Saturday, November 27, 2010

19 new stories on The Next Web today

19 new stories on The Next Web today

Link to The Next Web

Folders, Printing, and Email Coming to iBooks Soon? [TNW Apple]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 09:21 PM PST

We’ve been hearing chitter-chatter of late that an update to iBooks is coming that will add “folders” or “collections” as well as being able to print and email PDF files. Tonight 9to5Mac says they have documents from Apple giving more detail to the potentially coming soon features. From 9to5Mac’s post here is what they say they got from a source at Apple:

Create, rename, or delete a collection: Tap Collections to display the collections list. Tap New to add a new collection. To delete a collection tap Edit, then tap and tap Delete. You can't edit or remove the built-in Books and PDFs collections. To edit the name of a collection, tap its name. When you finish, tap Done.

Move a book or PDF to a collection: Go to the bookshelf and tap Edit. Tap each book or PDF that you want to move so that a checkmark appears, then tap Move and select a collection. An item can be in only one collection at a time. When you add a book or PDF to your bookshelf, it's put in the Books or PDF collection. From there, you can move it to a different collection. You might want to create collections for work and school, for example, or for reference and leisure reading.

View a collection: Tap Collections, then tap an item in the list that appears.

You can use iBooks to send a copy of a PDF via email, or to print all or a portion of the PDF to a supported printer.

Email a PDF: Open the PDF, then tap and choose Email Document. A new message appears with the PDF attached. Tap Send when you finish addressing and writing your message.

Print a PDF: Open the PDF, then tap and choose Print. Select a printer and the page range and number of copies, then tap Print. For information about supported printers, see "Printing" on page 39.

You can only email or print PDFs. These options aren't available for ePub books.

via 'Collections', PDF E-Mailing and Printing coming to iBooks | 9 to 5 Mac 'Collections', PDF E-Mailing and Printing coming to iBooks | Apple Intelligence.

Here’s my first question: Does this even matter?

Seriously.

Like a good iPad owner I downloaded and installed iBooks, but I don’t think I’ve bought a single book through it. Sure I’ve loaded a bunch of free books into iBooks as well as a few PDF files, but buy books? Nope, not only is the selection pretty “meh,” but there are much better ebook options out there (especially for Canadians), and I’m not even just talking about Amazon. I really like Kobo because the prices are more in line with what I’d like to pay, it’s in Canadian dollars, and the selection is rather good (yes, Amazon has them beat).

What about iBooks as a PDF reader? I have better options for that already; GoodReader and ReaddleDocs are better and support emailing (even Kobo Reader now supports PDF files) .

It’s good that Apple is keeping iBooks fresh, but I wonder how long it will be before iBooks is taken off the new arrivals shelf and thrown into the discount bin? Though maybe the forthcoming iPad magazine and newspaper could be the salvation to iBooks.

In the meantime, just keep checking those App updates for an update to iBooks.9to5Mac, TUAW, photo credit



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VaultPress goes beyond backups to include hacking protection too [TNW Apps]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:24 PM PST

Many of you have heard of VaultPress, the WordPress blog back up solution offered by Automattic (the folks who run WordPress.com) for self-installed WordPress sites (TNW coverage). If you haven’t heard of VaultPress, does more that just backup your WP database (which you should be doing regardless!), it actually backs up all your key WordPress files.—uploads, themes, etc. These are things that are irreplaceable parts of  your site. You might be able to just download and re-install WP, and if you have regular backups of your database on the server (or better emailed to a gmail account or something) you can bring back most of your site, but if you lose that custom theme or years worth of uploads—you’re hooped.

This is all well and good. Offsite, complete backups of your site are awesome, but what if you’re hacked? Or worse, what if you’re hacked and don’t know it. Getting hacked and not knowing about it, isn’t as uncommon as you might think. I have see lots of friends who aren’t just tech savvy, but WordPress tech savvy be hacked and not realize it right away. VaultPress announced today a new feature to their premium backup plan that will let you know if you might have been hacked and then, help you fix it:

How it works

VaultPress knows which version of WordPress your site is running. For each particular version of WordPress, we know what the MD5 checksum for each of the core files should be (an MD5 checksum is a kind of digital fingerprint for a file, that can be used to validate the integrity of that file).

Our new core file scanner scans your site and does the following:

Checks that each of the expected core files exists

Checks the MD5 checksum of each file

Stores information about each file from PHP's stat() function

On our initial scan of your site, we perform all three of these steps for each of the 750+ WordPress core files. This scan creates a baseline that we can compare against in future scans. If the MD5 checksum of a core file doesn't match, we notify you through an alert in the security tab of your VaultPress dashboard. A variation in the checksum means that the file has been modified from the original version that came with your WordPress install.

via New VaultPress security scanning | VaultPress Blog.

Right, VaultPress might not be able to prevent hacking, but they can certainly help to let you know as soon as possible that something might be amiss and where the problem might lie. As awesome as this might be, I think it also helps Automattic know what files hackers are going after and what server vulnerabilities hackers are using to get into sites. Not important data? Yeah, think again. This is crucial data in the fight against hackers. Like Akismet helping us all understand blog spam better, these data can help us understand hackers better. Not only that, say several blogs that share the same host are hacked, Automattic would then be in a position to inform the host that they might have an issue.

The one thing that I see as a drawback to VaultPress is the cost. The basic plan is $15/month/blog and the premium plan $40/month/blog (these will go up to $20 and $50 respectively after the beta period) and sure they aren’t exorbitant, but more than a few sites (I do have several) and that gets expensive. On the other hand, the first time it saves your tushie it would all be worth it.

So, VaultPress, a good idea that has gotten better with security checking. I did get a beta invite and didn’t use it because I didn’t feel I could justify the price. Though now that I think of it, I do have a lot of stuff on the server that should be backed up better…

What’s your feeling? $40/month/blog too much for backup with security checking? Or would you opt for the $15/month plan and live a (little) dangerously?

Hat tip to BlogHerald where I read it first.

BlogHerald, VaultPress, Photo credit



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Microsoft, Southwest Airlines and Santa Claus team up for in-airport photos [TNW Microsoft]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:50 PM PST

Getting your photo taken with Santa Claus at an airport makes a lot of sense. First of all, what else are you going to do while you’re waiting for your delayed flight? Shop at duty free? Unlikely.

Secondly, an airport would seem a perfect place for Santa to use for photo ops, since he can easily land and take off his sleigh on the runway (makes much more sense than a mall, doesn’t it?).

So with this in mind, Microsoft and Southwest Airlines reached out to the North Pole to get Santa to swing by 26 airports nationwide during weekends leading up to Christmas so that Santa can take advantage the convenience offered by airports (he must be really busy during the week with official Christmas stuff).

Travelers will get a free picture of themselves with Santa at kiosks at those airports and then can pick them up (and create customized greetings cards) online on Microsoft’s website.

Also, while you’re waiting in line to sit on Santa’s lap, you can of course learn all about Windows 7 and Windows Live, as well as register for daily giveaways, including flights from Southwest, a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and a $500 cash.

No please excuse us – we aren’t done writing our letters to Santa yet…

New York Times



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Apple rejects magazine app about Android from App Store [TNW Apple]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 04:59 PM PST

Apple app rejection stories are about a dime a dozen at this point (though we do cover the most confusing rejections from time to time), but this one is just too darn funny to not pass onto you.

A Danish magazine publisher called Mediaprovider submitted an iOS app to the Apple App Store recently – with probably a pretty good idea that it wouldn’t get approved. Why? Because the app was a digital magazine all about Android called ‘Android Magasinet’. Eventually, Apple gave Mediaprovider’s managing director, Brian Dixen a phone call that went like this according to Denmark’s MediaWatch:

Dixon: “So what’s the problem?”

Apple rep named Richard: “You know…your magazine…it’s just about Android…we can’t have that in our App Store.”

Hi-larious, though probably within Apple’s terms of service as one commenter points out that Apple probably doesn’t allow developers to “promote a competing product”.

Dixen went on to tell MediaWatch, “It’s funny really because I don’t think we would sell many magazines on Android through Apple App Store…” going on to say how frustrated he was about the process (him and countless others). At least there is a silver lining: Mediaprovider produces another magazine called ‘iPhone Magasinet’ – which we’re guessing Apple won’t have any problems with.MediaWatch, Fortune, Digital Medier, Image credit



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Apple selects two new iPhone headphone manufacturers [TNW Apple]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 04:08 PM PST

According to a report by Cens.com, Japan based FOSTER is out as the exclusive maker of Apple’s iPhone headphones with Cupertino offering the contract to two Tawainese companies, Hon Hai and Cheng Uei.

FOSTER has been the exclusive manufacturer of the headphones for quite some time but that is going to end once 2011 rolls around. Specifically, Hon Hai is going to be responsible for constructing the wires and assembling the devices while Cheng Uei will be making the producing cords, loudspeakers and control switch modules.

The contract is said to be worth $5-10 billion in Taiwanese currency which translates into around $300 million in American dollars. Business for both companies is said to start booming after this acquisition, especially for Cheng Uei, who also produce the OEM iPad chargers as well as the flexible substrates used in the iPhone volume control switch.

And how much of an increase, you might ask?

Oh, just a 50% surge in business for Cheng Uei to Apple. That makes sense considering sales estimates indicate Apple has sold 48 to 50 million iPhones already this year which may increase to 100 million in 2011.

That’s 100 million new sets of headphones that need to be made which explains that 50% increase.BGR, Image Credit



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The Rise of Personal Networks Over Social Networks [TNW Social Media]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 03:40 PM PST

When you think social media you think openness, inclusive communities and platforms that know no boundaries. You think Facebook – that is open to anyone and has, I believe, gone a long way to creating more a more equal playing field for communication and information. But are we starting to reach a point where we're looking for more personal networks, smaller and more closed communities and exclusivity? It's easy to forget that exclusivity was the very premise that Facebook was borne out of – initially only being available in Ivy League colleges, before extending to all colleges, and eventually everyone. Is the centre of any social network the personal network and is this something we're starting to seek?

Path – the new personal network

The new plaything among techies is Path, which has been written about and used widely since early November. It is a social network that is based on intimate communities. Self-labelled the 'personal network', it allows you to share your photos with only 50 of your closest friends, giving you more control over your content and more security in who you're sharing your content with. In their own words 'Path is a place where you can be yourself'. So why is it being lapped up so readily? The first reason is obvious. If you tell someone they can't have something, they will want it. If you're not part of someone's circle of 50 – then you get Path and create your own. It also forces us to really evaluate our connections online. When someone comes along and puts a number on it, then you really have to think about who you value as more important, at least for this platform. As Louis Gray notes – if you go over 50, then you have to drop someone. And they notice it. It is also even more exclusionary through the fact it's only available on iPhones.

A lot has been written about Path for its very central concept. It has done something so simple yet at the same time completely turned social media on its head. It goes against everything it's supposed to be, but maybe in doing so it has uncovered a whole new trend in personal networking online. It goes much further beyond the privacy aspect, of being able to control who sees your content. It is allowing us to play King or Queen by choosing our community of 50. But it is also addressing another awkward problem with social media – managing your content. You can only consume so much content and by enforcing a limit that we would hardly ever impose ourselves, Path has ensured that your experience with them is relevant, enjoyable and manageable. And so you will come back again and again. Absolute genius.

Facebook groups as personal networks

What's interesting to note is that Facebook themselves are exploring the personal network concept through new products. With the creation of their new Groups, they essentially enabled people to build communities within communities. They saw a clear need for people to manage their content and connections online and provided a facility for this. Oddly, this may have been a self-fulfilling prophecy. In creating an open network, it was inevitable that people would get Friend happy and the value in the service would decrease. While Facebook have kept many of the elements of being openly social – such as being able to add any of your friends into a group, essentially they are creating personal networks where you can share content only with those closest to you. And many features are inherently personal, with information being only visible to those that have been invited into the group. Interestingly though, Facebook didn't enforce a limit of the members of a group, so it'll be interesting to see over the next few months how these grow and are used.

The idea of a closed community is by no means new. But what we're seeing is different to this. It's the growth of personal networks, where the connections that you built are more controlled, more relevant to you and crucially more centred around you. It is an attempt to find the method in the madness of the huge communities we've built online. While many people spend time properly optimising tools such as Tweetdeck to enable them to manage thousands of connections – this is altogether a different experience of Twitter than people who choose to follow only a handful of people. Both important forms of communication and both have their merits, but they are completely different. And right now what we're seeing is a rise in people looking for these more intimate, personal networks.

How many friends can we have?

According to Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist, the human brain can manage social groups that have connections of around 150. In 2009 Facebook reported that the average number of friends a user had was 120, so this limit wasn't even being hit. But what Robin Dunbar couldn't have foreseen was the amount of content that you would consume from these communities. With frequency of posting being cited as the number one reason for unfollowing someone on Twitter, it would seem that our limits are not in the amount of people that we're friends with, but how much content we can consume before that relationship begins to lose its value. Content may be the biggest driver for personal networks, as we seek to control our own time spent consuming content, and maximise the value we get out of our communities.

Could the novelty wear off?

The danger with a concept such as Path's, is that the shine could eventually come off. What remains to be seen is whether Path is so popular because the concept that it's offering is needed, or it's just something that we want because it's different. Essentially, do we want to limit our communities so they are sustainable, or is it just fun to pick 50 friends? If it's the latter, then Path may just become a novelty that people tire of. The concept is by no means proven and it will take a while before we can know if this is the new trend among networking. Though Facebook may have been exclusionary at first, it served a main, useful purpose to connect with people in new ways. It wasn't a novelty because it was adding something to our lives. If Path have just put a number there to have a number, then it won't work in the long run. Personally, I think they might be onto something.

The next big thing may just be personal. We've certainly seen lots of companies come along to try and be the next social network and ultimately fail because what they inevitably do is try and recreate Facebook without offering anything different. Path may just have found that important niche. And if you look at how closely it resembles Facebook's early model – being based on exclusivity, there could be big things in store both for Path, and the growth of personal networks.



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Behold, the Airless Mesh Moontire by NASA and Goodyear [TNW Gadgets]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 01:37 PM PST

NASA and Goodyear invent a tire and writers get to invent another word. Behold the moontire, an airless, mesh tire design, able to handle extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, making it perfect for moon vehicles. NASA and Goodyear were awarded a 2010 R&D Award for their design, also called the Spring Tire, which includes 800 interwoven load-bearing springs.

“This tire is extremely durable and extremely energy efficient,” noted Jim Benzing, Goodyear’s lead innovator on the project. “The spring design contours to the surface on which it’s driven to provide traction. But all of the energy used to deform the tire is returned when the springs rebound. It doesn’t generate heat like a normal tire.”

According to NASA researcher Vivake Asnani, the Spring Tire does not have a “single point failure mode. What that means,” he said, “is that a hard impact that might cause a pneumatic tire to puncture and deflate would only damage one of the 800 load bearing springs. Along with having this ultra-redundant characteristic, the tire has a combination of overall stiffness yet flexibility that allows off-road vehicles to travel fast over rough terrain with relatively little motion being transferred to the vehicle.”

The tire was made for the upcoming return of the human race to the Moon.Core77



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Visualizing thanks: ThankfulFor and JESS3′s Gratitude Index 2010 [TNW Shareables]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 12:09 PM PST

Take one part “thank you” and one part social media. Mix well and pass it out to the world for a tasty bit of infographic from JESS3 and ThankfulFor. The site, which allows you to create what it calls a “personal gratitude journal”, has handed over a wealth of anonymous data to the JESS3 crew. Doing the thing that JESS3 does, they put together a pretty amazing set of visualizations showing what people are most thankful for.

There are some interesting points to be seen, as noted in the ThankfulFor Blog. Among these points, is that people are most often thankful for other people. While there are 39 other general “themes” for which people express their thanks, people was the runaway leader with 45.2% of the activity in this section.

Beyond that, people tend to be thankful for experiences, inspiration, things and of course activities. But some of the rest might surprise you. Want to take a look? Here’s the full report:

Gratitude Index 2010 from Thankfulfor.com

Our personal thanks, of course, goes out to ThankfulFor and the JESS3 crews for providing a really cool look at this timely subject. Do make sure to check out the other JESS3 things that we’ve highlighted on TNW as well.



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No Angry Birds For Windows Phone 7 In 2010 [TNW Microsoft]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 11:39 AM PST

This may make you sad, but there is nearly no chance that Windows Phone 7 users will be able to enjoy some Angry Birds fun on their phones this year.

Despite previous rumors to the contrary, we have confirmed that indeed Windows Phone 7 will not get the app. How do we know? @RovioMobile (the developer of Angry Birds) told someone that, in regards to Angry Birds on WP7, that it will be out “not this year, [as it] takes a lot of work to do WP7.”

We wanted to make sure that this was the case, so we asked for confirmation:

And there you have it Windows Phone 7 fans, no Angry Birds coming before Christmas. Of course, expect this app to take over the app Marketplace when it does come out.

Image Credit, Via WMPoweruser



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Nokia X7-00 shows up on video for the first time [TNW Mobile]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 10:50 AM PST

Before you feast your eyes on this video, keep in mind that this is just rumored to be Nokia’s latest and greatest device, the X7-00. However, if you’re a betting man or woman, it’d be a safe bet to throw your money on the device in this video being just that.

Here’s what we gather from the video courtesy of Mobile Bulgaria.

The device has four homescreens, meaning it’s not running the current version of Symbian^3 which only supports 3 homescreens. It also apparently has 4 speakers,  an 8 megapixel camera and it runs games very smoothly. Most of the video is a demo of the device running Need for Speed and it looks pretty impressive.

It looks like a pretty slick device and if you’re into the whole Nokia thing, you probably want to give it a quick watch.


What do you guys think?
Mobile Review, Image Credit



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Numulus for iPhone: A unique approach to math-based puzzle games [TNW Apps]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 10:42 AM PST

While we don’t cover games very often here at TNW, it’s Friday and that means that things sometimes take a lighter heart. With that in mind, we’d like to present you with Numulus.

Numulus is, at its heart, a game of math puzzles. But unlike the quick addition or find that number style games that we’ve seen in the past, Numulus takes a completely different approach. In one game, for instance, you’ll see a cloud of numbers. Your job is to find the medium sized number of one color, then a large sized number of another color, add them together and then input your answer.

Sounds easy? It’s incredibly challenging, to say the least. By forcing your mind outside of its comfort zone of a single-line process, Numulus proves to be engaging, fun and best of all effective.

Like any good game, there’s a global scoring system, so as you get better and faster, you’ll move up in the ranks. That alone is worth the replay value, but the added benefit of continually challenging yourself will keep you coming back for more.

Broken into four sections, Numulus awards you extra time for your next puzzle when you finish your current one quickly. As you progress, predictably, the levels get harder. While it will seem like child’s play at first, the later levels are challenging and fast enough to have you at an Angry Birds level of fun frustration.

Give it a shot. It’s got our vote, for sure. It’s $.99 from the App Store, but will likely be the cheapest thing you’ll buy on Black Friday.



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The TNW Microsoft Week: Where is my Kinect lightsaber? [TNW Microsoft]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 10:38 AM PST

Friday is a magical day every week, but this is a special day, it being just moments after the US Thanksgiving. Let’s take the next 5 minutes and go over the big Microsoft stories from the last seven days while still in delicious food-comas.

Grab a leftover turkey leg, turn on some music, and let’s get into it.

Microsoft Goes To Twitter Town

We ran into a very pretty  Twitter application that Microsoft had put together on the sly called The Archivist this past week, and when we showed it to the world, the world loved it.

Why is The Archivist special? The application is a gorgeous Twitter statistics visualization tool that has more eye candy than nearly every other market offering.

Be sure to check it out and tell your friends, they will love it. Think of this as our early Christmas present for you.

Windows Turns 25

It has been a full quarter century since Windows 1.0 came out, if you can truly believe it. Happy Birthday, Windows.

To celebrate the important date we took a long look every major Windows release, well, ever. Oh, and if you never saw that Steve Ballmer commercial selling Windows, you really have to.

The Kinect Lightsaber

We have been talking about Kinect hacks since the darn gadget came out, but perhaps no hack has caught our eye like this one.

Using wooden sticks and the Kinect a very smart developer hacked the motion sensing controller to give the users on-screen lightsabers. We are nearly positive that a game will be released eventually that contains lightsabers, but for now this is your bets bet if you just have to have to get your Star Wars fix.

How Windows Works

Google Docs Plays Nice With Office

Google introduced Cloud Connect for Docs this past week, bringing new levels of collaboration between Office and Docs. We were not sure if the move was a net positive for Docs or not, but the feature is sure neat.

According to the Google Docs Blog, "people can continue to use the familiar Office interface, while reaping many of the benefits of web-based collaboration that Google Docs users already enjoy." This would seem to be huge news.

The productivity wars are going to rage on for years to come, but it seems that there will be, if nothing else, higher levels of interoperability than we are seeing now.

That is all for this week folks, we will keep bringing you the biggest Microsoft news the moment that it happens.



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Checkout this check-in app. ScreenTribe. TV and film check-ins with a Netflix and charitable twist [TNW Apps]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 10:33 AM PST

TNW Quick Hit

ScreenTribe allows one to see what friends are watching on television or film, tune in to get points, badges, and even real life rewards.

Hits: Connect your Netflix account for tuning in to your recently watched queue, earn real life prizes like movie tickets, t-shirts, and the opportunity to donate to charities.

Misses: Earning additional points for adding the television channel one’s viewing a program on can be difficult.  Takes a truckload of points to earn rewards for movie tickets, t-shirts and others.

Overall: 4/5

The Details:

Media check-ins are fun and gaining in popularity.  With new services cropping up daily, the question for these offerings centers on differentiating their product from those of their competitors.

GetGlue offers rewards in the form of stickers and recently tangible items, in addition to allowing user to check-in to more than simply television and films..  Miso, another media check-in app, is very well-designed, offer its own brand of rewards and narrows its product offering on television and film check-ins, with some unique features such as being able to follow programs and checking in to specific episodes.

ScreenTribe (free) is similar to the two options above, but with a unique twist.  Like its aforementioned competitors, ScreenTribe offers apps across multiple platforms, iPhone, iPad, Android, and browser-based.

With ScreenTribe, users can see what friends are watching or share what they’re watching with friends. One of the really neat features of ScreenTribe involves what one receives when checking in.  Going further than simply offering a sticker, points, or badges, on ScreenTribe, every time one shares what they’re watching, they earn points which be redeemed later for real life prizes like movie tickets, gift cards, or allowing one to make a charitable donation.

Begin by downloading the app, establish your account enter your profile info, find Facebook, Twitter, and/or contacts to follow and then move on to the next steps.

ScreenTribe differs from GetGlue and Miso due to the fact that one can add your television provider and Netflix account to your “Account Details.”  The impetus for doing the latter concerns check-ins.  When checking-in one earns additional points by adding the channel one’s watching, which is verified by the provider information entered.  Adding a Netflix account allows for easy tuning in to one’s recently watched queue.

Start accumulating points by adding your contacts.  The more points one accumulates, the greater one’s chances of winning prizes and more (we’ll cover this shortly), becomes.

Once setup is complete, begin searching for programs or movies by what’s trending, what’s playing at present, or what is in one’s Netflix queue.

Upon finding a program, “Tune In,” earn points by adding your channel number, post a comment, and hit “Tune in Now!”

After you’ve accumulated credits, head to the “Rewards Store” where one can earn real life prizes like movie tickets, t-shirts, or donate credits to charities.

I’ll be the first to admit, I was skeptical about reviewing yet another media check-in app.  That said, ScreenTribe is well-designed, full of neat features, and most importantly, the Netflix integration as well as the ability to earn real life prizes like movie tickets, t-shirts, or donate credits to charities, make this app super neat and one I will definitely use and hope you will too.



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E-Commerce with a 2.0 Twist [TNW Social Media]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 09:23 AM PST

Social media has not only revolutionized the way brands market their products but the way they sell it too. There's been a lot of discussion recently about the rise of social commerce. We’ve seen brands keep trying to come up with alternatives or complimentary ways to reach their customers and make sales apart from enriching their traditional e-commerce platforms with social features. Let's take a look at some of the solutions they've come up with for their e-shops.

Tumblr: Microblogging platform Tumblr has been warmly embraced by brands, mostly in the fashion industry. "Over the past year, fashion has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments of the Tumblr community, with 20% of our top 1,000 blogs related to fashion," said Rich Tong, Tumblr's new fashion director.

Apart from its use for blogging by fashionistas like Erica Domesek's P.S.-I made this and Tricia Gosingtian's Tricia Will Go Places, it has been used by fashion sites like Lookbook.nu and DesignerSocial, magazines like Dazed and Confused, Vogue, Elle, Life and New Yorker, TV shows like Today Show and TV channels like Comedy Central.

Tumblr has also been used by brands for community building like IBM's Smarter Planet, which is focused on global issues and is open to readers for submitting their suggestions for posts and asking questions to join in conversations and EMI's Tumblr, which is basically a curation of music news, videos and some free downloads. Huggies with Highchair Critics has built a resource for parents, that goes beyond providing information for its products alone and fashion brands Edun with Eye of Edun and Nicole Miller with Nicole Miller NYC provide backstage material and lots of visual inspiration. A very interesting project was the All Day Every Day creative agency's collaboration with MAC cosmetics & Milk Studios on Phone Tag a live photoblog for New York Fashion Week S/S 2011 for backstage material taken with mobile phones open to the FWNY attendees.

Standard Hotels comes close to using Tumblr as an e-commerce solution with Standard Culture, which provides cultural news, art photo galleries and free to download playlists and event listings as well as a shop tab that takes you to the Standard Hotels e-shop powered by Shopify, without the user realising they actually left Tumblr. A full use of Tumblr as an e-commerce platform for the first time is made by Of A Kind, which we wrote about on its launch date. The site carries exclusive, limited-edition items by emerging designers and supports their e-shop by connecting their Tumblr to Shopify. But unlike Standard Hotels you can conclude your shopping experience without ever leaving Tumblr. It looks like an e-commerce application powered by Tumblr can't be that far into the future.

Facebook: As we've mentioned in previous post f-commerce is on the rise as more and more brands start to use it, not only as a marketing tool but as a sales point too. Some brands use Facebook for pop-up stores, promoting exclusive sales for their fans before items hit the stores. Other examples include special edition items designed only for their Facebook fans or full fledged f-shops like P&G did with Pampers Web Store in partnership with Amazon.

YouTube: Fashion films, such as live streaming from runway shows have rapidly become the latest fashion obsession while etailers like Zappos use product videos to enrich their shopping experience. Westfield London mixed video and shopping with their interactive "click to buy" videos showing A/W 2010 trends from fashion shows powered by Link To but they didn’t put much effort into achieving that through platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. This is why the following case study stands out: YouTique by French Connection (UK). This 'YouTube boutique' showcases the brand's items through original videos offering styling advice as well as videos from its runway shows. YouTique uses YouTube's e-commerce solution; if one clicks on the video to buy an item, a new window opens leading to the item's page on French Connection's site. Video shopping may still have a "rough" feel, especially for the high demands of the fashion world, but with TV going through a transformation period itself (GoogleTV, AppleTV ) it looks like the video will play a big part in shaping the future of e-commerce.

Boutiques: Although fresh in the game, Boutiques.com by Google has already made a huge impression in the fashion world despite its certain flaws. For example, Google’s Boutiques hosts shops by retailers like ModCloth and designers like Christian Siriano and when someone clicks to buy a certain item, a new window opens leading to the e-commerce site linked to the item.

Online Publications: Platforms like Issuu and Zinio have made online publications "shoppable" by giving the publishers the option to add links to their publications. This way magazine publishers have linked their ads and the products they feature straight to their clients e-commerce sites, like Lonny magazine has done. Retailers have made "click and buy" catalogues like LaRedoute has done with it's Issuu catalogues. Although online publication platforms, so far, do not provide a full e-commerce solution for brands, they still can add value to the overall shopping experience and an extra selling point.

Polyvore: Another social site offering fashion brands and retailers like Bergdof Goodman the opportunity to reach their customers and make a sale in a more social way.

Custom made social platforms: Apart from enriching their existing e-shopping sites with social features and using existing platforms to sell their products, many retailers have been experimenting with creating new social e-commerce platforms like Asos Marketplace and the soon-to-come Le Lab by Brand Alley.

With the social e-commerce fever rising faster even than the Bieber fever looks like the term “looking for a product” will soon be an expression of the past as products will soon be looking for us, on any platform we may be. Which case studies stand out for you?Image Credit



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Try This: ge.tt. Simply a better option for cloud-based file sharing. [TNW Apps]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 07:21 AM PST

ge.tt is, to put it plainly, an incredibly simple way to share files. While we have had services such as Rapidshare and the like for years, the interface alone is ugly to the point of revolting and its usefulness is limited because of how the money is made.

With ge.tt, all you have to do is head to the site, select what files you want to upload, then you’re given a link by which you can share those files. Interestingly, ge.tt adds a few more features as well and everything appears to be free, at least for now.

First off, you don’t need an account to use ge.tt. If you choose to create one, though, you’ll get some nifty features such as live statistics, the ability to add and remove files from a share and your files will stay alive until they’ve been inactive for 3 months.

So once you’ve uploaded, you’ll be taken to a page that looks like this:

As you can see, I’ve shared multiple files (boring random images from PhotoBooth, if you care) and each of them can be viewed, downloaded or removed individually. This could be an extremely handy option for collaboration, to say the least. We also love the fact that, with a simple click of a button, you can share your url through Facebook, Twitter or email.

Another slick option about ge.tt is in how it shares files. As the co-founder puts it:

As a test to what we do, try sharing 30 random audio and video files. Then immediately open the Ge.tt link in another browser (or another computer). You can choose any file you want and start streaming or downloading the file. It does not need to be uploaded first. Also, does not need flash or java.

While our first blush of this “streaming” was that it would be over a peer-to-peer network, it actually works a bit differently. As a user selects a file, the site acts as a buffer and will begin streaming the content from the site itself, even as you’re uploading. There is no peer to peer process involved. While this clearly puts a small delay onto how quickly a file can be “streamed”, it does open the door for more people to access a file without killing your local bandwidth by trying to stream it to multiple clients.

What’s especially interesting is ge.tt’s priority system for uploading files. Say that you’re uploading 5 files. These are uploaded one by one, of course, but the priority of the upload can be changed. So if a colleague selects a file that’s not presently uploading, the upload priority will be change to allow it to start its upload and stream to the client who requested it.

For a service that, right now, is completely free, ge.tt is going to be hard to beat. Moving forward, we’d love to see a desktop application for it, and this is one way that ge.tt could make its money. Premium subscription options, of course, could open more doors.

While it might not overtake CloudApp for Mac users, it’s another service that’s going into our Bookmarks folder.



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Can the Egyptian Government Rip Out Facebook Pages? [TNW Middle East]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 06:56 AM PST

GaggedEgyptian online activism is attempting, for the first time in Middle Eastern political history to use Social Media to get people to take to the streets. And the Egyptian regime is not liking it one bit.

Activists from all over the world have poured anger online after a sudden blockage of several Facebook pages both official and unofficially attributed to Egyptian opposition. Naturally they’re accusing the Egyptian regime of this, and we thought we’d give it a look.

I was once a loyal fan of the show CSI while it was aired briefly in the Middle East. One of the things I learned from it was that to try a crime you required three elements: A victim, a motive, and the smoking gun. So let’s break this down.

The Victim: I’m assuming most of you won’t find it a challenge to come up with this one. I wouldn’t go as far as to calling the victim the Egyptian people, but by blocking certain Facebook pages, in addition to the heavy security presence on the ground, the result of this anti-campaign is to silence the people.

Reports have been coming in over the past 24 hours about Faecbook pages being blocked yesterday, coincidently one day before opposition’s ‘Angry Friday‘ which is a call for Egyptians to take to apartment balconies, streets, and public restaurants and simple scream or yell in an expression of civil anger at the regime for the atrocities committed by them topped with the death of a young man named Khaled Said. Today is Angry Friday and the screaming is scheduled to begin at 19:00 (EET). Element one established.

The Motive: Well if you listen to what the opposition has to say, you’ll clearly hear a cry for unity to change a regime that has basically done everything to help it’s dis-creditors make the case against them.

Covering everything from smear campaigns to torture and arrests, it’s in the Egyptian regime’s best interest to see the online side of Egyptians opposition stay online, and inaccessible. Element two established.

Now for the Smoking Gun: Up until now all reports have been accusations made against the Egyptian regime alone. The only thing supporting them is the fact it’s believable. Having established a behavioral pattern, the people of Egypt seem to have only 2 out of 3 elements on the spot.

Two hours separate the Middle East from the first documented incident of Social Media platforms such as Facebook, Twitters, and blogs actually bringing Arab nationals to the streets in hoards. This could be the day Egypt’s dissent moves from Facebook, to the streets.

My bets are that Facebook disabled the accounts at the request of Egyptian authorities under false pretenses. But is what we have above enough to criminalize an Arab regime?

The answer to both questions is: Most probably Yes.

Hat tip to Ahmed Faidy.Image, Reuters



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Police in the UK are seeking authority to close domains [TNW UK]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 06:26 AM PST

As first reported by the BBC, The Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is seeking the authority to close domains engaged in certain “criminal” activities, which includes not just website domains, but domain registrations such as email, and perhaps phones, too*. The police have submitted a plan to Nominet, a company which oversees all .uk web addresses. And more than a few liberal minds in London, numerous IT lawyers among them, are concerned.

Nominet has "no clear legal obligation" to ensure .uk domains aren't used for criminal activities. They also stated that SOCA’s proposal is still up for debate and invited people to join the discussion.

Just two weeks ago, Fitwatch, a site dedicated to campaigning against the surveillance tactics of FIT teams, was taken down by its UK-based web hosting company, JustHost, after a formal request by the Metropolitan Police.

SOCA wants the power to shut down domains if they’re deemed criminal, and then inform Nominet of their conclusion, effectively increasing nationwide censorship by UK's law enforcement agencies.

Eleanor Bradley, director of operations at Nominet, told the BBC, ”We now need to get a balanced group of stakeholders together to talk about the policy and its implications.”

“If you are going to do this, then fine, but it needs judicial oversight,” said barrister and IT lawyer David Harris to the BBC, who is one of a few IT lawyers worried  by the proposal’s potential implications.

Nick Lockett, a lawyer at DLL specialising in computer law, told the BBC he was “deeply concerned” about SOCA’s proposal if it means the police could just shut down websites without a final conviction. “In a world of online retailing, the ability for a police officer to seize any business, whether that is blocking a domain or seizing the servers – pre-conviction or certainly pre-warrant – would be a dramatic change in the relationship between the police and the internet community,” he told BBC News.

There is currently no timeline as to when the proposal will be discussed or when the resulting policy would be adopted.

*(thanks @adamamyl)



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Pirate Bay trial appeal: Defendants face $6.5m fine and jail time [TNW Media]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 06:07 AM PST

Three men connected with infamous BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay have today been told they face prison sentences and payment of a share of a $6.5 million in damages to the entertainment industry.

In April last year, four people connected with the The Pirate Bay were found guilty of “Contributory Copyright Infringement”. They appealed, and today the court’s verdict has been announced. As TorrentFreak reports, the prison sentences they face have been reduced, but their fines have increased.

Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde (AKA brokep) now faces 8 months in prison, fellow founder Fredrik Neij faces 10 months, while Carl Lundström, who sold support services to The Pirate Bay but did not directly run it, is in line for a 4 month stretch inside. The fourth defendent, co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm was reportedly not present in court for medical reasons and his verdict will be delivered at a later date.

The first three defendants will be faced with paying a share of the $6.5 million pound damages bill. This is almost double the fine set at the original trial in 2009, which was $3,620,000. However, TorrentFreak reports that the case is likely to go all the way to the Swedish Supreme Court, meaning that we most likely haven’t heard the end of this trial.

The Pirate Bay itself will continue to operate and the defendants themselves are no longer involved in it, after it was sold for $7.8 million in June 2009. Meanwhile, Peter Sunde is now running a startup called Flattr, which offers an ‘online tipjar’ for content producers. It counts Wikileaks among its customers.TorrentFreak



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Video: The Recent Explosion of Mobile Technology [TNW Mobile]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:40 AM PST

I wrote at the start of this year that 2010 Will Be The Remembered As The Year Mobile Social Media Came Of Age and I have to say that I'm pretty happy with that prediction as it certainly has been. Smart phone usage has been sky rocketing, people are using apps to enhance every part of their daily lives and stats are showing that the internet is being accessed by consumers more and more on the go. Large companies, brands, marketers and agencies are going to have to engage with mobile marketing in a whole new way as the landscape changes by the day and consumers rely on mobiles for everything from restaurant and hotel choices to paying for goods and accessing content. It's an exciting time for mobile, probably the most exciting since the mobile phone itself became so ubiquitous…



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Tech Companies: Serve Me a Business Model, Please. [TNW Entrepreneur]

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:34 AM PST

Here’s what you should remember if you’re top notch Chief Executive in the tech industry: stop seeing services as a product feature, extension or add-on. Innovation in tech companies should not be focused on finding new ways to ‘upsell’ your clients who have installed your existing products. In my opinion (based on my experience at strategy boutique Thaesis), you are no longer a technology company. Nor are you a product company. In our services economy, we are all services companies (or I dare to say: out of business within the next 10 years). Don’t be afraid, but you’ve got some work to do. And look on the bright side: there are many more business opportunities in new service models then there are in economies-of-scale based transactional markets.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to discuss business model innovation with executives from a number of influential high-tech companies. Each and everyone of them was looking for ways to deliver additional services (mostly through third parties) to their customers. Their major challenges: customer orientation in innovation, establishing relationships and creating multiple touch-points with their customers. Challenges that are hardly facilitated by the high-tech value chain with its focus on efficiency and lean manufacturing. With a little help from the guys at trendwatching.com and the business model canvas from businessmodelgeneration.com, I presented 10 new business models for this decade.

Service in the Industry is not a Product Feature but a Business Model

PS. I was invited by the Association for Service Management International (AFSMI) and uploaded my lecture slides the night before on SlideShare. The wonderful crew at SlideShare chose my slidedeck as ‘Top of the Day’. The moment I started presenting it had already been viewed 1000+ times. Now that was a nice opening story for the tech executives in the room ;-)



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