Immortality in humans is closer then you think. Check out this documentary.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Group Messaging Bests
I'm sure by now you've heard of at least one of the many group messaging startups looking to help multiple people keep in touch with each other. There has been allot talk about how there will likely be some of the breakout starts of SXSW. More then a few of these companies do far more than just send texts to multiple people; some of them offer location sharing, conference calls, and other features. Here are some of the best ones and their features to help you choose which is best for you.
Groupme
Groupme is a group texting and conference calling app that started at the 2010 TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon. It has already received over $11 million in funding. Users can set up a unique phone number and share it with his/her group. Groups can fit up to 25 people to share conversations. Users can share photos with the group online, or through Android or iPhone Apps. currently, Groupme users send about a million text messages and make a thousands conference calls everyday.
It is possible to create short-term groups that expire after a certain amount of time if the group is created online, with the iPhone App, or with Google Voice. In case users decide they’d rather have a long-term group in the middle of a short-term group, Groupme will send the creator a notice one hour before the group is set to expire, and the user can extend the time limit. However, Groupme says that they haven’t experienced heavy usage of their short-term groups.
Groupme can operate on any cell phone capable of sending and receiving text messages, and the service is free, though the text messaging rates of a user’s cell phone carrier do apply. Users can use #commands to manage the group and the members in it. (For example, #mute will stop messages from the group, and sending #help prompts a message that reminds you of other basic commands). There are no restrictions on the number of groups that a user can be a part of.
In preparation for SXSW, Groupme revamped their apps for iPhone and Android, providing users with the option of sending their messages through Push Notifications instead of SMS, saving them the costs of sending text messages (this also sends Groupme the cost of routing the messages). For these users with Android or iPhone apps, all of their group chats appear within the app itself rather than their SMS apps. Members of a group can also find each other’s locations on a map — a new feature for Groupme that Beluga and Fast Society already have. Users can also check into Foursquare locations directly from the Groupme app. Their more recent update, 2.1 More thing, further improves their iPhone and Android apps, allowing users to advertise their groups on Facebook or Twitter, where friends can request to join. And if one creates an SXSW group, special locations will show up on the map view.
Fast Society
Fast Society started in August, 2009, and has so far raised $275 thousand in funding. Their catchphrase is “built to party,” and the service is different from Groupme in that it is focused mainly on short-term teams that last from 3 hours up to 3 days. The idea is to allow groups of up to friends plan and connect with each other for a fun night out. Although Fast Society used to keep the teams small (up to 6 people), in their updated version, users can create 5 teams of up to 25 people in each team, and can also make permanent teams won’t disperse after a given time limit.
Teams on Fast Society can be created online or with an iPhone app, but every US cell phone that is enabled with texting can use the service through SMS (although carrier rates will apply). Members can text, call, and share their locations on a map.
Fast Society has also made some major updates in time for SXSW. In the new version of Fast Society, the app is capable of in-app messaging (similar to Groupme’s earlier update) that cuts the cost of using SMS. Also like Groupme’s 2.1 release, users can make now a public invite on their Facebook or Twitter, and accept or decline requests to join the group. Other features the new version allows include photo sharing, and an improved location sharing function that lets members in a team show their friends where they are and where they plan to go. “Shout Out” is unique to Fast Society, and is essentially a way of sending voice messages to the team, while “Rally” is a quick way of inviting everyone in an existing team to join a new team for a new event.
Also, Fast Society provides members with a way of looking back in time on their past endeavors with “past team view.” This allows users to capture the experiences they’ve shared with their friends and “relive” them if they so choose.
Although they now have permanent groups, Fast Society concentrates on encouraging short-term teams that are put together for a specific outing or “night out,” and targets teens and young adults more than the general population.
Beluga
Beluga has focused mainly on their iPhone and Android apps from the start, rather than building up from SMS, like Groupme did. Beluga was recently acquired by Facebook from three ex-Google employes, and now has the might of the social network behemoth behind them (assuming it doesn’t get shut down).
Beluga’s apps uses Push Notifications as a main means of communication, with SMS as a fallback, and users can enable or disable the alerts they get from the apps.
Since being acquired by Facebook, Beluga has updated their app in time for SXSW, and has rolled out a sign-on process that goes through Facebook. Users can also silence specific pods (or all of them) for one hour or until 8 am. The app also has an updated, more Facebook-esque navigation system that has tabs for Pods, People, and News along the top of the app for Android, and along the bottom for iPhones.
Yobongo
Yobongo is an altogether different type of “group messaging” service. Whereas the others provide a way to stay in touch with friends you already have, Yobongo hopes to spark new friendships between people in the area.
When a user starts using the Yobongo app, they’re automatically launched into a conversation with ten other people in the same geographical area. By keeping the groups small and filled with people already in close proximity, Yobongo hopes to start friendships between people who wouldn’t have met each other otherwise. Users are encouraged to use their real names, enhancing the “real person” aspect of the app (as opposed to some stranger that hides behind a computer screen).
Over time, the app automatically starts putting people into the same group, giving them the opportunity to develop connections and friends.
Yobongo is a fairly new service, having just launched for the public last week, just in time for SXSW, and have reportedly had far more downloads than they’d anticipated. However, they are still working on improving their service; multitasking on the iPhone is still an issue — when a user exits the application, they are disconnected from the service and may be reassigned to a new group once they turn the app back on.
Groupme
Groupme is a group texting and conference calling app that started at the 2010 TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon. It has already received over $11 million in funding. Users can set up a unique phone number and share it with his/her group. Groups can fit up to 25 people to share conversations. Users can share photos with the group online, or through Android or iPhone Apps. currently, Groupme users send about a million text messages and make a thousands conference calls everyday.
It is possible to create short-term groups that expire after a certain amount of time if the group is created online, with the iPhone App, or with Google Voice. In case users decide they’d rather have a long-term group in the middle of a short-term group, Groupme will send the creator a notice one hour before the group is set to expire, and the user can extend the time limit. However, Groupme says that they haven’t experienced heavy usage of their short-term groups.
Groupme can operate on any cell phone capable of sending and receiving text messages, and the service is free, though the text messaging rates of a user’s cell phone carrier do apply. Users can use #commands to manage the group and the members in it. (For example, #mute will stop messages from the group, and sending #help prompts a message that reminds you of other basic commands). There are no restrictions on the number of groups that a user can be a part of.
In preparation for SXSW, Groupme revamped their apps for iPhone and Android, providing users with the option of sending their messages through Push Notifications instead of SMS, saving them the costs of sending text messages (this also sends Groupme the cost of routing the messages). For these users with Android or iPhone apps, all of their group chats appear within the app itself rather than their SMS apps. Members of a group can also find each other’s locations on a map — a new feature for Groupme that Beluga and Fast Society already have. Users can also check into Foursquare locations directly from the Groupme app. Their more recent update, 2.1 More thing, further improves their iPhone and Android apps, allowing users to advertise their groups on Facebook or Twitter, where friends can request to join. And if one creates an SXSW group, special locations will show up on the map view.
Fast Society
Fast Society started in August, 2009, and has so far raised $275 thousand in funding. Their catchphrase is “built to party,” and the service is different from Groupme in that it is focused mainly on short-term teams that last from 3 hours up to 3 days. The idea is to allow groups of up to friends plan and connect with each other for a fun night out. Although Fast Society used to keep the teams small (up to 6 people), in their updated version, users can create 5 teams of up to 25 people in each team, and can also make permanent teams won’t disperse after a given time limit.
Teams on Fast Society can be created online or with an iPhone app, but every US cell phone that is enabled with texting can use the service through SMS (although carrier rates will apply). Members can text, call, and share their locations on a map.
Fast Society has also made some major updates in time for SXSW. In the new version of Fast Society, the app is capable of in-app messaging (similar to Groupme’s earlier update) that cuts the cost of using SMS. Also like Groupme’s 2.1 release, users can make now a public invite on their Facebook or Twitter, and accept or decline requests to join the group. Other features the new version allows include photo sharing, and an improved location sharing function that lets members in a team show their friends where they are and where they plan to go. “Shout Out” is unique to Fast Society, and is essentially a way of sending voice messages to the team, while “Rally” is a quick way of inviting everyone in an existing team to join a new team for a new event.
Also, Fast Society provides members with a way of looking back in time on their past endeavors with “past team view.” This allows users to capture the experiences they’ve shared with their friends and “relive” them if they so choose.
Although they now have permanent groups, Fast Society concentrates on encouraging short-term teams that are put together for a specific outing or “night out,” and targets teens and young adults more than the general population.
Beluga
Beluga has focused mainly on their iPhone and Android apps from the start, rather than building up from SMS, like Groupme did. Beluga was recently acquired by Facebook from three ex-Google employes, and now has the might of the social network behemoth behind them (assuming it doesn’t get shut down).
Beluga’s apps uses Push Notifications as a main means of communication, with SMS as a fallback, and users can enable or disable the alerts they get from the apps.
Since being acquired by Facebook, Beluga has updated their app in time for SXSW, and has rolled out a sign-on process that goes through Facebook. Users can also silence specific pods (or all of them) for one hour or until 8 am. The app also has an updated, more Facebook-esque navigation system that has tabs for Pods, People, and News along the top of the app for Android, and along the bottom for iPhones.
Yobongo
Yobongo is an altogether different type of “group messaging” service. Whereas the others provide a way to stay in touch with friends you already have, Yobongo hopes to spark new friendships between people in the area.
When a user starts using the Yobongo app, they’re automatically launched into a conversation with ten other people in the same geographical area. By keeping the groups small and filled with people already in close proximity, Yobongo hopes to start friendships between people who wouldn’t have met each other otherwise. Users are encouraged to use their real names, enhancing the “real person” aspect of the app (as opposed to some stranger that hides behind a computer screen).
Over time, the app automatically starts putting people into the same group, giving them the opportunity to develop connections and friends.
Yobongo is a fairly new service, having just launched for the public last week, just in time for SXSW, and have reportedly had far more downloads than they’d anticipated. However, they are still working on improving their service; multitasking on the iPhone is still an issue — when a user exits the application, they are disconnected from the service and may be reassigned to a new group once they turn the app back on.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Zaarly App
"Zaarly is a proximity based, real-time buyer powered market. Buyers make an offer for an immediate need and sellers cash in on an infinite marketplace for items and services they never knew were for sale."
As a buyer you can make offers for a service you want, anything you can think of (only if it is legal of course). What the service is how much you're willing to pay, and depending on the service, where you are. You can post a request to have your clothes cleaned for you, have a soda delivered to you while you're in the movies and you don't want to miss any of it, or set up a party at a dinning hall. Instead of hiring an over price assistent you can set your own price and find people willing to do the job.
If you want you can sell your services as well. If you were to be going grocery shopping one day and see that someone that lives close by would like some milk brought to them why not pick up some extra cash for doing something you pretty much already are. You could even make a living from simply helping out others that are otherwise to busy, or physically disabled who can't do things for them selves.
Zaarly has some pretty good features. It uses the location feature of your phone to determine proximity of your phone to determine proximity of other the users. You can talk to the person you've accepted via an anonymous phone number (A Twilio powered service). Later you'll be able to anonymously text back and forth also. Soon both sides of the transaction will be able to rate the other person.
Cofounder Bo Fishback says he came up with the idea on an airplane. He is tall and has trouble in most economy class seats. When he flies he would often ask people in the exit row if they'll take his seat for $50. "100% of the time the person says yes, or just changes without the payment." Zaarly is a better way to do these type of things, he says.
Look for it to launch at SXSW in a few days. Until then, sign up for early notification at Zaarly.
As a buyer you can make offers for a service you want, anything you can think of (only if it is legal of course). What the service is how much you're willing to pay, and depending on the service, where you are. You can post a request to have your clothes cleaned for you, have a soda delivered to you while you're in the movies and you don't want to miss any of it, or set up a party at a dinning hall. Instead of hiring an over price assistent you can set your own price and find people willing to do the job.
If you want you can sell your services as well. If you were to be going grocery shopping one day and see that someone that lives close by would like some milk brought to them why not pick up some extra cash for doing something you pretty much already are. You could even make a living from simply helping out others that are otherwise to busy, or physically disabled who can't do things for them selves.
Zaarly has some pretty good features. It uses the location feature of your phone to determine proximity of your phone to determine proximity of other the users. You can talk to the person you've accepted via an anonymous phone number (A Twilio powered service). Later you'll be able to anonymously text back and forth also. Soon both sides of the transaction will be able to rate the other person.
Cofounder Bo Fishback says he came up with the idea on an airplane. He is tall and has trouble in most economy class seats. When he flies he would often ask people in the exit row if they'll take his seat for $50. "100% of the time the person says yes, or just changes without the payment." Zaarly is a better way to do these type of things, he says.
Look for it to launch at SXSW in a few days. Until then, sign up for early notification at Zaarly.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
@Charliesheen
Public fascination with 45-year-old actor has skyrocketed since he began a media bender following hif fallout with Two and a half Men producer Chuck Lorre and his introduction of hs 24-year-old goddesses, girlfriends Rachel Oberlin and Natalie Kenly.
It seems everywhere you look these days there's Charlie Sheen. Whether it's on the news talking about winning, or how his kids got taken away, or it's on the internet possibly on a youtube video titled DUH winning I got tiger blood remix. The the one place where he's seen by millions everyday is Twitter. @CharlieSheen has become a twitter god. Duh, winning.
@CharlieSheen, with just over 2.4 million followers at the moment, broke a couple world records on Twitter getting there. First he broke the record for the fastest to 1 million followers in just under 24 hours. Then he got the most replies in just one tweet. 2.2 million people at 95,333 clicks an hour. Here's the tweet.
The tweet was about an internship application. Apparently the Twitter guru he hired wasn't enough. His social media networking has become something of a startup corporation and now he needs interns. He's looking for some help with his social media project for just a short time of 8 weeks. It's a full time paid offer for a summer job. Doesn't sound to bad to me seeing as how Charlie Sheen would probably be surrounded by playboy bunnies and the best liquore and cigars money can by. I for one wouldn't mind winning for 8 weeks. Apply here.
It seems everywhere you look these days there's Charlie Sheen. Whether it's on the news talking about winning, or how his kids got taken away, or it's on the internet possibly on a youtube video titled DUH winning I got tiger blood remix. The the one place where he's seen by millions everyday is Twitter. @CharlieSheen has become a twitter god. Duh, winning.
@CharlieSheen, with just over 2.4 million followers at the moment, broke a couple world records on Twitter getting there. First he broke the record for the fastest to 1 million followers in just under 24 hours. Then he got the most replies in just one tweet. 2.2 million people at 95,333 clicks an hour. Here's the tweet.
The tweet was about an internship application. Apparently the Twitter guru he hired wasn't enough. His social media networking has become something of a startup corporation and now he needs interns. He's looking for some help with his social media project for just a short time of 8 weeks. It's a full time paid offer for a summer job. Doesn't sound to bad to me seeing as how Charlie Sheen would probably be surrounded by playboy bunnies and the best liquore and cigars money can by. I for one wouldn't mind winning for 8 weeks. Apply here.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
New Chrome
Three weeks ago Google came out with the beta version of Chrome 10. Today, the company launched a stable release of the upgrade desktop browser solution. It comes with a speed boost that corresponds to a 66% improvement in JavaScript performance on the V8 benchmark suite.
You can now synch settings, passwords, and bookmarks to any computer across the internet. So no matter where you sit down at a computer once you get the settings link it's just like home.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Appia-Powered Mobile App Store
Opera says that in it's pre-launch state, the Opera Mobile Store attracted more then 15 million users in February from 200 countries, achieving more than 700,000 downloads per day. clearly this is a big win for Appia, which now powers app stores for world's top five handset manufacturers as well as Opera.
Phantogram
I saw this band perform with Questlove on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and fell in love. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon usually has lesser known bands on that restore my faith in modern music, but this group was so good I became a fan instantly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)