Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “TIME Names Mark Zuckerberg Person of the Year”

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• TIME Names Mark Zuckerberg Person of the Year
• The Top 3 Stories in Social Media & Tech This Morning
• Twitter Takes a Step Toward a Turn-Key Advertising Solution
• Facebook 1.5 for Android Brings Chat and Push Notifications
• Twitter Reveals the 10 Most Retweeted Tweets of 2010
• Elegant Task Manager Syncs To-Do Lists Across PC, Mac and iPhone
• Google, Chrome OS and the Big Picture [OP-ED]
• How a Niche Shopping Site Plans to Transform Local Economies [INVITES]
• Mozilla’s Creative Genius Seeks to Transform Health Care with New Startup
• Multiple Gmail Accounts Just Got a Lot Easier to Manage
• Chevy Volt Electric Cars Hit the Streets
• New Widgets Let Any Website Offer Local Shopping Options
• MTV Launches Music Discovery Tool for Up-and-Coming Bands
• JCPenney Sets Up Shop on Facebook
• Linking the Real World to the Web: 3 Emerging Technologies Compared
• Gmail Now Lets Users Restore Deleted Contacts
• The First iAd for iPad Has Arrived [PIC]
• So You Got an Android Device This Holiday Season: Now What?
• 10 Creative Uses of the New Facebook Profile [PICS]
• Google Voice Search Now Learns From Your Speech Patterns
• Introducing Mashable’s Senior Editor: Charlie White
• 5 New Online Services Perfect for Small Businesses
• Google Voice Arrives on iPad & iPod Touch
• LinkedIn Reveals the 10 Most Overused Job-Hunter Buzzwords
• Yahoo Set to Make Major Staff Cuts [REPORT]
• Top 10 Movies for the Modern Tech Geek
• Go Daddy Super Bowl Ad to Hype .Co Domains
• Win a Holiday MashPack With 19 Tech Prizes & Kobo eReader [GIVEAWAY]
• Visa Brings Local Deals to iPhone
• QR Code Scavenger Hunt Offers Ford Fiesta as Prize

TIME Names Mark Zuckerberg Person of the Year Posted: 15 Dec 2010 05:22 AM PST TIME magazine has named Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg Person of the Year. Zuckerberg’s accomplishments in 2010 are truly outstanding: he cemented Facebook’s status as the biggest social network and one of the hottest internet companies, surging past 500 million users. He’s one of the world’s youngest billionaires, and recently he pledged to give majority of his wealth to charity. ‘For connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them; for creating a new system of exchanging information; and for changing how we all live our lives, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is TIME’s 2010 Person of the Year,’ explains TIME. Not everyone agrees with the choice, however. WikiLeaks founder and owner Julian Assange was also a likely candidate, and many commenters over on TIME think his accomplishments are far more important that Zuckerberg’s. What do you think? Do you agree with TIME’s choice, or would you prefer to have seen Julian Assange (or perhaps someone else) named the Person of the Year? Image courtesy of TIME [via Time] More About: facebook, mark zuckerberg, time, trending For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

The Top 3 Stories in Social Media & Tech This Morning Posted: 15 Dec 2010 05:02 AM PST Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. We're keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today. Twitter Takes a Step Towards a Turn-Key Advertising Solution Twitter has revamped its Business Center, providing a wealth of tips and advice on how to grow one’s presence on Twitter, integrate its API into one’s website and use the various available widgets and resources. The most interesting part is the advertising section, which is now open to everyone and includes a form that lets businesses express their interest in Promoted Tweets, Trends or Products. Twitter Reveals the 10 Most Retweeted Tweets of 2010 Twitter has revealed the ten most retweeted tweets of 2010, which is populated almost completely by musicians and celebrities, although a few humorists, such as @shitmydadsays and the fake @alqaeda, also made the list. Facebook 1.5 for Android Brings Chat and Push Notifications Facebook has updated its Android app to version 1.5, which includes two very important new features: chat and push notifications, the latter of which are only supported for devices running Android 2.2 or greater. Further News Met with cheers from inside and outside the court, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted bail Tuesday, with conditions that include a curfew, an electronic tag and surrendering his passport. Google has released another new Gmail feature called e-mail delegation, which allows users to easily manage multiple Gmail accounts without signing in and out of Gmail and switching accounts manually. Google Voice Search now learns from users’ speech patterns to increase accuracy. In addition, Google Voice arrived on the iPad and iPod touch Tuesday. Google has refreshed its Realtime page, making real-time data from the web easier to decipher. Apple has unveiled its first iAd for the iPad. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59 Reviews: Android, Facebook, Google, Google Voice, Twitter, Wikileaks, gmail, iStockphoto More About: Facebook app, gmail, twitter For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Twitter Takes a Step Toward a Turn-Key Advertising Solution Posted: 15 Dec 2010 04:54 AM PST Twitter has revamped its Business Center, providing a wealth of tips and advice on how to grow your presence on Twitter, integrate its API into your website and use the various available widgets and resources. The most interesting part of the new Business Center is definitely the advertising section, which is now open to everyone and includes a form that lets businesses express their interest in Promoted Tweets, Trends or Products. The form lets you set an estimated monthly budget ranging from under $10,000 to as high as $100,000+. Forget about buying cheap, Adwords-like campaigns: this thing is obviously aimed at businesses or (optionally) non-profit organizations. Unfortunately, Twitter’s new advertising center still isn’t a turn-key solution for buying ads on Twitter. Since promoted tweets and trends are still in beta and available to a small number of advertisers, the new form doesn’t let you actually buy these products, it merely puts you on Twitter’s radar as an interested party. The fact that the form, once completed, only yields a “page not found” error further proves that Twitter is just testing the waters with this feature. However, it’s not too hard to guess in which direction Twitter is heading. The future in which business (and maybe even individuals) will be able to easily purchase Promoted Tweets or Trends on Twitter – just like purchasing Facebook or Google Adwords ads – seems just around the corner. [via The Next Web] More About: advertising, business center, twitter For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Facebook 1.5 for Android Brings Chat and Push Notifications Posted: 15 Dec 2010 03:45 AM PST Facebook has updated its Android app to version 1.5, with two very important new features: chat, which also has a background mode, meaning you can receive messages while using other apps, and push notifications, which are only supported for devices running Android 2.2 or greater. Although this makes the app far more complete and (finally) up to par with Facebook for iPhone, Android users still have a lot to be grumpy about, as the push notifications only refer to chat, not other events such as comments and likes. Furthermore, since only 43.4% of users are running Android 2.2, it means that a lot of users out there will miss out on push notifications. For comparison, iPhone users have had push notifications since January, and the feature works on both iOS 3.0 and 4.0 devices. The app is available for free in the Android marketplace. Reviews: Android, Facebook More About: android, chat, facebook, Mobile 2.0, push notifications, smartphone For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Twitter Reveals the 10 Most Retweeted Tweets of 2010 Posted: 15 Dec 2010 01:37 AM PST In another instance of its #Hindsight2010, Twitter has revealed the ten most retweeted tweets of 2010. The list is almost completely populated by musicians and celebrities. Rihanna and Joe Jonas‘ jabs at Justin Bieber (and his abs), Kanye West’s apology to Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber’s love note, as well as nuggets of wisdom from Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne and Drizzy Drake took the bigger part of the list. Of course, if you’re not immensely famous, you can always be funny, like the tweets from shitmydadsays, the fake Al Qaeda, and Stephen Colbert, which takes the top spot with his tweet about the Gulf oil spill, retweeted by over 37,000 people. Check out Twitter’s visualization of the most retweeted tweets here. Reviews: Twitter, justin bieber More About: 2010, Hindsight2010, retweeted, social media, social networking, top 10, tweets, twitter, year in review For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Elegant Task Manager Syncs To-Do Lists Across PC, Mac and iPhone Posted: 15 Dec 2010 12:01 AM PST The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: Wunderlist Quick Pitch: Wunderlist is an easy-to-use task management tool with online synchronization. Genius Idea: Web-based and mobile task managers are easy to come by, but all are not created equal, and the good ones usually come with a price tag. Enter wunderlist, a new free task manager for PC, Mac and iPhone that aims to be more flexible than competitors like Things and OmniFocus. Wunderlist is quite simple in purpose and function. Once you fire up the application you can walk through a quick tutorial to get situated with the wunderlist commands and features. Really, though, the application boils down to two key components: Tasks and lists. Type a task, add an optional date and hit enter. You can add tasks to your Inbox or to any of the lists you create, and you can drag and drop them to move them about. Tasks can be starred, arranged by date and checked off when completed. Because it’s a desktop application, you can update wunderlist while offline and your data will be synced once you’re back online. The just-released iPhone application [iTunes link] is nearly an exact replica of the desktop version and sorts tasks by lists, starred, today and overdue. It also includes the same great search functionality of the desktop app, nine background choices and, of course, syncs with your desktop tasks. Plus, it’s hard to ignore the elegant styling of the desktop and iPhone applications which marry function with design. We can’t attest to being more productive just yet, but there’s certainly something to be said for an application that looks polished and feels completely frictionless. Wunderlist is the first product from 6 Wunderkinder, a newly founded software shop focused around working and productivity and based out of Berlin. The team is hoping to build a strong fan base with this first release, and designs to use this group to learn more about how people work with tasks and productivity, says CEO and founder Christian Reber. Just weeks old, wunderlist is already proving to be an early success with productivity types. The product has more than 27,500 users who have created upwards of 500,000 tasks. Reber shares that the team is looking for funding right now and that it plans to monetize its service with its next product release — wunderkit. That product is said to be a productivity platform with business users and collaboration in mind. Image courtesy of Flickr, adesigna Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by sign up today. Reviews: Flickr, OmniFocus More About: 6 wunderkinder, iphone, mac, pc, task manager, to do, wunderlist For more Startups coverage: Follow Mashable Startups on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Startups channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Google, Chrome OS and the Big Picture [OP-ED] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 10:35 PM PST The Social Analyst is a column by Mashable Co-Editor Ben Parr, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space. When Google first announced Chrome OS, the questions surrounding it were numerous and the expectations were off-the-charts. Many wondered whether it was Google’s attempt to destroy Microsoft or if it would cannibalize Android instead. It’s more than a year later, and Google has finally unveiled Chrome OS. While it’s not ready for primetime quite yet, the search giant has created a frenzy with the release the CR-48 test notebook. Still, the questions remain. Who is Google targeting with Chrome OS? Why does it have both Android and Chrome OS? What’s the company’s strategic goals? While some critics have been attacking the flaws in the OS (forgetting it’s still incomplete) or predicting its demise, they’re not addressing the bigger picture. Chrome OS is just one piece of a master plan focused on shifting the world even further onto the web and satisfying the Google Revenue Equation. Google’s Strategy with Chrome OS When Chrome OS was first announced, I argued that the cloud-based operating system didn’t need to outsell Windows in order to achieve its goals. Here’s what I said back then: “As long as you're on the web, Google wins. So we need to stop framing the Google-Microsoft battle in the context of "Chrome OS vs. Windows," because Google will not win a straight up battle. And guess what? That's not Google's goal. We need to frame it in the larger context of the Google Revenue Equation and how much time we spend on the web.” The Google Revenue Equation, as I defined it back then, is “Revenue = Amount of Time on the Web.” For every minute we spend on the web and every page we visit, Google makes more money from its vast advertising network. A year later, I still believe I hit the nail on the head. Chrome OS completely eliminates the desktop and challenges you to only use the web to get things done. And you know what? In almost every case, there’s a web app to replace a program in your Windows Start Menu or Mac OS X Dock. I’ve been able to do almost everything on my CR-48 that I can on my PC or Macbook Pro. And for those few things I haven’t been able to accomplish, there will probably be an app in the Chrome Web Store that will eventually do it. Chrome OS is an attempt to condition us to rely on the web rather than the desktop for our needs. But that’s just one of many avenues Google has for accomplishing its goals. Getting Us on the Web, One Product at a Time Chrome OS. The Chrome Web Store. Cloud Connect. Message Continuity. Google TV. Google Buzz. Android. All of these Google products are designed to get people to use the web for longer each day. They are helping push people to the online cloud, where Google dominates. Android is Google’s vision of a web-centric mobile world. Google TV is its attempt to get you to browse the web on the living room screen. And Chrome OS is about weaning you off the desktop and getting you to use the browser exclusively. For the vast majority of people, Chrome OS will satisfy their needs. Need to edit a photo? There’s an app for that. Want to play Solitaire? There’s an app for that too. Eventually there will be plenty of options for watching your favorite movies as well. Because the OS is free and open-source though, we bet that devices running it will be a great deal cheaper than their Windows counterparts, making them attractive buys for price-conscious consumers. Even if Chrome OS flops in the market when it debuts in mid-2011, it’s still a relatively small investment for an experiment that has big potential for the company’s bottom line. Google’s entire business model is based on getting you to stay on the Internet. If it can find a way to get you online for a minute longer every day, it’s a no-brainer for the company. Chrome OS is just a component of a bigger strategy to keep us eternally connected to the web. Reviews: Android, Google, Google Buzz, Internet, Windows More About: chrome, Chrome OS, Column, cr-48, eature, Feature, Google, google chrome, Opinion, The Social Analyst

How a Niche Shopping Site Plans to Transform Local Economies [INVITES] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 08:37 PM PST The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: Exclusively.In Quick Pitch: Exclusively.In is an Indian-inspired private sale site for fashion, jewelry, accessories, home decor and travel. Genius Idea: Sourcing 80% of its goods straight from India, Exclusively.In is a niche private sale site offering carefully curated collections of high-end Indian fashion, home decor and travel experiences. While 20% of its goods are sourced from the United States, via artists and designers focused on creating Indian-inspired goods, the majority of its offerings are handcrafted by local artisans and shipped directly from India to buyers in the United States, the only country where the site currently operates. Having launched in June 2010, Exclusively.In has already raised $2.8 million in funding from Accel Partners and Helion Venture Partners. These investors must agree that niche flash sale sites may be a hot area in 2011. Just last month, for example, we saw the launch of Lot18, a private sale site focused on providing wine and epicurean products at attractive discounts — impressively, the niche wine site raised $3 million in a Series A round of funding, led by FirstMark Capital. If these two highly-targeted private sale sites are of any indicator, it’s starting to look like niche may be where it’s at next year. We spoke with one of Exclusively.In’s four co-founders, Nirbhika Moorjani, to learn more about the burgeoning startup and its co-founders’ inspiration. “We’re all travelers and avid shoppers, having worked and lived in the U.S. and internationally,” she said. “We are driven by the desire to bring the best of India to the rest of the world, including textiles, crafts, hand-looms, embroideries and traditional Indian arts, combining it with western sensibilities.” So how does the site operate? Moorjani was very candid to give us the low-down on the entire process: “We travel the country, right from metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta to the villages and interiors of India, scouring the best of Indian fashion, jewelry, accessories, home decor and traditional arts and crafts. Then, we place orders which get shipped to our warehouse in New Delhi. All merchandise goes through an organized process where it is quality-checked, sized per U.S. standards, priced, photographed on models, described by our editorial team, and then the sale is uploaded per a schedule. The customer-facing activity of marketing, PR and promotions happens from our office in New York, where we promote and market the sales/brands. Every day we introduce 3-6 brands/sales, and each last for 5-7 days, so at any given point fo time you will find 12-15 brands live. “Our customers currently are in the U.S., so once we get orders, we package in the warehouse in Delhi and ship directly to customers’ doorsteps. We also have a free return policy — if you are not satisfied or it does not fit, each item qualifies for a free return. Our goal is to get the best of India, right to your doorstep and to make sure our customers are 100% satisfied.” With a staff of 50+ in India and 10 in New York, the company is still growing rapidly, Moorjani said. It has even begun sourcing from Indian-inspired brands in the United States, such as Bibhu Mohapatra, Prabal Gurung, Waris Ahluwalia, and shipping from the New York office, located in bustling Union Square. If that process isn’t impressive enough, Moorjani also told us that the startup is helping grow small businesses around India. “Local ‘karigars’ (artisans) who [previously] relied solely on demand generated by patrons living only in close proximity, now have new channels of distribution and exposure to global markets via us,” she said. “Exclusively.In has not only tapped into this channel, addressing latent demand for Indian products in the West, focusing first on our beachhead market in the US and then expanding into other international markets, but we are concurrently creating momentum and demand for other Indian high-end designers who now have patrons in the U.S.” Visiting Exclusively.In’s New York office, I was greeted by a passionate team with the credentials to back up their mission. Benefiting from the growth in private sale sites and driven by a clear mission to offer up the best of India, these entrepreneurs are bound to make waves in whatever they set out to do. If you’re itching to sign up for Exclusively.In, use this invite code and get started. To keep up with the company, you can follow its blog, Twitter updates or Facebook Page, as well. Do you think niche private sale sites, like Exclusively.In, can carve out sustainable and valuable positions among the big players, including Gilt Groupe and Ideeli? Let us know in the comments. Exclusively.In Homepage Exclusively.In introduces 3-6 new sales to its site every day, and each sale lasts for 5-7 days. An Exclusively.In Sale on Frontier Saris Each sale generally features one brand or a collection of items from various brands. This sale, for example, features saris from fashion company, Frontier. Co-Founders Sonny Caberwal and Sunjay Guleria Each of Exclusively.In's co-founders bring a specific skill to the table. Sonny Caberwal (left) is an ex-lawyer and entrepreneur having launched another company in the past, while Sunjay Guleria (right) brought his extensive Internet experience with him, having previously founded a company that was acquired by AOL.Image courtesy of Maureen Pitz, 2010 Co-Founders Anu Duggal, Sunjay Guleria and Nirbhika Moorjani Dressed to impress at Exclusively.In's launch party, co-founders Anu Duggal, Sunjay Guleria and Nirbhika Moorjani are all smiles. Duggal brings extensive experience in the hospitality industry to the startup.Image courtesy of Maureen Pitz, 2010 Co-Founder Nirbhika Moorjani Trying on Tribal Jewelry Prior to co-founding Exclusively.In, Nirbhika Moorjani was the CEO of India's largest multi-brand fashion retailer, Kimaya. Her retail experience and relationships with Indian designers are huge advantages for the fledgling startup.Image courtesy of Exclusively.In, 2010 Exclusively.In's Launch Event at The Pierre, New York Exclusively.Ins's June 2010 launch event was held at The Pierre, New York, a luxury hotel owned by Taj Hotels of India.The event showcased pieces that the team had collected from India, as a little taste of what would be sold on Exclusively.In.Image courtesy of Maureen Pitz, 2010 Gold Bangles from Jaipur Some of Exclusively.In's most stunning pieces are the handcrafted accessories, like these gold bangles from Jaipur, often referred to as the Paris of India.Image courtesy of Maureen Pitz, 2010 Customers Looking at Payal Singhal and Anaikka Along with sourcing from smaller local artisans, Exclusively.In features some of India's top designers, such as Payal Singhal and Anaikka.Image courtesy of Maureen Pitz, 2010 Customers Admiring Jewelry from Jaipur At its launch party in June, Exclusively.In was well-received by attendees, signaling good things to come for the startup.Image courtesy of Maureen Pitz, 2010 Silver Bangles from the Heart of India You can never have enough bangles.Image courtesy of Maureen Pitz, 2010 Co-Founder Sunjay Guleria in His Delhi Office Sunjay Guleria is based out of Delhi, where the main back-office and warehouse are located.Image courtesy of Sumit Roy, 2010 A Story Board at Exclusively.In's Delhi Warehouse Most items featured on Exclusively.In are sourced from India. When they come to the warehouse in Delhi, they are photographed, sized, written about, packaged, and shipped.Image courtesy of Sumit Roy, 2010 Setting Up for a Photo Shoot A photo shoot isn't complete without styling and makeup. Here, a model is prepared for her shoot in the Delhi warehouse.Image courtesy of Exclusively.In, 2010 A Makeup Station at an Exclusively.In Photo Shoot The models on Exclusively.In are absolutely stunning. With natural beauty bountiful, they also get a little help from expert stylists.Image courtesy of Sumit Roy, 2010 A Photo Shoot at Exclusively.In's Delhi Warehouse Lights, camera, action!Image courtesy of Exclusively.In, 2010 A Photo Shoot at Exclusively.In's Delhi Warehouse A look at the other end of the camera.Image courtesy of Sumit Roy, 2010 Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. Reviews: blog More About: bizspark, exclusively.in, india For more Startups coverage: Follow Mashable Startups on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Startups channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Mozilla’s Creative Genius Seeks to Transform Health Care with New Startup Posted: 14 Dec 2010 07:04 PM PST Aza Raskin, Mozilla’s renowned creative director, is leaving the non-profit foundation behind Firefox to revolutionize a different industry: health care. Raskin joined Mozilla in 2008 when he was hired away from Humanized, a design startup he co-founded. He has since become the driving force behind many of Mozilla’s most prominent projects, including Ubiquity, Firefox for Mobile and Tab Candy/Panorama. He is one of the most respected experts in his field. Starting January 1, 2011 though, he is taking that expertise to Massive Health, a new startup he is co-founding to bring a “design Renaissance” to the health care industry. From his blog post announcing his departure: “Each of us has a unique ability. I want to use mine—the knowledge to make products which are disruptively easier and more enjoyable to use—to change people's lives. Life-changing not in the sense of a new social website or better email, but in making people's lives materially better by helping them get and stay healthy. Anyone that's been sick, overweight, or had to deal with a doctor knows that health is a field in dire need of humane design.” The startup boasts A-list investors (yet to be revealed) and two co-founders, Sutha Kamal and an unnamed co-founder we are told is Atul Varma, whom we worked with at Humanized and Mozilla. We’ll be watching this startup very closely. Reviews: Ubiquity More About: Aza Raskin, Firefox, jetpack, Massive Health, mozilla, Tab Candy For more Startups coverage: Follow Mashable Startups on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Startups channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Multiple Gmail Accounts Just Got a Lot Easier to Manage Posted: 14 Dec 2010 04:47 PM PST Google’s announced yet another awesome Gmail feature today. Called e-mail delegation, the feature will allow you to easily manage multiple Gmail accounts without signing in and out of Gmail and switching accounts manually. Originally, e-mail delegation was useful for granting others access to your primary Gmail account — personal assistants, for example. With today’s changes, this basic feature is going to be more useful for any Gmail user with multiple accounts of his or her own. When you sign into your primary Gmail account, you can choose to grant access to another account. Just navigate to your Gmail settings by clicking the link in the top right corner of Gmail’s web interface. Under the Accounts tab, there’s now a new section entitled, “Grant access to your account.” Here, you can add any other Gmail accounts you control to your primary Gmail account. When you add an account, you’ll have to accept access from a verification e-mail sent to the to-be-added account. Once the account is successfully added, you can simply toggle between your Gmail accounts without logging in and out. Also, when you send a new e-mail message while signed into a secondary account, your primary address will also appear in the e-mail details. The Mashable staff will find this particularly useful — will you? Let us know in the comments. Reviews: Mashable, gmail More About: e-mail, gmail, Google For more Tech coverage: Follow Mashable Tech on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Chevy Volt Electric Cars Hit the Streets Posted: 14 Dec 2010 04:16 PM PST The first Chevy Volt electric cars are now making their way to consumers. Executives at GM promised the Volt would be available for sale by the end of 2010, and starting this week, 350 vehicles have rolled out of the company’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant, on their way to eagerly waiting buyers in New York, California, Texas and Washington, D.C. The vehicle will retail for about $41,000, but with a $7,500 tax credit, its price will be $33,500, close to the price of its hybrid car competitors. A national rollout of the Volt will begin 18 months from now. The vehicle can travel about 35 miles on battery power, and then a gasoline-fueled generator kicks in, giving it a total range of less than 400 miles. Executives at GM say the car will get the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon. I’ve driven the 2011 Chevy Volt, and found it to be an exceptional car. Its acceleration was surprisingly powerful, with a tremendous kick of torque, a characteristic of electric motors. I especially like its huge video screens with their gorgeous graphics, excellent Android OS integration, and helpful OnStar navigation, with a real person assisting via a cellular wireless connection. This car’s 35-mile electric range will be just right for those of us with short- to medium-range commutes to drive to and from work without using gasoline. Sounds great, and they’re on sale — if you can get one. Now if GM could just build more of them — one GM executive said there will be just 60,000 of them built in 2012 — maybe economies of scale can bring the price down to a more affordable level. More About: Automotive Technology, cars, Chevy Volt, Electric Car, GM, rollout For more Tech coverage: Follow Mashable Tech on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

New Widgets Let Any Website Offer Local Shopping Options Posted: 14 Dec 2010 03:30 PM PST Local shopping engine Wishpond has launched three customizable widgets for publishers, brands, and merchants that will instantly give sites that embed them a local commerce offering. A fashion blogger, for instance, might embed a widget with a product field pre-populated so that readers can find local merchants for a specific item nearby. Brands can embed a widget that allows site users to find their product at local merchants, and merchants can use the widget to allow customers to search its inventory. The widgets are also compatible with platforms like Facebook, Twitter, iGoogle, LinkedIn, and Ning (on Facebook and Twitter, a link opens to the widget). The move will help Wishpond differentiate itself from a growing number of services like shoplocal.com and TheFind Local that help connect shoppers with local merchants, as well as larger companies like eBay and Google, that have expressed an interest in local shopping. EBay recently acquired Wishpond competitor Milo for $75 million, and Google launched its “blue dot” feature, which designates products in stock at local stores on its product search, in March. Wishpond is the first local shopping search to package itself as a widget, and it’s smartly looking to position itself as a platform rather than a website. Other possibilities for its now open API include integration with location-based games, comparison shopping sites, and search engines. CEO Ali Tajsakandar didn’t reveal any details about what the next move might be, but did cryptically note that Wishpond is in talks about these kind of partnerships with “some companies that you are quite familiar with.” Try out the widgets here. Reviews: Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, eBay More About: ebay, Google, local shopping, local shopping search, milo, startups, widget, Wishpond For more Startups coverage: Follow Mashable Startups on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Startups channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

MTV Launches Music Discovery Tool for Up-and-Coming Bands Posted: 14 Dec 2010 02:58 PM PST MTV launched into the music discovery space today with the unveiling of its MTV Music Meter, which provides music lovers with news and info about up-and-coming acts. Yes, you heard that correctly — up-and-coming musicians, not Justin Bieber nor Lady Gaga (those artists have actually been excluded from the site). For this project, MTV worked with music intelligence company EchoNest to develop an algorithm that combs through blogs, social media, video and more traditional metrics (like radio plays and sales) to determine which bands are receiving the most attention on any given day. Fans can click on any band to listen to 30-second sections of songs (via Rhapsody), watch music videos, see photos, read tweets about that artist as well as news and bios, and find bands that are similar to the artist in question. (You can only listen to 30-second clips right now, but in the future Rhapsody users — and other music subscription service users — will be able to listen to full songs as MTV adds more sources for tracks.) Users can also search for any artist — even those who aren’t all that buzzy — and delve into news, music and check out artists of the same ilk. “One of the ways MTV has helped people find great music is through curation,” says Shannon Connolly, VP of digital music strategy. Now, she says, the network can help people get access to more bands, more easily — especially bands who might not be able to get on-air play in traditional settings. According to MTV, this tool is currently only available as a website and as part of the forthcoming MTV Music ID pack from Sprint, but should be coming to iPhone and Android devices by the year’s end. At this juncture we cannot help but think of Billboard’s recent partnership with New Big Sound and the launch of its “Social 50 Chart.” A refresher: Next Big Sound is a tool that gauges the popularity of bands and artists via fan activity on a variety of social networking sites. Billboard is currently using stats collected from NBS to compile its weekly chart, which shows which artists are hot in the social media realm. “The traditional methods of measuring artists popularity are somewhat antiquated,” Connolly says, mentioning how MTV could, in the future, track such things as Foursquare checkins to measure concert attendance. It’s no longer about album sales alone, anymore — it’s about engagement. The fact that such established music information sources as MTV and Billboard are now gauging artists’ popularity by their social media cache really highlights how important a strong online presence has become for an artist’s success. Reviews: Android, Rhapsody, foursquare, justin bieber More About: Billboard, echonest, mtv, mtv-music-meter, music, music discovery, next-big-sound, rhapsody For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

JCPenney Sets Up Shop on Facebook Posted: 14 Dec 2010 02:39 PM PST JCPenney has set up shop on Facebook, allowing consumers to buy the company’s clothes and tell their friends about it. The retailer worked with Usablenet on the site, which also lets users “like,” share and review products. JCPenney currently has 1.3 million fans on Facebook. The company moved closer to Facebook integration in October when it began running Facebook “like” buttons in its banner ads. JCPenney’s not the first retailer to sell its wares on the world’s largest social networking site. 1-800-Flowers started offering Facebook-based transactions last year and in August, Delta Airlines began letting users book tickets from its Page. Procter & Gamble also runs an e-commerce site on the network. Reviews: Facebook More About: e-commerce, facebook, jcpenney, retail, shopping, Usablenet For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Linking the Real World to the Web: 3 Emerging Technologies Compared Posted: 14 Dec 2010 02:16 PM PST Hamilton Chan is CEO of Paperlinks and Paperspring. Through its iPhone app (previously featured as the #1 New & Noteworthy free app in the iTunes store) and QR web platform, Paperlinks makes context sensitive marketing plug-and-play for small, medium and large businesses. No longer tied to a desktop browser, we now demand access to a broad range of information anytime and anywhere via our smartphones. This has created the opportunity for new technologies to facilitate our connections between the physical world and the digital one. Where there were hyperlinks in monitors to provide us information, now there are “real world links,” jump-points like billboard QR codes that are embedded in our daily surroundings, linking us to context-sensitive web content. In the past few years, three different technologies have emerged enabling such real-world linking through the capabilities of our smartphones: quick response (QR) codes, near field communication (NFC) tags, and visual recognition technology. Just on the horizon of mainstream use, these technologies have the potential to significantly improve the way we drive consumer interaction with physical goods, motivate foot traffic into and around retail stores, and interact with the world around us. QR codes, NFC and visual recognition technology each pose individual advantages and shortcomings that the savvy marketer must understand in order to leverage them properly. Let's take a look at each option. Quick Response (QR) Codes Technical Details: QR codes were originally developed in 1994 to track automotive parts efficiently by Japanese company and Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave. The open sourced code was designed to be scanned rapidly in any orientation. Every smartphone operating system has access to free QR decoders, and one can generate QR codes for free through numerous sites. QR codes need to be approximately one square inch in size in order to be scanned by a smartphone six inches away. Pros: QR codes are quick, cheap and easy to deploy. These codes take a split second to generate on a computer and can be displayed on screens or in print without any special manufacturing process. Free QR reading apps are readily available and simple to use. Cons: It remains to be seen whether consumers will adopt the behavior of taking out their smartphones to scan a QR code. There is also no standard QR reader across mobile platforms, which can confuse QR newcomers. Potential Uses: With their precision and inexpensive deployment, QR codes could trigger the following use cases: Imagine a friend arrives at your house with a box of cupcakes. You love the cupcakes so much that you scan the QR code on the side of the box and order a batch to be delivered to your office. The context-sensitive real-world link enables a sweet impulse buy. Watching a match at a tennis tournament as a fan, you scan the QR code in your program booklet in between sets. A special promo offer for 50% off tennis racket appears. From your seat in the stands and motivated by your environment, you order a racket online. Near Field Communication (NFC) Tags Technical Details: Near field communication technology works by creating a connection between two chips using high-frequency transmission through the air. As long as the chips are within four inches of each other, a connection can be made and data can be transferred. With NFC chips built into smartphones, consumers can wave their phone at an NFC tag and obtain context-sensitive information. With the impending launch of the NFC-equipped Google Nexus S phone on December 16, expect NFC to take a substantial step into the mainstream. Pros: NFC is easy for consumers; just wave your phone near a chip, and digital content is unlocked. The process is not dissimilar to unlocking a car equipped with remote keyless entry. The speed and ease of use of this technology make the likelihood of user adoption for specific use cases extremely high. Cons: Because of the moderate expense of printing NFC chips, this technology is more likely to be used by large companies in high-recurring scenarios rather than small to medium-sized businesses. The current lack of NFC-equipped phones and real-world NFC chips means marketers will reach a relatively small audience when deploying this bleeding-edge technology today. Potential Uses: With the frictionless processing of waving a smartphone in front of a link, NFC would be ideal for the following use cases: Paying for a latte? Instead of swiping your credit card, simply tap the smartphone you are likely already holding onto the NFC reading terminal and your payment is complete. Walking through a subway terminal, riders can tap their phones at the NFC reader on the turnstiles to pay and be granted access. Visual Recognition Technology Technical Details: Visual recognition technology relies on visual cues and patterns to identify specific objects and match them with Internet content. Scan an object through the camera on your phone, and your phone will recognize the object and provide additional information, without the assistance of tags or barcodes. Google Goggles is probably the most recognized implementation of this technology. Pros: Unlike QR codes and NFC chips, Visual Recognition technology does not require the manufacturing of any type of tag. This reduces expense and makes its reach nearly limitless. Cons: Visual recognition technology is the slowest and least reliable technology of the three in this article. Cataloging visual identifiers for real-world objects at different visual angles is a mammoth task, and decoding these identifiers can be a relatively slow process on the phone. Potential Uses: Scan the Eiffel Tower with your phone and obtain Wikipedia-like information about this historic artifact. Scan a company's billboard advertisement and be prompted to make an appointment or purchase with the promise of a special deal. The Takeaway Each of the above technologies carries its own benefits and obstacles, depending on the intended application. Marketers would be wise not to focus all their efforts on one technology, but rather to experiment with the different capabilities afforded by each of these transformative technologies. While it is uncertain which real-world linking technology will ultimately gather the greatest mainstream support, one thing seems for sure: the connection of real-world items to specific Internet content is only a short distance away. More Tech and Business Resources from Mashable: - What Does Web Design Say About Your Small Business? - 5 Design Trends That Small Businesses Can Use in 2011 - 10 Free WordPress Themes for Small Businesses - 5 Beautiful Tumblr Themes for Small Businesses - 10 Free Drupal Themes for Small Business Image courtesy of Flickr, CoCreatr. Reviews: Flickr, Internet, Wikipedia More About: business, google goggles, location, MARKETING, near field communication, nfc tags, qr, QR Codes, small business, tech, technology, visual recognition technology For more Tech coverage: Follow Mashable Tech on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Gmail Now Lets Users Restore Deleted Contacts Posted: 14 Dec 2010 02:08 PM PST In a nod to human error, Google is now letting Gmail users reverse any changes they’ve made to their contacts over a 30-day period. That means if you’ve gone on a regrettable contact-deleting binge within the past 30 days, you can go into your Gmail account and restore the desired version of your contacts list. It’s a relatively small change, but one that — like the ability to “unsend” an e-mail — gives wide berth to user error and even intentional missteps. This new feature will also come in handy if you’re trying to switch devices and sync contacts but accidentally end up deleting contact information from your Gmail account. To try the feature out, just go to Gmail's Contacts section and click on the “More actions” menu. From there, you can select "Restore contacts.” When you do, you’ll see a dialog box a lot like this one: When you select a time frame, all of your Gmail contacts will be restored exactly as they were at that time. Any new contacts you’ve added since then won’t exist, and any contacts you had deleted will be back again. You can also undo a contacts restoration, if you like. What do you think of this new Gmail feature? Reviews: gmail More About: contacts, e-mail, email, gmail, Google For more Tech coverage: Follow Mashable Tech on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

The First iAd for iPad Has Arrived [PIC] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 01:37 PM PST Apple is rolling out its first iAd for iPad, a full-screen ad for Disney’s TRON: Legacy, according to an Apple rep. Though the rep declined to elaborate, the TRON ad will run on iPad apps like TV Guide and includes close to 10 minutes of video, images from the movie, a theater locator with showtimes and a preview of the movie soundtrack with the option to purchase on iTunes without leaving the ad, according to a report in Advertising Age. Apple introduced its iAd mobile advertising platform on iPhone in April. The company’s position, articulated by CEO Steve Jobs, is that consumers are looking for an advertising experience within apps, rather than just search. According to a report published earlier this year, Apple charged upward of $1 million and as much as $10 million to be one of a few select advertisers to use the platform. Disney was among that group when iAds went live on the iPhone in July. Broader rollout of iAds for iPad is expected early next year. More About: advertising, apple, iAd, ipad, MARKETING, tron legacy For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

So You Got an Android Device This Holiday Season: Now What? Posted: 14 Dec 2010 01:24 PM PST This post is part of the Mashable 10, Mashable’s gift guide of the 10 hottest gadgets that our editors think should be on everyone’s wish lists this holiday season. If you were lucky enough to receive one of those gifts, our handy quick start guides should get you up and running. To view the entire gift guide, click here. If you got (or are about to get) an Android device as a gift this holiday season, you’re probably experiencing equal parts excitement and sensory overload — especially if, like many Android owners, this is your first smartphone experience. With the amount of apps, games and accessories available for your Android device, it’s easy to get lost in the mass of options: Which ones are the most fun? Which are the most useful? Which are right for you? We’re here to help you. Here’s a concise list of the Android apps and accessories that we couldn’t live without. We use them every day or almost every day, and we think you’ll get a kick out of them, too. Android Accessories As far as accessories are concerned, the possibilities are nearly limitless. Given the wide range of Android hardware, we can’t specify a single manufacturer of cases; however, to protect your new gadget, you should definitely get something to shield your device from the ravages of nature, your purse or your own butterfingers. Make sure you’re also protecting your camera’s lens; one little scratch could mess up your photos. When it comes to earbuds, however, we’re liking the audiophilic lineup from Beats by Dre. Also, Skullcandy earbuds are a good-looking option and perennial favorite among lovers of color and inexpensive gadgetry. However, for the serious audiophile, only the super-spendy ‘buds from Etymotic will do. Android Apps: Fun and Games Androids are the ultimate device for mobile photography, gaming and audio and video recording and playback. Here are a few of our must-have apps. DoubleTwist is a great (and free) tool for music playback and iTunes importing. You can actually use it to wirelessly sync all your iTunes music and videos with your new Android device. Vignette takes the best pics of any app out there, hands down. It’s worth the download price of approximately $5, especially if you’re using one of the higher megapixel models. You’ll love Vignette’s wide range of effects and options, and so will your friends on Facebook and Flickr when you share your snaps with them. Angry Birds is, love it or hate it, the casual gaming sensation of 2010. And its Android app just got a massive upgrade last month. Lucky you. Kindle for Android is a must-have for all you readers out there. It’s free to download, and you can download free or paid books anytime, anywhere, thanks to your handy 3G connectivity. Pandora for Android is another great app for music fans, and it’s an essential for current Pandora users. It’s free to download, and you’ll get Pandora’s typically awesome experience, including stations and album art displays. Android Apps: Getting Social More and more social media companies are taking the Android platform seriously. We’re seeing great native apps with more frequent updates all the time. And if your favorite service doesn’t have an Android app, a third party probably provides a decent connection. Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter all have excellent official, native apps for Android. In fact, Facebook’s app, once a pain, has now become an incredible boon and a pleasure to use. Search for them in the Android Market; they’re all free to download. BoothDroid is a great app if you’re into photobooth service DailyBooth. It’ll let you snap, upload and browse images to your heart’s content. SpringDroid is a relatively new, still-in-beta app for Formspring users. The addictive, anonymous Q&A site hasn’t yet released an Android app of its own, but SpringDroid steps in with quite a few cool features for asking and answering questions. Android Apps: Work and Productivity All play and no work makes Jack and Jill too broke to pay their phone bills. Here are some apps to keep you productive, efficient and connected when you need to be. Google Maps for Android is a lovely reminder that one of the best mapping platforms is from the same company that makes your phone’s software. The excellent driving and walking navigation and constant roll-out of upgrades and improvements will keep you punctual for important meetings. TasKiller is the app you turn to when your phone’s running slow because you’re running too many apps. It’ll quick zap all the open, running-in-the-background applications for a swift return to the speed you need. Firefox Mobile is the most exciting thing we’ve seen in mobile web browsing. Our favorite feature is its desktop-to-phone syncing, which lets you move from your desk out into the world without breaking the stride of your online workflow. More Tips? If you’ve got other apps and accessories to share, please do so in the comments! We’d love to know what Android peripherals you just can’t live without. More Android Resources from Mashable: - 10 Amazing Android Photographs - 8 Best Android Apps for Photo Editing - 10 Best Multimedia and Entertainment Android Apps - 10 Fun Casual Games for Android Phones - 15 Awesome Android Accessories Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alexsl Reviews: Android, Android Market, DailyBooth, Facebook, Flickr, FormSpring, Foursquare, Pandora, Twitter, iStockphoto More About: android, gadgets, mashable 10, mashable 10 quick start, Mobile 2.0, mobile apps, smartphone For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

10 Creative Uses of the New Facebook Profile [PICS] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 12:45 PM PST Facebook users are showing off some serious creativity by taking advantage of the new profile page photo layout. French artist Alexandre Oudin (below) has been identified as the creator of the craze, and more and more designs are now emerging. People have been playing around with their profile pics since Facebook first launched, but the new redesign allows for some inspired fun including clever animations, typography and photography magic. Have a look through our gallery of 10 of the best new Facebook profile pic hacks and share any cool creations that you’ve seen in the comments below. And if you’ve been getting crafty with your profile, we want to see it! 1. Alexandre Oudin The French artist credited for starting the craze, Oudin's Magritte-inspired profile puts the "fun" in the new Facebook. 2. Nir Refuah Nic Refauh is a VP of creative at McCann Digital. He's certainly put his creative skills to good use on his Facebook profile page. 3. Jason Reddit user LockesKidney has used food as the inspiration for his pic hack. Now that's what we call a "decent portion." 4. Thibaut Le Brasseur Pac-Man, the perennial geek favorite, has invaded Thibaut Le Brasseur's profile page to great effect. 5. Ouri Stopek Ouri Stopek's playful profile features lasers firing across the screen. Pew-pew! 6. John Robert-Nicoud The sweetest offering of the lot, this profile creates a tender portrait using a photo montage. 7. Antony Legrand Antony Legrand's illustrated example shows you don't have to use photographs to create a memorable profile page. 8. BestBuddies DogBoutique This Florida-based company uses a Facebook profile as its business Page, but still knows how to have fun with the design. 9. Jayden Tan Jayden Tan takes the face-hack idea a step further by adding extra images for even greater impact. 10. Jon Yang We've saved our favorite for last with Jon Yang's genius use of the format. Now that's a slam dunk! More Social Media Resources from Mashable: - 10 Cool Facebook Status Tips and Tricks - 6 Reasons Why Social Games Are the Next Advertising Frontier - 3 Things Brands Must Do to Reach Millennials Online - How Social Media Can Help With Your Long Distance Job Search - 4 Awesome Photo Sharing Alternatives to Flickr and Facebook Reviews: Facebook More About: facebook, galleries, gallery, hack, List, Lists, social media, trending For more Social Media coverage: Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Social Media channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Google Voice Search Now Learns From Your Speech Patterns Posted: 14 Dec 2010 12:38 PM PST Google Voice Search just got significantly more accurate. Now the free app will learn how each user talks over time, gradually building a customized voice model that enhances its recognition accuracy. Available for two years, the iPhone and Android versions of Google Voice Search do a respectable job recognizing speech on mobile devices — it even recognizes Chinese — but it’s not perfect. Each person speaks with such different speed, volume and inflection, accuracy is a challenge, especially when using a single voice model for all speakers. Google says this new version does a better job of solving that problem. According to the official Google Mobile Blog, “Although subtle, accuracy improvements begin fairly quickly and will build over time.” Voice Search accomplishes that feat by recording each word its user speaks, then matching that speech with words it correctly recognizes, gradually learning from its mistakes. Google satisfies privacy concerns by making it easy to turn off this recording capability. The new personalized version of Google Voice Search is now available for download for smartphones running Android 2.2 or above. Let’s hope the iPhone version is forthcoming. Reviews: Android, Google More About: android, Android apps, apps, downloads, google voice search, updates For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Introducing Mashable’s Senior Editor: Charlie White Posted: 14 Dec 2010 11:37 AM PST We are pleased to announce that veteran online and print journalist Charlie White has joined Mashable as senior editor. Bringing with him three decades of professional experience and a passion for testing the latest social media innovations, gadgets, consumer electronics products and digital video equipment, White will contribute to Mashable’s growing digital verticals, as well as oversee the site’s weekend coverage. Based in Milwaukee, White joins Mashable from NBC Universal’s Tech Goes Strong, where he was tech editor. He previously worked at Gizmodo as senior associate editor and NBC Universal’s DVICE as deputy editor. In addition, he’s written for a number of magazines, including Wired, Popular Science and Maximum PC. White has started his role with Mashable this week. We encourage you to follow him on Twitter @Charlie_White. Mashable has grown significantly as a company in the past year. With more than 10 million monthly unique visitors and offices in New York City and San Francisco, we're delighted to welcome White to our team as we continue to expand. Reviews: Mashable, Twitter More About: charlie white, mashable, staff For more Tech coverage: Follow Mashable Tech on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

5 New Online Services Perfect for Small Businesses Posted: 14 Dec 2010 11:10 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. When you think of online destinations for professional purposes, social networking sites tailored toward business users — like LinkedIn — probably come to mind. Savvy small business professionals will find, however, that a crop of new startups offer them access to fresh technologies that help with professional networking, research, influence and community building. While you’ve likely never heard of the startups listed below, each is gaining traction from early adopter audiences and is building consumer-facing products easily applied to common small business tasks. Some, especially Stipple and Marginize, could even help improve traffic to your site and engage visitors longer with more compelling reasons to stay put. 1. Hashable If you’re looking for a new way to stay networked in today’s digital world, check out Hashable. The private beta startup offers a unique and potentially time-saving approach to professional networking, allowing users to document and track their real-world connections on site, through e-mail or via Twitter with hashtags. Say you had a coffee meeting with a new business connection — you could tell Hashable to track the relationship with a simple tweet such as: “#justmet @jbruin and look forward to her response cc @hashable.” The same logic applies for introductions, so if you want to formally introduce people on Twitter, your tweet would read something like: “#intro @friend1 meet @friend2. you guys should connect to discuss biz opps cc @hashable.” You can use Hashable to document any and all types of real-world exchanges with hashtags such as #meeting, #breakfast, #lunch, #dinner, #drinks, #coffee, #golf, #tennis, #brunch and #thanks. The startup is currently in invitation-only mode. Should you follow Hashable on Twitter, the team will likely give you immediate access. 2. Stipple You can use Stipple to add people, place or product tags to the photos you publish on your site. The idea is to give site owners the tools to add relevant and contextual information and ultimately create an interactive layer on top of photos. Small businesses can install a WordPress plugin or add a bit of code to their websites to begin tagging photos. Merchants should be especially keen on the tool as it presents a way for them to use their blog to highlight merchandise, stores or employees on photo mouse-over. At the very least, Stipple offers you a way to engage website visitors and customers with fun and interesting photo information. 3. Qwiki Qwiki transforms static information from multiple data sources into a cohesive, interactive video narrative. The startup aims to reinvent the way people experience information, and the product makes an excellent alternative online research tool for professionals. Qwiki is also working on additions for social media users and small businesses. Soon you’ll be able to create your own video Qwikis for two distinct purposes: a personal Qwiki that merges your social media data into an embeddable video profile or a merchant Qwiki that aggregates reviews on your business from third-party sites like Yelp. The startup is coming out of private alpha in mid-December. If you’re not a member already, you’ll definitely want to take a look at Qwiki once the startup opens it doors to the public. 4. Storify New private beta startup Storify allows users to pull together content from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and other social networks to build an interactive story. The idea is to give users the tools to create and curate cohesive narratives from the social web. For the small business professional, Storify represents a quick and easy way to piece together social content to tell the story of your business or event. For example, Klout, the site that measures Twitter and Facebook user influence, uses Storify to highlight results from Klout’s Twitter contests or recap event happenings in story form. Storify could also help you enhance your own brand and influencer status. The curation aspect makes it a convenient tool for adding social commentary to important news stories or compiling status updates from fellow professionals in your field. This is one of those startups with endless applications only limited by your imagination. To request an invite, send an e-mail to info@storify.com. 5. Marginize Marginize builds tools to let users check in to websites to view existing social content and add comments that can also be shared with social networks. Marginize’s site checkins are very much like the checkin features of location-based mobile applications — users are even awarded badges for their behaviors — but applied to websites instead of venues. Anyone can download Marginize’s browser extension, login via Facebook, Twitter or Google Buzz and check in to any website or add social commentary to the mix. The appeal for small business professionals, however, is that the startup offers a publisher tool for website owners to make Marginize features native on their site — the Marginize tab will appear to all users whether they’ve installed the browser plugin or not. Publishers can also incentivize checkins with rewards. The parallels between location checkins and site checkins are obvious. Marginize, and competitors like Badgeville, could facilitate a new social frontier for small businesses, helping them drive traffic and better engage the users that stop by their sites. Small businesses should certainly explore site checkins — this is a growing trend that’s bound to pick up even more steam in the coming months. More Business Resources from Mashable: - HOW TO: Define a Social Media Strategy for Enterprise - Social Media Success: 5 Lessons From In-House Corporate Teams - HOW TO: Get the Most Out of a Coworking Space - How the Fortune 500 Use Social Media to Grow Sales and Revenue - Beyond Viral: How Successful Marketers Are Embracing the Social Web Image courtesy of iStockphoto, nico_blue Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Google Buzz, LinkedIn, Twitter, WordPress, Yelp, YouTube, iStockphoto More About: business, hashable, List, marginize, qwiki, small business, startups, stipple, Storify, web apps For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Google Voice Arrives on iPad & iPod Touch Posted: 14 Dec 2010 11:00 AM PST While you won’t be able to walk around with your iPad on your ear like a giant phone, you will be able to use Google Voice to send and receive text messages and enjoy other Google Voice features with your Apple device. The new Google app is now available for iPad and iPod touch. It will let Google Voice users access their accounts from connected devices, get and send SMS texts, receive push notifications for new SMS messages and voicemail — basically everything except make voice calls directly from an iPad. However, users still will be able to use Google’s Click2Call feature in a rather roundabout way. You’ll be able to use your Apple device to initiate Google Voice calls by clicking the “Call” button in the app [iTunes link] on your iPod touch or iPad, then selecting which of your phones you want to ring. The app will then call your phone and connect your call. It seems complicated, but we’re sure there are a few cases where this feature would come in handy. The Google Voice app has had a troubled history where Apple devices are concerned. After being banned from the App Store altogether in 2009, Google worked around this roadblock with an HTML5-powered web app earlier this year. And there was also a string of third-party Google Voice apps that made their way into the App Store. The official, native app finally became available for iPhone just last month. Here’s a look at the app on an iPod touch. Let us know what you think in the comments. Reviews: App Store, Google, Google Voice More About: Google Voice, ipad, iPod Touch, mobile app For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

LinkedIn Reveals the 10 Most Overused Job-Hunter Buzzwords Posted: 14 Dec 2010 10:14 AM PST LinkedIn has just posted the 10 most overused, tired and trite buzzwords that get slapped onto resumes and professional profiles around the U.S. and 11 other countries. According to our LinkedIn profiles, a great many of us tend to describe ourselves as motivated team players with extensive experience. Ironically, “innovative” is the second-most clichéd word found in LinkedIn profiles. You’d think we’d be able to be more innovative with our vocabularies, no? Sadly, those of you who took a more creative approach to describing yourselves have been penalized in the past as well. All the LinkedIn “ninjas” got called out earlier this year along with “evangelists” and “gurus” for using these rising menaces of career-oriented buzzwords. Still, the most common words in LinkedIn profiles are less flashy and more conservative. We’re calling ourselves “motivated,” “results-oriented” and “problem solvers.” And this isn’t just in the U.S.; words like “motivated” and “dynamic” popped up as the most overused terms from Brazil to India. Compelling descriptions, headlines and keywords are some of the most important aspects for job hunters to consider when creating and editing their LinkedIn profiles, and it’s one of the easiest aspects, too — much easier than getting a slew of recommendations or spending quality time on the site’s Q&A section. In the comments, we’d love to get your tips and suggestions for finding and using better self-descriptors on LinkedIn, resumes and other professional networks. What unique terms do you use to describe yourself professionally? Image courtesy of Flickr, socialisbetter Reviews: Flickr, LinkedIn More About: buzzwords, career, job, jobs, linkedin, resume For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Yahoo Set to Make Major Staff Cuts [REPORT] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 10:02 AM PST Yahoo may lay off as many as 650 of its employees in its products unit starting today. With more than 14,000 staffers, the termination of that many employees would account for a 5% reduction in staff for the company, which has been trying to find ways to trim costs and battling near-constant rumors of its demise. The New York Times reported the layoff rumor Monday night, citing unnamed sources, but Yahoo has not officially confirmed or denied the layoffs. Cuts of that magnitude would certainly signal the pressure Yahoo is under to cut costs and spur growth. Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz recently implied that the company has failed to keep up with the changing Internet environment. “She says that part of the company's strategy right now is to provide ways for Yahoo users to interact in social fashions,” Mashable’s Jennifer Van Grove reported from the Web 2.0 Summit last month. Bartz also said at the Web 2.0 Summit that despite the company losing a number of senior managers, it still has a lot of fascinating jobs and technical problems that interest people. Reviews: Internet, Mashable More About: carol bartz, layoffs, rumo, Yahoo For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Top 10 Movies for the Modern Tech Geek Posted: 14 Dec 2010 09:59 AM PST The Digital Entertainment Series is supported by the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10, the seriously entertaining smartphone that knows how to have fun. Check it out here. It’s a great time to be a tech geek with a love for the cinema. Not only is film technology evolving at a breakneck pace, the subject matter for films is also targeting tech audiences in a more nuanced, fulfilling way. The gaze in which technology enthusiasts are portrayed in film has changed too. The archetype of the “hacker” or “computer enthusiast” is still here, but in the best films, that archetype has evolved. We set out to make a list that represents the current landscape of the film industry and technology. You won’t find films like War Games, Hackers, The Matrix or The Net on this list. Whatever the respective merits of those films are (or aren’t), they’re not an accurate representation of where film and technology are today. In no particular order, here are 10 of the best movies for modern tech enthusiasts. 1. TRON: Legacy When the original TRON was released in 1982, it was a breakthrough not only in how computers were portrayed on screen, but how computers and technology were used in the creation of motion picture. That didn’t mean that TRON received a warm reception. As writer/director Steven Lisbeger told us last month, TRON was shut-out from the technical categories at the 55th Academy Awards because “what we did was considered cheating.” Twenty-eight years later, the technical reception for TRON: Legacy is quite different. As Mashable’s Zachary Sniderman wrote in his review for TRON: Legacy, “The film is beautiful, and to see it in motion does the design work more justice than words.” Combining not just a technical story, but also 3D visuals a la Avatar and CGI motion-capture technology from the same company that did the visual work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, this film is incredibly advanced. In its story and its execution, TRON: Legacy is the sort of film that tech geeks yearn to see. It hits theaters on December 17, 2010. Photo Credit: Walt Disney Studios 2. The Social Network When it was first announced that a “Facebook movie” was going into production, the world scoffed. When The Social Network was released this fall, we stopped laughing. Perhaps more than any other film to date, The Social Network effectively captures the experience of hacking code. The film is about much more than just the website Facebook, but by the same token, it still manages to effectively bring the online experience to the big screen in a way that accurately portrays the reality of the experience — something past films like The Net and Hackers just never achieved. The film has already been honored by the National Board of Review and we expect to see the names David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin and Jesse Eisenberg pop up throughout award season. Photo Credit: Merrick Morton 3. Iron Man/Iron Man 2 Historically, some of the best comic book films are also great tech films. Think about it; the gadgetry of Batman, the mutated abilities of Spider-Man or the X-Men and the extraterrestrial powers of Superman are all really well suited for the silver screen. That said, one of the most impressive comic book films in recent years was Iron Man. It and its sequel Iron Man 2 manage to appeal to the die-hard comic book/tech geek, while still resonating with mainstream audiences. Plus, Tony Stark and Stark Industries have some of the coolest gadgets around. In fact, aspects of the Stark character are purportedly based on a real tech titan, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison! Watching Iron Man 2, who didn’t want a go with Tony’s personal communicator? I know I did. Iron Man and Iron Man 2 are available on Blu-ray and DVD. Photo Credit: Industrial Light & Magic / Marvel 4. Inception Christopher Nolan is a geek’s geek. From Memento to The Dark Knight to Inception, he manages to create films that are intelligent, thought-provoking and not quite what you would expect. We think Inception is one of the best films of the year. The film has many technical elements, but this is the sort of film that is more about the puzzle, rather than the gadgetry. Still, the visuals, the music and the overlying subject matter — which the nature of the film necessitates we not spell out — makes this one of the best science fiction thrillers to come out in years. Inception is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures 5. Avatar Not only is Avatar the most successful motion picture of all time, it’s also one of the most technically impressive. Using a 3D camera system pioneered by director James Cameron, Avatar manages to toe the line between animation and live action in a way like never before. The story is secondary — Avatar is all about the journey. The visuals of the film, especially in 3D, go beyond what we can express in words. Avatar, like Star Wars before it, has set the tone for how technology will be used in film going forward. Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox 6. We Live in Public In her award winning documentary, We Live in Public, Ondi Timoner profiles Josh Harris, a dot com millionaire from the Web 1.0 bubble. Harris, who the film bills as “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of” was truly ahead of his time in his business plans for video and social communication over the Internet. Harris was also ahead of his time when it came to living out his life in public. Long before Facebook, YouTube and Twitter made sharing personal photos, videos or missives commonplace, Harris was living out his life in avant-garde public displays and streaming that content online. Consequently, Harris also experienced the downside of living so publicly long before the privacy implications of Facebook became front page news. Photo Credit: WeLiveinPublictheMovie.com 7. WALL-E WALL-E, the story of a lonely, forgotten robot who loves Hello, Dolly! and manages to find love — and life — is one of Pixar’s best films. Almost completely free from dialogue for the first third of the film, it’s incredibly impressive visually. Its story, which some criticized as being a morality play, is thought-provoking, especially in the context of how technology can make things easier, but also make living less of an experience. For tech geeks, the Easter eggs scattered throughout the film — from the technology of the past to the Macintosh start-up sound — just round out this very cool film. Photo Credit: Disney/Pixar 8. Collapsus Collapsus.com is one of the most impressive film projects we have had the pleasure to run across. Its press kit describes itself as “a new experience in transmedia storytelling that combines interactivity, animation, fiction, and documentary.” The film is an exploration of the imminent energy transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. Its plot reads like something out of a cyberpunk novella, which in and of itself, would probably make for interesting tech geek viewing. What makes the film — an the entire project — so far beyond that is the way in which the material is created and brought together. Tommy Pallotta, who produced Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly and co-developed the rotoscoping animation technique of those two films, is the director of the project. Produced by SubmarineChannel, this is a project worth keeping your eye on. 9. Minority Report We debated including Minority Report on this list, but more than eight years later, the film continues to influence the technology we use and develop. What made Minority Report so striking in 2002 was its realistic and quite frankly, reasonable projection of how the world would look in 2054. From tablets with instantly changing/updating content, to touch- and motion-based UI controls, to stores that greet you by name and ask about your last purchase, very little about Minority Report, except perhaps for the precogs themselves, seems unreasonable. Steven Spielberg worked with technology innovators and researchers when creating the film and designing its interfaces. Beyond that, it’s impossible to deny the influence Minority Report has had on consumer electronics and industrial design in general. Photo Credit: DreamWorks 10. 2001: A Space Odyssey Stanley Kubrick is the quintessential auteur; like Fellini, Hitchcock and Allen, his vision permeates every aspect of the final product and his style is unmistakable. This is true of nearly every Kubrick film, but it’s particularly true in the context of 2001: A Space Odyssey. An expansion of Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s short story, “The Sentinel,” Kubrick co-wrote the script with Clarke and set out to make, in his words, “the proverbial great science fiction film.” Released in 1968 after five years in development, the film wasn’t exactly a hit with audiences or critics. Decades later, it is considered one of the most influential and important films in modern history. Its portrayal of the computer HAL, in many regards, shaped how computers and the overarching ideas of technology would be portrayed in cinema. The thing about 2001 isn’t that it was especially prescient, certainly not in the way that Minority Report is. It’s very much a product of its time. Still, the film encapsulates the wonder of technology and raises questions about how machines intersect with our lives. The film had a tremendous amount of influence on directors of the post-New Wave era of cinema, with filmmakers like George Lucas, Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg all citing 2001 as key sources of inspiration. Its influence, especially when you look at films like WALL-E and TRON: Legacy, still continues today. Photo Credit: Everett Collection Your Picks So what are your picks for some of the best modern (or even classic) films for tech geeks in 2010? What films have you seen that best capture what it means to love technology? Let us know in the comments! Series Supported by Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10 The Digital Entertainment Series is supported by the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10, the seriously entertaining smartphone that knows how to have fun. Check it out here. More Movie Resources from Mashable: - Does "TRON: Legacy" Deliver the Goods? [MOVIE REVIEW] - How Social Media Is Changing the Way Movies are Promoted - 5 Mobile Apps for Finding Great Movies - 10 Mobile Apps for Movie Addicts - Using Film to Change the World Reviews: Blu, Facebook, Internet, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube, batman More About: 2001: a space odyssey, avatar, collapsus, Digital Entertainment Series, entertainment, Film, inception, iron man, List, Lists, minority report, Movies, tech films, the social network, tron legacy, wall-e, we live in public For more Entertainment coverage: Follow Mashable Entertainment on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Entertainment channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Go Daddy Super Bowl Ad to Hype .Co Domains Posted: 14 Dec 2010 09:56 AM PST Go Daddy will use its 30 seconds during next year’s Super Bowl to promote the .co domain, with lots of skin, of course. The domain registrar, which has advertised in the big game since 2005, hopes that viewers will flock to websites ending in .co, and then spur a new round of buying. Since dot CO launched in July, about 500,000 have been registered. Go Daddy and partner .CO Internet S.A.S. sell the domains along with Register.com, Network Solutions and others. An estimated 100 million people are expected to watch the Super Bowl on Fox on February 6. Thirty-second spots are going for around $3 million. Go Daddy, which produces its own ads, plans to feature Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels in the ad, but isn’t giving any other details about it. More About: .co, advertising, domain registrars, godaddy, MARKETING For more Business coverage: Follow Mashable Business on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Business channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Win a Holiday MashPack With 19 Tech Prizes & Kobo eReader [GIVEAWAY] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 09:55 AM PST This year, Mashable has been getting into the holiday spirit by talking about the most gift-worthy gadgets available and inviting readers to get together at Mashable Holiday Meetups. But what spreads holiday cheer more than the gift of giving? That's why we're giving away a MashPack filled with social media and tech prizes every weekday through Friday, December 17. A different grand prize will be added each day, getting bigger and better as we get further into the holiday season. Today’s grand prize is a Kobo Wireless eReader, complete with eBooks chosen by Mashable staff. You’ll find a list below detailing the 19 other fantastic prizes in today’s MashPack — and see information on how to win. Yesterday’s MashPack went to Vanessa Williams from from Bethlehem, Pa. (Congratulations, Vanessa!) For those who didn’t win yesterday’s prize pack, go ahead and try your luck today. Happy holidays from Mashable! How To Win Today’s MashPack Tweeting for today’s MashPack will end Wednesday, December 15 at 12 p.m. ET. Please use your real identity in the submission so that we may contact you via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook to let you know that you’ve won. We’ll contact the winner after the contest closes. The contest is limited to those 18 and older in the U.S. For contests and prizes, also make sure to “like” us on Facebook. Kobo Wireless eReader & Mashable-Picked eBooks Today’s grand prize is a Kobo Wireless eReader. Weighing less than 8 ounces, the Kobo is compact and easy to tote around. With 1 GB of memory, you can carry up to 1,000 titles — your first 21 of which have been chosen by Mashable staff, thanks to Kobo’s recently launched eBook gifting service. Here’s what we picked for today’s MashPack winner: The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick (from Lauren Indvik), Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (from Kate Hayden), American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (from Brett Petersel), Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel by Gary Shteyngart (from Sarah Kessler), A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays And Arguments by David Foster Wallace (from Erica Swallow), Life by Keith Richards (from Todd Wasserman), The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (from Brenna Ehrlich), Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (from Josh Catone), The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt (from Karen Hartline), Storyteller: The Authorized Biography Of Roald Dahl by Donald Sturrock (from Christina Warren), Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations by Simon Rich (from Jolie O’Dell), One Day by David Nicholls (from Lauren Rubin), Half Empty by David Rakoff (from Evan Wexler), Ophelia Joined The Group Maidens Who Don’t Float: Classic Lit Signs On To Facebook by Sarah Schmelling (from Jennifer Van Grove), Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (from Ben Parr), How The Mind Works by Steven Pinker (from Matt Silverman), The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (from Jay Irani), The Botany Of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View Of The World by Michael Pollan (from Charlie White), The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (from Ada Ospina), 1776 by David McCullough (from Emily Banks), Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (from Meghan Peters). Phosphor E-Ink Watch Phosphor’s new World Time Curved E-Ink digital is on the cutting edge of time telling devices. It has a dual time zone display and provides a selection of 24 time zones. This means you can chose one of the 24 zones for the main display, while displaying a second time zone simultaneously. The watch can also be configured to display just the time of day or both the date and time in either over-sized or conventional-sized segments. There are five total display options. It’s curved case is sleek and ultra-thin, measuring 9.3mm thick. The Phosphor World Time Curved E-Ink watch’s assortment of different functions and display modes can’t be beat! Sony MHS-TS10 Bloggie Touch HD Camera Sony’s Bloggie Touch camera captures Full HD video and 12.8-megapixel still shots with the simple touch of its single record button. The large touch screen showcases your photos and videos, which are stored on built-in memory. Its size makes it readily available from your pocket or purse, and you can easily upload your photos and videos to your favorite social networking sites while you’re on the go. Aperion Audio: Audio Link The Home Audio Link (HAL) by Aperion transmits high-quality uncompressed audio up to 100 feet. This means you can stream music from your computer, home theater, MP3 player or any other audio source to almost any speaker system in your home — wirelessly! With additional HAL receivers, you can stream a single audio source to up to three listening zones, giving you true whole-house audio without running wires across rooms. iPom The iPom from Speakeal is a 2.1 stereo speaker system that plays music from a USB Memory stick, SD cards or any other music device that has a 3.5mm output, such as an iPod. You can adjust the volume and which song you’re listening to just by touching the device. It has three speakers that are strategically positioned for 360 degree sound separation and distribution. Bass is adjustable and the airflow design is optimized for consistent sound performance. It has a 3.5mm AUX input jack to connect to your TV, gaming Console, MP3 player or other music sources. It comes in several colors for brightening up your listening experience! Griffin Technology PowerDockDual Your iPad and your iPhone (or your iPod) get seats of honor in PowerDock Dual’s built-in charging dock, while the valet dish is a resting place for your change, keys and whatever else might live in your pockets. It has an AC power supply with four international plug adapters, 10 watt (2 amp) charging for your iPad and 5 watt (1 amp) charging for your iPhone or iPod. The screens and speakers are unobstructed while the batteries get charged, so you can listen while you watch. It’s perfect side table entertainment! Griffin Technology AirCurve Play The AirCurve Play acoustically amplifies the speaker of your iPhone without batteries, cables or electricity. It collects the sound from the built-in speaker of your iPhone, amplifies it in a built-in coiled waveguide, and projects it out into the room. AirCurve’s transparent polycarbonate body lets you appreciate the waveguide’s graceful curves, inside, that do all the work. Its internal engineered waveguide requires no power, making it a perfectly portable audio/video conference phone, and self-contained music player and video viewer. Caseable Custom-Designed Mashable Laptop Case Caseable, a startup based right in Mashable HQ’s backyard — Brooklyn, New York, creates handmade, customized cases for just about any size laptop or tablet. You can get any look you’d like by handpicking your colors for each detail — even the zipper! Caseable made specialized 15-inch Mashable cases exclusively for our holiday MashPack winners. They’re quite snazzy, if we might say so ourselves. Picaboo Madison Photobook Picaboo photo books can be fully customized by dragging-and-dropping photos and captions anywhere on your pages. You have complete creative control with powerful-yet-simple editing options. The Madison’s heavyweight, archival quality lay-flat pages are ideal for highlighting panoramic, two-page spreads, and the paper's pearlescent sheen coating adds a luminous glow to your photos. The elegant custom cover features a photo of your choice under a protective laminate and a full-grain glove leather wrap around the spine and back cover is available in five colors. Skullcandy Earbuds Skullcandy headphones are known for their funky fashion and durable design. Their style is in line with an impressive list of celebrities who endorse the brand, including rap czar Snoop Dogg; snowboarding legends Terje Haakonsen, Mark Frank Montoya and Devun Walsh; skate pros Lizard King, Theotis Beasley and Greg Lutzka; surf rulers Mick Fanning, Owen Wright, Kolohe Andino, the Gudauskas brothers, and Clay Marzo; as well as free-ski greats Tanner Hall, Kaya Turski, and Tom Wallisch. Merkury Innovations Universal Square Stereo Speakers The Universal Square Stereo Speakers are just one example of Merkury Innovations’ fun and stylish electronic accessories. These battery-free speakers will work with audio devices featuring a 3.5mm audio jack. The slim design and exciting metallic colors can complement any decor. Their compact size make them convenient for toting from room to room in the house or packing up for a friend’s party. Ben Folds’ Lonely Avenue Deluxe Album Lonely Avenue contains 11 new songs featuring music by Ben Folds with words by Nick Hornby for what The Huffington Post calls “one of the most interesting collaborations of the year.” This special deluxe edition includes the album on CD and vinyl, four short stories by Nick Hornby and 15 images by acclaimed photographer Joel Meyerowitz, all in a hardbound, 152-page book. Hard Candy iPad Case Hard Candy Cases merges fashion and function to distinguish and protect mobile phones and now tablets from the wear and tear of daily use. It’s one of the fastest growing brands in the Apple accessories industry with distribution in the United States, Singapore, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, France, Puerto Rico, Thailand, Indonesia, Ireland, UK and Malaysia, among others. ZAGGsparq 2.0 The ZAGGsparq 2.0 is a mobile device charging unit that plugs into a standard outlet and provides two USB ports to plug devices into. When it’s unplugged, the ZAGGsparq 2.0 carries four complete recharges, so even the most power-hungry smart phones can live on while you’re on the go. It can be used for just about everything portable and chargeable, be it a cell phone or a hand-held gaming device. It also works with iPad, bringing it from 0% to 60% at the same rate as the iPad wall charger. Desk Pets Skitterbots The Skitterbot is a speedy legged robot that travels at one foot per second and is controlled by a unique patent pending five button USB remote controller/charger. Made by Desk Pets, it moves forward, backwards, turns left and turns right and stops. The Skitterbot comes in four different colors and four different frequencies, so they can race, battle and explore together. Thirty minutes of charge gives you 15 minutes of play. Power Support USA iPad Leather Sleeve Constructed with premium quality leather, the Power Support USA iPad sleeve protects while complimenting the aesthetics of the device. The sleeve’s soft inner lining prevents scratching while using this sleek carrying case. Its clean design and superb manufacturing techniques make for high-quality iPad protection. Power Support USA iPhone 4 Anti-Glare Films Power Support USA films protect your iPhone 4 screen from scratches, dirt and dust while reducing glare, fingerprints and smudges. It’s specially formulated to be compatible with retina display and resist glare and fingerprints while protecting your screen. The static cling adhesive film leaves no residue if film is removed. Power Support USA iPhone4 Designer Collection Cases Power Support has teamed up with cutting-edge designers Tibi, Rachel Pally and Rory Beca to create a set of super stylish air jackets. Measuring under 1 mm, the jacket snugly hugs the back of your iPhone 4. You can keep your phone protected from dings and scratches while looking fashionably fresh with the Power Support Designer Collection. It’s a win-win for any iPhone 4 owner! Smartfish ErgoMotion Laser Mouse The Smartfish ErgoMotion Laser Mouse isn’t your average desktop mouse. It provides the fluid, air-like comfort of the patented ErgoMotion pivot system. The mouse pivots with your natural wrist movement for comfortable and relaxed flexion, preventing cramping, fatigue and injury while promoting comfort and productivity. Like and Dislike Stamps Preloaded with ink good for 5,000 assertions, the Like and Dislike stamps let you make your opinion known on tangible things in real life. The idea for the stamp was born in summer 2010 after a joke image of a wooden-handled “Like Button Stamp” circulated on the web. Soon after, the Jailbreak Collective and Nation Studio in the U.K. collaborated to create real Like and Dislike stamps. It’s a formidable duo of approval and distaste. Twournal Twitter Journal Twournal allows you to create, buy and sell Twitter books printed from your tweets. All Twournals have color covers, can include replies and Twitpic/Tweetphoto/Yfrog pictures in color or black and white. You can choose a custom picture for your front cover. Select which tweets you want to start and end at. And you can add a dedication message to appear after your title. Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, TweetPhoto, Twitpic, Twitter More About: contest, ereader, gadgets, giveaway, Holiday, mashpack, prizes, tech For more Tech coverage: Follow Mashable Tech on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Tech channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

Visa Brings Local Deals to iPhone Posted: 14 Dec 2010 09:48 AM PST Visa has announced that its official iPhone application is available for free in the iTunes App Store. It’s completely in step with other popular consumer apps, as it’s heavy on deals and location-based technology. Each user automatically receives customized offers, which are stored in the app and can be redeemed online or in brick-and-mortar stores. The app [iTunes link] gives its users a handy map and directions for locating retail outlets where they can redeem their offers, and it will also help Visa cardholders find nearby ATMs. At launch, Visa is working with about 50 hand-picked retailers to bring special deals to Visa account holders via the Visa iPhone app. Participating merchants currently include 24 Hour Fitness, Meineke, New York & Company, Holiday Inn, Hard Rock Café and Zales. As far as customization goes, users will be able to select from a handful of categories to tailor the offers they get; verticals include purchases such as clothing, jewelry, travel, dining, entertainment and other retail goods. And account holders with Visa Signature cards will get extra special offers in addition to the offers available to all Visa account holders. ] While we were expecting something a bit less trendy and a bit more techie from the credit card company — something like what Visa did for New York City subway riders, perhaps — Visa’s first official iPhone app is a decent starting point. What do you think of Visa’s iPhone app at the outset? Is this something you’d use, yourself? And what do you want to see from Visa in the future? More About: App, Commercial, iphone, Mobile 2.0, retail, Visa For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

QR Code Scavenger Hunt Offers Ford Fiesta as Prize Posted: 14 Dec 2010 09:39 AM PST Whether it’s Angry Birds or Foursquare, we at Mashable love to play games on our mobile devices. Which is why we were excited to hear that Neatorama and mental_floss are hosting a QR code-based scavenger hunt in New York City next week — and that they’re giving away a brand new Ford Fiesta as the prize. The hunt begins at four different locations — the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and in the East and West Villages — starting at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, December 21. Both @neatorama and @mental_floss will tweet the precise starting locations from their Twitter handles at 10:30 a.m. that day. When participants arrive at the first location, they will need to scan the QR code to get the clue for the next location. Including the starting point, there will be four stopping destinations altogether. Monitors will stand by each of the codes to make sure they are not defaced, so that the next people to come along can continue the hunt. Although only one person will win the car, random prizes will be given out by monitors throughout the event to make it a more enjoyable experience for all who participate. When asked why Neatorama and mental_floss decided to use QR codes instead of, say, Microsoft Tags or Stickybits, organizer David Israel said they wanted to make the hunt as accessible to as many people as possible — not just those who owned smartphones. “Furthermore, people can use whatever QR code reader they want, and they’re nearly all free to download,” he added. Tell us: Does this kind of game appeal to you? If you live in NYC, do you plan to participate? Disclosure: Ford is a sponsor of the Mashable Awards Image courtesy of Flickr, clevercupcakes Reviews: Flickr, Twitter More About: mental_floss, Mobile 2.0, neatorama, NYC, QR Codes, scavenger hunt For more Mobile coverage: Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter Become a Fan on Facebook Subscribe to the Mobile channel Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

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