Hasta La Gadget!

Opera has just released version 12.10 of its browser for Windows, Linux and Mac with some significant touch-ups, considering it’s a point release. Building on the recent 12.0 launch, the desktop browser now has OS X notifications, Retina support, pinch zoom and inertia scrolling for touch-friendly Windows 8, better color rendering, SPDY support for faster page loading and built-in page sharing to Twitter or Facebook. Along with a bump in speed, some of those new treats might tempt desktop users to make a switch, though it’s got an uphill climb. You can grab it at the source.

Filed under: Internet, Software

Opera 12.10 browser hits desktops with Windows 8 touch, Retina display, SPDY support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TNW  |  Opera  | Email this | Comments

Amazon Prime’s trifecta of two-day shipping, instant media streaming and monthly Kindle book rentals just became a little more consumer friendly at a slightly higher price. As a Hacking Netflix reader recently noticed, Amazon is now inviting users to buy into Prime for $7.99 a month, bringing the service in line with Hulu and Netflix’s monthly pricing schemes. The price of skipping the yearly fee is its own cost, however — subscribers who stick with Prime for a full year will pay $16.88 over the annual plan. Paying for all 12-months ahead of time is still an option, of course, scoring long-term buyers a 20 percent discount at checkout. Good deal? Sure. Even better if you’re trying to save on shipping this holiday season.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, Amazon

Amazon Prime flaunts a monthly price tag, now offers streaming and two day shipping for $7.99 per month originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hacking Netflix  |  Amazon  | Email this | Comments

Gauging the quality of a restaurant or store through star ratings is often just slightly more reliable than picking blindfolded; one undercooked stir fry may tank the ratings for what’s otherwise a stellar eatery. In that sense, Foursquare’s revamped Explore for iOS users is a long-overdue replacement for an old concept. Rather than let the overly emotional guide our decisions, the update assigns ratings from a 10-point system based on how many people check in, how many are regulars and the number of tips or likes — in short, the degree to which people actually like to visit. Imagine that. Foursquare hasn’t said when Android and other platforms will see the Explore switchover, but it shouldn’t be too long before everyone knows where the local hotspot is without a few exceptions spoiling the rule.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

Foursquare Explore for iOS rates places by check-in popularity, doesn’t see stars originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Foursquare Blog  |  App Store  | Email this | Comments

Instagram is getting ready to open up its collection of filtered images to the web. The photosharing service announced via blog post that it’s going to be rolling out web profiles over the next few days, bringing profile photos, bios and shared images to easily navigable URLs at instagram.com/[username]. If you have photos set to private, you’ll still get a profile, but those images won’t be shared with the web at large. The site also notes that web uploading isn’t currently enabled, seeing as how it’s always been focused on mobile devices. If you don’t have a page yet, you should be good to go within the week. In the meantime, you can check out other profiles in Instagram at the source link below.

Filed under: Internet

Instagram rolling out web profiles, sepia toning the world’s browsers one account at a time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Instagram  | Email this | Comments

This week the folks at NetShelter have become “inPowered”, a group making it their mission to take “earned media” to the next level as the “industry’s first earned advertising platform.” This type of advertising for the web makes use of endorsements rather than simply saying, “hey there, buy this product.” With advertising that’s “earned”, marketers are able to find the most influential expert stories surrounding their products and push that influence to great heights.

In other words, you may well be seeing a fundamental shift in the way you’re marketed to on the web. Keep your eyes open to banner ads, towers, and the like using words plucked from publications and see how much more (or less, you never know) you trust these words than a straight-up standard ad spot. According to inPowered and the studies they’ve conducted, “76 percent of U.S. adults rely on articles, blogs, reviews and video from knowledgeable experts.” In other words, they read reviews like SlashGear publishes to see if they’d like to purchase a smartphone.

NetShelter is announcing this week that they’d been working with a limited version of what is now inPowered as a product of NetShelter Technology Media. This limited run has done so well over the 11 months they’ve had it running that they decided to launch inPowered as a separate company to bring Earned Advertising to the masses. Now NetShelter will be a subsidiary of InPowered and “a key distribution channel” for reaching the massive number of technology enthusiasts that exist on the web.

“inPowered plays a critical role in our advertising strategy; it is the key tool for amplifying our message. We might have thousands of articles online, but inPowered tells us the top 10 stories that people are reading, and then amplifies them to the wider network. The measurement functionality enables us to devise a strategy for communicating the right message that resonates with consumers.” – Peggy Ang, VP of Marketing, Samsung

Those of you who work with NetShelter right this minute should also be aware that they are going to be continuing to offer all the services they’ve had up until now. This is an expansion of the brand and a bit of a re-branding too, as it were. Again, keep your eyes open to this type of marketing across the web – and off the web too – watch for it!

NetShelter rebrands as inPowered and “Industry’s First Earned Advertising Platform” is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.