Holiday shoppers whipped out their mobile phones to help them find the best deals, in yet another sign of how the cell phone is becoming more and more of a shopping and e-commerce tool.

More than half of U.S. cell phone owners said they used their phones at least once during the holiday shopping season, using it to call a friend for shopping advice, to look up product reviews while they were in the store or to check for better prices elsewhere, the Pew Internet & American Life Project said in a report.

Among shopping apps, Palo Alto’s Shopkick announced Tuesday that its smart-phone app drove $110 million in revenue to its retail partners, such as Target, Old Navy and Toys R us. the app encourages shoppers to go into stores by rewarding them once they’re inside, giving them points that they can redeem for goodies such as iTunes gift cards and Facebook Credits. it also gives its 3 million users points for finding and scanning products in the store.

It calculated the $110 million figure by factoring in the number of shoppers that went into the store, scanned a product and purchased it or took advantage of special offers and deals in the app.

During the holidays, Shopkick users saw 1 billion deals in the app, walked into 5 million stores and scanned 10 million products, the startup said.

Yukking it up: One of the projects at Twitter’s “Hack Week” last week was to come up with the best worst job recruiting video of all time. they succeeded. the “At Twitter, the Future is You!” video is so corny, it’s hilarious. And since Friday, it’s received more than a half million plays on YouTube.

But we couldn’t help noticing Twitter’s video bears a resemblance to a “Saturday Night Live” skit called “Laser Cats,” with SNL Producer Lorne Michaels playing the big boss in the same deadpan style as Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, who used to be a stand-up comic.

This article appeared on page D – 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Shopkick rides surge in shopping with cell phones

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Today, more than ever, celebrities are running to tattoo parlors in an effort to express themselves. Body art has become an accessory to many such as teacup dogs and expensive purses. the number of celebrities with tattoos is on the rise. in the old days, it was prominently the metal and punk rockers and athletes that were heavily inked.

Nowadays, ink can be found on celebrity bodies from the cat walk, to the small screen, and to the red carpet and the big screen. However, not all celebrities heed the advice of picking the right tattoo that they won’t one day regret. therefore, as number of celebrities get tattoos rises, so does the number of tattoo regret and tattoo removal.

One of the main reasons that people, including celebrities, goes into see a laser tattoo removal specialist is because they have the name of a former lover inked on their body or they may have matching tattoos inspired by an ex. There are plenty of examples of celebrities that have had tattoo regret for just this reason. they have either had their tattoos removed by laser tattoo treatments or lightened to cover their unwanted tattoos.

Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton. Angelina had Billy Bob’s name tattooed on her arm, while Billy Bob had Angelina’s name inked on his bicep. they were married for 3 years and then divorced. Angelina decided on laser tattoo removal to lighten her tattoo and a cover-up tattoo shortly after their divorce and had her children’s birthplaces inked in the same location. Billy Bob decided on a cover-up solution also. He had Angelina’s name covered with an angel and the word peace.

Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen. Denise decided to have Charlie tattooed on her ankle while Charlie had Denise tattooed on his wrist. they were married and later divorced. Denise had her Charlie tattoo transformed into a fairy, while Charlie had his Denise lasered away.

Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr. Tom tops the list for the most tattoos of an ex. He had a whooping 4 tattoos of Roseanne, his wife at the time, including a portrait of her on his chest. Roseanne had a Property of Tom Arnold tattooed on her hip. once divorced, Tom had all of his tattoos laser removed. Roseanne opted for a cover-up of her Tom tattoo.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. they decided after a short courtship to get married and also get matching tattoos. they both had dice tattooed on their arms, Britney’s dice were pink while Kevin’s were blue. once their relationship sizzled and they were no longer seen together, both sets of dice disappeared as well with laser tattoo removal.

Nick Carter and Paris Hilton. they were only together for a short 7 months when these two love birds to have each others names inked on their bodies. Nick had Paris tattooed on his wrist while Paris had Nick tattooed on her bottom. Paris had her tattoo laser removed not long after she had the tattoo done. Nick decided to have his Paris covered up with a skull and the phrase old Habits Die Hard.

Some other celebrities that have donned their love by inking their skin include Pamela Anderson, Kathy Griffin, and Johnny Depp. Pamela Anderson had Tommy inked on her ring finger when they were together and later had it changed to read Mommy after they split. Kathy Griffin also had a wedding ring inked on her finger when she was married. Later when she was divorced, she decided it was time to have her tattoo laser removed. Johnny Depp who fell madly in love with Winona Ryder had no problem showing his love for her by having Winona forever tattooed on his chest, only to later have it changed to Wino forever after their love fizzled.

Having a lover’s name, face,symbol, or matching tattoos are not the only tattoos celebrities have that they regret. they too have been guilty of getting certain images or sayings that represented who they were at a certain time in their lives. Tommy Lee and Tony Danza both had tattoos done early on in life that no longer represented who they are and therefore looked to laser tattoo removal. Tommy Lee had a swastika inked on his rib cage. He decided to remove the tattoo so it would no longer hinder his image. Tony Danza had keep on Truckin tattooed on his body during his younger days. He decided on laser tattoo removal shortly after it was first readily available.

Two rappers whose images are widely known and recognized for their ink, Pharrell Williams and 50 Cent are both undergoing laser tattoo removal treatments. they are both looking into other opportunities than being rap stars and they both believe that removing their tattoos with improve their images. even with all the musical talent and fame these two stars have, 50 cent’s aspirations to act are cut short or he spends up to 4 hours covering his tattoos with make-up in order to do a movie scene. Pharrell is in the process of designing a clothing line and wants to be taken as a serious entrepreneur.

Whether these celebrities had gotten tattoos when they were young, in love, or for their simple love of tattoos, they all experienced tattoo regret and did something about it. Tattoos once thought to be permanent can be removed with laser tattoo removal treatments or even lightened with laser tattoo removal treatments and then covered with a new tattoo.

Celebrity Tattoo Removal – Stories of Tattoo Regret

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The group will hit the stage at the legendary Harlem theater March 9, in a show that will help to mark the 10th anniversary of SiriusXM  satellite radio. the show will be broadcast live on Sirius’ Springsteen E Street Radio, on channel 20. Tickets will not be sold to the general public, but SiriusXM subscribers will be able to win tickets several different ways. In addition, the grand prize of a trip to new York City for four, two nights hotel, and the opportunity to guest DJ on E Street Radio will be awarded…

Legendary new York City rock club CBGB, which closed in 2006 is rumored to be re-opening soon after new owners purchased the naming rights and memorabilia three months ago from Lisa Kristel, the daughter of the late Hilly Kristel, who founded the club in 1973. the club will not re-open at its former lower East side location, because that space was purchased by and currently houses a John Varvatos clothing store…

No Room for Rockstars, a film by Parris Patton, which documents the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. Culled from more than 300 hours of film shot during the 2010 tour, the film documents the tour by telling the stories of all involved in putting on a festival every day over the course of a summer. the film will be released nationwide March 1. it will be available for purchase via iTunes, April 2, and will be available on video on demand and DVD, may 8…

Grammy award winner Esperanza Spalding will release her new album, Radio Music Society, March 20. the first single, “Black Gold” (featuring Algebra Blessett will hit urban radio shortly…

Leslie Carter, the sister of Aaron Carter and Backstreet Boys‘ Nick Carter has died. she was 25. the death of the singer of “like Wow” (which was featured on the Shrek 3 soundtrack) was confirmed by her family, but there are few details about the cause of death or where she was when she passed away…

Macy Gray will release Covered, March 27, via 429 Records. the disc is a collection of cover songs by the likes of Radiohead, Metallica, Arcade Fire, and My Chemical Romance, that Gray has covered during her recent live shows…

Nova Social will release for Any Inconvenience, their third full-length album, independently, February 28,. via Big Sleep Records/IODA.  The first single, “Drunk at the Prom,” is currently available as a free download…

Civil Twilight will release its sophomore album, holy weather, March 27, via Wind up Records. the disc is a follow-up to their self-titled 2009 debut. the new single, “fire Escape,” is currently available via iTunes…

TMZ reported that Elephant Man was arrested in his native Jamaica after an alleged victim filed an allegation of rape against him. a Jamaican media outlet reported that the rapper was charged with “grievous sexual assault and rape” Monday (January 30)…

Bruce Springsteen, CBGB in News Notes

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The Best iPod Docking Station

An iPod has been an excelling invention that provides you with the ability to care thousands of songs in the palm of your hand. Listening to your music can be done in a whole new way with a set of portable speakers. a person’s entertainment value for their mp3 player can be increased by using an iPod docking station to listen to their tunes, not headphones.

There are many different styles and features to iPod docking stations. Finding the right one to meet your needs is not hard if you know what to look for. The best iPod docking station will offer you the benefit of charging your iPod while it plays your music. The great thing about a portable speaker is its light weight and easy to carry design.

To help describe the unique and useful features of an iPod docking station, let us paint a picture. Imagine you cleaning the house or cooking a nice meal in the kitchen. In most cases, people are restricted to listening to the radio or just the beat of a song coming from another room. Listening to the radio is still an option with an iPod dock; however, you can also enjoy your own music through a set of high quality speakers. It is a very easy process to set this up.Portable iPod speakers allow you to plug in your iPod directly into their dock which is built into the speakers. The device provides controls so you can navigate through your songs either by remote or on the device itself. All you need to do is plug in your mp3 player and hit play. The best iPod docking stations will automatically start playing and charging your iPod

These portable speakers run on an AC power cord as well as batteries. a docks ability to run on batteries is very useful for many different occasions. Cleaning your house is a room to room job. With batteries that can last up to 8 hours or more, you can easily walk around your house and bring your music with you. some iPod docking stations also make a great camping or vacation accessory, providing you with a way to play music anywhere

Looking at the very basic iPod docks, you will find they are very bare boned with not many features at all. they are a simple way to connect your iPod to a computer for charging or sync songs and movies. In addition, a docking station may provide you with a stylish way to charge your mp3 player as well as an extra piece to charge you iPod with any wall plug in. You can expect to pay anywhere from $10-$20 for a dock like this.

If you are looking for something with quality and more entertainment value, you want an iPod docking station with speakers. a docking station built into speakers is your best friend if you want to share music. Portable speakers are your solution to listening to music anywhere without the need of your earphones. These iPod docking stations come in many different shapes, sizes and qualities. You are looking at a price range of $30 up to $300.

Maybe the small speakers just aren’t what you need. If you want something for your home that can provide you with a great set of party speakers, you need a home theatre dock. Home theater docks are another one of the best iPod docking stations. These are awesome for parties and BBQ’s. they are designed much larger and louder and should be placed in a living room or bedroom.

The Best iPod Docking Station – Portable Speakers

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Microsoft has come up with a new improved mobile platform with Windows Phone 7. the new mobile platform which was recently unveiled in Taiwan is available with the Nokia Lumia series and HTC’s two new phones: HD7 and Mozart.

The mobile platform is a means for Microsoft to recover lost ground in the mobile market which has drastically changed in the last three to four years. Windows Mobile 6 wasn’t much of a success as the iPhone won accolades for its path-breaking design and features. even the Android OS was touted to be an iOS killer and is indeed revving up competition.

The new offering from Microsoft which is Windows Mobile 7 is a clean break from the previous version. Windows Phone 7 has to capitalize on its features and market well and is still not an iPhone/Android killer. It can though put up a worthy fight with the biggies. the Nokia Lumia series which has Windows Mobile 7 has a touch screen keyboard which does work well and the applications which support mails, music and video are fantastic. Additionally, according to analysts, the new OS boasts of clarity and simplicity.

Windows Mobile 7 apps offer different choices to the market and differentiate from the crowd. one of the best parts of WP7 is that it supports Zune and Xbox Live integration. there are a number of third party applications related to social media like Twitter and Seesmic.

Windows Mobile 7 application development involves optimum utilization of the.NET framework. Microsoft has molded the framework for apps creation. Developers can write programs in different languages which are supported by the framework, one of them is C#. the apps are run within a runtime environment which is termed as Common Language Runtime or CLR.

One can use several approaches while developing apps for the Windows Phone 7 development. one can make use of Silverlight or one can even use the XNA framework. Silverlight was the original choice of the developers for creating rich internet applications. Silverlight is slowly becoming popular but has a long way to go to compete with other similar technologies. there has been better market adoption though in recent years. one of the developments is that Netflix is now using Silverlight to stream videos one of the most popular TV channels NBC recently used Silverlight for the broadcast of Olympic games.

On the other hand, XNA is Microsoft’s own game development framework which has been widely used for making apps for Windows and Xbox 360. the XNA is almost perfectly suitable for games development.

Windows Mobile 7 And The Smartphone Market

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iPhone users downloaded more than 6 million of the top free apps each day in December.

(Credit:Fiksu)

iPhone users were busy in December downloading more than 6 million of Apple’s top free apps each day.

For the last month of 2011, theiPhone app store witnessed a record 6.04 million downloads per day, a 7 percent jump over the previous high of 5.45 million daily downloads in November.

Compiled by mobile ad firm Fiksu, the App Store Competitive Index looks at the total number of downloads of the top 200 free iPhone apps in the United States. the downloads have been gaining momentum since September when the average daily number was 3.8 million.

Of course, the jump in iPhone app downloads during December is hardly surprising, even to Fiksu.

The critical Christmas season lights a fire under mobile advertisers eager to share in the holiday tidings. Advertisers spent big bucks throughout the month to bump up their app store rankings.

And the amount of money spent during the final week of Christmas jumped 100 percent over the prior weeks, says the mobile ad firm.

“This presented advertisers with sufficient budgets the rare chance to acquire twice as many loyal users,” noted Fiksu. “For many major app brands, and game apps in particular, this exceptional opportunity certainly justified increased budgets. eager consumers actively downloaded apps on their new devices, and the brands that had secured higher ranks were able to acquire a higher volume of loyal app users.”

The number of downloads were also boosted by the sheer volume of iPhones scooped up by consumers. for the final quarter of 2011, Apple sold 37 million iPhones, a figure much higher than expected.

December also saw a leap in the number of iOS (andAndroid) device activations, leading up to 6.8 million between the two platforms just on Christmas Day. one story has suggested that Apple alone saw 4.2 million iOS devices activated on December 25.

iPhone users grabbed 6 million free apps a day in December

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To get a better night's sleep, some people would do almost anything. But now you don't need a doctor to sleep better, you just need a smart phone and a new application.

We talked to an employee at Best buy in Phoenix; he sleeps with a wristband that monitors how much deep sleep, light sleep, and no sleep he gets throughout the night. Then he synchronizes that information with his phone, and he practically becomes his own sleep clinic. 

“I went to bed at about 1 in the morning took me obviously, about 20 minutes to fall asleep,” Walter Mack said, who works at the Best buy near 22nd Street and Camelback Road. he bought UP from the company Jawbone. it comes with software and a wristband that tracks his sleep habits on his iPhone.

“I probably had less dreams this night,” Mack said, showing us what he has learned on his phone. Best buy sells a bunch of these fitness trackers that you sync up with your smart phone. While Mack told us he just wants to be healthy, it could have larger implications.

“I really like that there's are these tools out there now to measure how much sleep we're getting,” said Lauri Leadley, the founder of Valley Sleep Center, which has five valley locations. She said while these smart phone applications are a good start, nothing beats a real sleep study that nowadays, most insurance companies cover.

“This would actually record 12,000 times faster than a device you would normally wear, like an app,” Leadley said, describing the equipment they use to track sleep habits.

So while these applications, ranging from $100-$175 may kill the curiosity, they won't stifle the snore.

“I just notice the days I work out harder are the days I get better sleep,” Mack said, saying nothing beats a healthy lifestyle.

If you're interested in trying these applications you can get them online or at some valley stores. right now, though, the UP wristband that Mack used is currently recalled because of poor battery life, but the company should be rolling out a new version soon.

Copyright 2011 KPHO. all rights reserved.

CBS 5 – KPHO Get better sleep with your smart phone?

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Getting a lower price, it appears, is an unconditional quest for many consumers. At least, that’s one conclusion I draw from a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers that found 33% of urban and 26% of suburban consumers wielded smartphones in store aisles to compare prices. In comparison, 9% of those living in rural areas made these price checks, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

Retailers have to figure out a plan to contend with the new ways that consumers shop. In the days of yore, before smartphones, data plans and reliable cell phone signals, shoppers used e-commerce sites to check prices, which was easier than going from store to store. now, with the Internet in their pockets, consumers can stand inside a store and check the prices of many sellers without trekking home or to another mall.

I have some theories why fewer rural shoppers engage in in-store price checking. One, smartphone penetration may not be as high in rural markets as in cities. Two, the wireless signal may not be fast enough to warrant an online search. And, three, rural consumers may have fewer stores to choose from, an especially significant factor if the consumer doesn’t want to wait for a product to ship.

Retailers aren’t going to ignore rural consumers, but they shouldn’t be forgotten either. Smartphone adoption is going to increase. more than 126 million U.S. consumers will own a smartphone by 2013, a 147% increase from the nearly 51 million smartphone owners in 2008, according to research firm eMarketer.

While many rural consumers may not be checking prices while in the stores, there’s nothing to prevent shoppers from checking prices from their desktop computers. everybody wants the best deal.

Look for more on the subject of who the smartphone shopper is and how they shop in stores in a story I’m writing for the March issue of Internet Retailer.

Online Sales: Growth: See more Online Sales: Growth: See more Online Sales: Growth: See More

Do farmers compare prices via smartphones?

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It would seem as though Fuller’s decision to wait to commit is paying off as the picture of where he should attend college is becoming clearer with each passing day.

The nation’s top QB, Gunner Kiel, just enrolled at Notre Dame.

UCLA, just yesterday, picked up a commitment from ESPN Top 150 QB TJ Millweard.

On Monday Arizona picked up a commitment from a dual-threat QB from Texas, their second QB in the 2012 class. Arizona has signed 5 QB’s in the last 3 years.

Baylor has no QB commits in 2012 and has not signed a QB in two years, due to the presence of RG3.

If Fuller wants early playing time in an dynamic offense (2nd in the nation in Total Offense, 10th in Rushing Offense and 4th in Passing Offense) that’s not rebuilding (like Arizona is), but reloading…Baylor is the place. Art Briles evaluates and develops QB’s better than anyone in the country…Kevin Kolb, Case Keenum and now Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

At Baylor, Fuller would be in the backfield with former 5-star RB Lache Seastrunk, a sophomore and one of the fastest RB’s in the nation. With Fuller at QB, Baylor would have more speed on offense than anyone in the country.

Old Tappan’s Fuller still has Notre Dame on list

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The solution to to this question is yes, although there are certain procedures that may be exhausted order to have this accomplished. for the most part, there are essentially one or two ways a person can download YouTube videos, and convert them and transfer them to an ipod or computer. the procedures of doing so are certainly not the same.

For individuals persons are making use of windows, the 1st thing to do is load the file onto your computer. To do this you could either utilize a video down loader from a browser. Google, Firefox, Myspace, and the like ought to operate. in case you are visiting simply use the Internet explorer, you have to copy the link of many YouTube website or blog of the video and then paste it into the textbox at keepvid.com and download it after that.

Bear in mind you will need to contain an FLV player to view this file and there are versions of this player for a number of operating systems.

So as to view or watch the videos against your ipod there is always freeware intended for this that may essentially appear on various web sites on their Internet. Even when you are ought to watch out as to the freeware you use as some can contain viruses.

Simply convert the file inside compatible video format. in fact, some ipods have video converters at their side. And this you could actually download videos from anywhere and place them in your ipod too. the last thing you want to do is load the converted video for your ipod from a computer during a mp4 format for videos. It isn’t complicated to perform, however it might be good that you read up on the procedures before you actually get started or you could get yourself inside a mess.

As far as simply downloading videos from YouTube for your computer, you are able to do this. for most situations you happen to be handed a download link which will automatically enable you to download. some desktop operating systems may restrict this treatment for only a variety of reasons, and also you may have to vary the settings against your computer in the intervening time until after you have the flick you wish downloaded. after this is made, should you need to, change the settings back. a trifle complicated but it will be done.

Whenever the window appears of the download, find the file or folder you need the video to become saved in after which just download the video. in many situations what it really done the download it should start automatically, though not constantly.

Under special circumstances on YouTube, in the event the user has declined the option of letting other users transfer videos, this could be a dilemma. in case this happens, then this is often really the only way a personal could be they cannot download videos from YouTube with their computer or ipod.

A lot of the users have chosen to allow other individuals the power to load videos, so this isn’t really a big concern. If you do get stuck or will have a dilemma with a video download from Youtube, you can find help links as well as other help provided. Remember, reading standing on how to do it first is a great way with an individual to find the very best download, and have it right the earliest time

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