John Kerry First Secretary of State to Hold a Google Hangout

John Kerry made history today by becoming the first Secretary of State to take part in a Google Hangout.

Sharing the hangout session with the former senator was Sarah Hill, a digital storyteller for the Veterans United Network, Corrie Fraiser, founder of a social good consultancy firm, Adolfo Garcia, a 20-year U.S. marine who’s twice been deployed to Afghanistan, Emily McKhann, co-founder of mom blogger network The Motherhood, and Andrew White, president of Comptus Inc.

According to Mashable, Kerry set up the hangout to “discuss his view of the United States’ role in global affairs and take questions on American engagement with foreign countries.”

Did you ‘hang’ out with Kerry this morning? Do you think Google Hangout is a good place for these type of discussions or not? Discuss.

Amazon Joining the Smartphone Game

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Amazon is jumping in on the smartphone race and has two phones in the works, one of which will have a state-of-the-art 3D screen. It is rumored that the 3D phone would come with special glasses and can sense users eye movements and motions.

Amazon has not made an official comment about any future devices, smartphone or otherwise.

What do you think of a 3D phone? Awesome or excessive? Let me know your thoughts.

Long List of Requests to Unlock iPhones

Law enforcement officials around the country are all turning to Apple to help them unlock seized iPhones with passcodes. According to Cnet.com, the police demand is so high that Apple has had to create a waiting list to get through all the requests.

The wait list is so long it has caused up to seven-week delays in some cases. According to the article, Apple can bypass an individual’s security lock to get important data and hand it over to authorities.

What do you think is a good solution to this issue?

Netflix Cuts Approximately 2,000 Titles

It’s tough enough finding a movie you actually want to watch through Netflix’s online streaming service and now it’s going to be even tougher. The company will cut almost 2,000 titles due to  their licensing agreements expiring with Warner Bros., MGM, and Universal.

Check out the complete list of all 1,794 titles being cut here.

The good news: there are still more than 60,000 titles to browse if there’s nothing worth watching on TV. And I’m just excited Breaking Bad will still be available online whenever I have an urge to watch Walter Whine and Jesse Pinkman in action.

What do you think of these changes? Do you think Netflixs selection was already slim? How will these changes affect your interaction on the site?

Days Helps You Create a Visual Diary 

A new app called Days wants to help you curate your photo memories in a fun way. You can create your own GIFs and add animation to your photo diary. You’ll also be able to timestamp photos and remove any you don’t want to appear on your social media networks.

What do you think – does Days sound like something you would download or are there too many photo apps already out on the market? Discuss.

Intel Names Brian Krzanich CEO

Intel’s current chief operating officer, Brian Krzanich, will become the company’s CEO on May 16, according to CNN.com, taking current CEO Paul Otellini’s place. Otellini was at the computer chip-making company for 38 years, eight of which he served as CEO.

“I look forward to working with our leadership team and employees worldwide to continue our proud legacy,” he said in a statement.

Krzanich started with the company in 1982 after graduating from college and has worked there for 31 years.

In the statement he also said he was excited “to lead Intel into the next era.”

What do you think of Intel’s decision?

2013 Webby Nominees are Announced

The Webby Awards are like the Oscars for the tech world. One night a year the best, brightest, and most innovative are honored for their work. This year’s nominees were announced this past Tuesday (April 23) and include Google, The New York Times, and even Lena Dunham.

The winners will be announced on April 30.

Here’s a selection of some of the nominees:

Best Mobile Media Streaming

HBO GO
Songza
iPlayer Radio
Hulu Plus
Netflix App

Best Individual Performance

Burning Love
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Jean Dujardins’s Villain Auditions
Charlize Theron Gets Hacked
Lena Dunham for Obama for America “First Time”

Best Mobile User Experience

KAYAK
Cool Hunting Gift Guide
NikeID Mobile
Google Maps for iPhone
Mailbox

Best Social Media Campaign

One Small Tweet
Hashtag Killer
Obama for America – For All Campaign
Nike Barbershop
Justin Bieber’s “Girlfriend” Fragrance Launch

Best Entertainment for Tablet

The Onion
Funny or Die
Metropole Tweetphony
GIRLS
True Blood Social Media Makers Day

For a full list of nominees click here.

Are you interested in watching the Webbys? What do you think of this year’s nominees?

LivingSocial Still Struggling

Amazon just released Q1 reports and things are still not looking so hot for daily deals site, LivingSocial. The once popular site posted sales of $135 million – up 23% from last year - but had net loss of $50 million, according to a TechCrunch.com article. Amazon did make a $56 million investment in the company in Q1 as a “cost method investment.”

Amazon, as a whole made $16 billion in revenue for Q1, just shy of analysts $16.2 billion prediction.

Do you think LivingSocial can turn itself around or are daily deals on the out for good? Let me know your thoughts.

Braille Smartphone in the Works

Developers are working on creating a smartphone specifically for the visually-impaired, CNN.com reports.

Sumit Dagar is the designer and creator of the unnamed phone which would have a screen “comprised of a grid of pins, which move up and down to form into Braille shapes and characters whenever an SMS message or email is received,” according to the article.

What do you think of this idea? Are you surprised there hasn’t been something like this until now?

Our Prayers are With Boston

The unthinkable happened this Monday (April  15, 2013) when two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring more than 175 people. News spread quickly across social media channels as people around the country and the entire world prayed for the people of Boston. To show solidarity, many users switched their Facebook profile photos to their own inspiring marathon photos while others updated with emergency help information as it became available and even offered their homes to displaced runners and their families.

Today, the entire city is on lockdown as police hunt for one of the suspects, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, who is still on the run. Unlike suspects in past incidents of this magnitude, it appears Tsarnaev was active on social media sites including Twitter and VK, a popular Russian social networking site.

As the city of Boston remains on high alert, all we can do is pray that everything will be resolved without losing any more lives in the process.

Have you been following live tweets as it unfolds? Where are you getting your news?

Apple Reveals How Long Siri Stores Your Data

Siri, the app you love to hate on your iPhone, has a really long memory, CNN.com reports. The voice activated system keeps your data on its servers for up to two years.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told CNN.com, “”Apple may keep anonymized Siri data for up to two years. If a user turns Siri off, both identifiers are deleted immediately along with any associated data.”

What do you think of Apple keeping ahold of this data? Let me know your thoughts.

Airbnb Has Some Competition: Love Home Swap Moving into Rental Spaces

Love Home Swap, a United Kingdom-based startup, is moving into the rental space. The company used to work on a member subscription model and people would pay to access their database of available homes to swap.

Now TechCrunch.com reports that the company is moving into the rental space after raising $1.3 million from MMC Ventures.

Have you used a house swapping service like Home Home Swap or Airbnb? What was your experience?

Helping You Plan for the Afterlife

It’s something we don’t want to think about, but what happens to your digital presence after you’ve moved on to greener pastures? Google’s new ‘Inactive Account Manager’ puts you in control of what you want to happen to your online accounts should you die or are unable to use the account anymore for any reason.

Google explains on their public policy blog:

“For example, you can choose to have your data deleted — after three, six, nine or 12 months of inactivity. Or you can select trusted contacts to receive data from some or all of the following services: +1s; Blogger; Contacts and Circles; Drive; Gmail; Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams; Picasa Web Albums; Google Voice and YouTube. Before our systems take any action, we’ll first warn you by sending a text message to your cellphone and email to the secondary address you’ve provided.”

You can access the ‘Inactive Account Manager’ through your Google Settings page.

Have you ever thought about what would happen to your digital presence after you’re gone or is too weird to think about?

Facebook Using Your Purchase Data to Target Ads

Facebook isn’t just following your online purchasing activity – it knows what you’re buying offline as well and will use this data to target specific ads to you when you’re on the social media site.

According to CNNMoney.com, Facebook has unveiled a new feature called “Partner Categories” which allows advertisers to curate their ads to specific groups of people.

Using data from companies like Acxiom, Facebook is able to build up information on each user and categorize them accordingly.

What do you think – is this information helpful for marketing or too aggressive?

Online Grocer Relay Foods Raises $8.25 Million

The world is literally at your fingertips these days and you’ll be hard pressed to find a service or product that doesn’t have a mobile app. From ordering pizza to depositing checks, you don’t ever have to leave your house.

Relay Foods is an online grocer that works with local vendors to bring fresh produce and products right to your door. The company just announced it has raised $8.25 million with plans to expand, redesign, and go mobile. Currently only on the East Coast, the company is adding 15 cars to its fleet and a commercial kitchen, according to TechCrunch.

Do you use home-delivery services like Relay Foods or Farm Fresh to You for your groceries? What has been your customer experience?

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Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook team revealed their newest creation – Facebook Home for Android – this week, Mashable reports.

“You’re going to be able to turn your Android phone into a great social device,” Zuckerberg explains.

He continues: “Our phones today are designed around apps, not people. We want to flip that around.”

Facebook Home has a Flipboard interface and will show updates right on your cover screen. Facebook content will also take over your entire Android screen and  you will be able to manage conversations with friends all on your Android device. The social media giant says it plans to update Facebook home monthly.

Facebook Home will be available to download on April 12.

What do you think of Facebook Home? Is it that revolutionary or did you expect something completely different?

Second Life Founder Has Raised $2.4 Million for New Startup

Second Life founder, Philip Rosedale, has started funding for his new secret startup, High Fidelity, TechCrunch reports. Although details on the company are slim, they have already raised $2.4 million of their $3.4 million goal.

Raising questions like, “What will the information spaces of the future look like?” and “How will address schemas and navigational metaphors evolve to keep pace with computing power?” on their website, leads little clue as to what they are planning.

For how, we’ll just have to sit back and wait, but if the success of  Second Life is any indicator, I have a feeling they are working on something huge know it will be something huge.

What do you think High Fidelity is developing? Have you played Second Life?

Shopify Helps Individuals Start Their Own E-Commerce Site

Shopify can help you create your dream website. Designed to help you create your own online storefront from start to finish, the team does all the hard work for you so you can focus on your product. Armed with a variety of themes, templates, and designs, Shopify is the perfect introduction to starting your own e-commerce space.

They explain on their site:

“At Shopify, we help emerging small businesses get off the ground and grow into successful companies. We do this by creating great technology and by making it accessible to people that previously wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“Our platform allows users to easily and quickly create their own online store without all the technical work involved in developing their own website, or the huge expense of having someone else build it. Shopify lets merchants manage all aspects of their shops: uploading products, changing the design, accepting credit card orders, and viewing their incoming orders and completed transactions.”

Have you used Shopify? How was your experience?

The Price of Being A Billionaire

It’s tough to think of any downsides to being a BILLIONAIRE, but Mark Zuckerberg could tell you one: taxes. The CEO and founder of Facebook is currently worth $13 billion, according to CNN.com, but will have to hand over approximately $1.1 billion of that money to Uncle Sam before April 14.

This increase in taxes has mostly to do with him purchasing 60 million Facebook shares – or $2.3 billion in stock options – when the company went public back in May of 2012.

However, the article points out, Zuck can make some deductions for his charitable contributions including a $500 million donation to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Can you even imagine owing $1 BILLION in taxes? Thinking about it alone is just mindboggling. Weigh in with your thoughts.

Social Media Turns Red for Marriage Equality

By now you’ve probably notice your Facebook and Twitter feeds have turned a little red. To show support for marriage equality during the Supreme Court hearings this week, people around the world have changed their profile pictures to a subtle, but powerful, equal sign against a red background.

Originally the sign was going to be a yellow equal sign with a blue background, but Human Right’s Campaign’s Directory of Marketing, Anastasia Khoo, saw red.

She told Mashable they ended up going this direction because “the color is synonymous with love, and for us, that’s what these cases are about.”

Did you change your profile photo to show your support? What do you think of the symbol?

Startup Helps Companies On Photo Campaigns

A newer startup called Fanbase is helping companies small and large leverage their presences on photo sharing sites like Instagram. Tailoring to each company’s needs, they help build brand awareness through visual campaigns.

They explain on their site:

“Harness the creativity of your social media audience with beautiful photo campaigns created in minutes on our turnkey platform. People are snapping photos of your brand with Instagram, why not be part of the conversation and turn your Instagram audience into brand advocates.”

Do you think it’s important to leverage photo-sharing sites when it comes to your business strategy? Discuss.

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Twitter!

It’s crazy how time flies, isn’t it? I mean, one moment social media sites are just trying to get their bearings on the web and them – WHAM – seven years later you can’t imagine your life before Twitter.

On Thursday (March 21, 2013), the social media site that made us phrase our innermost thoughts in 140 characters, introduced us to the hashtag, and brought celebrities closer to the public than ever before, turned seven. Yep, SEVEN.

Check out this awesome CNN article about seven lives which were drastically changed by the invention of the tweet.

How has Twitter changed your life? Did you think it would live to see its seventh birthday? Discuss.

YouTube Reaches 1 Billion Monthly Users

Yes, the video-sharing site that gave us Double Rainbow Man, Gangnam Style, and Rebecca Black hit a major milestone on Wednesday (March 20, 2013) – they announced that they reach one billion users a month.

They put it in numbers on their blog:

“What does a billion people tuning into YouTube look like?

• Nearly one out of every two people on the Internet visits YouTube.
• Our monthly viewership is the equivalent of roughly ten Super Bowl audiences.
• If YouTube were a country, we’d be the third largest in the world after China and India.
• PSY and Madonna would have to repeat their Madison Square Garden performance in front of a packed house 200,000 more times. That’s a lot of Gangnam Style!”

The private family-oriented photo sharing site, Familio, went public today (March 22, 2013).

The site lets families share their most precious memories in a safe, secure, and private forum and they have strict guidelines to ensure everyone’s photos are protected. It also lets you manage and see who actually looked at your photo album and shared it.

They explain their philosophy in more detail on their site. “Here at Familio we really, really care about your memories. This is why we’re going to extreme measures to make sure that we keep them safe. This is also why we encourage you to share as many moments as you’d like to, and to upload pictures and videos at the highest possible quality, ensuring that you’ll be able to view them on as many devices as possible and to print them into beautiful pictures if you choose to.

“You are the sole owner of your memories. You can already retrieve the original copy of any media file you ever shared into Familio, and we’ll continue to make it easier for you to take your family history out of Familio.”

What photo sharing sites do you trust? I would love to hear about it.

Samsung Galaxy S 4 Revealed

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 was revealed to the world on Thursday (March 14, 2013) and it’s looking like its giving the iPhone a run for its money.

The S 4 has a 5-inch screen and is 0.31 inches thick so it’s extra light. It will also have a new function called S Voice Drive, which is Samsung’s answer to Siri. According to a Wired.com article, the S Voice Drive will be able to read back text messages, transcribe text messages, give driving directions, and more.

Other new features include an eraser feature on the camera function and the ability to add audio to any photo in your library.

Are you excited about the new Samsung S 4 or could you care less? Let me know what you think! 

Twitter Makes Tracking Ad Data Easier

Now advertisers on Twitter can get a more accurate measurement of their reach, according to Mashable.

Twitter just released an update to its ad center this week and announced its improved on their campaign analytics, meaning advertisers can measure their earned reach s well as tracking their paid tweets. 

They also announced more granular breakdowns in campaign targeting, which will “help advertisers tweak campaigns to improve their performance.”

What do you think of these changes? Let me know.

Let’s Go Ridiculous Fishing

Words With Friends just not doing it for you anymore? Are you totally over Sudoku? Well, you’re in luck, a new gaming app from Vlambeer called Ridiculous Fishing is out and I guarantee it will become your next phone obsession.

The premise is easy. You’ll “follow Billy as he tries to find redemption for his uncertain past” and along the way find “dozens of unlockables, weapons, and items including the Most Expensive Hairdryer in the World” during your quest. It might sound a little ridiculous, but its sure to keep you up all night!

Are you ready for a new game? What do you think of Ridiculous Fishing?

It’s been a crazy week for Pandora, the radio-streaming giant. They released their fourth quarter earnings on March 7 and today they announced longtime CEO Joe Kennedy is stepping down after more than nine years at the company.

According to TechCrunch, he released a statement saying he will “continue in his current role until his successor is named.”

He also stated: As I near the start of my tenth year at the helm of Pandora, I am incredibly proud of the team and what we have accomplished in redefining radio.”

In other Pandora news, the company made $427.1 million in 2013 with a 56% year-over-year increase. The fourth quarter saw $125.1 million in earnings alone and mobile revenue went up 111% at $80.3 million.

Do you still use Pandora or have you found another music streaming site you love? Share it with us!

New Google Glass App Is Judging Your Fashion Choices … Sort of

Tech just got real … really creepy. A new Google Glass app will help you recognize humans in a crowd – even if you’ve never met them before or if you can’t see their faces.  The app will be able to recognize the clothes the person you are looking for is wearing and identify them.

According to a New Scientist article, the InSight app was created to help people find their friends in big crowds. The app will be able to pick up identifying items such as jewelry, glasses, and shoes.

Sound a little too Back to the Future or Blade Runner for you?  What are your thoughts on this app concept? Do you think this could be useful or is it just too creepy? Let me know your thoughts.

What Would You Do for Free Movies?

A guy who goes by the Twitter name @theRealMyron loves Netflix so much he decided to tattoo the word Netflix onto his body forever. Thankfully, the Netflix team thought it was cool and gave him a free subscription for a year.

Not sure if it was worth all that trouble especially when he’ll have to explain to everyone over and over again what it means in like 50 years.

If you had to get a tattoo of a brand, which would you choose?