I am new to any yahoo group. I hope I am posting this correctly... I am the proud new owner of a 2007 honda super cub (90cc), imported from japan, i know these are not available stateside, but was wondering... its configuration and style is so similar to the c70, are any of the parts interchangeable. .? does anyone know of any newer super cub groups I could join for more information? ? if posting about a newer bike is a "faux pas" I apologize..I am only seeking information. . Thanks, Pete Hoffecker
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Everyone wants to beat Toyota into the ground lately due to their unfortunate "issues" but let's face it, Toyota has had one of the best reputations for building a quality vehicle in the history of automobiles and that's just a fact. All sticky gas pedal jokes aside, Toyota is still a worthy contender even if Hyundai, among others, are trying to dethrone Toyota of being quality king. What about performance king in the midsized car segment? How about a drag race of Hyundai's newest 4-cylinder Sonata up against what use to be the best selling midsized sedan in the country? We know that a drag race only measures one performance angle but it is a good start.
Check out the video below of the 2010 Toyota Camry 2.5-liter 4cyl vs. the 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.4-liter GDI 4cyl. May I note that it took upwards of 13 seconds for the Hyundai to catch up to the Camry… by then you would have gone past the legal speed limit. Anyway, enjoy the video below.
The first time I tested a Ford Taurus SHO back in the early 1990's I was so enthralled with the car that I picked up my wife and drove it 850 miles to Monument Valley, Utah.
I just picked up the all-new 2010 Ford Taurus SHO and I am so impressed that I wish I could drive the SHO to the moon, that's how much it has been improved since the last generation. Today's Taurus SHO is so much more substantial and luxurious.
The new Taurus SHO delivers on the authentic sleeper sedan formula but adds all-new luxury appointments, convenience features and technologies to an unsurpassed balance of power and fuel economy. This new sports derivative answers enthusiast's calls for a premium Ford flagship with more attitude.
The foundation of the new 2010 Taurus SHO is a 3.5 liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine. This advanced powerplant generates 365hp at 5,500rpm and 350lb.ft. of torque from 1,500 to 5,200rpm, resulting in significantly improved power, flexible torque and fuel economy compared with larger, normally aspirated V8 engines. This also is Ford's most powerful EcoBoost engine.
A key feature of this EcoBoost engine is gasoline direct injection. The direct injection of fuel into the cylinder during the intake stroke, as opposed to port-style injection to an externally mounted intake, produces a well-mixed air-fuel charge. Fuel vaporization during the intake stroke cools the incoming air, improving volumetric efficiency and lowers the likelihood of knock.
The results are improved throttle response, reduced cold start emissions characteristics and improved fuel economy. The cooled charged enables an increased compression ratio, improving efficiency at partial load, while the higher compression ratio allows for better volumetric efficiency under full load engine behavior. You will experience normally aspirated V8 power without compromising V6 fuel economy.
The 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 also uses twin turbochargers and twin water intercooler, as opposed to a single unit. The reduced size of each turbocharger results in reduced internal inertia, allowing this advanced engine to avoid the 'turbo lag' often prevalent in earlier-generation turbocharged applications. From the driver's seat, the rewarding result is linear power delivery across a broad torque band from 1,500 through 5,250rpm. Peak torque building quickly off idle ensures responsive acceleration from a standing start and a big push on your back as you accelerate quicker than you think.
The quick acceleration of the 365hp engine is enhanced with a 6-speed automatic with manual shift and all-wheel-drive. SelectShift provides conventional operation or a manual shift mode that gives you complete control over gear selection. For performance-minded drivers, paddle shifters mounted on the steering column allow 'match-rev' downshifts and will hold manually selected gears for precise control. Intuitively operated, a squeeze on either paddle will deliver an economical upshift under acceleration, while a gentle push forward brings a smooth downshift, synchronizing the engine and transmission speeds for more response and positive engagement. It is smooth and well engineered. You'll really enjoy the dual personality of the 6-speed SelectShift.
Also enhancing acceleration is the unique SHO driveline that is contemporized with the incorporation of a sophisticated All-Wheel Drive System that engages automatically and unobtrusively. The unit contains an advanced array of internal electromechanical clutches to efficiently distribute torque to the wheels with optimum traction. Standard all-wheel drive allows the SHO to efficiently deliver its high performance to the pavement under a wide variety of conditions. With all four wheels turning during a hard launch, the new SHO can accelerate out to 60mph from a standstill in just 5.0sec. That's very fast for a full-size sedan.
The Taurus SHO fully independent suspension and steering have been sport-tuned to give enthusiast drivers more precise control, confident handling, excellent communication and a very compliant ride over rough road surfaces. The Taurus SHO features an advanced electric power assist steering (EPAS) system that provides response road feel and enhanced on-center balance while offering the additional benefit of increased fuel economy. The sport-tuned suspension has uniquely tuned shock absorbers, springs, stabilizer bars and strut mount bushings specifically developed and harmonized to deliver the highest level of Ford DNA road holding, cornering agility and steering responsiveness available in a Blue Oval full-size sedan. Keeping everything up front rigid and tight is a thick strut tower brace.
Taurus SHO takes full advantage of the multi-link SR1 rear suspension design. Named for its 1:1 shock absorber ratio, this configuration provides an inherently stable baseline for the SHO development team to fine tune for enhanced driver control and agility. In addition, the SR1 rear suspension geometry provides increased travel, while enabling the use of standard 19in. and optional 20in. wheels and tires.
For the discriminating automotive enthusiast, Taurus SHO offers an available SHO Performance package consisting of upgraded brake pads, recalibrated EPS for even more responsiveness, a 'Sport Mode' setting for the standard AdvanceTrac Electronic Stability Control and a short 3:16 to 1 final driver ratio for faster acceleration at launch. The package also includes 20X9in. premium painted alloy wheels wrapped with Goodyear 245/45ZR20in. performance compound Eagle F1 tires. That is a lot of tire surface meeting the road during acceleration and cornering.
Quickly slowing the Taurus SHO down from speed are big 13in. vented discs up front clamped with twin 48mm cast iron calipers, while the rear brakes measure 12in. solid discs and are clamped with single 43mm cast iron calipers. Power Assist, ABS, AdvanceTrac and Traction Control work in unison to help with your control of the car when traveling on slick or wet pavement. When braking softly or hard the feel of the pedal was very linear insuring me that the car would be stopping quickly and straight.
A key element of the authentic SHO formula is the subtlety of its unique design cues. Up front are HID headlamps, a uniquely finished interpretation of the Ford signature three-bar grille, wide lower air-intake, chin spoiler to help keep the front end hugging the ground during high-speed cruising, a SHO-specific white LED parking lamp strips, plus a power-dome hood enabling the twin-turbocharged engine to fit neatly underneath.
From the side you see a steeply raked windshield A-pillar, a chrome strip around the greenhouse, pull-out door handles, fender vents with Taurus stamped in the middle, aluminum door sill plates with Taurus inscribed, deep lower side extensions that follow the front fascia through the rear fascia, 19 or 20in alloy wheels and tires that fill up the fender wells. The rear features large, wraparound lamp clusters, a decklid-mounted spoiler, a chrome strip at the center of the decklid cover intersected by a large Ford Blue Oval badge, Taurus and SHO badges and 3in. round twin chrome exhaust tips. The new Taurus SHO is a wolf in sheep's clothing!
The new Taurus SHO interior encourages performance driving. The dashboard and 'eyebrow' shelf reminds me of last year's dual-cockpit Mustang design that adds a sporty touch with the real aluminum trim plates. All of the material is soft and made of high-grade material. Leather-trimmed, high-backed sport seats use Miko Suede inserts made from recycled post-consumer yams from plastic soft drink bottles. The 10-way power seats are well bolstered for spirited driving. The three-pod instrument cluster is straight-ahead and easy to see and is finished with chrome rings as all of the instrument panel controls are. The SHO accelerator and brake pedals are trimmed in aluminum.
Ford engineers and designers have thought it through to come up with a performance sedan that is fun to drive as a proud owner of the all-new SHO.
The all-new 2010 Taurus SHO offers an impressive array of standard equipment including dual power heated memory side mirrors, solar tinted windshield, premium sound system, SYNC Voice Activated System, dual electric auto temperature control, tilt/telescoping/leather-wrapped and perforated steering wheel that feels perfect in your hands, power express up/down front windows, cruise control, variable-rate intermittent wipers/washers, power door locks, reverse-sensing parking sensors, dual map lamps, grab handles above all passenger doors, center console with three cupholders, a deep storage bin with a leather padded top, rear pull-down center console with dual cupholders, dual vents behind the front center console to more quickly bring warm or cool air into the rear, intelligent access door-mounted keypad with push button start/stop, MyKey allows customers to activate a restricted driving mode, persistent Belt-Minder safety belt reminder, audio system volume limits, an earlier low-fuel warning, and consistently-engages AdvanceTrac stability control. The top speed can be limited to 80mph, and speed chimes can be programmed to engage at 45, 55 or 65mph, Easy Fuel Capless Fuel Filler System which is great and makes filling up the tank a hassle-free solution that provides a consistent self-seal after every refueling, Ford SYNC is the full integrated, in-vehicle voice-activated communications and entertainment system that combines 911 assist, vehicle health report and GPS-based features including business search and call completion. SYNC connects to MP3 players, iPods, memory sticks and PDAs. The latest version of SYNC in the Taurus SHO adds traffic directions, and information, providing turn-by-turn route guidance and the capability to access and personalize content. Ambient light system with MyColor allows the SHO driver to program interior lighting from a choice of five soothing colors to suit any character or preference.
Available options not mentioned above include Reverse Camera System that activates in reverse gear projecting on the on the windscreen mounted rearview mirror, adaptive cruise control which allows the driver to set the SHOs cruising speed while using radar technology to monitor traffic traveling up to 600ft. ahead, automatically adjusting speed to help maintain a preset distance between vehicles, Collision Warning with Brake Support works with the adaptive cruise control providing visible and audible warnings when slower traffic is detected ahead. Brake support is activated if the driver does not respond to provided warning, and pre-changes the brake system to prepare the vehicle for stopping. The Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert consists of two multiple beam radar modules, one each per rear quarter panel. When an adjacent vehicle enters the defined blind spot zone, an indicator alert provides driver warning in the corresponding sideview mirror, Cross Traffic Alert uses existing BLIS radar modules to sense oncoming traffic while the SHO is slowly backed from a parking space. When cross traffic appears within three car widths, the system provides a visible message on the instrument panel in combination with a sideview mirror warning and an audible signal. Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion can be specified in conjunction with heated and cooled first-row positions in the new SHO. Multi-Contour functionality provides subtle but continuous massage to help prevent back pain and fatigue and is ideally suited for long-distance drivers. It felt invigorating for me and my driver this week. Voice-Activated Navigation system includes a 10-GB music box hard drive and a single CD/DVD player. When combined with the optional rear camera system, rearview projection appears on the centerstack-mounted navigation screen, the Sony Audio system offers 12-speakers, a digital amplifier, 390-watts of continuous power (RMS) 115 dB of maximum bass sound pressure level and Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound. Finally, an electric sliding sunroof lets more light into the cabin and adds to the ventilation.
Standard safety features include SOS post crash alert system, seatbelt reminder, front and side airbags up front, 3-point safety belts for 5-seats plus front load limiters/pretensioners, front/rear crumple zones, steel beams in each door, safety canopy for both rows of seats, perimeter alarm and tire pressure monitoring system.
I've waited along time for Ford to bring back the Taurus SHO and they didn't fail me at all. The only item I would change would be to lower the front seats to give you a sportier feel, but while this car zooms out to 60mph in just 5sec., it is a high-performance cruiser rather than a high-performance sport sedan. Other than that the car is as close to perfect as can be. The base price of the SHO starts at just $37,170.00 and a nicely loaded model with the sport package that I tested stickered at just $43,050.00, not bad for a high-speed cruising sedan.
COPYRIGHT:2010:HARVEY SCHWARTZ
SPECIFICATIONS
Price: MSRP $37,770 As-Tested $43,050 Type: Large Sedan Where Built: United States EPA Class: Large Cars
Dimensions
Exterior Length: 202.9 in. Width: 76.2 in. Height: 60.7 in. Wheel Base: 112.9 in. Curb Weight: 4368 lbs. Gross Weight: 5600 lbs. Interior Front Head Room: 39 in. Front Hip Room: 56.3 in. Front Shoulder Room: 57.9 in. Rear Head Room: 37.8 in. Rear Shoulder Room: 56.9 in. Rear Hip Room: 55.8 in. Front Leg Room: 41.9 in. Rear Leg Room: 38.1 in. Luggage Capacity: 20.1 cu. ft. Maximum Seating: 5
Performance Data
Base Number of Cylinders: 6 Base Engine Size: 3.5 liters Base Engine Type: V6 Horsepower: 365 hp Max Horsepower: 5500 rpm Torque: 350 ft-lbs. Max Torque: 3500 rpm Maximum Towing Capacity: 1000 lbs. Drive Type: AWD Turning Circle: 39.7 ft. 0-60mph: 5.0 seconds
Fuel Data
Fuel Tank Capacity: 19 gal. EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway/Combined) Automatic: 17 mpg / 25 mpg / 20 mpg Range in Miles: Automatic: 323 mi. / 475 mi. / 380 mi.
Precision Sport Industries (PSI) of Winter Park, FL (Orlando, FL area) gave us the opportunity to have our E46 BMW M3 serviced with the addition of a new suspension kit. I must say, the service and hospitality was as good as it gets. True professionals in a clean and safe shop environment.
We were greeted by 4 workers around 8am Saturday morning to start work installing a full set of coilovers on the M3 upon arrival after our 2 hour drive from Jacksonville, FL. PSI's owners and workers wasted no time in getting the car in the air to commence their work. In a matter of an hour the old suspension was off and the new was on ready for adjustments.
After adjusting the suspension to our likings, the work group started changing the transmission and differential fluids as requested by the vehicles owner. Because the shop was already in such clean condition, you would easily be able to tell if any fluids were dropped on the ground but none were found during or after the service. It was true professionalism from the moment we handed over the keys of the M3 to the time spent with us in test driving the vehicle to ensure that we were satisfied with the finished product.
If you own a BMW and are ever in the central Florida area, then we highly recommend that you give the guys at PSI a chance to work on your car.
About Precision Sport Industries
We are Central Florida's only BMW specific aftermarket tuner. Specializing in forced induction applications and authorized installers of the Active Autowerke full product line.
Providing industry leading attention to detail, and quality workmanship and pride in every car we touch, we continue to raise the bar for aftermarket shops in the area.
Whether you are someone seeking to enhance your car with carbon fiber or exhaust, or the most demanding of owners looking to take your BMW to the next level in horsepower, we hope to become partners in your project.
After a sensational inaugural season, the world's fastest one-make series, the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, has announced its race calendar for 2010, which will commence in April in Hockenheim, Germany. The pan-European series will visit six circuits across the continent, supporting prestigious series such as DTM, FIA GT, Le Mans Series as well as the [...]
Bentley, the British-based manufacturer of some of the fastest and most luxurious cars in the world, will soon be officially represented in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Michael Mayer, Bentley Motors' Regional Director for Europe and the UK, confirmed the decision by handing a letter of intent to Oleg Minchenko of Kazakhstan Premier Metro Group. The new dealership [...]
Now this is job growth in America! Initial group made up entirely of Chattanooga and Hamilton County residents. Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations has hired the first group of production workers for its new manufacturing plant this week. Delivering on the promise of job growth for Chattanooga and Hamilton County, 100% of these employees are [...]
Huge gallery after the jump!The A1 is a true Audi – it is both the premium option and the sportiest automobile in the small compacts class. It comes with powerful, highly efficient engines and an agile chassis, and delights with an emotional design and excellent fit and finish. The A1 has a broad portfolio of [...]
My manual does not give a starting point for the '83 model. But says 2 and a half for an '81. Souns like a good starting point to me.
Scott in az
________________________________ From: bbbill454 <BBBill454@AOL.com> To: Honda-C70@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tue, February 9, 2010 8:20:43 PM Subject: [Honda-C70] Re: 83 Passport carb
Not to hijack this thread...but I have a 83 w 360 miles on it...pulled the carb apart to clean it and removed the stop cap from the air/fuel screw....anybody know how many turns it should be set at?? Cause I'm lost...it seems to add air...not fuel! Thanks for any info and sorry about the thread hijack! William
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First, there was the Google Street View Car, a special vehicle with a 360 degree camera mounted on top, that brings us all that detailed Street View imagery. Then, Google engineers invented the Trike, a tricycle with a camera that can reach all those places where Street View Car cannot go.
Neither of those two vehicles, however, can venture out in the snow, and this is why Google created the Google Street View Snowmobile. Just like the Trike, it was invented by Daniel Ratner, and it was created especially for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, so expect some beautiful imagery on Street View during the event. See a video introduction to the Snowmobile below.
Wow, things really are rolling out fast. After announcing their breakthrough new Gmail feature, Google Buzz, Google is making sure that everything else they do is buzzed (or at least buzzable). Google Buzz for Mobile is already available at if you visit http://buzz.google.com on your iPhone or Android device, but now other mobile apps are getting Buzz support.
First in line is Google Maps 4.0 for Android, which now also supports Buzz and is available in the Android market. We already wrote quite a bit about the location implications of Buzz, but if you’re an Android owner, please let us know how this new feature is working for you.
Now the Muppets, specifically Beaker, Statler, and Waldorf, are taking on YouTube commenters and Diggers with their latest clip, “Beaker’s Ballad,” which is well on its way to becoming a top YouTube video.
The clip pays homage to Internet speak, harsh and angry YouTube commenters, and Digg bait, all while Beaker sings out his ballad. Oh, and a house gets lit on fire.
Google Buzz has arrived. We’re all still chatting about and analyzing Google’s biggest move into social media yet — it’s a top trending topic on Twitter and the big subject in the blogosphere.
While we think a lot more time needs to pass before we know the true implications of Google Buzz, especially whether it will succeed as a product, we want to know right now what you think.
Today’s flash poll is simple: Will you use Google Buzz? After reading the stories and analysis across the web, do you think this is a product you’d use in your daily life or is it something you’ll completely ignore?
We want to know your opinion. Make your voice heard by voting in the poll below and joining the debate in the comments.
After more than a month of proverbial radio silence, news stories by the Associated Press are back on Google News.
The AP and Google have been in talks to establish a new agreement that would allow Google to continue to aggregate and host AP content, but because the AP has adopted a hawkish stance with regards to controlling its content online, Google stopped posting new AP stories in anticipation of a fall-through in talks.
When contacted for comment, Google released the following statement:
“We have a licensing agreement with the Associated Press that permits us to host its content on Google properties such as Google News. The licensing agreement is the subject of ongoing discussion so we won't be commenting further at this time.”
The AP also responded, simply saying that it had nothing to add to Google’s statement.
Last year, AP CEO Tom Curley said of online news aggregators, “We will no longer tolerate the disconnect between people who devote themselves — at great human and economic cost, to gathering news of public interest and those who profit from it without supporting it.” He also said that he and other figures in the journalism industry “must quickly and decisively act to take back control of our content.”
That attitude is obviously in stark contrast to Google’s standard of openness for web content. Even though the AP and Yahoo struck a deal just over a week ago that allows Yahoo to keep posting AP content, we weren’t sure whether or not a Google/AP deal would follow because Google is known for fervently holding the free information line.
If you’re curious what the AP or Google gave up to make the deal happen, you’re out of luck — no details about the deal have been made public yet. Hopefully we’ll find out soon.
We learned earlier this morning that Google Buzz adds a shared social experience — very similar to FriendFeed and Facebook — to your Google contact circle via Gmail. Google also made it very clear that the mobile component, especially around location, is important to the product as a whole.
Location plays a big role in Buzz — we saw this with the introduction of the snap, Google’s answer to the check-in.
That one key feature demonstrates how right we were when we predicted late last year that “everything points towards Google taking big leaps on the location front in 2010,” and that “Google is interested in further assimilating the Latitude and Place Pages products into a more full-fledged location and recommendation service centered around places.”
The assimilation is Google Buzz for Mobile, and the ambitious endeavor is Google’s attempt to catch up to the likes of Foursquare, centralize the location-sharing experience around Place Pages and collect valuable place data. Here we’ll explore Google’s second attempt at getting the location-sharing formula right, and what it means in terms of the bigger picture.
Mobile Feature Run-Down
The mobile experience supports all the following features and functionalities:
Menu: From the Menu page you can search, select Following and Nearby stream options, navigate to My Posts, and view who you’re following as well as who is following you.
Snap to a location: Google Buzz’s version of the place check-in is a snap-to-location feature that lets you associate your physical location in place form with a buzz/status update.
Buzz: The “Share what you’re thinking” buzz box is located atop the My Posts, Following and Nearby tabs, and it’s the quickest possible route to snapping your location.
Once you start typing your buzz update, you’ll notice that a location is automatically associated with that post. If that location is inaccurate, you’ll want to click the light blue box and select the appropriate location from the list of nearby options. At the very bottom, you can also specify if the post is public or private. Once you select a post mode, your buzz is snapped to that location, and shared with Google Buzz users that are following you.
Replies: Right now the autocomplete reply feature supported in Google Buzz via Gmail doesn’t exactly carry over to the Google Buzz for Mobile experience, which means you won’t currently be able to type official replies from your mobile device just yet. You can, however, view replies as they were intended. Also, clicking on the associated user URL will direct you to the mobile version of the user’s Google Profile.
Streams: In the mobile application you have two stream types: Following and Nearby. Both are straightforward stream options.
Buzz Maps: In the Nearby stream, you can click “Buzz map” to view nearby buzz on a map.
Buzz Threads: Any item in your Following or Nearby streams has the potential to become a thread featuring comments and likes. You can moderate comments to your individual Buzz posts. What’s especially interesting about threads is that your check-ins, a.k.a. snaps, can become interactive conversations. That functionality doesn’t exist in location-sharing apps like Foursquare.
Buzz Permalinks: Each individual buzz and its associated conversation has a permalink, which means you can share individual items. If they’re public, anyone can comment on or like shared buzz items.
Place Pages: Every place in Buzz for Mobile is associated with a Google Place Page. Navigating to the Place Pages is a tad complicated at times, but there are a few ways to do it. If you’ve snapped to a location, you can select “Show map” from the specific buzz and click the link for the location. In the Nearby stream view, once you select a location, you can click “More info” to navigate to the Place Page.
Search: You can search all Buzz updates from the people you follow or just those nearby by selecting the search icon.
Is it Foursquare Re-imagined?
The answer to that question is not a simple yes or no, but Google was clearly inspired by the check-in model that Foursquare made popular. Here we will focus on the primary differences between the two approaches.
Snaps are conversations, check-ins are sport: Google’s approach is conversation-oriented. To snap to a location you need to post a buzz, and that buzz becomes the beginning of a potential conversation with friends. There are no points, no leaderboards, no mayorships and no rewards, but that doesn’t mean those elements won’t be added into the mix in the future. Buzz updates snapped to a location will also appear on Place Pages, which will expose them to a much wider audience.
Location-based deals are place-specific, but not tied to snaps: One of Foursquare’s finer features are the official location-based specials and mayor deals offered by businesses to Foursquare users that check in at their locale. While business owners have the ability to create mobile coupons for their Place Pages and promote them, the idea of snapping to a location and discovering nearby deals doesn’t seem to exist.
Place buzz and chatter: Lately we’ve seen Foursquare become a hub of curated content via its media partnerships, which bring in content from respected restaurant review sites (like Zagat), city tourism offices, reality stars, celebrities and fictional characters to serve as a dynamic and pocket-friendly city guide that travels with you. Right now, Google’s not attempting to separate the venue-related chatter from buzz updates that are meant to be recommendations or tips. Buzz for a particular place is mix of all location-shares and could be perceived as lacking the same value as Foursquare tips and to-dos. As a product that aims to reduce noise, this feature doesn’t deliver on that promise yet.
Place Page Significance
One way to look at the location features of Buzz for Mobile is to see as it another way to encourage business owners to claim their Place Pages. Google has been pushingPlace Pages since their launch, and Buzz for Mobile extends the value of those pages. Now all Google Mobile and Gmail users are a few clicks away from Place Pages.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Google has finally found a way to support its own system for status updates and to tie those to physical locations in a potentially mainstream way. We’ve already seen that this data is incredibly valuable, especially to businesses and advertisers, and with every snap and its associated buzz, Google is learning more about what we’re doing and where we’re going.
Is Buzz for Mobile Too Ambitious?
While there are advantages to using the location-sharing functionality of Buzz, the mobile application is bloated with features and will be a challenge for the average mobile user to grasp.
The mobile application is certainly a nice complement to the Gmail experience, providing a convenient way to follow along and contribute to conversations. As a location service, however, Buzz for Mobile is overly complex. For those of you who have latched on to the location-sharing trend, the advantages to transitioning your check-ins from more niche apps with built-in rewards to Buzz are nonexistent at present.
So far, Google has failed to launch a successful social web product to U.S. Internet users. Orkut has taken off in including Brazil and India, but not in North America. Wave is a neat concept, but it has proven too abstract to catch on.
Is Buzz — Google’s new Twitter and Facebook-like social stream — the product that’s going to win Google a dominant — or at least prominent — place in the social web?
That all depends. Integration with existing social networks are critical for Buzz’s success — especially Facebook. I don’t believe Buzz can enjoy significant success without Facebook integration. When Google unveiled Buzz today, it announced that the app will share your Twitter updates with your Buzz followers. That’s great news, but you won’t be as thrilled to learn that (at least at launch) there will be no integration with Facebook at all.
We ought to consider the consequences of Buzz’s relationships with Twitter and Facebook. What are the relationships? Will Buzz, Twitter and Facebook co-exist elegantly or is this a zero sum game with a winner you can place your bets on?
Google Buzz and Twitter: Probable Peaceful Partners
When you post a new tweet using Twitter, Google can import that tweet and send it out to your Buzz followers with the rest of your Buzz updates. You won’t have to jump through any hoops or use any back-door methods to make it happen. Twitter is officially supported by Buzz — the same is true of Flickr, Picasa, Blogger and YouTube.
However, you won’t be able to publish out to Twitter using Buzz, which makes this all seem less useful. And since Buzz won’t aggregate tweets from your Twitter followers (unless you happen to be following them on Buzz and they also happen to be pushing their tweets into Buzz as described previously), you’ll still have to keep both Twitter and Buzz open to reach all your contacts across both networks.
That’s disappointing, but it’s no where near as disappointing as Buzz’s completely nonexistent relationship with Facebook.
Google Buzz and Facebook: Cold Shoulders
While Buzz and Twitter have some connectivity, there’s none at all between Buzz and Facebook. Buzz doesn’t import your Facebook status updates. It doesn’t post updates to your Facebook feed. It doesn’t display your friends’ feed updates. There’s no Facebook Connect integration at all. When asked about it this morning, Google said it has nothing to announce at this time.
Google is going to have a difficult time building a userbase when everyone who has a Facebook profile (that’s just about everyone who uses the social web at all now) is concerned that they can’t see their friends’ updates. They’ll have to keep using Facebook to stay in touch with their Facebook friends.
With more than 400 million users, Facebook is the world’s largest social network; Twitter by contrast has only 18 million or so. Gmail’s unique visitors numbered around 36 million as of last year. Clearly, Facebook is dominating. Google is attempting to challenge that dominance with Buzz, but Facebook is at the same time planning to move just as aggressively into Google’s territory.
It was recently discovered that Facebook will eventually launch its own webmail service. You can already send messages to e-mail addresses from Facebook, but the execution isn’t as smooth as it needs to be. The new e-mail plan would address that.
Codenamed Project Titan, the service would offer users e-mail addresses ending in @facebook.com. Facebook would become the largest webmail provider overnight. If the service is functional enough, it could threaten Google’s Gmail. People will be able to comfortably make the switch because they won’t lose the ability to e-mail their Gmail contacts — even if they move to another mail provider.
The Outlook: Buzz Won’t Win the Social Web Without Facebook Integration
I predicted at the end of last year that Facebook is well-poised to try to pry web dominance away from Google in 2010. Buzz doesn’t change my mind. Facebook is threatening Google, but Google isn’t threatening Facebook because it doesn’t offer any features so great that they incentivize people to leave behind their existing networks or spend their time updating and following yet another one when their friends are already all on Facebook or Twitter.
Facebook now dominates the social web so completely that it’s difficult to imagine an exodus to a competing service, unless that service offered some revolutionary new features that Facebook couldn’t possibly match — Buzz doesn’t.
I can picture one other success scenario, though: a service that aggregates other services’ features and content, and then offers up its own set of unique perks (like Buzz’s noise-control algorithms) that make the social web experience better. People would feel comfortable switching for the extra perks, because they wouldn’t have to leave their existing connections behind.
The outlook could change if Buzz integrates with Facebook the way it does with Twitter. Unless that happens, though, you’re better off keeping your bets on Facebook in the coming year or two — at least if your standard of success is something greater than niche appeal.
Bummed because you don’t have the time to salivate in front of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Ustream? Well, now you can get plenty of SI content sent directly to your cell: All you need is a physical issue of the mag and a camera phone.
Once you pick up your issue (available on stands today), simply search through the pages for the JAGTAGs — or 2D barcodes — featuring a black and white image of what they’re calling a “mobile beauty.” Snap a photo of the JAGTAG and send it via MMS in order to get behind-the-scenes videos of the models sent directly to your phone.
As the web becomes more and more ubiquitous, encroaching on print’s territory (iPad, anyone?), magazines continue to try to find new and different ways to convince people to buy the physical copy (especially as newsstand sales are on the decline).
Back in November, Esquire launched its augmented reality issue, a neat little edition that gave one more content when one held a page up to a webcam. Back then, editor-in-chief David Granger told The Wall Street Journal that the issue was a gimmick, but one that allowed for a more interesting reader experience and cross-platform ad sales.
SI’s efforts with the Swimsuit Edition could be considered a horse of a very similar color. Although mobile technology such as this is far from new, and even though SI has used it in the past (in various articles last summer and in recent marketing materials), the swimsuit issue has a certain cache with SI fans (i.e.: It features girls in swimsuits, and dudes like that).
"The 2010 Swimsuit Edition is a mass media event and JAGTAG is the only 2D barcode solution capable of reaching a mass mobile audience," said Charlie Saunders, executive director of integrated marketing for Sports Illustrated. Saunders is referring to the fact that you don’t need a smartphone to yoink this content, which opens it up to a wider audience.
Have you picked up the latest Sports Illustrated yet? How’s the view from inside?
Earlier this afternoon, Google announced Google Buzz, a semantic approach to social status updates that live inside Gmail. The demonstration video showed off some of what you can do with Buzz on your desktop — but what seems really exciting is what Buzz can do in your pocket.
Android and iPhone Optimized Sites
If you visit http://buzz.google.com on your iPhone or Android device, you’ll be taken to a WebKit-optimized interface for using and connecting with Google Buzz.
When you do that, you’ll either be asked to log in to your Google account or, if you’re already logged in, you’ll be taken straight into the main Buzz screen. Here you can see Buzz from the people you follow and from nearby locations, view your own posts, and find other people.
The web-based interface fits in perfectly with the Gmail-optimized webpages that iPhone users are accustomed to using — Buzz is merely a new tab in the interface.
Sharing with Friends
You can view Buzz surrounding your followers in a real-time stream. The concept is very similar to something like FriendFeed or Cliqset, in that each status update can become its own conversation.
You can also share and view photographs via Buzz.
The Buzz About Location
One of the most compelling aspects of Google Buzz is its integration with Google’s Latitude service. Using your device’s GPS or Wi-Fi connection, Buzz will find your location (or show you nearby locations) and you can send an update and pin yourself to that location. Unlike Foursquare, where you can just check in to a location, if you want to indicate that you are someplace currently (or leave an opinion about an establishment), you have to send a Buzz message.
The Nearby tab is pretty cool because it shows you information from the public stream about what’s going on nearby. If you’re in a new city or simply trying to find out what’s going on in your neighborhood, this could potentially work like Gowalla or Loopt Mix.
Overall
Like Buzz in general, Buzz Mobile is still very much in development. The web app, while well-designed, doesn’t let you actively manage any of your accounts or connections. It’s also somewhat limited, for the time being, in what you can do — based on what type of access you or your followers have been given.
Once everyone has Google Buzz in Gmail, we’re sure that the mobile options will become a bit more well-rounded. As it stands now, there’s lots of potential, but not a ton of substance.
Have you used Google Buzz for your iPhone or Android device? Let us know!
It’s no shocker that the web is buzzing about Google Buzz (terrible pun intended), Google’s most aggressive push into social media yet.
The new social updating and aggregation feature integrates with your mobile and your Gmail, providing a service that seems like a hybrid of Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook and Yelp.
People are already taking sides, including some of Google’s competitors. Yahoo struck first, putting out an e-mail about its own previous (and similar) social media efforts before Google even finished its announcement. Microsoft didn’t take long to make its thoughts heard, either.
Here are some choice reactions from web experts and Google’s rivals:
Microsoft
Microsoft’s statement can be distilled into one very simple phrase: Nobody should care about Google Buzz.
Here’s the actual statement in its entirety:
"Busy people don't want another social network, what they want is the convenience of aggregation. We've done that. Hotmail customers have benefited from Microsoft working with Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and 75 other partners since 2008."
In three sentences, Microsoft manages to rip Google for building yet another social network, claim the social innovation crown, and promote its social integrations with its popular Hotmail product.
In reality, Buzz is far more advanced than anything Google has ever put out. However, Microsoft does own a piece of something that directly compete with Google Buzz: Facebook.
Google Buzz has the most potential yet to give Facebook and Microsoft trouble in the social space.
Yahoo
The Internet giant did not explicitly react to Google Buzz, but it did time an e-mail titled “Latest on Yahoo!’s social updates” with the intent of reminding people about its social features in the face of Google’s newest social media monster.
Choice quotes:
“There are now more than 200 Yahoo! and third-party sites that feed into Yahoo! Updates – like Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, Yelp and Yahoo! Buzz – allowing people to see and share updates such as when they've uploaded photos, changed their status, buzzed up a news story or posted a new restaurant review, all from Yahoo!”
“Yahoo! Updates now appear throughout the Yahoo! network, in popular sites and services like Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo.com, and Yahoo! Messenger and across our content properties, meaning people can always keep up to date with their friends' latest activities”
“Yahoo! Updates are featured prominently on the "What's New" section of Yahoo! Mail, which is used by more than 300M people worldwide. People can also update their status and share it with friends and family directly from the "What's New" tab”
Clearly Yahoo feels threatened by Google’s product and, perhaps just as importantly, the buzz it is receiving. Yahoo is quickly becoming the oft-forgotten “other guy” despite being first with some of the features that Google is touting.
Forrester Research
Forrester Research’s Augie Ray had this to say:
"While bringing relevance filtering to the noisy social media world could prove a significant advantage, this doesn't (yet) seem to be enough to pull people away from the networks they've already created elsewhere. Buzz doesn't update user's Twitter or Facebook feeds, so I expect experimentation but not wholesale switching in the foreseeable future. Buzz could end up supplementing rather than replacing users' other social networks for now."
We agree with Forrester’s initial reaction: Google Buzz isn’t compelling enough to pull people away from Foursquare, Facebook or Twitter — at least, yet. Google is putting a lot of resources into this project, and it won’t give up the fight for social easily.
You
Now it’s your turn. What do you think of Google Buzz? Do you think it has the potential to challenge Facebook or Twitter, or is this going to end up being another Orkut or Google Knol (remember that thing?).
Shashank Nigam is the CEO of SimpliFlying.com, an award-winning blog on airline branding. He tweets at @simpliflying.
Social media is no longer the "new" thing, especially for airlines. JetBlue has over one an a half million followers on Twitter. Lufthansa allows passengers to update their Twitter or Facebook status about where they are in the sky. AirAsia drives buzz about its new destinations through custom micro-sites. However, most airlines (and airports and hotels) are still struggling to earn direct revenue from their social media efforts.
Yet if Dell can make $6.5 million from Twitter, why can't airlines? Here are five ways that social media can directly drive dollars for airlines (and other travel companies, like hotels).
1. Clear Distressed Inventory on Twitter
Running an airline or hotel is much like running a cinema. It costs about the same to operate the hall (and the plane/hotel) no matter how many seats or rooms are filled up. Any unsold seats or rooms at the last minute are called "distressed inventory." Combine the last-minute nature of such seat/room availability with the real-time features of tools like Twitter and you create the opportunity for airlines and hotels to generate cold, hard cash.
United Airlines recently launched Twares, where it clears off seats for the upcoming weekend every Wednesday and Thursday. JetBlue's Cheeps program works along similar lines. All it takes is to create a separate fare category in the revenue management system for such deals and have one person put them out on Twitter, once or twice each week, after looking at how full the flights are.
Of course, you have to set clear expectations with your followers that the account will only be sending out deals, and is not a customer service vehicle.
Ultimately, using real-time platforms like Twitter helps the airline circulate cheap fares and get people to fly more often, or even for the first time. Hotels could similarly post unfilled room inventory on Twitter. Ultimately this fills up the planes and hotels and drives more revenue.
2. Infuse Social Media Reviews Into the Booking Engine
Done correctly, ratings and reviews deliver a significant increase in sales. One third of retailers reported an 11-20% or more overall increase in conversions as a result of adding reviews to their sites, while consumers are willing to pay up to 22-49% more for a 5-star rated product than for a 4-star rated product in the hospitality and travel industries.
For airlines, leveraging reviews correctly requires integrating them into the booking path when a person is searching for flights, especially at the point when the potential customer is most likely to convert into a sale — similar to how many airlines integrate selling travel insurance.
The critical factor here is to be transparent about where the reviews are coming from. They shouldn't look made-up at all. Stating that reviews come from a source like TripAdvisor or Skytrax only further establishes trust.
3. Integrate with Social Media Travel Applications
People around the world are using applications like TripIt and Dopplr to announce their travel intentions and plans to their friends well before the journey actually takes place. I personally share my plans up to two months in advance.
These status updates are also often integrated with generic social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, allowing a whole network of friends to find out where the person intends to travel to.
As an executive at a travel company, what more could you ask for than the intentions of a prospective customer to travel to a destination you serve? Because most of these applications have open APIs, airlines and hotels can pull the data being submitted and build custom applications using it.
For example, an airline could integrate TripIt data with their frequent flier database to create a list of their loyal customers and the destinations those customers are planning to visit. The airline could then reach out to them with a custom-tailored travel deal.
4. Create Private Online Communities
The social web offers a great opportunity for travel companies to create private online communities to give some of their loyal customers an exclusive experience. By targeting socially influential customers, these frequent travelers could be nudged toward becoming true brand ambassadors.
Creating an experience that offers exclusivity and privilege doesn’t have to cost big bucks — companies could start with basic white-label social networking tools like Ning. Offering that experience to select customers will increase their loyalty and the likelihood that those customers will evangelize the brand to fellow travelers.
5. Remember: Social Media is About Relationships
Imagine going to a cookout, only to see one of the guests waving a CD for some new software program, and shouting "new release, buy today!" That person would be completely out of place, and probably ignored by most of the other attendees.
It's important to remember that social media is always about relationships first.
A good example of relationship building is Lufthansa's MySkyStatus, which allows you to share your location with your Facebook and Twitter friends during the flight. Right now, it's not generating any revenue for Lufthansa, but if they integrate a field to input a passenger's frequent flyer number, they might be able to mine the data for some unique insights. However, right now, they’re concentrating on building a relationship with passengers through social media, not hammering them with ads.
It is important to always set the right expectations with your fans or followers on what you're going to be doing. If you're only selling seats or rooms, let them know. If you're providing customer service, let them know that, too.
Google has just unveiled its latest attempt to become more relevant in the social media space: Google Buzz. The product is integrated within Gmail and will be rolled out gradually to all of the webmail service's users over the next few days.
We're still digesting all of the implications of Buzz (and will have more coverage throughout the day), but in the meantime, here's the two-minute demo of the product in action both on the Web and via mobile that Google showed off during today's press conference:
This video from Google looks specifically at the mobile features of Buzz:
What are your initial reactions? Another soon-to-be-forgotten Google social product? A FriendFeed clone? A Facebook/Twitter killer? Let us know in the comments!
It’s official: Google has just announced Google Buzz, its newest push into the social media foray. This confirms earlier reports of Gmail integrating a social status feature.
On stage revealing the new product was Bradley Horowitz, Google’s vice president for product management. While introducing the product, Mr. Horowitz focused on the human penchant for sharing experiences and the social media phenomenon of wanting to share it in real time. These two key themes were core philosophies behind Google Buzz.
“It’s becoming harder and harder to find signal in the noise,” Bradley stated before introducing the product manager for Google Buzz, Todd Jackson.
Here are the details:
Google Buzz: The Details
- Mr. Jackson introduced “a new way to communicate within Gmail.” It’s “an entire new world within Gmail.” Then he introduced the five key features that define Google Buzz:
- Key feature #1: Auto-following
- Key feature #2: Rich, fast sharing experience
- Key feature #3: Public and private sharing
- Key feature #4: Inbox integration
- Key feature #5: Just the good stuff
- Google then began the demo. Once you log into Gmail, you’ll be greeted wiht a splash page introducing Google Buzz.
- There is a tab right under the inbox, labeled “Buzz”
- It provides links to websites, content from around the web. Picasa, Twitter, Flickr and other sites are aggregated.
- It shows thumbnails when linked to photos from sites like Picasa and Flickr. Clicking on an image will blow up the images to almost the entire browser, making them easier to see.
- It uses the same keyboard shortcuts as Gmail. This makes sense. Hitting “R” allows you to comment/reply to a buzz post, for example.
- There are public and private settings for different posts. You can post updates to specific contact groups. This is a lot like Facebook friend lists.
- Google wants to make sure you don’t miss comments, so it has a system to send you an e-mail letting you know about updates. However, the e-mail will actually show you the Buzz you’ve created and all of the comments and images associated with it.
- Comments update in real time.
- @replies are supported, just like Twitter. If you @reply someone, it will send a buzz toward an individual’s inbox.
- Google Buzz has a “recommended” feature that will show buzzes from people you don’t follow if your friends are sharing or commenting on that person’s buzz. You can remove it or change this in settings.
- Google is now speaking about using algorithms to help filter conversations, as well as mobile devices related to Buzz.
The Mobile Aspect
- Google buzz will be accessible via mobile in three ways: from Google Mobile’s website, from Buzz.Google.com (iPhone and Android), and from Google Mobile Maps.
- Buzz knows wher you are. It will figure out what building you are and ask you if it’s right.
- Buzz has voice recognition and posts it right onto your buzz in real-time. It also geotags your buzz posts.
- Place pages integrate Buzz.
- In the mobile interface, you can click “nearby” and see what people are saying nearby. NIFTY, if I say so myself.
- You can layer Google Maps with Buzz. You can also associate pictures with buzz within Google Maps.
- Conversation bubbles will appear on your Google Maps. They are geotagged buzz posts, which lets you see what people are saying nearby.
- They just showed off a video for Buzz. We’ll have it up soon.
The Third Act
- Google’s philosophy on social is this: It wants buzz to be the paragon and poster child for creating a social destination in an open environment that adheres to open standards.
- It’s launching at 11:00 a.m. PT in its first wave.
Don’t know what Lexicon was? That’s OK, a lot of people didn’t; it was announced very quietly, but it was a neat tool. You could use Lexicon to see how frequently, and when, certain terms were trending in status updates, just like you can use Google Trends to do the same with search terms.
For example, our own Stan Schroeder was a bit perplexed a couple years back when the word “sex” had a massive spike in usage on May 30, 2008. It was the launch day of the Sex and the City movie in the United States — understandably something a man in another hemisphere might not follow closely.
Unfortunately, those amusing little mysteries and insights are now lost to Facebook users, and Facebook hasn’t provided a satisfactory explanation as to why. The notice that hangs where Lexicon used to be says:
“Thank you for your interest in Lexicon. We are removing the Lexicon product from Facebook for the time being. We may bring components of Lexicon back in the future, but we are focusing development on our analytics tools for Page owners, advertisers and Platform developers.”
Facebook has already launched its analytics tools for Page owners, but it is probably working on expanding them. Still, that doesn’t seem like a sufficient reason for taking down Lexicon. We’ll update here if we learn more.
We all know about Tweetups and online events, but what about events that you didn’t specifically invite the Twitterati to attend? Conferences, meetings and parties are all events that might not have started online, but which can definitely benefit from online promotion and mention.
Leverage your offline event with some smart social media marketing. Here are seven ways you can maximize exposure of your event using online tools.
1. Blog About It
Before, during and after your event, blog about it. Blogging beforehand can alert others about your event and encourage them to learn more or register to attend. Live blogging during your event can create buzz and excitement for those who were unable to attend (and provide them a snippet of what they missed, which will encourage them to look for your next event). Blogging after can provide a recap, as well as info on upcoming events.
SXSW attendee Allen Stern liveblogged several sessions at the 2009 event. His blog posts are little more than notes from the presentation, but they do a good job of relaying the highlights to readers quickly.
2. Post Photos on Flickr
Everyone loves seeing photos of themselves (as long as they’re flattering). By posting photos of your event on Flickr and tagging them with people’s names, you can generate interest in your event from the people who attended and those who follow them on various social media channels.
BlogHer posts photos from its conferences and events both in the header on its website and in its Flickr stream. It invites participants to upload their own photos from the events into the Flickr stream, which encourages interaction.
3. Put it on Facebook
You can also post the photos and tag them on Facebook. The added benefit of doing so on Facebook is that when you tag someone, it appears on their wall. Anyone who is a friend of someone you tagged can see the photo. The idea is that it will lead them to want to learn more about the event (because hey, they want their photo put on Facebook from a cool local event too). Note that you’ll only be able to tag people that you’re connected to.
If your event or company has a Facebook Page, you can include highlights from the event, like quotes from keynotes, activities, awards or even faux pas from speakers.
For even more interaction, visit the profiles of those that attended and leave custom comments: “Hope you got that wine stain out of your blouse. Sorry about that!” “Great comment you made at the keynote presentation!” Etc.
The Wine Conference, an annual event held in Houston, posts updates on the conference to its Facebook Page. Here the event posts logos for its sponsors, photos from events, and blog links about the conference.
4. Post Photos to Twitpic
Twitpic is a great tool that allows you to take a photo with your phone or camera and upload it directly (via a shortened URL) to Twitter. Anyone following you on Twitter will see your tweet and the link to the photo, and can click to view it.
During your event, what better way to show those not in attendance what they’re missing than by taking photos and sending them in real time? Save your hi-resolution photos to be processed later, but upload snapshots from your phone instantly to create a sense of visual livestreaming as the event is underway.
5. Tweet the Event
Don’t overlook the best real-time tool in social media for your event. Sending tweets out to your followers is a great way to keep everyone updated on what’s happening. Whether it’s an awards show where you can share the winners before journalists write about them, or a conference where you can tweet soundbites, Twitter is a great tool for connecting people online and offline to your event.
Make sure your organization or business doesn’t have legal objections to you tweeting from the event. If the event covers trade secrets or other sensitive stuff, you may be entangled in more legal issues than you can shake a stick at if you’re not careful. The NFL banned tweeting from football events this season, for example, and is imposing fines for those that violate the ban.
6. Use Hashtags
The easiest way to track tweets and other mentions of your events on social media platforms is to ask all participants to use a # with a designated keyword or phrase when discussing it.
For example, in 2009, BlogWorld New Media Expo used the hashtag #bwe09 on Twitter to track all mentions of it. Many presentations used this hashtag or one relating to a particular topic as a way to field questions and comments during the presentations. For those unable to attend, following the hashtag was a great way to stay updated on soundbites from the conference.
7. Livestream Your Event
If your event is a conference or educational platform, consider livestreaming it via web video. Using services like Justin.tv or Ustream.tv, you can broadcast your event live over the Internet. This helps expand your audience and interact with them, even if they are not present in person at your event.
Wrapping it Up
Remember that you can get the most out of online promotion if you start long before the event. Map out a strategy that includes what you will do prior to the event, during, and after. Ask employees and attendees to assist you by posting their own take on the event through their blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr accounts. Make it as easy as possible for anyone to share their content and photos of your event online.
In an effort to remind you that WordPress can be just as flexible and e-mail-friendly as Posterous, the company has released a Posterous importer for users who want to “graduate” from the mini-blogging site to “a full blog with the features, flexibility and reliability of WordPress.com.”
The new WordPress.com utility can be found via the Tools section within the Dashboard. All that’s required to run the import is your Posterous host name, user name and password, and it can import all of the following: posts, tags, comments and images.
Now that you can get your content both in and out of Posterous and WordPress, it seems as if there’s a battle brewing between the two services, which serve overlapping purposes but offer unique advantages. We see the value in both, but we’re curious if WordPress’ we’re-just-as-dead-simple-as-the-other-guys strategy will convince you to switch over. Share your thoughts in the comments.
Legendary music festival Bonnaroo is announcing the lineup for its 2010 festival today, and instead of doing so in one fell swoop, the fest is releasing info via its MySpace page all day long.
If you head on over to www.myspace.com/bonnaroo right now, you’ll be greeted with a cartoonish cuckoo clock and what appears to be a flying lightbulb. Every six minutes or so, the clock opens — like something out of The Nutcracker — and a cadre of punkish-looking dudes emerge to reveal another artist who be present at Bonnaroo this June.
Artists will also be making their own announcements over the course of the day (they started at noon, EST) via various social media channels, and the MySpace page will aggregate that list. Tickets also went on sale today — which is a milestone, since this is the first time ticket sales and the lineup announcement have fallen on the same day.
Acts that have already been revealed include: Cross Canadian Ragweed, John Fogerty, Medeski Martin & Wood, Weezer, The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs performing The Dark Side of the Moon, The Avett Brothers.
While this idea is certainly creative, it is rather messy in essence. Why? Because information about the line-up is currently all over the web like confetti on the sidewalk after New Year’s. Bonnaroo provides no links to individual artist announcements, so if you’re not, say, Rolling Stone (who has a more comprehensive list than the Bonnaroo MySpace page), you’re stuck staring at a rather irritating flying light bulb for six minutes until the page refreshes with a new announcement. I know cubicle culture breeds downtime, but I doubt anyone has the hours — or patience — for that.
If Dear Abby and your therapist just aren’t cutting it this Valentine’s Day, you can tweet at the world’s longest-married (living) couple, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, for the scoop on how to score and sustain love.
That’s right, while some of the older set just can’t wrap their heads around Twitter (unless it’s connected to a fax machine), the Fishers will be all up on the microblogging site this V-Day, dispensing pearls of wisdom to the younger set (for whom the sanctity of marriage has already been destroyed by Facebook). The whole project was dreamed up by blinkbox, which is an on-demand movie and TV website in the UK.
Herbert and Zelmyra — who were married in 1924 and are 104 and 102 years old respectively — are inviting us romantically bankrupt miscreants to visit their Twitter page, @longestmarried, from today until February 12. Simply tweet your question to the pair, who will select 14 questions that they will then answer on February 14.
The couple, who enjoy hanging on their front porch, watching trains pass by, counting cars and talking to their neighbors, are apparently the model of wedded bliss. They each have their own bedroom — so Herbert can stay up late watching baseball. Well, I guess distance does makes the heart grow fonder.
Earlier this morning, the Apple Store was down for a protracted amount of time. That almost always means one thing: Something new was added to the store. This time, it was Aperture 3.
Aperture is Apple’s photo management and editing software for professionals or users who just want more power than Apple’s iPhoto can offer. In many ways, you could call Aperture iPhoto Pro — and that looks like it’s an even more apt description in the latest version.
The software — which is $199 for new users and $99 to upgrade from a previous version of Aperture — lets you organize, edit and export or print all of your photographs.
Aperture 3 adds a bunch of new features, including the Faces and Places features first introduced in iPhoto ‘09. This feature will automatically detect people in your photographs, allowing you to add tags and identify people — which makes exports to Facebook and Flickr pretty simple. The Places feature uses GPS data embedded in your photographs to add location-related data to the photo. This is really cool if you’re on a trip and want to create a supplementary map of all the places you visited and took pictures.
The other big new feature with Aperture 3: It supports video. Photos are still the main focus, but as more and more digital cameras start to feature video and HD video, it makes sense to be able to import all the same data alongside your photographs. You can create a JPEG from a frame, create multimedia slideshows and edit clips. I just got my fiance a Panasonic GF1 micro four-thirds camera that shoots AVCHD Lite. Not having to use different programs to import footage from the card will be a great time-saver.
Even my favorite feature of Aperture — Photo Books — got an upgrade. You can now order extra-large 13×10 books, and Apple added some new book themes. I don’t think I’ve ever given my parents a better gift than the Photo Book that I created with Aperture for Mother’s Day 2008. The print quality was astounding and my parents still keep the book on the coffee table.
Are you a photog or photog in training? What is your favorite photo editing software tool? Let us know!
TED, the Technology Entertainment Design conference, is renowned for bringing together the world’s smartest and most creative people. TED 2010 starts today in Long Beach, California, and we’ll be bringing you coverage of the event all week.
To help you track the most insightful presentations and news at TED, we’re launching a dedicated TED channel today at mashable.com/ted. Don’t forget to check out the TED channel – or bookmark it – to see what the world’s most influential people are saying about technology and social media innovation.
In honor of the grueling work days in the immediate future and Tom Selleck’s glorious ’stache, we thought it prudent to offer up a list of single-serving Tumblr blogs that are sure to provide you with a much-needed helping of entertainment.
This list is far from comprehensive, seeing as how there’s scores of Tumblrs on the web — with more popping up every day — but it does contain both staff and popular favorites. We know we’ll probably miss a few that you have bookmarked, so please feel free to post them in the comments.
This blog is basically self-explanatory, which isn’t really explaining much. It will leave you oddly hungry — whether it’s for Selleck or the sandwiches is up to you.
Of all the trolls in the land, those who frequent YouTube are by far the most amusing/horrible. Get a daily dose of idiocy and rare lyrical clarity here.
OK, so it’s no longer a Tumblr and those aren’t really hipsters (“yuppy” would be more accurate), but this blog is hilarious. If decorating magazines generally put you to sleep, this blog will stir your ventricles back into wakefulness.
Come on, if the title alone doesn’t melt your heart, you are obviously made of granite and sitting in a courtyard, pigeons roosting peacefully on your shoulders.
OK, a list of entertaining sites wouldn’t be complete with a little eye candy (and one of the denizens of the “F*ck Yeah!” meme), and seeing as how we covered Sports Illustrated models last week, I thought we needed a little something for the ladies. Incidentally, there’s a version for the gents as well.
Navigon’s MobileNavigator, one of the first iPhone apps to offer real turn-by-turn GPS navigation, has established itself as one of the best such applications available for Apple’s smartphone.
The latest version of the app (available here) has an option to alert your buddies to your current location via Facebook or Twitter. It also adds an option called MyRoutes, which enables you to create custom routes according to your needs and habits. Finally, Panorama View 3D gives you a 3D terrain view, based on NASA’s data.
The price of the app itself is currently $20 cheaper than before: $69.99. However, if you want live traffic information that’ll cost you an extra $19.99 (promotional price, applies only until the 15th of February), and the Panorama View 3D will cost you an additional $9.99. Put all that together, and it’s 100 bucks; not exactly cheap, but it’ll definitely buy you a full-featured navigation package on your iPhone.
Back in September, cloud content management provider Box.netrolled out its OpenBox Mobile platform, thereby allowing developers — and users — to access and integrate Box.net’s cloud storage with their own files and applications. Today the company is releasing a bunch of new updates that enhance mobile collaboration.
New iPhone App
Box.net was one of the first collaboration companies to enter the iPhone space, back in October of 2008. Since that time, the company has been working hard to bring the Box.net experience to your pocket. The new version of the Box.net iPhone app adds a bunch of new features that go a long way to achieving that goal.
Box.net 2.0 adds in file preview (similar to the enhancements rolled out last month for the full site), the ability to comment and view comments on files or folders, the ability to share files or folders straight from the app, and the ability to view updates to an account or project.
In the last 18 months, we’ve watched as Box.net has transitioned from a cloud storage solution into an entire cloud-based content management system. At this point, Box.net is actively pitting itself against Microsoft’s SharePoint for small and large business users.
Quickoffice Integration
This is where Box.net gets cool. One of the long-touted benefits of the cloud is that it is location agnostic. So if I’m in Miami, San Francisco, New York or Atlanta, I can access my files — even if I’m not using the same computer at each location. When it comes to mobile solutions, however, while Google Docs is doing what it can — especially on the Android platform — to bring in the mobile editing experience to docs stored in the cloud, most of the existing solutions are tied to local files on your phone.
This is why it’s awesome that Box.net is integrating with the Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite. That means you can edit Word and Excel files on your Box.net account on your phone and save the changes back to your Box account, all within Quickoffice for the iPhone. This is a huge boon for business users. And when you think about the power of something like this when paired with Apple’s upcoming iPad, the possibilities become fantastic.
The Quickoffice app that offers Box.net integration will be available shortly in the App Store. If you already use Quickoffice, check your updates — it’s coming!
New Mobile APIs
One of the things I’ve always liked about Box.net has been its OpenBox platform. This allows Box.net to plug into other web services like Salesforce.com. When OpenBox Mobile launched in September, developers were given the opportunity to add support for Box.net storage and file integration into their own apps.
A number of applications have done just that — including my favorite PDF reader, GoodReader. Now Box.net is expanding its developer APIs to add in more options for search, commenting, update notification and other ways to plug into the Box.net ecosystem.
Developers can check out Box.net/developers for more information and to access the OpenBox Mobile APIs. I think that GTD and to-do apps that could integrate with Box.net could be absolutely killer. Think how great it would be if you could add in a link to a file on your Box.net account when crafting a to-do or setting a meeting agenda.
Mobile Matters
The biggest benefits of cloud-based storage — and really cloud computing in general — isn’t really visible at the end-user until you leave the workstation and embrace being location agnostic. This is what mobile integration does. We expect more and more companies to follow in Box’s footsteps and add mobile integration at the API level to their cloud-based products.
What do you think about mobile computing paired with cloud storage? Let us know!
comScore has released a report on the state of the US mobile market from September to December 2009, and it shows that the recently established trends of Android and iPhone growth don’t show signs of ceasing.
In December 2009 RIM was still the leading mobile smartphone operating system in the U.S., with 41.6% market share, a slight drop from 42.6% from September 2009. Apple has risen from 24.1% to 25.3% in that same period, and Google, although still in the fifth place, has doubled its market share – from 2.5% to 5.2%.
Microsoft lost one percentage point and dropped to 18% share, but the biggest loser of the bunch was Palm, which dropped from 8.3% to 6.1%, despite recent price cuts which made their smartphones one of the cheapest on the market. If Palm doesn’t do something to reverse this trend, it may soon be looking at the back of Android, which is growing like a weed, both in the US and internationally.
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