Twitter opened up Twitter Liststhis week, allowing users to create their own “follow lists” of their favorite Twitter accounts. Todd Zeiglertallied the early stats this morning and found that – yowzers – our own humble @mashableaccount was the second most-listed on Twitter, trailing behind @barackobama.Obviously ranking on a list that includes President Obama is more to do with our super-supportive Twitter community than actually having anywhere near the influence of a world leader. And it’s a position that isn’t holding late in the day: as more mainstream users get to grips with lists, we’re already seeing celebrities like Taylor Swift and Ellen rocket up the rankings. The true value of lists, of course, is not overall authority but topic-based influence: who are the best people to follow for info about fly fishing? Or baseball? Or fine wines? Soon, Twitter Lists will tell us.Yes, We PanderThat said, we’re not conceding the race to Obama just yet: We’re in 7,500 lists. Barack is in 10,900 lists. If 3,400 of you were to accidentally go to the Mashable Twitter accountand add us to a list, we’ll include the “War on Fail Whales” in our 2012 Presidential bid. Promise. Image credit: dcumming27 on ObamaiconmeReviews: Twitter
If you’ve hopped over to Google.com this Halloween, you might have spotted the world’s favorite search engine has a special Halloween logo. Actually, it’s not just one logo: clicking on the Google image delivers a series of images related to Halloween candy.Another thing to notice from these shots: Google is trying a new layout with a subset of users that removes the “Search” button entirely, reminding visitors they can just hit Enter to search for something. That’s spookily simple, we think.Reviews: Google
Google Waveis still a new phenomenon in the social media world. There is no Google Wave App Storeyet and the API is relatively new, which means that Google Wave Gadgets are hard to find. The crux of Google Wave is the extensions/apps or what Google Wave is calling “Gadgets”. Embedsand robotswill have their place, but most likely not for the common user. Google was kind enough to provide us with the basic gadgets: Google Search Box, Google Maps, Yes/No, and a few others (Google Wave API sample gallery).Are there any productive gadgets out there you are using yet? Do you have any suggestions? I’m definitely a fan of the “Collaborative Sudoku” gadget (direct gadget url), but what’s your favorite Google Wave Gadget?Reviews: Google, Google Maps, Google WaveTags: gadgets, Google, Google Wave, google wave gadgets
As a young child one of my favorite, and yet most feared things, about Halloween trick-or-treating was the house down the street. The family always struck me as other-worldly and every year, without fail, they would decorate their home with spooky decor, flickering lights, realistic cobwebs, and even a few eerie characters hiding out waiting to scare unsuspecting young children such as myself.While it’s probably a little too late for you to add as much spook, gore, and creepiness to your own home this Halloween, we thought it would be fun to look at some of the best decorated homes as seen on Flickr. Each of these 10 photos highlights what we love most about this time of year: creativity, imagination, and fantasy.Of course you probably have a few worthy competitors in your neighborhood, so we encourage you to snap a photo and share it with us in the comments. Plus, if you still need inspiration for your pumpkin carvings, try your hand at these social media options. And if you’re still scrambling for a costume, we happen to love these hallow-memes, but good luck trying to pull off anything remotely as cool as the the real life iPhone costume.SpookiestImage from fetusflusheron FlickrPumpkinrot Scarecrow image from ScareFXon FlickrFront yard cemetery from piratejohnnyon FlickrGravedigger scene from ScareFXon FlickrMost ElaborateBridal group image from DrgnMstron FlickrTom’s Haunted House image from Josh Sommerson FlickrDo come in image from Zombie37on FlickrPure FantasyHalloween on Browning Avenue image from sniderscionon FlickrYour ride is here image from Zombie37on FlickrImage from texas lady bug29Header image courtesy of iStockphoto, 3Djml.Reviews: Flickr, iStockphotoTags: flickr, Halloween, haunted house, Lists, Photos
On October 7th, 2003, Nokia made a splash as it attempted to challenge Nintendo’s dominance of the handheld gaming market. Its entry was the N-Gage, a dual mobile phone and gaming system. However, the funny look it had when you used it as a phone (”taco phone” was a popular comparison), as well a weaker game library doomed it from the start.Today, Nokia announced that it is ending the N-Gage line of phones and games, instead opting to push forward its gaming agenda via the Ovi app store.The move was inevitable, especially as Apple has turned the iPhone into a gaming powerhouse, but we’re still going to miss making fun of Nokia’s Taco Phone. This is our farewell to the N-Gage, which had the right idea but the wrong execution.Image credit: Mushroom and Roostervia FlickrReviews: FlickrTags: apple, gaming, N-Gage, Nokia, ovi
This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.Name: KapitallQuick Pitch: Kapitall is a revolutionary new online investing platform designed to transform the investing experience for the next generation of investors.Genius Idea: Kapitall is an investing platform that takes a visualized, stylized approach to organizing data and information. You canlearn about investing and see charts and data from different companies in a very attractive and easy to use interface.The team behind Kapitall come from companies like THQ, Bloomberg and Apple. If you look at how the Kapitall site works and operates, you can see bits and pieces of those companies’ styles throughout the product. Interestingly enough, Kapitall takes a video game approach to investing.After you sign up for an account (which is free), you enter to the Playground, which features stocks, mutual funds and portfolios that you either have stock in or are interested in. You can move tiles around the screen as well as drag and drop items to and from the Playground.Double clicking on a company brings up its profile. You can view the latest news, current trading data and generate reports comparing the company against others in its sector. In addition to being a good investment research tool, Kapitall also has an extensive learning library that teaches the basics of investing.Currently, you can only invest money in practice portfolios (thus, it’s like an online version of those mock stock market games you might have played in high school economics), but in the future you’ll be able to make real trades through the system.What make Kapitall unique is that it is a very visual way of getting financial information and organizing data. If the X-Box had a stock program, it would look like Kapitall. We await the day when we can make actual investments through Kapitall.Spark of Genius Series Sponsored by Microsoft BizSparkBizSpark is 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.Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platformfor their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest– use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (please see website for official rules and guidelines).”Reviews: PHPTags: investments, kapitall, stock, stock trading
Last week, war erupted between tech giants Microsoft and Apple as the Windows maker celebrated the launched of its newest baby: Windows 7. But while Windows 7 seems to have been a hit, Apple fired backwith its own ad campaign.With Microsoft and Apple making the headlines, we thought it was appropriate to make them the subject of this week’s Web Faceoff, our weekly series where we pit two popular web or tech apps and letting you, the readers, choose the victor. This week’s battle-for-the-ages was between none other than the two hottest OSes on the market: Microsoft Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard.The voting and the comments were heated. Over 7000 votes were cast with less than 400 votes separating to the two operating systems. But in the end, Microsoft was able to outlast the Apple assault. With 3632 votes (50%), Windows 7 defeated Snow Leopard’s 3278 votes (45%). 357 of you (5%) voted that the battle was dead even.Who would win in a fight: Microsoft Windows 7 or Mac OS X Snow Leopard?(survey)While Microsoft can declare victory in this battle, the war clearly isn’t over. There will be more skirmishes between Apple and Microsoft, and we’ll bring them to you in future web faceoffs. Don’t forget to tune in next Monday for the next epic web battle.Web Faceoff: Overall ResultsWeek 1:- Mozilla Firefox vs. Google Chrome- WINNER: Firefox, 4600 votes (Chrome: 3310 votes, Tie: 911 votes)Week 2:- Tumblr vs. Posterous- WINNER: Tumblr, 1809 votes (Posterous: 1496 votes, Tie: 256 votes)Week 3:- Pandora vs. Last.fm- WINNER: Last.fm, 1187 votes (Pandora: 1156 votes, Tie: 122 votes)Week 4:- Twitter vs. Facebook- WINNER: Facebook, 2484 votes (Twitter: 2061 votes, Tie: 588 votes)Week 5:- Wordpress vs. Typepad- WINNER: Wordpress, 2714 votes (Typepad: 267 votes, Tie: 357 votes)Week 6:- Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard- WINNER: Windows 7, 3632 votes (Snow Leopard: 3278 votes, Tie: 121 votes)Reviews: Chrome, Facebook, Firefox, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Pandora, Posterous, Tumblr, Twitter, TypePad, WordPressTags: apple, microsoft, OS, poll, Snow Leopard, web faceoff, Windows 7
Thanks to this week’s advertisers and partners for enabling us to bring you the latest social media news and resources. We’re particularly inspired by those brands that are engaging with our readers as part of our Twitter Brand Sponsorsprogram: Mashable’s sponsors are as social media savvy as our readers!Advertise with us and get noticed.Help us to help you. Mashable is seeking out site sponsors for our large, diverse audience — social media users, venture capitalists, early adopters, developers, bloggers, and many more. You’ll receive hundreds of thousands of views a day in addition to weekly recognition to thank you as our premium sponsors. Are you interested? Contact usfor more information and to receive our media kit and rate card.This week, our valued sponsors are Meijer, Streaming Media West, Grasshopper, MOTOBLUR, Que Publishing, PayPal X Innovate 2009, Conduit,
Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Norman Bates, and Jon & Kate are just some of Hollywood’s most horrifying characters. One of the best things about Halloween is that it’s a perfect opportunity to grab some friends and settle in for a good old fashioned scare in front of the TV, or increasingly, the computer monitor.Although we still think the cineplex is the best way to get your big-league scare-on, the Internet is a full-on treasure-trove of excellent scary content. While it’s true you can buy and download movies online, more and more often, streaming services are offering ways for film fans to tune in to great content for free.Here are ten of our favorite horror movies to watch for free online this Halloween. Some of these services might only work in the US but if you know of any great content accessible to international fans, please let us know in the comments (legal content, only, please!).1. Dawn of the Dead (2004 version)Although most horror remakes pale in comparison to the original, Zack Snyder’s remake of the George Romero classic actually works pretty well. The film offers good scares and great effects and while it doesn’t totally capture Romero’s awesomeness (and, really, what would?), it’s a very solid horror flick.You can watch “Dawn of the Dead” on Huluand check out the trailer below:2. Night of the Living DeadGeorge Romero’s groundbreaking 1968 black and white horror film, “Night of the Living Dead” revolutionized the horror industry and started the whole wave of splatter films that would come to define horror in the 1970s. It’s a classic that still holds up today (even if we are now accustomed to bigger scares) and features Romero’s trademark humor and wit.The film is in the public domain, thanks to the original distributor’s failure to include copyright marks on the film prints. As such, you can download and watch the film for free at the Internet Archive.Check out the trailer:3. The Exorcism of Emily Rose2005’s “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” isn’t a straight horror film, but it does have some great seat-jumping moments. Backed by a stellar cast (Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, and Jennifer Carpenter), the film is very engaging. The fact that it was inspired by a true story adds a whole other dimension to the horror.You can watch the film for free on Huluand check out the trailer below:4. Bram Stoker’s DraculaAlthough some might argue that “The Godfather Part III” is Francis Ford Coppola’s most scary film, the intentional scares are present in 1992’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” The most successful film adaptation of the classic Dracula story to date, the film stars Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder, and Gary Oldman.You can watch the film on Huluand see the trailer here:5. The BlobIf you like campy, gory, B-movie horror, you need to check out Chuck Russell’s 1988 remake of “The Blob.” With a tagline like “Terror Has No Shape” you know you are in for some good, cheesy, horror fun.You can watch the film for free at Crackle.comand check out the trailer here:6. GhostbustersOK, so “Ghostbusters” really isn’t what you would call a horror film, but it has ghosts and ooze and Bill Murray. Plus, they always played the theme song during the Halloween Parade at my elementary school. While it may not technically be horror, it is a Halloween tradition.You can watch the hit movie online at Crackle.comand check out the trailer here:7. The House on Haunted HillB-movie horror legend Vincent Price stars in the 1959 classic, “The House on Haunted Hill.” It’s about an eccentric millionaire who invites five people to his haunted house party. If they can stay the night, they get $10,000.00. Of course, as the night progresses, people get trapped and die. Pure B-movie gold.You can watch the film on YouTubeand check out the trailer here:8. The Last Man on EarthAnother Vincent Price film, “The Last Man on Earth” is about a man who is the sole survivor of a deadly plague. However, he’s not as alone as he thinks — at night the bodies of the dead rise up, thirsty for his blood! The film was remade as “The Omega Man” starring Charlton Heston, but the original Vincent Price version is better.It’s also in the public domain, so you can download it for free at Archive.organd watch the trailer here:9. NosferatuBefore Coppola’s “Dracula” adaptation — heck, before any adaptation — was the 1922 silent film “Nosferatu.” It’s a cinematic classic and still very eerie, despite being such an early film. It’s a must-watch for any fan of horror, or film in general.You can watch it for free at Archive.organd see the trailer here:10. Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock is the quintessential master of suspense and his films like “Psycho” and “The Birds” continue to offer scares and thrills today. However, because he is so renown, most of his content is only available for purchase. However, you can still watch installments of his excellent TV show “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” on Hulu.Check out this preview here:Your FavoritesWhat are some of your favorite horror films available online for free? Let us know!In the mood for more Halloween goodness? Check out our list of social media-themed Halloween pumpkin carvingsor our post on Internet-meme inspired Halloween costumes.Tags: crackcle.com, Halloween, horror movies, hulu, youtube
Today the Bing team announcedsome new updates to Bing for mobile. Although m.bing.comhas always offered a mobile-optimized way to do local searches and view maps, the updates integrate some of Bing’s killer features.Some of the new features include live NFL stats, flight status searches, and an optimized Bing for touch devices like the iPhone, the Zune HD and the T-Mobile G1.Bing has always included the ability to do local searches from its mobile site (something Google added last month) and now they are bringing some real-time data to the mobile site as well.For instance, if you type in an NFL player or team name into the search bar, you’ll get back stats or see upcoming games. If a game is in progress, you can get real-time updates on plays. The NFL feature is only available in the US, but it’s a pretty cool way of getting real-time info quickly. You can also search for an airline and flight number and get the latest departure and landing times.Perhaps the biggest overhaul is for touch devices — like the iPhone or the ZuneHD. Bing mobile now has an optimized interface that is more graphically enhanced than the standard site and also offers some nice touch features for browsing through content.What really stood out to me, however, was just how much better Bing’s results for certain content looked when formatted for mobile as compared to Google. For instance, if I search for movie times in both search engines on my iPhone, I’ll get mobile-formatted results from both devices. However, if I want to see upcoming times for specific films, the experience is totally different.Look at this image to see what I mean:Google hasn’t optimized its actual time showcase for the mobile browser, meaning I have to zoom and scroll in order to see what’s going on. The Bing interface is much much nicer.The only real problem with Bingfor mobile is that most mobile browsers don’t offer any way to change the default search engine. I might prefer to use Bing rather than Google– but on my iPhone, I have to go to the site every time, rather than having access in the search bar.Still, by bringing some of its best features to mobile, Bing might be able to carve out a niche by offering a better experience than Google. What do you think of Bing for mobile?Reviews: Bing, Google, iPhoneTags: bing, bing for mobile, Google, iphone
It appears that the crazy Miley Cyrus fan who created yesterday’s 15 minutes of Internet meme Miley Save Fuzzyis going to be put to the test. In case you missed it, in a somewhat disturbing blog post, the site’s creator says he’ll kill his cat “Fuzzy” on November 16th if Miley Cyrus doesn’t return to Twitter.However, Cyrus, who deleted her accountearlier this month, shows no signs of returning. In fact, she reportedly told a radio stationthis morning that she thinks “everyone should leave Twitter … I think Twitter should just be banned from this universe.”The singer/actress then moved into Ted Stevensterritory, declaring “I’m not a big fan of the Internet anymore.” Perhaps, but I’m not completely buying it. I think that maybe Cyrus realizes that by declaring her dislike of technology she’ll only help drive the sound bite culture that creates online buzz for celebrities. In any event, for the love of Fuzzy, come back Miley!Reviews: TwitterTags: miley cyrus, twitter
The face of the Internet is about to change, and its potential impact on international Internet use cannot be understated.Earlier today, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which governs domains, registrations, Internet Protocol addresses, and many other aspects of the net, voted to approvea fast-track process for implementing non-Latin domain names by early to mid 2010. This means that by next year, you could be seeing domains in Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and dozens of other non-Latin languages.The new domains, which ICANN terms “Internationalized Domain Names” or IDNs, has been something the organization has discussed for several years, but now IDNs have been placed on a fast track process, beginning November 16th. It will involve around 100 new, international characters on top of the traditional 26-character English alphabet.ICANN even takes the time to explain the impact of IDNs with a 7:10 video. In it, people from nations across (along with ICANN President Rod Beckstrom) the world discuss how IDNs will help them use localized keyboards and local email addresses. It’s a bit silly, but it really nails the key point: it’s time to expand domains to the native languages of over half the world. The video is below:Tags: ICANN, IDN, internet
Just about every big brand seemingly has a Twitter presence at this point, but which are generating the most buzz? TweetedBrandsprovides a simple answer to the question, by looking at the brands receiving the most mentions over the past 24 hours.Not surprisingly, Twitter tops the list, and in fact, the first 9 brands listed are all Internet or tech related products. This makes sense – you’re a lot more likely to tweet about the various devices and services you’re using throughout the day than the brand of shoes you put on in the morning (though Nike does rank #36).In that same vein, media companies have a strong representation on the list – Fox is #10, CNN is #11, and Mashable is #13 as of this afternoon. These companies clearly benefit from publishing content – both on TV and the Web – that gets tweeted about. Here’s the full list:As such, TweetedBrands is a fairly superficial measurement of which brands are hottest, but it’s a simple way to see who’s getting the most buzz at any given point in time and perhaps a tool for some healthy competition as brands who deal in the same space compare rankings.For more on how to measure brand performance on Twitter and other social media tools, check out our recent feature “HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI.” (Photo Courtesy of DominusVobiscumon Flickr)[via thenextweb]Reviews: Flickr, Mashable, TwitterTags: social media, twitter
Print might be in trouble, but Esquire magazinewon’t be going gently into that good night. The December issue of the magazine will feature augmented reality pagesthat will come alive when displayed in front of a webcam.Augmented reality is a trend and phenomenon we’re starting to see more and more uses of across the web. In March, GE played with augmented reality while showing off its Smart Grid technology. Earlier this month, musician John Mayer released an augmented reality enhanced music video. The Disney.com iPhone appthat was released earlier this week also utilizes some AR features.Esquire’s use of the technology seems pretty brilliant because the experience alone makes it worth buying a copy of the magazine at the newsstand. The cover, which will feature actor Robert Downey Jr., will emerge on the screen in 3D and feature flying text and images that animate based on how the magazine is positioned.Within the magazine a half-dozen pages will feature AR technology, as well as two ads from Lexus, who helped offset some of the costs of creating the issue. This isn’t the first time Esquire has decided to integrate digital technologies into its print product. Last year, the 75th anniversary issue of the magazine featured digital e-ink on its cover.Editor-in-Chief commented on Esquire’s interest in pursuing digital technologies to the Associated Press:“I got so sick of people talking about old media versus new media. I wanted to prove that print is still kind of cool. I think of it as kind of our job to show people the strength of our medium.”It’s a strategy that might be paying off. Unlike most print publications, subscription and newsstand sales have actually increased (although ad pages are down).If these sorts of digital strategies can keep advertisers and readers interested is still unknown. The December issue of Esquire goes on sale on November 7. What do you think about integrating digital technologies with physical print publications? Let us know in the comments!Tags: Augmented Reality, esquire, magazines, media
