| TRENDING STORIES IN TECH & GADGETS | | | | | | | ALL STORIES IN TECH & GADGETS | | |
| Words With Friends Arrives to Nook Tablets, Twitter Coming Soon | |  Popular scrabble game Words With Friends is now available for Nook Tablet and Nook Color, with Barnes & Noble promising several more high-profile apps in the near future. Owners of Nook Tablet have had quite a slim choice of apps so far, with even obvious favorites such as Twitter missing from the picture. This is about to change, as B&N promises Twitter "soon" as well as Plants vs. Zombies and "many more" apps early next year. As for Words With Friends, we advise Nook Tablet owners to be careful when airborne. Alec Baldwin recently got booted off a plane for refusing to stop playing the game. |
| It Doesn't Matter If RIM Is Lying, It's Still in Deep Trouble | | Thursday, December 22, 2011 10:56 PM | Christina Warren |
|  When Research In Motion (RIM) announced that BlackBerry 10 devices would be delayed until late 2012, co-CEO Mike Lazaridis blamed the delay on needing to wait for dual-core, dual-mode LTE chipsets. Early Thursday, Boy Genius Report refuted that story. Citing an unnamed "high-level RIM employee," BGR said that the real reason for the BlackBerry 10 delay is that RIM doesn't have a working product. RIM immediately denied the substance of the article, telling us and other members of the press that "the anonymous claim ... is inaccurate and uninformed." The company went on to reiterate its position that it "will not launch BlackBerry 10 devices until we know they are ready and we believe this new chip set architecture is required to deliver the world class user experience that our customers will expect." So who is lying and who is telling the truth -- and more importantly -- does it matter? I don't think it does. The reason behind the BlackBerry 10 delay isn't particularly interesting to me -- though I get the sense that even if the LTE chipsets RIM wanted were available today, BlackBerry 10 devices would still be a year away -- but the delay itself is indicative of just how perilous RIM's current position is. I've spent a lot of time thinking about RIM and its current situation, and no matter how I imagine various scenarios, I just can't see a positive outcome. After sitting idle for years, RIM gave up its position as smartphone leader to Apple and Google. Already, developer sentiment toward Windows Phone matches or exceeds sentiment regarding the BlackBerry. This is a real problem. Negative Momentum and Depressing Financials 2011 was not a good year for RIM. RIM's entry to the tablet game got off to a rocky start, after the PlayBook failed to impress. This led to slow sales, cancelled partnerships and zero developer interest. RIM didn't help matters by shipping the device without native email and then postponing the promised update several times. On the phone front, BlackBerry 7 could have been called BlackBerry 6.1. BlackBerry handsets have routinely lagged behind their competitors in the past, and now they continue to fail to keep up with current-generation Android or iOS devices. This has all has a profoundly negative effect on RIM's bottom line. As RIM defenders and BlackBerry loyalists like to point out, RIM is still a profitable company. However, its profits are on the decline. Moreover, just because the volume of devices shipped increases (or remains steady) does not mean a company is not in trouble. Volume != profit. Just ask Nokia. Dan Frommer and Horace Dediu ably and astutely dissected, analyzed and graphed out RIM's financial situation, so I won't reinvent the wheel by doing my own. Suffice to say, without a killer new product, RIM's profitability looks anything but secure. A Dying Platform In October 2010, product and marketing strategist Michael Mace wrote a prophetic article entitled "What's Really Wrong with BlackBerry." In his article, Mace outlines how computing platforms die -- pointing to small declines in growth of sales and gross profit per unit sold. Mace's post is worth reading because 14 months later, his predications perfectly match what has happened in the market and to RIM's customer base. As a former BlackBerry user, I've carefully watched the BlackBerry decline over the last few years. The iPhone didn't become a lethal threat to the BlackBerry until July, 2008. When the App Store opened, the entire game changed. As a diehard BlackBerry user at that time, I bought an iPod Touch and was immediately blown away by the disparity between the first generation of iPhone apps and those available for BlackBerry. Surely, I thought, RIM is going to do something to improve its app situation. It's going to invest in better tools, beef up its underlying infrastructure and try to poach better developers. Right? Wrong. Instead, I watched as RIM ignored the current app situation, denied that there was a problem and continued to tout its dominance in the enterprise. The only problem, of course, was that BlackBerry's dominance on the enterprise started to slip. Apple's iOS 2.0 introduced Exchange support, and by 2009, getting corporate email on an iPhone was just as easy as getting it on a BlackBerry. I finally left the BlackBerry in 2009 as it became apparent that apps would never be a focus for RIM. Millions of others in the U.S. made the same decision I made -- including our Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff. RIM still has strong sales in some emerging markets -- but again, volume doesn't equal profit. Just ask Nokia. Silver Lining The promise of QNX, the operating system RIM bought in 2010, was that its infrastructure and nature would make it ideal to use and augment on a plethora of devices. With QNX, RIM was hoping to do what Apple did with the acquisition of NeXT: Create a next-generation operating system to replace the dead-end system in the current product line. That promise still exists and QNX still has potential. Unfortunately for RIM, that potential depends on how quickly the company can get QNX-powered components on the market and how well RIM can build out its basic devices software. Delays on the BlackBerry 10 devices -- for whatever reason -- don't help. How much longer are users, developers and carriers supposed to wait for RIM to get its act together? And assuming the company does get its act together, is RIM ready to face reality about its position in the market, its role with developers and its appearance to consumers? |
| 5 Ways to Win at Website Localization | | Thursday, December 22, 2011 9:49 PM | Robert Laing |
|  Robert Laing is the founder of myGengo, a 500 Startups company that helps businesses all over the world go global with convenient, affordable and high quality human translation service that scales. Let's delve into the topic of website localization to learn exactly what every company needs before going global. But first, to define localization: the translation and adaptation of content for foreign markets. Simple enough, right? Now, take a close look at five important points to remember when it comes to website localization. 1. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Let's assume that the images on your company website are already geared towards your intended audience. When going global, it's best to rely on images that are culturally appropriate and sensitive. Do this well and you'll boost your company's ability to connect with those visiting the site, not to mention, foster a healthy relationship with potential customers. Let's take a look at an example of good website localization. In the screenshot above, notice how Zynga Japan, the company behind Farmville and Cityville, incorporates the Japanese flag into its homepage banner. Clearly, the image is appropriate for a website intended for a Japanese audience. Don't forget that the way one audience perceives a particular image can differ greatly from another reacts. And then there's the fact that what's acceptable for one target market can take on an entirely different meaning for another. For example, a thumbs-up gesture in one culture is a positive affirmation, whereas in another, it could mean, "Up yours, pal!" Keep these things in mind when localizing the company site and you'll be one step closer to connecting with your target market. Here are some other things to consider. Attention to Detail: Mistaking the Italian and Mexican flags, for example, is bad news. Cultural Sensitivity: People have strong feelings about things like colors, symbols and metaphors. Does the color white symbolize purity or death for your intended audience? Risk Assessment: Aim to avoid any unintended consequences that could be embarrassing or potentially hazardous to your company. The bottom line: When building trust and earning customer loyalty is the objective, images can make all the difference in the world. 2. Adapt and Adjust Make no mistake, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work with website localization. People do things differently around the world; therefore, companies going global must adapt and adjust to succeed. Let's compare the English and Japanese websites of Rakuten, the company behind the largest online shopping mall in Japan, to explain this further. Notice that the Rakuten USA website (above) is simple and clean when compared to the Rakuten Japan website (below). Of course, know that Japanese websites can oftentimes appear overly busy to the non-native eye. In a blog post titled The Puzzle of Japanese Design, Sean Hussey, former employee of Rakuten USA, offers his perspective about the Japanese company: "We tried to develop our products with clean designs and interfaces, which came in direct contrast with the home company's approach. It was understood as a cultural difference.Japanese sites are full of text, images, animations, clashing colors and scroll-scroll-scrolling layout choices." The bottom line: The style and design of a well-localized site means staying consistent with local norms so it looks and feels familiar and usable to your audience. 3. One Language, Two, or a Combination of Both? Question: If a major component of the localization process is content translation, then why do some companies purposely exclude the translation of certain keywords, tabs, menus, taglines and slogans when localizing their website? The short answer is that no one ever said website translation had to be an all-or-nothing process. In fact, in some cases it can be beneficial for a company website to blur the language lines rather than opt to translate the whole thing from start to finish. If you want to see this in action then check out the Japanese myGengo site. Now let's take a look at one example: Airbnb's website is used by people around the globe looking for local accommodations away from home. Specifically, Airbnb provides a platform for its users to rent from "real people in 19,732 cities in 192 countries." The tagline appears on the company website, where I'd now like to draw your attention. In these two screenshots, notice the tagline used for the Chinese version is in English (not Chinese), yet the Italian version of the website has been remained in its local language. Why one and not the other? Also, check out the photograph of the happy friends at the top of the page. In both examples, the words below the image are in English, and haven't been translated into Chinese or Italian. This is because localization isn't always a science - it's an art too. Here are some points to keep in mind when tackling the language component of your website localization. Language Lengths: Some languages appear longer when written or typed. Do the words "Invite Your Friends" fit as nicely in Italian as they do in English? Emphasis: Foreign languages are cool. If you want to make your page pop, using a non-native language might be your secret weapon. Just be careful with translation! International Appeal: Localization is all about going global. Translating some (not all) of the content on your site into another language might be an excellent way to strengthen your international appeal. The bottom line: When done in moderation, there's absolutely nothing wrong with mixing languages on a localized website. 4. To Translate or Not to Translate, That Is the Question A company's slogan/tagline can be one of its most important branding assets. When a memorable phrase follows a company's name, people are more inclined to remember it. That said, making a brand stick in the hearts and minds of potential customers is by no means an easy feat. This is especially true when crossing borders and languages. What is the most effective way for a company to keep its brand identity strong as it expands into new markets around the world? It all depends. Here are a few points worth mentioning. Brand Identity: Consistency plays an important role in maintaining a company's image. Nuances: Culture systems, belief systems and worldviews shape the way we think about the words we use. Target Audience: Know your audience. What may be considered funny in one language may be insulting in another. Let's take two examples. A. Wikipedia, The Translation Path Wikipedia, a company with a clear and precise mission (to be the free encyclopedia of the world), has a tagline to echo its vision. In the screenshot to the left, you'll see the same tagline translated into each of Wikipedia's languages. In this case, when translating the phrase "the free encyclopedia," there isn't too much room for a mistranslation (don't hold me to that). If you believe the same holds true for your company's tagline/slogan, then perhaps opting for the translation might be a great idea. B. Facebook, The Non-Translation Path: Everyone knows Facebook has completely changed the way people communicate with the world, but how does Facebook communicate with its users? Let's compare the English with the Japanese version of the Facebook homepage to see what stands out. The English page says, "Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life." The Japanese page says, "Using Facebook, you can connect with friends, colleagues and classmates to deepen your connections. Also access Facebook from cell phones and smartphones." Notice that the Japanese page mentions users can access the site with phones, but the English page doesn't. That's probably because 95% of the Japanese population are mobile subscribers. The same study explains that Japan uses the mobile Internet more than any other country in the world. It appears Facebook crafted its Japanese homepage with this point in mind. So, what can we learn here? If you want to maximize your outreach potential, you'd better know your target market inside and out. The bottom line: Having a carefully localized slogan/tagline for your company can be an effective way to foster relationships with potential customers in new markets. 5. Down to the Last Detail A successfully localized website is one that appears to have been developed locally, even when it wasn't. Since localization mistakes and oversights can be awkward for website users and potentially embarrassing for the company, make sure to get it right -- it's absolutely worth the time and effort. The last thing any company wants is to turn away potential customers from its website before those visitors ever have a chance to experience the product or service. Generally speaking, website localization means giving some extra attention to things like: Dates: Month, day, year vs. day, month, year. Time: 12-hour vs. 24-hour time. Color: Avoid local color sensitivities. Currency: Pay attention to conversions and formats. Phone Numbers: Formats are different around the world. National Holidays: Holidays are country and region specific. Geographic Examples: Keep it relevant for your audience. Website Language Codes: ISO codes are important to know. Let's take a look at the two images above. The first image was taken from Apple's U.S. website, and the second from the UK website. Can you spot the differences between the two? Here's what I came up with. Date: U.S.: May 19, 2012 vs UK: 19-May-2012. Time: U.S.: 9:41 a.m, vs. UK: 09:41. Color: Look closely at the colors behind the girl. Bonus: What's going on behind the girl's shoulder in the UK version of the photo. Is that a tail? The bottom line: When the aim is to make it look like you've developed the website in your target market, the details are incredibly important. Final Thoughts And there you have it: what every company needs to know when localizing its website. With the help of the Internet, expanding into new markets continues to become easier than ever before. Of course, going global, and doing it with style, requires a strategic game plan, a comprehensive vision. Good luck, and we'll see you out there soon! Image courtesy of iStockphoto, tumpikuja |
| 27% of Photos and Videos Now Captured on Smartphones [STUDY] | | Thursday, December 22, 2011 8:14 PM | Lauren Indvik |
|  More than a quarter of photos and videos shot by individuals in the U.S. are now being captured by smartphones, according to an online survey of 3,300 Internet users ages 13 and up. Sales data suggest smartphones are replacing consumers' need for low-end point-and-shoot cameras and camcorders. The percentage of photos taken with a smartphone went from 17% to 27%, a 44% increase from the year previous, according to a survey conducted by NPD Group. Meanwhile, sales of point-and-shoot cameras dropped 17% in volume and 18% in revenue in the first 11 months of 2011. Individual sales of pocket camcorders dropped 13%, with a 10% decrease in revenue. Higher-end items performed better: Sales of cameras with detachable lenses (average price: $863) increased by 12%, and sales of point-and-shoot cameras with optical zooms of 10x or greater (average price: $247) grew by 16%. Liz Cutting, executive director and senior imaging analyst at NPD, acknowledged that smartphones are taking the place of point-and-shoot cameras and camcorders in many instances -- particularly "spontaneous moments" -- but for important events, single-purpose cameras and camcorders remain the device of choice. We asked Flickr reps if they were seeing a similar in increase in mobile uploads. The company said traffic to its mobile site doubled this year, and uploads from mobile sources has increased eightfold in the last two years. Image courtesy of Photojojo |
| 6 Crazy Tech Predictions for 2012 | | Thursday, December 22, 2011 5:53 PM | Lance Ulanoff |
|  We live in a world of absolutes: Here's what happened. Even when we look to the future, our predictions are couched in the world's sometimes difficult realities. It can, to be honest, take all the fun out of guess work. So, once a year I allow myself to go beyond the likely, beyond the possible and deep into the world of the implausible. What follows are my most ridiculous and unlikely predictions. Most are just nuts, but one is, to be honest, all too scarily possible. See if you can guess which prediction I'm talking about. 1. Facebook Buys Digg Facebook's 2012 will look a lot like its 2011: More growth, more change. Still, it hasn't quite broken through on the content curation and voting side of things. With all the frictionless sharing people will be doing, they may no longer think about accumulating "likes." Digg started using Facebook's OpenGraph in 2011, which makes it easy to share what you're reading on Digg to Facebook. As I see it, this is simply the first step on the road to a much deeper relationship. When Facebook buys Digg next year, users will get the ability to "Digg" not only profile pages, but people. That's right, you could really "Digg" someone on Facebook. It's so 1976, but also so cool. I foresee another side to the Facebook universe where people, places and things are Dugg on a more generalized basis, but those Diggs bubble up to individual profile pages and appear alongside Likes, Readings, Watching, etc. There is an 85% chance that all of Digg's existing audience will walk away from the service if this acquisition happens, but I'm not sure most of them will stay with the content curation destination anyway. 2. Scientists and Hollywood Develop New Way to End Movies 3D has pretty much flopped, and it's getting tougher and tougher to get movie-goers into theaters. Scientists will partner with Hollywood studios to unveil a new technology known as "Fresh Ends." Using CGI, Hollywood script writers, voice and context recognition and logic algorithms, Fresh Ends technology will generate new endings for some of the world's most popular films. These slightly rewritten movies will be re-released to theaters -- just like the 3D rereleases -- and are expected to add 15- to 20% additional box office returns to each film. For now, Fresh Ends only works with movies shot digitally. 3. SOPA Becomes the Law of the land Myopic congressman and a distracted president take the Stop Online Piracy Act and pass it into law. Designed, at least according to the bill, "To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes," SOPA has an almost unprecedented chilling effect on the web. Thousands of U.S. sites shut down, other larger ones continue, but are now full of boring pap that could never be misconstrued as content piracy. Content creators of all stripes are so unsure of what will be labeled piracy they struggle to create anything. By the end of 2012, however, an underground Internet (The UnderWebs) arises. It's full of unfettered communication and content, and slowly but surely, millions of web surfers around the world begin using it instead of the government-policed Internet -- a platform that dies a sad, quiet death in 2018. 4. Apple Intros a 5-inch Tablet Phone Hybrid Sorry, no iPhone 5 or iPad 3. Unable to decide whether it should deliver a 7-inch iPad 3 or a 4.5-inch iPhone 5, Apple comes down squarely in the middle with a giant handheld that, naturally, makes calls and is almost large enough to be a usable tablet. The hidden bonus? It's also a fully functional HDTV. Apple, however, will remain mum for most of the year on whether or not it plans on actually delivering a larger Apple iTV. 5. Google+ Takes Center Stage Virtually unchanged for more than a decade, Google's search page undergoes a subtle, yet important transformation. The search giant places a "+" sign right next to the "Google" Logo. But the change is more than logo-deep. If you hit your own "+" sign on your keyboard before typing in your search query, all results will feature Google+ search results on top. If you hit "+" twice, your search query can be used to launch a new Google+ post. You'll still have to select which circles you want to share your search query with. Rumors will swirl throughout 2012 that Google wants to rename the entire company "Google+." 6. Honda Releases Asimo to Consumers Japanese auto manufacturer Honda shocks the world by unveiling a fully operational, $1,999 Honda Asimo Home Helper Robot. Like the Asimo we've seen in product demonstrations and on YouTube, "Home Asimo" can walk, run, jump, make coffee and sandwiches and, as we soon learn, clean toilets. Honda sells a stunning half million units before August, 2012. The most startling news, though, comes when one Home Honda robot in Dearborn, Michigan turns on its family's computer and signs itself up for Twitter and Facebook. By December, more than 300,000 of the robots have been destroyed or returned. Now it's your turn. Drop into comments and share your wildest predictions for the New Year. |
| Facebook and iPhone Lead Way on Klout's Top Topics of 2011 Lists [INFOGRAPHIC] | | Thursday, December 22, 2011 4:06 PM | Brian Anthony Hernandez |
|  Social media users had no shortage of things to discuss in 2011 as big news -- good or bad -- got even bigger online. Hot topics that revolved around major tech companies or products such as Facebook, Netflix, YouTube, iPhone, Xbox 360 or Kindle Fire incited a flurry of online reactions. In the infographic below, Klout lists the most-buzzed about companies, tech products, locations, people and music genres of the year, and many of the topics are in line with what got Mashable readers fired up. "When people talked about these topics, they got tons of RTs, @mentions, shares, comments, likes and more," Klout's marketing manager Megan Berry told Mashable Thursday. "These are the topics their audiences loved to discuss, share, and, in some cases, hate." For example, Apple secured five of the 11 spots on tech products list, with the iPhone leading the charge. But why does looking at these hot topics matter? "As social media increasingly shapes and reflects the prevailing opinions on brands and events, it's more important than ever to understand what people want to share and why for everyone from brands to individuals," Berry explains. SEE ALSO: Facebook Reveals 2011's Most-Popular Status Trends | YouTube's Top Videos of 2011 Klout, which measures influence on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Foursquare on a scale of 0 to 100, has made a major push this year to highlight (with new features) and pinpoint (by adding more popular social networks to its scoring model) the topics individual users are experts on. In September, Klout unveiled Topic Pages that let users gain insights on top influencers and +K recipients for specific content areas. This month, Klout unwrapped sashes, a visual update to that Topics feature. Despite those efforts, some critics say Klout is flawed partly because some users try to game its system, or because its scoring model doesn't take into account the offline influence of experts who also have online presences but don't create much content. Which topics are you surprised to see make or be excluded from Klout's infographic? Chime in. Thumbnail courtesy of iStockphoto, flyparade |
| Facebook and iPhone Lead Way on Klout's Top Topics of 2011 Lists [INFOGRAPHIC] | | Thursday, December 22, 2011 4:06 PM | Brian Anthony Hernandez |
|  Social media users had no shortage of things to discuss in 2011 as big news -- good or bad -- got even bigger online. Hot topics that revolved around major tech companies or products such as Facebook, Netflix, YouTube, iPhone, Xbox 360 or Kindle Fire incited a flurry of online reactions. In the infographic below, Klout lists the most-buzzed about companies, tech products, locations, people and music genres of the year, and many of the topics are in line with what got Mashable readers fired up. "When people talked about these topics, they got tons of RTs, @mentions, shares, comments, likes and more," Klout's marketing manager Megan Berry told Mashable Thursday. "These are the topics their audiences loved to discuss, share, and, in some cases, hate." For example, Apple secured five of the 11 spots on tech products list, with the iPhone leading the charge. But why does looking at these hot topics matter? "As social media increasingly shapes and reflects the prevailing opinions on brands and events, it's more important than ever to understand what people want to share and why for everyone from brands to individuals," Berry explains. SEE ALSO: Facebook Reveals 2011's Most-Popular Status Trends | YouTube's Top Videos of 2011 Klout, which measures influence on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Foursquare on a scale of 0 to 100, has made a major push this year to highlight (with new features) and pinpoint (by adding more popular social networks to its scoring model) the topics individual users are experts on. In September, Klout unveiled Topic Pages that let users gain insights on top influencers and +K recipients for specific content areas. This month, Klout unwrapped sashes, a visual update to that Topics feature. Despite those efforts, some critics say Klout is flawed partly because some users try to game its system, or because its scoring model doesn't take into account the offline influence of experts who also have online presences but don't create much content. Which topics are you surprised to see make or be excluded from Klout's infographic? Chime in. Thumbnail courtesy of iStockphoto, flyparade |
| FCC Approves First White Space Devices, Paving Way for Better Wi-Fi | | Thursday, December 22, 2011 2:46 PM | Christina Warren |
|  New developments from the FCC could bring us one step closer to faster, more advanced wireless networks. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Thursday that its Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) has approved the first database for television white spaces and the first device that will be allowed to operated on these bands. White spaces are unused spectrum between broadcast television channels. Although broadcasters argued that they needed this bandwidth for their own needs, the FCC disagreed and ruled to allow unlicensed usage of this spectrum in November 2008. Tech companies, including Google and Microsoft, have long lobbied that the FCC allow these white spaces to be used for more powerful Wi-Fi and wireless broadband. This could lead to what some have dubbed "Super Wi-Fi." The FCC rulinglays the foundation for a new breed of high speed wireless devices, including new forms of Wi-Fi, to come to market. The first part of the approval says that Spectrum Bridge Inc.'s database of television white spaces can start providing service to devices as of January 26, 2012. Additionally, the FCC has approved a device from Koos Technical Services "as the first product allowed to operate on an unlicensed basis on unused frequencies in the TV bands." FCC rules require that unlicensed TV bands contact an authorized database first -- so the approval of Spectrum Bridge's database is a big first step to getting more products approved. For now, the approval is limited to Wilmington, NC and its surrounding area. Operations will expand nationwide as soon as the FCC completes and activates processing requests at other facilities. Eventually, the goal will be to have licensed spectrum across the country that can be used with a new wave of devices. Much as the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands allowed for better cordless telephone and router service, the use of these white spaces will allow more devices to operate more quickly and with lower interference. Image courtesy of Karl-Martin Skontorp on Flickr |
| 9 Awesome High-Tech Holiday Easter Eggs | | Thursday, December 22, 2011 1:59 PM | Samantha Murphy |
|  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas -- at least on tech sites such as Google and YouTube. Some of the Internet's biggest companies are treating its visitors to a series of seasonal surprises, from falling snowflakes to pictures that celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Google is the king of "barrel roll" search result surprises, so it's only expected that the site would be filled with fun holiday tricks to celebrate the season. Type "Christmas" or "Santa" into Google search to reveal a row of Christmas lights. A row of Star of David images also pop up when "Hanukkah" is searched, and "Kwanzaa" turns up a collection of kinaras, a candle holder with seven candles that represents the tradition's roots. Last week, Mashable reported that typing "Let It Snow" into Google delightfully fills the browser up with flurries and fog. It also acts like a frozen lake and shows the path your cursor has taken. SEE ALSO: "Do a Barrel Roll" on Google, and You Won't Be Disappointed YouTube is getting into the holiday spirit too by adding a snow button on some of its videos. Only available on certain clips, a new snowflake button can be clicked at the bottom right-hand side of the video that drops flurries onto the screen. The snowflakes accumulate at the bottom of the video, even when you hit the pause button. And instead of the typical circle-shaped, time-counter that shows the progress of a playing video, some clips feature snowflake-shaped buttons instead. Certain results pages on YouTube feature flurries too, such as when you search for clips with "Snow." It's also snowing on Bitly, a site which shortens and tracks links, and Klout, which measures a user's influence across social networking sites. Have you seen any other seasonal Easter Egg holiday tricks pop up on sites? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments. |
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