Hasta La Gadget!

We’re not sure how comfortable we are with everyone online being able to examine our, as the Brits would say, “rubbish.” But our friends across the pond are apparently ok with it, seeing as it’s the home of BinCam — a research project out of Newcastle University that posts pictures of people’s trash on Facebook. At the heart of the experiment is an Xperia X10 Mini strapped under the lid of a garbage can that automatically snaps a photo every time it’s opened and closed. That image is then uploaded to the BinCam Facebook app, where you’re showered with public shame for failing to sort your recyclables or celebrated for not wasting food. And, just in case you think this is all an elaborate joke, check out the BBC report after the break the the study of how it affected student behavior at the source.

Continue reading BinCam posts photos of your trash on Facebook, shames you into recycling (video)

BinCam posts photos of your trash on Facebook, shames you into recycling (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Described as a “test flight” of IPv6, today marks the biggest concerted effort by some of the web’s marquee players to turn us all on to the newer, fancier web addressing system. Internet Protocol version 4 has been the template by which we’ve addressed everything connected to the web so far, but that stuff’s now nearing exhaustion, so the future demands a longer, more complex nomenclature to tell our smartphones, tablets, printers, and other webOS devices apart. For end users, June 8th won’t really feel too different from June 7th — this will be a change that occurs mostly behind the scenes and there’s an IPv4 fallback option if you can’t connect in the modern way — but Google does warn that a very limited subset of users may experience connectivity issues as a result. Hit the links below to see how well prepared for the future you are.

Today’s World IPv6 Day: Google, Bing, Facebook and others test out new addresses for 24 hours originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook Japan today announced the launch of their Facebook Deals service with an event in the heart of Shibuya. The launch was held infront of the iconic Shibuya 109 building, a popular meeting spot amongst Japanese youngsters. According to the “friendly” staff (who kept pestering us about taking photos) Facebook launched the service today in Japan called “Facebook Check-in Coupon”, after similar services being offered in the US, UK and a number of other countries.

It is interesting how Facebook Japan differentiated the service from the original US application. With Japan’s frequent usage of coupons at supermarkets, restaurants, and the many convenience stores throughout the country, it was directed more towards the already mobile and coupon savvy consumer. A large target being the younger demographic, who already have plenty of experience using mobile phones to receive discounts and deals direct to their handsets. McDonalds, for example, have been running their “Kazasu Coupon” (Contactless Coupon) service for a while now, offering downloadable mobile coupons. The “Deals” service therefore stands to be particularly successful in Japan as Facebook gains a foothold along with smartphones enabling location based services and deals.

Facebook Japan invited two well known mixed celebrities, model and TV personality Shelly and actor and model Yuji, as a clear statement of Facebook being an international SNS as opposed to the likes of Mixi, the Japanese domestic counterpart, whilst at the same time appealing to the young crowd gathered at the launch. The enthusiastic spokespeople mentioned how more than 20 of the top restaurant, clothing, and convenience store chains have entered into the service and are releasing coupons starting from tomorrow. It can be accessed through any smart phone or PDA and simply checking in to a place displays information on the newest deals and discounts that companies have to offer.

Facebook is certainly trying to gain a larger market share to compete with Japan’s social networking sites such as Mixi and Gree. With smartphones rapidly taking the place of Japan’s domestic mobiles, more services which make full use of the technology on offer, and especially tying in SNS, will start to compete in this market. Brands will be looking to use these location based shopping services in an attempt to grab the consumers attention in new and interactive ways.

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The words “Facebook” and “Twitter” are now verboten on French TV, because France thought it’d be a good idea to follow its own laws. Last week, the country’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) ruled that TV networks and radio stations will no longer be able to explicitly mention Facebook or Twitter during on-air broadcasts, except when discussing a story in which either company is directly involved. The move comes in response to a 1992 governmental decree that prohibits media organizations from promoting brands during newscasts, for fear of diluting competition. Instead of inviting viewers to follow their programs or stories on Twitter, then, broadcast journalists will have to couch their promotions in slightly more generic terms — e.g. “Follow us on your social network of choice.” CSA spokeswoman Christine Kelly explains:

“Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition? This would be a distortion of competition. If we allow Facebook and Twitter to be cited on air, it’s opening a Pandora’s Box – other social networks will complain to us saying, ‘why not us?'”

It didn’t take long for the US media to jump all over the story, with many outlets citing no less objective a source than Matthew Fraser — a Canadian expat blogger who claims, in ostensible sincerity, that the ruling is symptomatic of a “deeply rooted animosity in the French psyche toward Anglo-Saxon cultural domination.” Calling the ruling “ludicrous,” Fraser went on to flamboyantly point out the obvious, stating that such regulatory nonsense would never be tolerated by corporations in the US. But then again, neither would smelly cheese or universal healthcare. Apple, meet orange. Fueling competition via aggressive regulation may strike some free-marketeers as economically depraved, but it certainly won’t kill social media-based commerce. Facebook and Twitter have already become more or less synonymous with “social networks” anyway, so it’s hard to envision such a minor linguistic tweak having any major effect on online engagement. That’s not to say that the new regulation will suddenly create a level playing field — it won’t. But it probably won’t put America’s social media titans at a serious disadvantage, as some would have you believe. Rather, these knee-jerk arguments from Fraser and others seem more rooted in capitalist symbolism and cross-cultural hyperbole than anything else — reality, included.

France bans Twitter, Facebook mentions on TV, in the name of market competition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel’s Museum of Me finally gives your Facebook ego the attention it deserves originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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