On Gear Live: Amazon planning to open a brick and mortar store in Seattle

Latest Gear Live Videos

Will Google+ survive its own hype?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Features, Google, Internet

Google Plus invite

Google+, the presumptive Facebook killer, shows tremendous potential. As someone who warms up to any social network with the alacrity of a Galápagos tortoise, this, for me, is saying something.

Yes, I'm one of the lucky ones who got a pre-over-capacity invite. I've tried to share a couple, but new Google+ users are only gaining entrance at a halting pace.

The service, which initially stuck me as a blatant Facebook rip-off, actually has many of its own charms, not the least of which is the useful, somewhat addictive Circles. I know this topic divides Google+ users. Some people do not like to spend time organizing their social contacts. I'm not sure I do either, but the method that Circles employs for discovery and organization (dragging and dropping people into actual circle graphics, for instance) is addictive and easily blows away anything Facebook ever developed.

Click to continue reading Will Google+ survive its own hype?


Advertisement

Turntable.fm is the hottest music service that you aren’t using

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Music

Turntable.fm

Turntable.fm is climbing the charts. According to a story from Betabeat, the Facebook phenom has hit 140,000 active users after just one month. Not a bad showing for a semi-closed beta with a spotty security record.

The popular service effectively combines (free) music-streaming, chat rooms, and voting, all through a Facebook portal. It's similar to Web apps such as Pandora. Turntable.fm allows you to discover new music and create your own custom playlists, only that playlist isn't just for you—you'll share it with other Facebook users in real time.

Add to the exchange a note of gameplay. After you create your DJ avatar, you can create your own room or enter someone else's (if you get overwhelmed there's a randomizer) and interact with other avatars through a chat feature. Each room supports up to five DJs. Take a seat on the stage to share your playlist, created from your own uploads or from the Turntable.fm library.

Click to continue reading Turntable.fm is the hottest music service that you aren’t using


Be Your Own Facebook Guru

Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Business Tools, Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks

Many companies feel managing a Facebook fan page is a task that requires a lot of resources and time. This is why you can find hundreds of self-proclaimed Facebook Gurus and experts all around the globe, usually charging a lot of money to help you come up with strategies leading to a successful Facebook fan page. Hey--it really isn't as hard as it looks!

Soap Creative, who has created and managed pages for Unilever, Activision, 20th Century Fox and others, is sharing some of their best practices and strategies they have used. These are strategies  have been field tested and have returned with great results.  Live, learn, and get to Facebooking!


Mark Zuckerberg: TIME Magazine Person of the Year

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: News, Social Media, Social Networks

Facebook Mark Zuckerberg

TIME Magazine can’t stress enough the fact that their Person of the Year award “is not an honor”. In 1938, Adolf Hitler was named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year. Unlike Hitler, however, Mark Zuckerberg fast tracked the world to complete connectivity through a global social network. And at a baby-ish 26 years of age, billionaire college dropout Zuckerberg is responsible for leading 550 million (or 1 out of every 12 people) into the social network at an astounding rate of 700,000 a day. If 700,000 is too big a number to comprehend, imagine that if you lived for 700,000 days you’d be 1,918 years old; which by that time Facebook would have added over 490 billion members, or about 72 times the Earth’s current population. Starting to get the picture? There’s no doubt that Facebook is a social revolution that won’t go the way of the dinosaur - *cough* MySpace *cough*. But the bigger question is where will it go?

Read More | Time

Social Browser RockMelt now in beta

Posted by Jazz English Categories: Internet, Software

Yesterday, new browser RockMelt entered a limited Mac and Windows beta with hopes of capitalizing on your favorite social networks.

In the last few years, social network after social network has popped up and each has become more and more a part of daily Internet habits. According to RockMelt co-founder Tim Howes, that is why their goal is "reinventing the browser for how people use the Web today."

Click to continue reading Social Browser RockMelt now in beta


Fast Follow: Now non-Twitter users can follow Twitter accounts

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Social Media

While it’s nothing new to be able to follow your favorite tweets via SMS, those who haven’t yet signed away their free time to the popular social network will be able to get a taste of the service through their cell phones. The new feature is called Fast Follow, and works as simple as texting “follow [Twitter name]” to 40404.

This allows users to see what Twitter is about, and gives them the option to sign up by replying back to a tweet, “SIGNUP”. Easy, huh? What’s more is you can cancel tweets with a simple “off” command, and “on” to resume them.

This feature takes Twitter back to its origin when it was necessary to use SMS to update your Twitter. Hence the 140 character limit. While your at it, feel free to text “Follow GearLive” to 40404! Or, you can just follow us the traditional way.

Read More | Twitter Blog

Genkii Sparkle Virtual World

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Entertainment, Social Networking, Videos, $4.99

While most applications are meant for only the user, this should mark a change in the way they can be utilized. Tokyo based Genkii has created an app that lets iPhone users connect with others. Sparkle is claimed to be the first virtual world that links your phone to Second Life and OpenSim grids. Send teleport requests and IMs or chat with others. Sparkle is available for $4.99 now but plans include a 3D version to come with personal space, social networking, virtual games and goods, and more.

 

 

Read More | Genkii

Facebook Returns to Original TOS After Complaints

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet

FacebookAfter an entire Facebook group complained about their new policy change that inferred that the site would have control of their users information “forever” as opposed to until closing an account, founder Mark Zuckerberg said that they would return to their previous terms of use, at least until they work out the semantics. He said that subscribers will continue to own their information unless it has already been given out. Over 100,000 joined the People Against the new Terms of Service (TOS) Group to make their views heard.

Read More | Facebook

Man Murders Wife Over Facebook Status

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet

Facebook logoIt’s a scary Internet world out there. Edward Richardson of Staffordshire, England, checked out his wife’s Facebook page. That by itself is fairly common, we suspect, but when he realized that she had changed her status to single he freaked. She wouldn’t answer any of his text messages at her parents’ house, so he went there, broke a window out of the front door, went in and killed her. He tried to off himself as well but failed. He was given 18 years for the murder and Detective Inspector Andy Wall said that the wife had wanted to end the marriage but that Richardson couldn’t accept her decision.

Read More | Daily Tech

Sony Adds 100,00 More Users To The Home Beta

Posted by Aaron Zollo Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet, Software, Video Games

PS3 Home Beta

has been trying to play catch up with Xbox Live ever since its inception, and they think they have the answer.  The upcoming release of Home is Sony’s attempt to bring a “Live” community to the PS3, but using their own style.  The Beta has been out for some time and it seems Sony wants it to be perfect before launching.  Today, they have added another 100,000 Beta testers to their program to allow them to enjoy Home, which allows Sony to iron out the bugs.  In case you have not been aware, Home is much like Second Life, but with game rooms, trophies and “Homes” for each of its players, where you can interact with one another.  It’s nice to see Sony trying to take the initiative and attempt something new for online communities, and the free price point makes it a nice alternative.  We’ll still have to wait and see if Home is all Sony claims it can be.


Advertisement