Senin, 13 Desember 2010

Mashable: Latest 10 News Updates - including “And the Top Twitter Trends of 2010 Are…”

Mashable: Latest 10 News Updates - including “And the Top Twitter Trends of 2010 Are…”

And the Top Twitter Trends of 2010 Are…

Posted: 13 Dec 2010 01:31 AM PST


Twitter has analyzed the 25 billion tweets sent in 2010 and published the list of top overall trends in the year behind us, as well as the top 10 trending topics in eight categories: News Events, People, Movies, Television, Technology, World Cup, Sports and Hashtags.

Twitter’s top ten overall trends actually paint quite a good picture of what the world was interested in in 2010; definitely more so than Google’s list of the fastest rising search topics.

The Gulf oil spill and the Haiti Earthquake were definitely among the biggest news stories of the year. The FIFA World Cup, the accompanying vuvuzelas, and the psychic octopus Paul captured the attention of almost the entire world for a couple of months, and iPad and Android were constantly generating buzz in the world of technology. The rest, as one might expect, is entertainment: Christopher Nolan’s hit movie Inception, the teen sensation Justin Bieber, and the omnipresent Harry Potter. Here’s the full top 10 list:

1. Gulf Oil Spill
2. FIFA World Cup
3. Inception
4. Haiti Earthquake
5. Vuvuzela
6. Apple iPad
7. Google Android
8. Justin Bieber
9. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
10. Pulpo Paul

Check out Twitter’s microsite to see the top trends for the individual categories.

Reviews: Android, Twitter, World Cup, harry potter, justin bieber, sports

More About: social media, trends, twitter

For more Social Media coverage:

WARNING: Acai Berry Twitter Attack Spreading Like Wildfire [UPDATED]

Posted: 13 Dec 2010 12:04 AM PST


A new Twitter attack advertising acai berries has hijacked thousands of Twitter accounts and turned them into spammers.

The attack is spreading at a rapid pace — within a minute, more than 10,000 tweets related to the attack have popped up on the microblogging service. These tweets link to domains containing “acainews.” We recommend that you don’t click these links.

It’s unclear at the moment how this particular attack operates, but it seems possible that just clicking the “acainews” link is enough to compromise your account (Update: see below). It’s also possible that affected accounts may have previously been compromised by a third-party service. Regardless, this is one of the fastest-spreading attacks we’ve ever seen in our years tracking Twitter security and worms.

If your account has already been compromised, immediately change your Twitter password and check to see if your account is linked to any unknown third party accounts. We have contacted Twitter for more information.

Update: According to TweetStats/TweepSearch/RowFeeder creator Damon Cortesi, it seems likely that the spam is coming from already-compromised accounts, rather than malicious code from the “acainews” links.

“I poked into the acai tweets a little bit. Definitely a lot more of my friends getting hit than normal, but looking at where the acainews(1-8) sites redirect to. I see no malicious code. I’ve even visited them while logged in to Twitter (on a dummy account) and had no adverse effect. I noticed similar spam going around a couple days ago with the Twitter Search link I sent you. All tweets coming from “web,” destination page with no obviously malicious code.

We still strongly advise not clicking any links with “acainews” in the URL.

Update 2: According to Twitter’s Del Harvey, the attack is likely related to a recent attack against Gawker that compromised 1.3 million commenter accounts. We’ve also found similarities between the compromised Gawker database and the compromised Twitter accounts. The recommended course of action is to change your Twitter password.

More About: trending, twitter, Twitter Worm, warning

For more Social Media coverage:

Insurance Company Tracks Driver Responsibility With In-Car Device

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 04:59 PM PST


Car insurance company Progressive has found a new way to give its customers deep discounts when appropriate: It’s giving drivers tiny devices that plug into their cars; if the devices show the driver is responsible, he or she could get up to 30% off insurance rates.

Called the “Snapshot” program, this plan is currently available to drivers in New York only but should launch in other states shortly.

It will allow Progressive to collect data on users’ driving habits for 30 days. The devices, which are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, plug into the vehicle’s on-board diagnostic port. Each Snapshot device will track when the user is driving, how often she drives, and other behaviors, such as making sudden stops.

Discounts will be applied for drivers who travel during times of the day when accidents are less likely to occur and who drive less overall.

But there’s no real need to worry about provacy; the Snapshot devices don’t have GPS, so no one will be able to tell where you’re going or where your car or home is located.

With the amazing advances in in-car connectivity that we’ve seen in 2010 alone, we’re not surprised to see tech like this being used by an insurance company. In fact, given the fact that Google’s got self-driving cars and Ford’s got a car that will read your friends’ tweets to you, we’re a bit surprised it’s taken this long to come up with a plan like Snapshot.

What’s your opinion: Would you let an insurance company track your driving for a possible discount? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, aprilzosia.

Reviews: Flickr

More About: auto, automobile, automotive, car, cars, insurance, progressive, snapshot

For more Tech coverage:

Why More Health Experts Are Embracing the Social Web

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 04:11 PM PST

heart apple image

Unity Stoakes is the co-founder and president of OrganizedWisdom, an expert-driven digital media company focused on health and wellness. OrganizedWisdom is building the world's first digital mapping of online health experts to help people easily discover and connect with credible health resources.

Is your doctor easily accessible online, or does he or she believe that the Internet isn’t a resource for accessing health information?

If it's the latter, it may be time to find another doctor. With nearly 90% of online Americans searching the Internet for health resources, it's likely you and your friends and family already use the Internet to research health issues. It's true that the web has a jumble of health information, and engaging online takes time, which most health experts don't have. The good news, however, is that the increasing number of health professionals now embracing the Internet as an important and useful tool for health and wellness is beginning to change your options as a consumer.

Read on for some ways that social media can help doctors, health experts and everyday users.

Social Wellness Trends

sermo image

An exciting new social media trend is emerging that disrupts the standard view of health care delivery and will have a profound impact on us all. Thousands of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and health advocates are publicly engaging with people online. In fact, nearly 40% of Americans turn to social media for health information.

Patients (and a few early adopter health pros) moved online years ago to share health guidance, give support and find answers. But until recently, many health professionals have avoided using the Internet and social media as a way to help patients. This reluctance is changing, as savvy physicians, nurses, dentists and other health pros are realizing that if their patients are online, then perhaps they should be too. Health practitioners who were once too busy, inexperienced or afraid to share their expertise online, now actively share links on Twitter and Facebook, blog, write for online medical journals, engage on Q&A sites, or contribute to online health sites and forums.

For too long, health and wellness has been a do-it-yourself proposition for patients online, and people have been left on their own to determine how to effectively utilize empty search boxes. People have great access to lots of information, but they must sort through the billions of articles to determine the credible from redundant health encyclopedias, marketing web sites or sites with potentially unknown sources. Then, the task of deciding the credibility of the sources and articles has fallen on the patient alone.

While the number of health experts interacting with patients online is relatively small, there is a clear trend taking shape. A recent Manhattan Research survey of U.S. physicians shows an increase of Internet usage for professional purposes up from 2.5 hours per week in 2002 to 8 hours per week in 2010. More strikingly, while more than 100,000 doctors are using closed social health networks like Sermo.com and publishing in peer-reviewed journals online, thousands of health professionals are now blogging, using Twitter, and connecting with patients on Facebook in very public ways. So much so that this November, for the first time, the American Medical Association released a set of guidelines to direct physicians communicating and engaging with patients via social media. And earlier this year, the CDC also published its own best practices toolkit for how health professionals should be using social media.

Given that so many people now go to the Internet before, during and after their visit to the doctor's office, the lack of guidance from credible and trusted health experts online is a growing problem. In fact, Manhattan Research shows that 61% of people now use the Internet instead of visiting a doctor. Thankfully, the tide is turning as thousands of health practitioners move online to do much more than interact with friends, family and colleagues and are instead using the social web to dispense their particular health expertise.

What This Means for Health Information Seekers

We are standing at the precipice of a new online revolution in health care. As more and more health experts embrace the Internet and increase their social media activity, health information seekers will undoubtedly benefit in profound ways. Based on conversations and surveys conducted with experts and health information seekers, here are some of the benefits associated with a robust online community of active health experts:

Interaction With Experts: In the real world, people seeking answers to important health, financial or legal matters look for guidance from the best experts. With a growing community of health experts participating in online discussions, people have access to more expertise than ever before at their fingertips.

Credibility and Trust: With doctors and other health professionals contributing information online in increasing numbers, it is important for a trust filter to separate credible information and sources from information that is not credible. The community of health professionals that is forming online will act as a system of checks and balances to separate good information and sources from the bad.

Transparency: It's been a watershed year for increased transparency as government, big business, the financial services industry and other sectors have been shining a light into their operations like never before. Healthcare is taking a major step forward in this regard at the grassroots level, with an expert community being formed online by doctors, nurses and other health professionals across the country. As more doctors view social media as an extension of their professional reputation, you can be sure that they will treat their online interactions with the same care as they do in the offline world.

While the increase in the online activity of health experts is a welcome development, searching for crucial health information online remains an overwhelming and intimidating process for many. In the offline world, people searching for health information seek out the best experts — and now with more health professionals moving online, people will finally be able to connect with credible experts they can trust.

More Social Media Resources from Mashable:

- 4 Effective Tools for Monitoring Your Child’s Online Safety
- Social Media Parenting: Raising the Digital Generation
- 5 Fun and Safe Social Networks for Children
- HOW TO: Help Your Child Set Up a Blog
- The Case For Social Media in Schools

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, dcdr

Reviews: Facebook, Internet, Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: doctor, health, health experts, social media, social wellness

For more Social Media coverage:

Americans’ Online Holiday Shopping Spend Already at $22B

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 02:56 PM PST


Recession? What recession? If Americans’ online shopping behaviors are any kind of barometer, the outlook is getting rosier all the time.

Right now, U.S. shoppers have already spent $21.95 billion shopping online during the first 40 days of the November/December holiday season, according to data from comScore. That figure represents a 12% increase from the amount spent during the same time period in 2009.

In a poll conducted at the end of November, around 60% of Mashable readers said they’d be doing all or most of their holiday shopping online rather than in brick-and-mortar stores.

Two of the biggest shopping days for online retailers, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, also saw significant year-over-year increases.

For Black Friday, traditionally the day when physical stores do a large portion of their holiday business, Internet retailers saw a 15.9% YOY sales growth.

And on Cyber Monday, online retailers had a blockbuster 24 hours, with a record-breaking total sales of over $1 billion in a single day.


However, we’re wondering whether the real reason for these huge jumps in online spending isn’t just due to the gradual easing of our national economic strain. Are we actually spending more online because we’re spending less in stores?

One survey from Compete found that online spend might be exceeding in-store spend for the first time ever during the 2010 holiday season. For the first week of November, consumers reported spending an average of $10 more online than in physical stores.

The biggest likely winners this year, though, are the big-box retailers who maintain robust physical and online presences and give shoppers ample reason to choose both or either outlet. Sites such as Walmart.com, Target.com and BestBuy.com are still competing well against eBay and Amazon for shoppers’ traffic and dollars.

Are you more likely to spend money online or in a physical store this year during your holiday shopping? Let us know, and tell us why, in the comments.

Reviews: Internet

More About: black friday, ComScore, cyber monday, Holiday, online retail, online retailers, shopping

For more Business coverage:

HOW TO: Make a Successful Marketing Video for the Web

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 01:57 PM PST

viral video image

Scott Gerber is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, public speaker and author of Never Get a “Real” Job: How to Dump Your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke. The content for this post was sourced from the Young Entrepreneur Council, a group of successful Gen Y business owners. You can submit your questions to this group on NeverGetaRealJob.com.

In today’s YouTube crazed society, video is more accessible and easier to create than ever. One 30-second video has the potential to create a customer for life, or — conversely — a hater that will plague you with negative comments and bad word-of-mouth. This is why small businesses must learn to properly utilize videos to market their services on the web. These same videos can also be used in offline and online branding, sales, marketing and PR strategies. A great video will pay off ten-fold.

Sure, not every web video you shoot on your iPhone will end up being the next Old Spice ad, but a few hundred — or even a few thousand — views can lead to some serious moola for your business. I asked a panel of successful Gen Y entrepreneurs how small businesses can improve their web video marketing efforts and what they can do to make their videos sing. Here are their responses.

1. Be Real and Get Real

“I can’t stress this enough: when you sell or market your business, be real with people. Most customers out there want to know who they can trust and how your business/product can help them. So in your web videos, make sure [you] don’t do the same old boring marketing videos that push things on people because nine times out of ten they hit ’stop.’ Let them see the real side of your business.”

- Ashley Bodi, founder of Business Beware

2. TubeMogul Is The Answer!

“You cannot improve what you cannot measure! Use TubeMogul video analytics to track your online video viewership trends and statistics on video sites like YouTube and get rich metrics from your own video player. Use these findings, and number of views and trends, etc., to improve your videos, tags, length, and all other elements and efforts of video marketing.”

- Devesh Dwivedi, founder of EntrepreneurInMaking.com

3. Keep it Simple

“Nobody wants to watch long videos, so keep it short, simple and to the point. I follow the two-minute rule. You should come up with a similar rule for yourself. If you have to create a longer video, consider dividing it into parts that make it easier for your viewers to digest. There’s a website called BlipSnips.com that is really good for this.”

- Ryan Paugh, co-founder of Brazen Careerist

4. Have Fun With It!

“The best web videos are ones that incorporate comedy. People like to share videos with their networks that are funny, inspiring or thought provoking. The standard ’sales/ promotional’ videos will not become viral. Follow David Meerman Scotts‘ motto that ‘No one cares about your marketing except you,’ and try to create funny content that other people will want to share with their colleagues.”

- Kris Ruby, founder of Ruby Media Group

5. Use YouTube

“Instead of separating yourself from the crowd, jump on the YouTube bandwagon. Distributing your unique info at an existing online gathering place increases its power.”

- Elizabeth Saunders, founder of Real Life E

6. Keep It Short and Simple

“For better or worse, we live in a world of sound bites. Often I see companies try to pack too much information into one video. If you have a lot of information to convey, try posting a couple of different videos so that the viewer can select the content most important to them. In addition, take the extra time to make the videos look really good. It is worth the investment!”

Anderson Schoenrock, founder of ScanDigital

7. Be You

“Stop trying to be someone else. Just be you. Once you’re able to do that, then you can speak from your heart. And people will relate to that. And that’s the key.”

- Adam Gilbert, founder of MyBodyTutor.com

8. Know Your Audience

“The question should be ‘does your audience care about or consume video online,’ before you worry about how to make it more effective. Once you know it fits your audience, I think it is just like another medium. Give your audience the information they want via the channel they want and it will be effective.”

- David Hauser, CEO of Grasshopper Group

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 10 Ways Business Leaders Can Turn Ideas Into Execution
- How Social Media is Changing the Business of Television
- 3 Things Brands Must Do to Reach Millennials Online
- 6 Reasons Why Social Games Are the Next Advertising Frontier
- Beyond Viral: How Successful Marketers Are Embracing the Social Web

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, cybrain

Reviews: YouTube, iPhone, iStockphoto

More About: branding, List, Lists, MARKETING, social media marketing, video, video marketing, web video, youtube

For more Business coverage:

HOW TO: Use Twitter’s Advanced Search [VIDEO]

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 12:44 PM PST

For the past few years, online search has been dominated by Google and Yahoo. Bing, Microsoft’s revamped search engine, is slowly gaining traction as well. But in a world of carefully-controlled algorithms, your results will most likely be determined by popularity, rather than personality. That is, until now.

Twitter’s advanced search feature takes your query and sends back data that’s based on what the community’s tweeting about it right now. And the results can be pretty insightful. Would you use it to plan a vacation… or perhaps a pub crawl? Check out the video and tell us what you think of this feature in the comments section below.

More Twitter Resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Customize Your Background for the New Twitter
- 6 Ways to Score a Job Through Twitter
- 10 Reasons Every TV Exec Needs to Start Tweeting
- HOW TO: Gain Twitter Influence
- Why Twitter Influences Cross-Cultural Engagement

Reviews: Bing, Google, Yahoo!

More About: how to, Search, SEO, social media, trending, twitter, video, web video, youtube

For more Social Media coverage:

Dr. Seuss Apps Come to Android

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 11:29 AM PST


Whether you have a little one to entertain or whether the little one within you is still going strong, you’ll be pleased to know that two Dr. Seuss apps have arrived in the Android Market just in time for the holidays.

The classic The Cat in the Hat and the timely How the Grinch Stole Christmas are both available for $3.99 each.

The Android apps, which come from publisher Oceanhouse Media, are rich and interactive applications intended to be both “engaging and educational” for young readers.

There are three ways to read each book/app. If you choose to have to book read to you, the apps highlight individual words as the story is read by a professional narrator. You can also choose to read the book yourself or auto-play. When you touch the image on your Android device’s screen, the words zoom up.

These apps also include custom background music and audio, special effects and edu-taining features along with the original artwork and text of the Dr. Seuss classics.

The app is already getting 5-star reviews from parents of young kids, and several have said it works well on the Sansung Galaxy Tab as well as traditional mobile devices.

Dr. Seuss apps first came to mobile devices on the iPhone back in March. Two iPad apps were rolled out in April, as well.

The makers of the mobile apps seem to be focusing on the two aforementioned Seuss titles alone right now; we’re hoping to see some Green Eggs and Ham action in the near future.

Reviews: Android

For more Mobile coverage:

YouTube Tops 2010’s Most Buzzed-About Social Network List

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 10:17 AM PST


YouTube has come out on top in a ranking of 2010’s most buzzed-about websites and social media services.

This year was the year of video- and photo-sharing; 2010 saw the rise — in volume and positive mentions — of YouTube and Flickr and the fall of some of the first social networking sites.

The Zeta 2010 Buzz Awards measures the mentions of 125 of the top social media sites to determine not just popularity but how people feel about those sites, too.

"We held a mirror up to the social media world and try to get an understanding of what people are saying about the various social networking sites," said Al DiGuido, CEO of Zeta Interactive, a digital marketing agency in New York City.

People seem to be saying good things about YouTube and Flickr. The blogosphere spoke positively about YouTube 91% of the time and about Flickr 98% of the time. Those positive mentions, along with the sites’ volume of mentions, landed them in the top two spots on the list.

"Flickr was very, very strong in terms of volume ranking but even stronger in terms of tone. That’s the highest number we’ve ever seen in terms of positive ranking in this category," DiGuido said.

Craigslist, Friendster, MySpace Drop From the Top 10

Some of the first sites for networking online have fallen from the most buzzed-about list. Craigslist, which was ranked fifth in 2009, and Friendster and MySpace, at the ninth and tenth spots respectively last year, didn’t make this year’s cut.

"If you look year over year, sites that have had problems with security, like Craigslist, Friendster and Myspace, these sites have kind of all dropped off from 2009. It shows the rising stars in terms of social networking sites and those that are on the wane… in the number of people at least speaking about them," DiGuido said. "If you’ve got issues with security and privacy, you’ll deal with it pretty directly with how people are talking about it. People want to feel their information being exchanged is secure. Big mistakes will be aired in the marketplace."

Although Facebook still made its way onto the list, security concerns dominated the buzz about the world’s largest social networking site. "Security," as well as "information" and "safety," were some of the words most often used in association with Facebook, which ranks sixth on the list.

Facebook’s mentions were just 68% positive.

Groupon, StumbleUpon, Google Buzz Make the Cut

Newcomers to the list include Groupon, StumbleUpon and Google Buzz.

It’s been said before that 2010 has also been the year of the daily deals, and Zeta’s data seems to support that statement.

"Groupon’s coming on real strong," DiGuido said. "We’ve been watching a lot of different verticals, brands, commercials in the last couple years, and this year is the year that deals — sites focused on deals, value, saving money — are going incredibly strong. Groupon has totally captured the social networking world."

Google Buzz rounded out the list at the number-ten spot, but it had the second lowest tonal rating with just 68% positive.

Newbie StumbleUpon, on the other hand, had a whopping 94% positive mentions. Words most often used in association with the site include "advice," "recommend," "web/site," "new," and "original."

Here’s the complete list of this year’s top 10 most buzzed about sites. Were you surprised by any of the findings? What changes do you predict for 2011? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Reviews: Craigslist, Facebook, Flickr, Friendster, Google Buzz, Google Buzz, MySpace, StumbleUpon, YouTube

More About: craigslist, eHarmony, facebook, flickr, friendster, google buzz, groupon, linkedin, Match.com, myspace, stumbleupon, twitter, youtube

For more Social Media coverage:

5 Classic Children’s Tales Reinvented for the iPad

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 07:53 AM PST


As anyone who has seen this video of a 2-year-old using an iPad knows, Apple’s famed touchscreen device has proven an intuitive, interactive learning tool for children.

Yet creating apps for children — whether that’s musical games, learning exercises for children with autism or full-featured e-books — is no easy feat. Fixing children’s attention on an app requires a high degree of ingenuity, interactivity and, most importantly, variety.

Josh Koppel, chief creative officer of Scrollmotion (the company that developed Esquire’s and O, The Oprah Magazine’s iPad apps, among others), says that the key to making a great children’s app is “to make play possible throughout the app in unexpected places” while remaining respectful of the original material.

This criteria is especially valid for classic children’s books, many of which have been given new life in iPad form. I brought an iPad on a recent trip to Greece and perused a number of them with children in the 4- to 6-year-old range. Those that proved most engaging — both to me and to the children I perused them with — were, exactly as Koppel says, those that allowed for interactive “play.” It was also important that the types of play varied throughout the app; neither I nor the children I tested the apps with were interested in repeating the exact same action page after page.

After an exhaustive search, I’ve compiled a list of what I believe are the five best classic children’s books for the iPad available. Have another to add to the list? Please share it in the comments section below.

1. Alice for the iPad

Alice for the iPad arrived in the App Store [iTunes link] just days after Apple’s popular device became available for purchase and remains one of the best e-book apps for the iPad to date.

The app offers both abridged and full-length versions of Lewis Carroll’s fantastical tale, interwoven with colorful, animated and often interactive color reproductions of Sir John Tenniel’s original woodcut illustrations, with a few additional overlays. Playing cards and pepper shakers fly; pocketwatches swing from giant letters; cupcakes and brightly colored pills fall as the iPad is rotated on its horizontal and vertical axises; Alice’s neck and legs stretch at the swipe of a finger.

Although Alice for the iPad was head and shoulders above every other e-book and iOS book app on the market before it came out, it could be improved in several ways. The book would be more engaging if every page were illustrated and interactive — a double-page layout would have made this possible — and if the interactive options were a little less repetitive. And while the illustrations are beautiful, many of the overlays — such as smoke, pepper shakers, and cupcakes — are poorly rendered and incongruous with Tenniel’s highly stylized illustrations. Sound effects and an audio recording of the text would also be welcome additions.

In addition to the $9 version, a free, lite version is also available in the App Store [iTunes link].

2. PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Of all the children’s books available for the iPad, PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit [iTunes link] is simply the best. No other e-book offers the same richness and variety of interaction, while preserving all of the charm of the original tale.

Like Alice for the iPad, Peter Rabbit combines many elements of the classic print editions — including full-color watercolor and ink illustrations, and traditional popout tabs — with functionality uniquely suited to the iPad’s touchscreen and software. The entire tale is set to the soft piano keys of Claire de Lune and read by a pretty female English voice. Words are helpfully highlighted as they are read aloud, and young readers can click again on each word to have it re-pronounced.

Click on the little Flopsy and Mopsy and they giggle; click on falling leaves or blackberries to enlarge and scatter them about the page; lift up pots and the animals hiding underneath them will emit little squeaks. Paper doll joints and tethered kettles can be swung about on their hinges and the iPad can be tilted to change the direction of gravity for falling leaves. Each page offers a new opportunity for engagement, making readers eager not only to discover what’s going to happen next in the narrative, but what fun bit of interactivity awaits them as well.

The app is currently available for $4.99 in the App Store, except in Europe.

3. Jack and the Beanstalk Children’s Interactive Storybook

Jack and the Beanstalk Children’s Interactive Storybook for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch [iTunes link] is more game-like and features more modern illustrations than the latter two book apps.

While the previous two books will appeal to adults and children alike, Jack and the Beanstalk will appeal more to children in the 2- to 4-year-old range.

The story is read in a warm English voice and words are highlighted as they are read. The text floats in a box at the top — it’s not great-looking, but it’s functional (and can be hidden) — over colorful illustrations. Humans will speak, cows will moo and chickens will squawk, etc. if you tap them.

Play is embedded throughout the app, including a mix-and-match card game and coloring page. Clicking certain objects will call forth dancing chicks (I’ve yet to realize how these relate to the narrative in any way) and various games. Drag mice into their proper places and they begin strumming on instruments. Tap a cricket and it jumps.

Jack is available for $3.99 in the App Store.

4. The Frog Prince

Although Siena Entertainment’s The Frog Prince [iTunes link] for the iPhone and iPad is formatted upside down, it doesn’t detract from the vivid loveliness of Anca Delia Budeanu’s vector illustrations.

A condensed and lightened version of the Brothers Grimm classic is set to harp music and read by a young woman’s voice (there are separate voices for the princess, frog prince and human prince). Words are highlighted as they are read, and sound effects (such as bouncing balls) are embedded throughout.

Like Jack and the Beanstalk, the text floats on an unsightly, partly transparent bar that can be hidden. Unlike the others, there is no interactivity or animation whatsoever; the interest lies entirely in the text and the illustrations — which, as I said before, are lovely.

For $0.99 however, the e-book is worth the download. Those who like The Frog Prince should also check out Rumpelstiltskin, which features the same illustrator.









































5. Aesop’s Wheel

There are three really novel things about Aesop’s Wheel, which features a smattering of abridged narratives from the original set of Fables.

The first is the table of contents, which is constructed not as a list but as a wheel users can spin to land on a story — a savvy solution for a collection of stories that don’t need to be placed in any sort of order. The second is an option that allows users to record their own voices — great for practicing children or parents who are frequently away from home. The third is the number of languages the app is available in (English, Chinese, Japanese and German).

The app also contains a series of “Spot the Difference” games, which challenge users to find out what elements are differing or missing in two juxtaposed illustrations.

The story pages themselves are not that interesting; it’s just plain text alongside boxed illustrations by Milo Winter, devoid of any interactivity whatsoever.

The app is available for $4.99 in the App Store.

Honorable Mentions

Although we restricted our list to five books for the roundup, we were delighted by many other classic e-book apps in the App Store. Among our favorites are Rumplestiltskin [iTunes link] 3D interactive pop-up book, Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, Peter Pan [iTunes link], Robin Hood [iTunes link], Spot Goes to School [iTunes link], and books from the Berenstain Bears [iTunes link] series.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Marcus Kwan

Reviews: Alice, App Store, Beanstalk, Flickr

More About: Alice in Wonderland, books, Children, children's book, e-books, iOS, ipad, Kids, List, Lists, loud crow interactive, peter rabbit

For more Apple coverage:

10 Customizable Holiday Gifts for Your Tech-Savvy Office

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 06:00 AM PST


This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

The holiday shopping season is upon us and for small business owners, selecting meaningful and useful gifts can be a real challenge. Holiday gifts for clients, customers, suppliers and employees should send the message that each individual is valued, and at the same time gifts should be practical in nature, so recipients can actually use them.

Business gifts are different than the gifts we select for family. It's perfectly acceptable and, in many cases preferred, to choose an item that allows for a tasteful logo or company message to be stamped upon it. That way, the recipient thinks of the company each time he or she uses it.

To make the gift-giving process a bit simpler, we’ve selected 10 customizable items that have the potential to provide utility and value to business stakeholders. The gifts range from $9 to just over $100, because most companies have corporate gift giving policies of varying price thresholds.

What gifts are you considering for your business this holiday season? Let us know in the comments below.

1. Engraved iPod Shuffle

The new 2GB iPod shuffle is both affordable ($49) and adorable. It comes in five colors and allows for a free customized engraved message. Toss in an iTunes gift card and this makes for a very personalized gift option.

This is also a great idea for firms that have presentations or podcasts — you can load them on the shuffle before giving.

2. Twitter Accessories

If your employees are active in social media, customized Twitter accessories could be a big hit in the office, especially among your social media team.

Survival of the Hippest makes Twitter ID and hashtag accessories, including necklaces, key chains, pins and more. Prices start around $50 and depend upon the level of customization. Because each of these items are handmade, you should allow at least 2 weeks for delivery from the time of purchase.

3. Customized Travel Mug

A very practical gift that people can use every day is the Dual auto/USB heated travel mug (starting at $9). While commuting to work in a car, employees can keep their favorite beverages warm with a car adapter, and when they get into the office, they can switch over to the USB plug.

Customize the mug with your company’s logo, and add a gift card to the recipient's favorite coffee shop to personalize it even more.

4. Portable Notebook SoundBar

For people who do a lot of presentations or travel regularly, this light and portable notebook speaker (starting at $45) is a handy addition and something a person might not consider buying for himself.

The USB-powered soundbar sits on the top of a user’s laptop screen or can stand alone. Add a company mantra to pump up your on-the-go business reps or a corporate logo to keep it simple.

5. iGo Charge Anywhere

The iGo Charge Anywhere ($49) is another option for the people on your gift list that travel quite often. This handy charger enables users to keep their electronic items charged, even when there’s no outlet in sight. This product can be purchased from multiple promotional product companies, making customization a simple task.

6. Custom 2GB Bamboo Flash Drive

Since some companies have guidelines about corporate gift giving, one option for a small token of appreciation is a 2GB bamboo eco-friendly flash drive (starting at $11).

After gift-giving season is over, you can even order these flash drives with your marketing materials preloaded for trade shows and conferences.

7. 8GB Flash Drive Pen with Laser Pointer

If you like the flash drive option but want something a bit more functional, check out this 8GB flash drive pen with a built-in laser pointer (starting at $30). It serves many purposes and is a very cool conversation piece. Add your logo, slogan and a holiday message to keep it custom.

8. 2GB Livescribe Pulse Smartpen

Speaking of pens, Livescribe offers a 2GB Pulse Smartpen (starting at $99) that records everything you hear, say and write and links your audio recordings to notes. This nifty gadget is great for meetings or conferences.

While you can’t customize upon shipping, we recommend recording a special holiday message on each of your employees pens to add a personal touch.

9. Digital Photo Frames

Nothing says custom better than pictures. Frank Roche, publisher of the Know HR blog, wrote a post last year entitled "Employee Engagement Tip of the Day: Take Pictures." It's so true. Photos bond us together. If you're looking for a way to bring some photos into your workplace, consider the gift of digital frames. Pandigital offers several options starting at $49.

Upload a few meaningful photos onto each employee’s digital frame to get them started and to remind them of all the great times you’ve had together.

10. Personalized TomTom GPS

If you're able to splurge, take a look at the custom TomTom GPS ($110). It allows you to select from a gallery of backgrounds, upload images and add text to add a personal touch. This GPS unit is great for your sales team or anyone who travels a lot — or maybe even that employee who could use a few shortcuts to make it to work on time.

Bonus: Gift Planning Tip

For those of you who are super planners and have already done your holiday shopping for this year but saw some nifty items you want to remember, check out the No More Socks iPhone app ($0.99), which helps you track gift ideas for next year.

Your Gift Ideas

Have a great gift idea? Maybe a gadget you gave last year that everyone loved or an item you received? Share your ideas in the comments.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Get the Most Out of a Coworking Space
- 5 iPhone Apps For Avoiding International Business Faux Pas
- 6 Essential Steps for Executing Your Social Media Strategy
- Why Your Business Should Consider Reverse Mentorship
- 5 Ways to Sell Your Expertise Online

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Tomwang112

Reviews: Twitter, iStockphoto

More About: business, custom, customization, customize, digital gifts, gadgets, gift, Gifts, Holiday, holiday gift giving, holiday gifts, Holidays, small business, trending

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