Posted on

Angry Birds Rio is only free today and only from the Amazon Appstore

The Amazon Appstore opened it’s doors today. This should concern you, my fellow Android user, as they are going to be giving away a free app every day. This isn’t just another random free app. It’s the ability to download an app for free that otherwise would have cost you money.

Today’s free app? Angry Birds Rio. This is a special version of Angry Birds that ties into their upcoming movie, or so I hear. The Amazon Appstore works just about as smooth as the official Google Android Market, but only if you’re on a carrier besides AT&T.

For you AT&T folks, there is a work-around. My fellow FriendFeeder @rodfather points out this article on Android Central that should help you get some Amazon Appstore love.

For everyone else, check out the Amazon Appstore and grab your free copy of Angry Birds Rio….or whatever app is free for the day at the time you’re reading this.

via You do realize that Angry Birds Rio is only free… – Rah – Rahsheen – Sheen – FriendFeed

Posted on

Are there any Black owned mobile app Startups, that Robert Scoble and other pro bloggers have done interviews on? – Quora

 

 

 

 

 

I happen to be black and this is by no means a ‘gotcha’ question. I’m a big fan of Robert Scoble’s YouTube Channel and also follow major tech blogging sites such as Mashable & Engadget, but have yet to see Black owned mobile app development company interviews. This leads me to believe either they are non existent or may not be considered newsworthy by the major tech blogosphere. I am quite interest in an honest response to my sincere query.

via (22) Are there any Black owned mobile app Startups, that Robert Scoble and other pro bloggers have done interviews on? – Quora.

Posted on

Leads are Unproductive and a Waste of Time

Business folks put a lot of focus on leads and sales. Sales are important, that’s how you make money, but leads are usually pointless. Think about all the methods you’ve used to generate leads. They probably worked great for creating a list of random names and contact info, but how many sales did they lead you to?

Leads don’t mean sales. What you need are fans. Fans will buy whatever you put out just because it’s you. They think you are the best artist, writer, brand, blogger, leader, and software developer on the planet. Fans mean sales. When you need venture capital on your developing company, click this site for more information.

Instead of following the mantra that sales and marketing is a numbers game, try becoming valuable and visible. Instead of Always Be Closing, how about always be informative? Always be helpful? Always be real and keep it 100? (that’s “one hunnit”, for the uninitiated)

When you work to make yourself an asset instead of just an ass, people will seek you out. Instead of you asking for the sale, you may find them asking to be sold.

Posted on

How I Accidentally Upgraded to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread

 

It was just another day in the office, I was sipping my coffee, going through emails, and trying to get re-acquainted with Feedly in between taking tech support calls from clients. Eventually, I stumbled across a post from MobileLuv talking about the latest CyanogenMod 7 RC2.

I knew I would probably want to install that, but I got to thinking about my original rooting experience. My Evo had been running Myn’s Warm TwoPointTwo for a little while after I’d used this handy-dandy Rooting for Dummies thread a few of my awesome Twitter friends sent me (sorry, don’t remember who it was, but big-ups). I won’t say it was a harrowing experience, but I was definitely on edge with my baby on the operating table (if you don’t think of your phone as a close friend, relative, or partner…you have the wrong device).

So, anyways, you’ll have to remember that I’m doing a million things at once. I’m not really reading as much as scanning and my eyes fell on the phrase “ROM Manager.” I’m thinking, “Oh yeah, I have that. Let me fire that puppy up and see what it do.” ROM Manager came as a package deal when I rooted my phone and I’m glad it did. I went in and first tried to Check for ROM Updates, at which point I was reminded that I hadn’t paid to be a premium user.

Mind you, I have no idea what I’m doing at this point. Just randomly hitting buttons. Download ROM looked like a winner, so I hit and, CHA-CHING, there goes CyanogenMod right at the top. Tapped that and found the link to the RC2 ROM I’d just read about.

Now, here is where things get a little fuzzy because I think I was trying to walk someone through something on the phone while composing a blog post and playing Lord of Ultima. I know I hit the button to download, and I think it said something like “Prepare for Flashing.” I obviously switched into 12 o’clock flasher mode and just kept hitting buttons.

The next thing I know, my phone has rebooted into Recovery mode. I’m busy with a client at this point, so all I saw were green progress bars when I glanced over. I tried to pay attention to what the client was saying, but the sinking feeling in my stomach was a bit distracting.

A short time later, my Evo rebooted again and spent an excruciatingly long time on the “htc Evo” boot logo. I thought it was a wrap, but I eventually saw the CyanogenMod animation spinning on my display. I breathed a sigh of relief and started to get excited about what gems I’d find in Gingerbread. I was not disappointed at all. It was like I had a brand-new phone, which may be a story for another day.

Posted on

HTC Thunderbolt: First 4G LTE Smartphone for Verizon Available Today

The HTC Thunderbolt, The first 4G LTE smartphone for Verizon, arrives today, March 17th. The Android 2.2 device features the latest version of HTC Sense. The new Sense experience includes new personalization options, consolidated email inbox, and camera effects and filters.

The ThunderBolt comes with all of the standard apps you’d expect from Google and HTC, but also comes with some extra goodies. These 4G LTE optimized apps include EA’s Rock Band, Gameloft’s Let’s Golf, Tunewiki, and Bitbop.

Additional features include:

  • 4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage area
  • 4.3” WVGA display
  • 8- megapixel rear facing camera and HD (720p) video recording
  • 1.3- megapixel front facing camera with video chatting capabilities
  • Newest generation of the 1GHz Snapdragon processor
  • Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G connection with up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices
  • 8 GB of onboard memory and a pre-installed 32 GB microSD card (Actual formatted capacity will be less)
  • Built-in kickstand for easy media viewing

Plans for the Verizon Thunderbolt start at $39.99 for Nationwide Talk and access to the 4G LTE network starting at $29.99 for unlimited access. Obviously, both the talk and data plans are required to use the device. The Mobile Hotspot feature will let you connect up to 8 devices to the Verizon network via your Thunderbolt. Hotspot will be free through May 15th, but will cost $20 for 2 GB of data per month after that.

You can get your Verizon HTC Thunderbolt for $179.99 on and individual two-year customer agreement or $679.99 with no contract.

get yours from Amazon

Posted on

Fab / Fabulis Gay Social Network Not Gay Anymore

Fabulis is…uh…was a social network for gay men and their friends. It all started in January of 2010 and has been going strong ever since. Eventually, the name changed from Fabulis to Fab and the focus of the site seemed to shift from sexual orientation to design and discounts. Also, the team feels there has been a shift in gay rights and acceptance.

This past year has been a monumental year for gay rights and acceptance. From the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, to court victories over Prop 8, “Born This Way,” the President walking away from the Defense of Marriage Act, and the impact of the It Gets Better Project, this has been an incredible year of progress.

As we reflected on these developments, we realized that all of this progress has diminished the need for a gay-specific social network. We don’t need a gay Facebook or a gay Yelp or a gay Foursquare or a gay Groupon. The original versions are fantastic, and we are becoming more and more integrated into the mainstream.

The site will become a destination for design enthusiasts everywhere. There will be “daily design inspirations for everyone” and “daily 50% discounts on ‘wow’ products from leading manufacturers.” The re-launch is set for Spring of 2011. Current Fab.com users can trade in their “bits” for credits. If you want in, request an invite and invite your friends to get moved up the list.

Want in on Fab? Here is my special invite link.

via Fab.com | daily design for everyone

Posted on

I’ve been a super hero all my life

I’ve been a super hero all my life. It’s surprisingly easy. Super heroes in the comics and cartoons can take a bullet to the chest, crawl on the ceiling, fly. In reality, it’s not that hard. All you have to be able to do is something most others can’t. When we were young, my brother and I spent hours learning gymnastics from library books. A few years later, we could re-enact scenes from Power Rangers. We took out bumps and bruises. I think I almost broke my neck once trying a double-tuck, but everyone around us thought we were special because we could do things they had probably never seen their peers do.

Growing up, I got labelled the tech guy. If there was a problem involving technology, I’m the one who was called on to solve it. I should have thought to start charging early in life, I’d be rich by now. It’s not that I have some special tech training, I just know how to read a manual. Most people just don’t take the time. Of course, my interest in technology helps, but it doesn’t make me special. Of course, to many people, the fact that I can instantly solve their tech problems makes me a super hero.

A few years ago, I decided I was going to start working out. One of my primary goals was to be able to lift my oldest son above my head and put him on the top bunk. I quickly surpassed that goal and really got into the whole strength training and bodybuilding thing. Since then, I’ve moved twice and amazed my family with what I could move alone. My son is 8 and I could probably throw him across the room if I felt like it. The other day, I lifted the kids’ beds up with one hand so they could clean up underneath. They were absolutely amazed. I take every opportunity to show my kids something awesome to make sure they don’t forget their dad is a super hero.

The moral of the story is that it doesn’t take much for people to think you’re a super hero. It doesn’t take much for people to look to you as a leader or authority. You only need to know how to do one thing someone else can’t do. You only need to know one thing someone else doesn’t know. That automatically makes you an asset. Your personal development is key and you should enrich yourself on a daily basis, but don’t think that you need to know or be able to do everything before you can help others.

So, what are your super powers? What powers are you developing?

Posted on

Facebook Has Already Screwed Beluga

image

Just hours after announcing they would be acquiring group messaging service Beluga, Facebook has already screwed it all up. The latest update to the Beluga app on Android requires you to sign up using a Facebook account.

This move runs completely counter to why anyone would use a group messaging service like a Beluga in the first place. I wanted to be able to chat with anyone with a supported device. Now, I can only chat with Facebook users. I could’ve done that crap directly on Facebook or with the Facebook app.

When I covered the acquisition earlier, this is exactly the type if stuff I was hoping they wouldn’t do.
Beluga alternatives, anyone?

Posted on

Your Article Marketing Strategy is Crap

Google has recently made some changes in how it ranks sites viewed as content farms. These are basically sites that publish crap content to target keywords for the sake of attracting eyeballs for ad revenue. If you want to achieve an increase in revenue safely and accurately, visit the Salesforce website to know more about their strategy called marketing automation.

Actually, they don’t create the content. You do. That’s why your article marketing strategy is crap.

Here is what it probably looks like:

  • Write a “quality” piece of content about your niche
  • Post it on every available site that will let you, possibly with minor changes
  • Include a link to some kind of landing page with each posting
  • Profit!

According to the successful Supple company, the key problem here lies in duplicating your content. Sure, you just got a crap ton of backlinks to whatever you’re promoting, but it’s no benefit to a user searching for a solution to see your article 17 times in the search results.

The solution? Kill all the sites hosting your duplicate content. From ezinearticles and Associated Content to Examiner.com and Hubpages, just about any place you’d think to use has received a mighty slap from the #1 search engine.

So, what should you do now? Stop trying to game the system. Don’t be a one-hitter quitter. Create a home on the web and post your content there. Look for organic ways to grow your presence like social media, guest posts, and just being awesome in your own right.

You should be building your brand as a leader and authority in your niche, not spinning your wheels trying to get a few backlinks.

via SearchEngine Land

Posted on

The 100 Most Powerful Black People on Twitter? Seriously?

Note: I wrote this last year and never posted it. It was a heated topic at the time and I didn’t want to add to the mêlée. I probably shouldn’t bother now, but I think some of the points are still solid and I hate to see words go to waste. Plus, it’s my blog and I can post what I want to.

Anjuan (@anjuan) of Black Web 2.0 (@BlackWeb20) recently wrote 2 posts pointing out the Top 100 most powerful black people on Twitter (link below). One highlighting women and the other highlighting men. Everyone is all pissed about these lists for one reason or another.

Let’s go ahead and ignore the fact that most lists are not perfect by default because they will always be missing something or someone. Let’s also ignore the fact that I haven’t seen any other site trying to highlight the black community while focusing on emerging technologies.

Outrage?

Not understanding the outrage and anger that I see about this. It’s plainly stated what tools were used in the analysis. It’s a list to spark discussion, just like most others. Instead of filling in the blanks or having a productive conversation as to why the list looks like it does, we have people nitpicking about how black some on the list are. People have taken to Twitter to attack Black Web for even taking the time.

The Real Discussion

Elon James White himself, who was actually overlooked, hits the nail on the head in the comments saying, “That’s the conversation that we should be having. How do we as Black people change the national conversation on race and perception when we AS BLACK PEOPLE aren’t even aware of the different voices that are out there.”

Based solely on the numbers, these lists are what any publication would come up with. So, rather than complaining, we should be coming up with solutions. This is how the world sees us, folks.

Celebs Will Always Dominate

Athletes and Rappers and other celebs will dominate the web because they are already popular. They already have people “following” them in real life, not just on Twitter. Not only that, as @DryerBuzz points out, many of these celebs are promoted even further by Twitter itself.

Solutions?

It was pure luck that I came across folks like @iluvblackwomen, @blogdiva, @corvida, and @waynesutton. The only reason I even figured out Black Web 2.0 existed was because they linked a video of mine and someone (I think @solacetech) gave me a heads up.

While the numbers don’t lie, they also don’t always tell the whole story. If you don’t like how the black community is represented on Twitter, change it. Promote those who you think deserve to be promoted at every chance you get. Reach out to people outside of your circle, don’t wait for them to find you.

The 100 Most Powerful Black Men on Twitter « Black Web 2.0.

Posted on

My Thoughts on the Controversial HCG Diet

If you’ve read my bio, you know I’m a fitness coach here and bodybuilder in addition to a tech geek. If health and fitness isn’t your thing, feel free to sit this one out.

The web is buzzing about this “new” controversial diet based on a hormone called HCG. Without getting too technical, HCG is a hormone produced by pregnant women to make sure the growing baby gets fed. Some guy decades ago hinted around that this same hormone could be used to suppress appetite and burn fat, I suggest to check massgainsource.com where you will find some good fitness information. Vitamin D may be given in combination with calcium to treat osteomalacia and osteoporosis. Increasing vitamin D and calcium in the body helps to strengthen the bones. You can get vitamin D upon consuming fultium d3 capsules contain the active ingredient colecalciferol, which is also known as vitamin D3. Each capsule contains 800 IU colecalciferol, which is equivalent to 20 micrograms vitamin D3.

Fast forward to today and we have a bunch of folks on the Dr. Oz show “debating” whether the diet works. You’re limited to 500 calories each day, which means breakfast might be just a cup of coffee. Lunch might be a few lettuce leaves and a little protein (meat), and taking the hormone, but still some people prefer to eat well, exercise and take prohormones to help to build muscle and get a good shape.

The problem with this diet is that there is no scientific proof that HCG actually suppresses your appetite or benefits your diet in any way, unless one follows the advocare 10 day cleanse 2017 Guide. What we do know is that limiting yourself to 500 calories each day can be dangerous and is less than half the doctor-recommended 1200 calories, it’s clearly that a recommendation from a doctor lower than that is not right, people that have had a recommendation like this one from a doctor should definitely contact The Medical Negligence Experts so that they take care of the problem.

This HCG Diet is not much different from most other diets out there. If you remember this guide to Garcinia I wrote back in the day, it’s also similar to Atkins and Dramatic Weight Loss. The difference is that it includes some miracle drug that is probably only working as a placebo (this has been tested in a study of 600 participants). In that case they should find the best drug rehab centers in their area.

Obviously, limiting yourself to only 500 calories a day will definitely help you lose weight. Assuming you don’t experience any severe side-effects like depression, loss of your menstruation cycle, and hair loss, although for this you can help it with https://healthyusa.co regrow hair protocol a must read article. The hardest part will be your will to continue managing your portions and calories. It seems these HCG injections and drops provide a way to help you mentally deal with your hunger pains.

I’d steer clear if I were you.

Check out the entire episode at The Dr. Oz Show.

Posted on

Jimmy Fallon Plugs Odd Future with QR Code [VIDEO]

This is a really awesome use of QR Codes and got me thinking about how versatile they are.

Fallon had Tyler, The Creator and Hodgy Beats of Odd Future on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday. Before the performance, Fallon held up an LP-size QR code that, when viewed with the proper app, led viewers to oddfuture.com, which features a video of Tyler The Creator’s “Yonkers.”

What struck me about this is the fact that you don’t have to play a video to get detailed info on the band. Fallon didn’t even have to speak if he didn’t want to, just hold up the QR Code and smile. Viewers at home can easily scan the code and jump to the band’s website.

This highlights the ease with which QR Codes can quickly provide context and information in a multitude of situations. Imagine a concert where the band displays a QR Code during each number to share background on each song’s origin, or a street performer using a QR Code to share their background story without missing a beat.

via Jimmy Fallon Plugs Band With QR Code [VIDEO]

Posted on

Klout for Chrome Adds Influence Scores to Twitter

Klout has a new extension for the Google Chrome web browser that adds influence scores to your Twitter.com interface. This means that you can see, at a glance, who the most (or least) influential people are that you are following.

While measuring influence has been a controversial topic in social media and the social web, it’s still something worth looking into when it comes to making online connections. It can also help you figure out who you might want to collab with in getting the word out about your cause or business.

What would be more useful is for some service to create Twitter lists based on Klout score. For now, you’ll have to do that on your own.

While you’re installing the Klout extension, be sure to check out the my6sense chrome extension as well. Both will help you figure out who to pay attention to and who you’re actually most interested in.

What do you think about sorting people based on influence?

via The Official Klout Blog.