on the non geo check-in, see this GigaOm piece on Meebo.



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Palm Mansion smartphone rumored to be packing 5 inch screen, February release [TNW Mobile]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 12:51 PM PST

For now, this is just a rumor, but boy, is it a juicy one.

While most of the attention on webOS lately has been on the Palm Pre 2, we also know that HP and Palm are working on a bunch of different devices including smartphones and tablets. One of those devices is rumored to be the Palm Mansion, an interesting codename considering the original Palm Pre was codenamed Castle.

Could this possibly be Palm and HP’s new flagship device?

A few weeks ago, some interesting information leaked out about the Mansion. It was said to have a 800 x 480 WVGA display and no physical keyboard. And now today, we have some more possible information about the Mansion.

According to a report by GoRumors.com, the Mansion is apparently going to be a 5 inch screen and that it will be launched in three months.A quick glance at the calender reveals that to be February.

Don’t get too excited though. You may recall a little device with the same screen specifications. Remember Dell’s Streak? Many of you might not, in fact, Dell itself probably doesn’t want to remember it. With that thought in mind and the fact that the Palm Pre 2 is far from being a game changer, let’s hope that HP and Palm have something different or something else up their sleeves.

Hopefully this is just a rumor but don’t act shocked when you see a tablet style phone roll out from HP and Palm next year.BGR, Image Credit



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Why Doesn’t Google Just Clone Groupon? [TNW Google]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 11:58 AM PST

The big Friday rumor making the tech news rounds today is that Google is in talks with Groupon about buying the group buying site for north of $3 billion. Here’s the thing: we don’t why it would do this.

First of all, if Google bought Groupon, it would probably be losing a major AdWords customer – Groupon buys up a ton of AdWords. But that is pretty infintisimal compared to the real reason we can’t figure out why Google would do this – Google easily has it within its substantial power to just clone Groupon and be done with it.

Yes, Google is looking to hire more people, and buying Groupon would allow it to add a significant sales force in one fell swoop, and yes, Groupon is raking in money right now, so it’s not like it would be buying other companies (hint: Twitter and Foursquare) that don’t have nearly the revenue streams of Groupon (right now at least). But come on, if hundreds of companies around the world can clone Groupon, how hard would it really be for Google to do the same thing?

Here’s another reason that it would make sense for Google to build this from the ground up – it could avoid what would almost certainly be a regulatory nightmare if it tried to buy Groupon, because even though there are literally hundreds of Groupon clones, Groupon still rules this market right now, and regulators have got to be getting a little wary of Google after the AdMob and ITA (travel site) acquisitions.

Don’t get us wrong, we really like Groupon and its very smart founder and CEO Andrew Mason, and we wish the company all the success in the world. That said, looking at this from Google’s angle we just don’t see why an acquisition makes sense. Groupon isn’t YouTube or Twitter or Foursquare with extremely loyal users and a “cool” factor, and it’s not even DoubleClick or AdMob with significant technological assets – how can it be if hundreds of sites can easily clone it?

Groupon of course is the first mover and has built a good network of merchants and users, so add that to additional HR boost plus of course the money that Groupon is raking in, and there is certainly an argument for someone to buy the company.

That said, as much as we like Groupon, it we were running Google, this wouldn’t be the acquisition we’d go after. If Google wants in on this market, it should get its cloning chambers fired up and start pushing out those daily Google Deals.All Things D



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A better way to search for Windows Phone 7 apps [TNW Microsoft]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 11:32 AM PST

Just a bit ago we brought you a very neat and visual way to use Bing to hunt for Windows Phone 7 applications that had a single small problem: there was no way to really search for a specific individual application.

Bing will sort, arrange, and let you scroll through applications, but you can’t search for a single application with any real precision. Enter a frustrated man who took the time to build a solution for all the WP7 users out there, please say hello to MarketplaceBrowser.com.

Paul Willen built MarketplaceBrowser because, in his words, “the search in both the Zune-software and on the Phone isn't very user-friendly.” Agreed, and so he plugged that market hole himself.

The app is itself a very basic search engine that has compiled information on the several thousand WP7 applications in circulation, allowing you to find the exact app you are looking for, not just the Top 25 free apps as Bing will let you.

Oh, and MarketplaceBrowser keeps a list of the top 100 most popular applications. Once competition heats up for the platform that page will become a battleground.Image Credit, Via WMPowerUser



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Bing market share grows in October on strong search traffic [TNW Microsoft]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 10:34 AM PST

According to the most recent data from comScore, Bing market share is creeping up, growing some 0.3% from September to October of this year.

That growth did not come at the expense of Google, who grew a respectable 0.2% over the same period. Total final market share for Bing and Google was 11.5% and 66.3% respectively. Yahoo, Ask, and AOL all shed market share over the same period.

comScore also reported that total explicit Bing searches were up some 7% from 1.79 billion to 1.919 billion from September to October. For those who would like the exact percentage, we did the math for you.

To take a longer look at the search market, this is the lay of the land since January of 2008:

With all the hubbub over Bing and exactly how it is building its features it is easy to forget that for most people Bing is just a place to find information, and that they don’t mostly care just what powers the backend so long as it works.

If you look at that little blue line on the graph, it is trending up, there is hope yet for Microsoft.Via SeattlePi, comScore, Lower Graph, Top Image Credit



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Verizon’s DROID smartphones available for a penny at Amazon [TNW Gadgets]

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 10:22 AM PST

Looking to get a new smartphone? Well, today might just be the day to do so because Amazon is offering a ridiculous deal on Verizon's entire DROID smartphone lineup. That list of course includes the Motorola DROID 2, the Motorola DROID X, the Motorola DROID Pro, and last but not least, the newly minted Motorola DROID Pro.

That’s right, they are all a cent through Amazon Wireless.

If you don't want to pull the trigger on a new phone today, well, you only have a couple of days to make up your mind because the offer ends on November 22nd. That's this Monday for those curious.

Of course, in order to get these prices, you'll have to sign up for a new two year contract from Big Red which is a scary thought considering Verizon is going to be rolling out LTE and LTE supported devices in the next couple of months (and let’s not forget about the Droid 2 Global) but hey, if you want a smartphone on the cheap, this is the way to go.Amazon Wireless



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