Any hopes that Hurricane Irene might swing further east and somehow avoid smacking into the U.S. along the Eastern Seaboard have nearly vanished. While the storm’s weakened somewhat from a Category 3 (111 to 130 mph winds) to a Category 2 (96 to 110 mph winds), it could well strengthen again before it makes landfall in North Carolina …
Apps & Software
Facebook Adding Vintage Photo Filters Similar to Instagram’s
When Google Plus was first unveiled, lots of photo geeks applauded the social network for its big 2,048 pixel resolution and ease of use. One of the more damning complaints leveled at Facebook was the way it compressed photos, at least until late last year. It was a long overdue upgrade, but along the way, Facebook earned a poor …
Jobs Resigns, Apple’s Stock Drops and RIM’s Goes Up?
Gauging the U.S. stock market’s like refereeing a game of psych-out, so caveat reader, but as short-term signals go, it looks like Apple’s misfortunes—say the world’s most illustrious CEO resigning—are not-so-disguised blessings for Research in Motion.
RIM shares surged more than 2% Thursday morning after the Blackberry …
App of the Week: ‘Greplin’ Searches Social Media on the Go
I got into a bit of a debate with my brother the other day about how reliant we are on technology to go about our day-to-day business. He’s hardly a luddite, but from his point of view, there’s just way too much stuff to keep track of: Email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus… and the list goes on.
Admittedly, he’s right. …
New Springpad Feature Corrals ‘Friends Stuff’ from Facebook
I’m a man of swift, decisive action, with nary a moment to comb through Facebook to round up all the movies, books, music, places, recipes, products, TV shows, bookmarks and fine wines that my friends are bullish on—excuse me, upon which my friends are bullish.
That’s no longer a problem now that Springpad, the self-described “app …
The 9/11 Memorial App Will Only Be Available on the iPad
Who can forget where they were on September 11th? In a few weeks from now, it will be the event’s 10th anniversary, and there will be an exclusive iPad app to commemorate it.
The upcoming “9/11 Memorial: Past, Present and Future” app will be filled with photographs and videos detailing the event, and the creation of the World Trade …
Miramax Embraces ‘Digital Locker’ Concept with New Miramax App [Updated]
Former Disney studio Miramax is following those two companies onto Facebook with the launch of a Miramax app – the Miramax eXperience – for the social networking giant that will allow Facebook users to rent, and eventually buy, movies through the site.
According to Miramax, there are more than 50 million Facebook users who either …
Apple Slides Earthquake Early Warning System into iOS 5
Would a phone-based alert system have saved lives in Japan, had one been available for iOS users when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that raised a wall of water devastating much of Japan’s Pacific coastline hit in early March this year? Apple’s betting yes. Cupertino’s adding a special earthquake notification widget to the Japanese version …
Rain or Shine: Weather Layer Added to Google Maps
Google announced yesterday that it has added a new layer to Google Maps. Now, on top of seeing satellite images and street maps, users can see the weather all over the world as well.
Clicking on a weather icon on the map will also show a four-day forecast, humidity and wind speed with more options to see hourly or 10-day forecasts …
With Electronic Toys, Simplicity Is Everything
Only a weirdo would use a thirty-year-old word processor to get real work done. (I know what I’m talking about: I used word processors back then, and don’t want to go back.) There’s nothing particularly strange, however, about playing thirty-year-old electronic games.
Such as Ms. Pac-Man, for instance, a game that’s still beloved and …
Nielsen Wants to Know How Many People Watch TV on Mobile Devices
While the collective television industry still hasn’t exactly worked out how to successfully move its business online—Hulu? Netflix? Live broadcasts? Some mix of those?—they can rest assured that when they do finally make it happen, someone will be there to tell them how many people are tuning in.
Nielsen has started what it’s …
Google Launches ‘Magnifier’ Blog for Music Discovery
Remember Google Music? You know, the era before Spotify? Google’s launched a music blog called Magnifier to help you discover music that you can add to your Google Music Beta account.
The blog is basically updated every day, spotlighting a specific artist. A couple of songs will be featured, and then each song can be added to your
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