Mashable: Latest 11 News Updates - including “Answer Your Phone While Skiing With These Neva Ski Poles [VIDEO]”

Sunday 13 May 2012 by IrwanKch

Mashable: Latest 11 News Updates - including “Answer Your Phone While Skiing With These Neva Ski Poles [VIDEO]”


Answer Your Phone While Skiing With These Neva Ski Poles [VIDEO]

Posted: 12 May 2012 03:47 PM PDT


Salt Lake City-based Anthony Griesel spent the past winter creating and testing ski poles that would let skiers stay connected on the slopes. His invention would allow skiers to answer their iPhones or Android devices with a finger swipe, read short text messages and view the time, temperature and elevation.

But now Griesel needs help putting his invention into more hands. He’s turning to crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to raise $100,000 to mass produce his “smart ski poles.”

So far, 60 people have invested nearly $9,000 for the “Neva” ski poles project.

If funded, the poles would feature 0.96-inch OLED screen, Bluetooth adapter, rechargeable battery, rubber grips and dual density plastic. The poles would also come with a app to manage settings, calculate slope data and track routes.

For adventurous back-country skiers, the Neva poles’ screen would display slope angle and terrain details.

SEE ALSO: Are Hipster Playing Cards Cool Enough for Kickstarter Funding? [PICS]

Creative minds routinely use Kickstarter, which has seen 2 million backers dish out $200 million since 2008.

While not all projects reach their funding goals, some people have found major success on Kickstarter. One project — to produce watches that interact with your smartphone — is sold out, raising more than $10 million with 6 days left for people to invest.

Would you use these poles on a ski slope or lift?


1. Portals





Funded: $1,934

This project uses a box and an old monitor to simulate virtual reality. It is an incredibly cool project, but its Kickstarter backers shouldn't expect anything in return other than a "big happy thank you."

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: android, Gadgets, iphone, kickstarter, skiing, sports


20 Sites Every Cool Mom Should Know

Posted: 12 May 2012 03:03 PM PDT


Birchbox




Birchbox is a monthly subscription that delivers beauty and lifestyle samples to your door. It's a great way for any mom to discover the latest releases and find tips from industry leaders.

Click here to view this gallery.

Whether or not they’ll admit it, all moms aspire to be hip. In 2012, that means being digitally savvy.

What better gift can you give your mom this Mother’s Day than introducing her to a handful of sites to keep her up to speed on the latest lifestyle, organization and style offerings?

SEE ALSO: How to Dress Your Baby Like a Geek

We put together a selection of websites, services and apps you can introduce to your mom, grandmother or any other special woman in your life, because we believe an incredible gift doesn’t need to have a price tag attached to it. (Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!)

This list includes resources for expecting moms, subscription services, organization tools and more.

Does your mom have a favorite site that’s not on this list? Share more mother favorites in the comments.

Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, MichaelDeLeon

More About: family, lifestyle, mothers day, parenting, trending


47 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed

Posted: 12 May 2012 02:52 PM PDT

Tablet and Icons

Now that Mashable Connect has ended (see you next year, friends!), it’s time to continue engaging, inspiring and empowering on your own. What better way to start than by checking out our best digital media resources?

This week, we’ve covered how to use Pinterest for your wedding, how to make sure your company engages intelligently on social media and how to build a mobile app without hurting your wallet. We’ve also answered frequently asked questions on Facebook‘s new app center, included an infographic detailing how Kickstarter is the king of crowdfunding and featured a guest post written by the first woman in space, Sally Ride. And with Mother’s Day tomorrow, we’ve rounded up some resources to help you with your last-minute plans.

Take advantage of this week’s resources!


Editor’s Picks



Social Media


For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


Business & Marketing


For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


Tech & Mobile


For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, scanrail.

More About: Business, COMMUNICATIONS, Features Week In Review, Social Media, Tech


Super-Fast Thunderbolt Connectivity Coming to Windows [VIDEO]

Posted: 12 May 2012 01:55 PM PDT


Windows users, take heart: The super-fast connectivity known as Thunderbolt, previously only available on Macs, is now blasting its way into the Windows world.

What’s the big deal? You can connect devices such as monitors and hard drives, daisychaining up to seven of them together. The best part: blazing speed, rocketing data around your system twice as quickly as USB 3.0, which is already whole lot faster than the garden-variety USB 2.0 we’ve been using for the past few years.


SEE ALSO — Thunderbolt: Everything You Need To Know

Now, the first motherboards for Windows featuring the Thunderbolt interface are hitting the streets, but they’re not quite ready for prime time yet. Thunderbolt is working on Windows, but it doesn’t quite have all its features yet, including the ability to hot-swap Thunderbolt devices without needing to reboot.

But Intel says there will soon be Windows drivers for certified Thunderbolt devices, opening up the floodgates for the blistering speed that will be so welcome to the desktops of those who move tremendous amounts of data.

Macs are already basking in Thunderbolt’s increased speed, with a line of Apple monitors already available, and a multitude of third-party external hard disks as well. Now, Windows aficionados, it’s your turn. Windows users, have you been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Thunderbolt?

More About: Thunderbolt, Video, Windows

For more Dev & Design coverage:


9 YouTube Cooking Channels That Will Make Your Mouth Water

Posted: 12 May 2012 01:18 PM PDT


Food Wishes


Chef John's YouTube channel makes recipe wishes come to life. This former teacher offers basics like how to perfectly reheat leftover pizza. He can also teach you how to make the perfect prime rib. With almost 200,000 subscribers and more than 700 videos, this cook has no shortage of ideas.

Click here to view this gallery.

Put away those frozen meals and start cooking like an Iron Chef with these cooking channels available free on YouTube. You can learn simple recipes, like how to make a vegan shake. Or take on a bigger challenge like, say, prime rib. Either way, the videos will be short, entertaining, and easy to follow. So grab an apron and get to mixing!

Have a favorite cooking channel we didn’t mention? Feel free to share it in the comments below!

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, robynmac

More About: contrbutor, features, Food, trending, YouTube


Coca-Cola and the Movies [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 12 May 2012 12:43 PM PDT

As summer movie season kicks off, chances are, you’ll see product placements for Coca-Cola hidden within at least a few blockbusters.

That’s because the world’s most recognized beverage brand has its tentacles in lots of movies. Over the last 80 years, the Coca-Cola logo and Coca-Cola products have appeared in films such as It’s a Wonderful Life, Jaws, Batman, Independence Day and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Moreover, Coke products have frequently become plot points of the film itself, as with The Gods Must Be Crazy and One, Two, Three.

Our friends at AnyClip put together this infographic that showcases just how many films have used Coca-Cola as product placement over the years. As with last year’s epic infographic about Apple product-placement in film, this infographic was created using AnyClip’s excellent tagging technology. AnyClip tagged on-screen products and extracted film metadata to discern how much time a Coca-Cola product spent on screen.

Interestingly, AnyClip was able to find a direct correlation between the size of a film’s budget and the frequency of a Coca-Cola product placement. As movie budgets have increased, so too have product placements for Coke products.

Even though I’m from Atlanta (the land of Coke), I was still surprised to see just how many films have featured Coca-Cola product placements. According to AnyClip’s Brand Influence in Movie Index (which calculates the number of movies, the number of appearances, the duration and the success of the movies), Coca-Cola has the most influence of any company in the history of the movies.

Hey, can you really imagine E.T. drinking a beverage that wasn’t Coca-Cola? Me neither.

Let us know what you think of Coke’s cinematic product placement strategy in the comments.


Image courtesy of iStockphoto/rococofoto and kevinjeon00

More About: anyclip, coca cola, Coke, infographic, product placement

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Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs: Uncanny Resemblance [PICS]

Posted: 12 May 2012 12:13 PM PDT

Ashton Kutcher Gets Steve Jobs Makeover

Photographs of actor Ashton Kutcher dressed up as late Steve Jobs emerged Saturday, giving the world a first glimpse of how Kutcher will look in the upcoming independent film about the former Apple CEO.

TMZ posted the images taken on a movie set in Los Angeles, showing Kutcher wearing Jobs’s iconic attire including a black turtleneck, blue jeans and tennis shoes. Filming for the flick — tentatively titled Jobs: Get Inspired — began in this month.

Producer Mark Hulme recently told tech website Neowin that the biopic will come out in the last quarter of 2012 and will focus on “the early years of Apple, its founding and the up and down years.”

Kutcher, who stars in CBS’s Two and a Half Men, previously played roles on Fox’sThat ’70s Show and films such as The Butterfly Effect, No Strings Attached, Valentine’s Day and Dude, Where’s My Car.

SEE ALSO: Ashton Kutcher Appears in Brown Face for Pop Chips; Internet Calls Racism

Sony Pictures is working on a separate movie based on Walter Isaacson's biographical book of Jobs, who had pancreatic cancer and died Oct. 5.

Photos from TMZ


Steve Jobs demos Apple Macintosh, 1984


Steve Jobs introduces the Macintosh to the world. Computing would never be the same.

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: apple, ashton kutcher, celebrities, Entertainment, Movies, steve jobs, trending

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Pepsi Digital Exec: Google ‘Messed Up’ With Google+, Instagram Is ‘Phenomenal’

Posted: 12 May 2012 11:24 AM PDT


Was Instagram worth $1 billion? Will Google+ ever compete or beat Facebook?

Shiv Singh, global head of digital for PepsiCo Beverages and author of Social Media Marketing for Dummies, shared his thoughts on those trendy questions and more during his recent visit to Mashable to unveil Pepsi’s new celebrity-infused "Live for Now" global ad campaign and “Pulse” digital dashboard.

In a 10-minute interview with Mashable‘s editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff, Singh commented about the launch of Google+, Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, avoiding digital marketing mistakes, establishing a brand voice and creating a Twitter list for “regular people.”

Here are some highlights from the video above:

  • On Google+ (7:20-8:48): “I have immense respect for Google. … But I think they really messed up the launch of Google+. … They launched it as a social network whereas it’s something else and different to a social network. … They confused their user base.”
  • On Instagram (8:50-10:00): “I think Instagram was worth $1 billion because if Facebook did not get it Google would have picked it up or Apple would have picked it up or Microsoft would have picked it up and they would have been able to use it to throw darts at Facebook. … The service itself I do think it’s phenomenal.”
  • On integrating social media with marketing initiatives (0:33-2:04): “Social media is like air. It should flow through anything and everything and completely.”
  • On brands and celebrities using social media: (2:35-3:27): “More than the brands, it’s some celebrities that are harnessing social media. … A good example is Sofia Vergara from Modern Family. The way she connects with her followers on Twitter is so in sync with who she is that it’s like a drug. … I just want to follow her more and more and more.”

SEE ALSO: Joe Jonas Named Pepsi Ambassador for 'Pulse' Dashboard, #LiveForNow Campaign


BONUS: 25 Most-Followed Users on Instagram



25. Jason Mraz





Username: Jason_Mraz Followers: 363,621 Number of Pictures: 254

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: apple, Facebook, Google, instagram, mashable video, microsoft, Pepsi, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter


Apple and Foxconn to Improve Factory Working Conditions? [VIDEO]

Posted: 12 May 2012 10:57 AM PDT


The top executive from Foxconn, one of Apple’s major suppliers, has confirmed that Apple and Foxconn will share the initial costs of improving Foxconn’s factories in China.

Foxconn chief Terry Gou said the supply company had been working — and spending — heavily to confront several criticisms and perceptions of its facilities in China. The Chinese factories, which assemble iPods and iPads, came under an enormous amount of scrutiny this year with the release of several stories depicting unsafe and unfair working conditions. A nearly one-month long audit confirmed that Foxconn employees were overworked and had problems with health, safety and overtime compensation. The audit also found that communication issues led to unsafe working conditions.

The Fair Labor Association (FLA), which conducted the investigation, also released a report at the time of the audit indicating that Foxconn had promised to make its factories compliant with FLA and Chinese regulations by July, 2013.

SEE ALSO: Apple Supplier Foxconn’s Violations: How It Plans To Solve Them

Gou said that the decision to invest in improving factory conditions was part of a larger strategy to increase the strength of Foxconn plants:

“We’ve discovered that this (improving factory conditions) is not a cost. It is a competitive strength,” he said in Shanghai on Thursday. “I believe Apple sees this as a competitive strength along with us, and so we will split the initial costs.”

It is not clear what the exact dollar amount of investment will be, or how Foxconn and Apple will divide the costs of improving the factories.

However, will the investment live up to its promise?

Consumer watchdog group SumOfUs says Gou’s announcement reveals “nothing new.”

In a statement following the announcement, SumOfUs.org Executive Director Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman stated the following:

"I'm glad to hear recognition of Apple's responsibility to improve working conditions in these factories, but there's not much evidence of anything new in this announcement…Is Apple announcing official policy through Terry Gou now? Until we hear something new from Apple itself, speculation about whether Apple is actually following through on its commitments to improve workers' lives is extremely premature.”

Do you think Apple is doing enough to improve factory conditions for its Foxconn workers? Let us know in the comments.

More About: apple, Foxconn


Top 10 Tech This Week [PICS]

Posted: 12 May 2012 10:30 AM PDT


Top 10 Tech is presented by Chivas. Access a world of exclusive insider benefits – private tastings, special events and the chance to win a trip for you and three friends to the Cannes Film Festival. Join the Brotherhood.


1. Instagram Socialmatic Camera Concept




Even though the trick of Instagram is to take "lo-fi" pictures on smartphone cameras and use its creative filters to enhance them in a structured sort of way, what do you do when you want to pass out pictures to your pals in meatspace? Enter Instagram Socialmatic, a camera design concept solving that problem, printing your pictures on the spot while giving you 16GB of storage space to store your pics, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity allowing you to send them online at the same time.

Click here to view this gallery.

One of our favorite things tech can do for us is to streamline everyday tasks — improving them by making them easier, more pleasurable, more entertaining and more aesthetically pleasing.

That seemed to be a theme running through the top 10 tech we found this week, with gadgetry galore that will improve your quality of life. If you’ve ever suffered from a broken smartphone screen, awkward faucet gymnastics when all you wanted to do was rinse out your mouth, or recoiled at that rat’s nest of wires leading from your computer to its monitor, do we have a useful list for you!

SEE ALSO: Previous editions of Top 10 Tech This Week

We finish off the list with an easy way to get you into outer space, and we found a brand-new pic of our lovely blue planet from way out in space — the sharpest and most dramatic photo of our big blue marble ever taken.

Strap yourselves in for an exciting excursion, taking you from a more pleasurable and comfortable life here on Earth, into space and beyond as we separate the coolness from the lukewarm, right here on Top 10 Tech This Week.

Here’s last week’s Top 10 Tech.


Series presented by Chivas

 

Top 10 Tech is presented by Chivas. Access a world of exclusive insider benefits – private tastings, special events and the chance to win a trip for you and three friends to the Cannes Film Festival. Join the Brotherhood.

More About: features, mashable, Top 10 Tech, trending


6 Things on Your LinkedIn Profile That Shouldn’t Be on Your Resume

Posted: 12 May 2012 09:13 AM PDT


Gerrit Hall is the CEO and co-founder of RezScore, a free web application that reads, analyzes and grades resumes instantly. Connect with Gerrit and RezScore on Facebook and Twitter.

Many people think their LinkedIn profiles and their resumes are interchangeable, but you should not send your entire LinkedIn profile into a potential employer and expect to land an interview. While there is the LinkedIn Resume Builder, all that does is reformat your existing profile into a resume — it’s not tailored enough to show the value you could bring to the specific job you're applying for.

Sure, LinkedIn and your resume have a lot in common. They both include your professional summary, experience, skills, contact information, education and important links. But beyond that, there are plenty of things your LinkedIn profile has that need to stay clear of your resume.


1. All of Your Experience


That job you held in high school is likely not applicable to your career path five years post-graduation, so don't include it on your resume. The jobs you display on your resume should be relevant to the position you're applying for, so show potential employers your pertinent accomplishments and results at each position in the bullet points. A resume should be much more focused towards a particular role than your profile. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your "master resume," and then pull the most relevant information from it to build a resume for each position you apply for.

For example, if you were applying for a job in social media, you'd want to include your internship at a local news station where you helped create a Facebook Page for the company. However, you don't want to list your high school position where you worked at an after-school care facility.


2. Publications


It's true that a potential employer might want to see your work portfolio or samples, but including links to everything you've ever written on your resume is unnecessary. Keeping track of these on your LinkedIn profile can be helpful, though, particularly when the employer asks for links to your previous work or writing samples on the application. Instead of including links to everything you've done, simply provide a link to your LinkedIn profile or online portfolio on your resume (or in your email signature) to allow employers to check it out on their own time.


3. Recommendations


Yes, you need to have references handy for moving forward in the hiring process, but it's not necessary to take up space on your resume with phrases such as "References available upon request." Employers expect this, so there is no need to say it — much less include any recommendations. It's common for employers to ask for these further along in the hiring process anyway, though some may require it on the job application.


4. Interests


While it's great to let your networking connections see your interests on LinkedIn, a potential employer does not need to know that you enjoy playing basketball if you're applying for a job in IT. The same goes for your love for cooking if your career path isn't related to anything culinary. Leave out the talk about your interests in social media -– if the recruiter checks out your profiles, he’ll likely learn about your hobbies and favorite sports teams through the content you've shared.


5. Birthday


Age discrimination is a worry among job seekers, whether they're more ​​experienced or fresh out of college. While it can be helpful for LinkedIn contacts to know when to send you a birthday wish, you do not need to include any personal information, such as your age or birthday, on your resume. Instead, you want to highlight your experience and skills to show the employer why you're a good fit for the opening, regardless of how old you are — which means providing a compelling (yet concise) resume.


6. Marital Status


Your personal life is your personal life. Whether you're married or single should not affect your ability to do the job, so don't give employers more insight into your personal business than necessary. Although job seekers who are used to creating a curriculum vitae (CV) might typically include personal information, such as marital status, place of birth or their spouse's name, it is not appropriate to include this detailed information on your resume.

What’s on your LinkedIn profile that’s not on your resume? Let us know in the comments below.


Social Media Job Listings


Every week we post a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we publish a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

Image courtesy of Flickr, nanpalmero

More About: contributor, features, job search series, jobs, linkedin, mashable, trending

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5 Hot Startups Using Tech for Good

Posted: 12 May 2012 08:06 AM PDT


In our social entrepreneurship series, The World at Work, Mashable interviews the faces behind the startups and projects that are working to make a global impact.

By harnessing the power of the web and digital technology, these companies have built a way for companies to commit to charity, made electric cars affordable and offered a new way for people to rally around political issues. While the companies are diverse, they are all on a mission to change our lives for the better and improve society.

Here’s a roundup of featured projects from the last week, including exclusive video interviews with the founders of these innovative startups. To read more and watch the videos, click through to the full story, and follow the series to learn about more breakthrough companies.


1. Sparked


Big Idea: Sparked is an online-only volunteer hub for people to donate their talents to non-profits, as well as an engagement tool for businesses to engage and incentivize employees to contribute to volunteer causes.

Why It’s Working: Users can donate expertise and skills instead of money, and make time commitments according to availability and interest level.

Read the full story here.


2. Holstee


Big Idea: Holstee is an ecommerce marketplace for sustainable products that are “designed with a conscience.”

Why It’s Working: Holstee is driven by its social values and not a race for profits. Yet, the revenue still pours in as consumers become emotionally attached to its vision and mission. The company gives back by investing in entrepreneurship abroad through microfinancing, helping others to scale their businesses.

Read the full story and see the video here.


3. Coda


Big Idea: Coda is offering potential owners (in California only, for now) the opportunity to design and reserve their own electric vehicle for only $99.

Why It’s Working: Focused on reducing vehicle emissions while also providing a wallet-friendly and eco-friendly option for consumers, Coda aims to make a major splash in the consumer electric vehicle industry — and the automotive industry at large.

Read the full story here.


4. Bamboo Bike Studio


Big Idea: Bamboo Bike Studio holds bike-building workshops where students can craft their own bamboo bicycle — a sustainable form of transportation made in a sustainable way.

Why It’s Working: Bamboo Bike Studio uses the money from stateside workshops to fund a bike factory in Africa, where bamboo can be harnessed into reliable, sustainable transport for very little money.

Read the full story here.


5. Ruck.us


Big Idea: Through Ruck.us, users are matched with politically active people that share their “political DNA,” then form groups around issues they’re passionate about and take action.

Why It’s Working: Many Americans no longer define themselves as strictly Republican or Democrat — Ruck.us gives those independents an outlet for political expression outside the binary, two-party system.

Read the full story here.


What do you think of the efforts of these startups and foundations? Let us know in the comments below.

More About: features, mashable, roundup, trending, World at Work

For more Social Good coverage:


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