The Digital Story of Nativity - (or Christmas 2.0)

An incredibly witty take on the birth of Christ. Enjoy and happy holidays!



Special thanks to @Jks725 and @JakeVerterano for passing this one along.

DoubleTwist: iTunes for Android

This past week, I made a major life decision - to drop the iPhone for good and pick up a Samsung Captivate which runs on the Android operating system.

It’s important to understand that both the iPhone OS - iOS X - and the Android OS are very similar, relying on apps as a form of device customization.

However, when I first got my hands on the Captivate, one question had to be answered for both my iPhone friends and I - how could I get my iTunes data onto my non-Apple device. The answer is DoubleTwist.

DoubleTwist = iTunes
DoubleTwist runs exactly like iTunes. The desktop manager is compatible with both Mac and PC and syncs with iTunes so that users don't have to upload music to both media managers separately. Users connect their mobile device to a computer and sync the device to the DoubleTwist Library.

Flies can be dragged and dropped directly to a device, playlists can be created and even Most Played, Recently Added and Top Rated playlists come standard (just like in iTunes) with the desktop application.

iTunes and App Stores
In terms of the App Store and the iTunes Store, there’s a feature for that, too. DoubleTwist connects to the Android Market and the Amazon MP3 store.

Widget
DoubleTwist is obviously an app, but the download also includes a widget. Widgets don’t exist on iPhones but on an Android phone, they can be anything from a newsfeed to a status update bar on a device's home screen.

In DoubleTwist’s case, it’s widget is a basic media player which plays whatever file the user selected when they last accessed the DoubleTwist app. For instance, if the user was listening to “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead, that song would show up in the DT widget with a play and skip button.

Do you know of another Android app that works like iTunes? Let me know in the comments section.

Google announces Google TV

First, the Android operating system, now this - Google TV.

Little information has been released but Google has released a quick tour to its latest product, Google TV. The product which seems to be pretty similar to Apple TV offers Web browsing, apps, customization and more. Like Apple TV, it seems to be where computers and modern TVs collide.

Google has recently announced that it has partnered with Logitech and it's Revue product which allows users to connect Logitech's Keyboard Controller and other products to an HDTV.

Search
How many times have you needed to find a show or sports event on TV but you don't know what channel it's on? Google TV offers a search feature that allows users to search for a program, select it and view it. No more continuous scrolling like in the Verizon and Comcast menu system.

Web

Google TV allows users to surf the Web through a television. Using the system's dual view, users can watch TV and surf the Web at the same time. In an age when everyone is watching TV with a laptop in hand, this could be a pretty nice feature.

Apps

Google TV will come preloaded with apps like Twitter, Pandora, Napster, Netflix, CNBC (an app for watching TV on a TV? That should be interesting) and more. According to the company, developers will be able to create their own apps as soon as next year.

Apps for Google TV

Google TV Remote

Phone apps allow users to control their computers. Now, your phone can control your TV too. The Logitech Harmony App for iPhone and Android allows users to set sync their phones to a Logitech Revue system allowing your phone to work as your Google TV remote. The in-app touch pad and keyboard allow users to have complete browsing and search control.

Personal

If you have used SpeedDial for Chrome, then you'll recognize Google TV's bookmarking style. Simply select a channel, app, or website you know you'll always want to come back to, and add it to your bookmarks. The saved items will be added to your personalized menu with an icon or screen shot for easy selection.

Dual View

Watch a show while you surf the Web or watch two games at the same time. This is nothing new to the world of television but still a nice feature.

Accessibility

According to the product's preview, Google TV works as a companion to your current cable or satellite system. It is not clear how the system needs to be set up but it should be similar to Apple TV's installation process.

UPDATE: Hootsuite releases geo-aware features for iPhone users

UPDATE: This update is now available in the App Store for iPhone users. However, HootSuite's geo-location-aware feature enhances more than just search terms. Users can now add location tags to their tweets and syncs to Foursquare.

"Places," a new tab in the Hootsuite app, lists nearby venues already registered through Foursquare. When users select a venue, the location is added to their HootSuite tweet. Your location appears as a Foursquare address but the app quickly shortens the link using Ow.ly.

In terms of geo-search features, the app now allows users to search between two and 25 miles of their location. I searched sushi in my area and was able to find tweets mentioning my favorite sushi restaurants.

HootSuite has announced its geo-location-aware feature that will allow users to discover great restaurants and social gatherings right in their own neighborhood. The feature is expected to be available to both browser and iPhone users sometime "soon."

According to Hootsuite, users will be able to search Twitter by location. The browser-based social media tool announced on its official blog Thursday that Twitter users will be able to enter search terms and then select a distance range to see updates only in that designated area.

The company expects the feature will be exceedingly popular for users who are searching for local restaurants, deals and happenings.

"No use hearing about great sushi in Vancouver when you are in New York City! Or a shoe sale in Tokyo when you are in Milan … or … well, you get the idea. Keep it local, keep it easy." - Hootsuite Blog

Oddly enough, the blog post alludes that the feature is now available - it isn't. When I emailed HootSuite Help asking where to find the App Store update, this was the response.

Support Ranger, Oct 01 13:15 (PDT):
It will be in app store soon! hang on!

HootSuite has struggled to match up with Twitter app titan TweetDeck, however, users may find "the owl" more accessible in office environments where downloading is restricted. Further, the service's scheduling and analytics features are unusually impressive under the app's free version.

Mac porn from MacLover

If you have seen my blog recommendations (located on bottom-right), you know I highly suggest that readers follow MacLover. The blog runs perfectly on Tumblr because it's basically a catalog of alluring Mac images.

These photos were Amplified from MacLover.

17-year-old takes blame for Twitter bug

A 17-year-old Australian schoolboy is taking the blame for Tuesday's Twitter bug which used JavaScript to sent users to porn sites.

Pearce Delphin, whose Twitter account is @zzap, admitted to posting a Javascript function in a tweet which was then recoded by hackers. The bug affected thousands of Twitter users over a five-hour span including White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' feed.

"I did it merely to see if it could be done ... that JavaScript really could be executed within a tweet," Delphin told AFP via email. "At the time of posting the tweet, I had no idea it was going to take off how it did. I just hadn't even considered it."

Luckily, hackers used the code mainly for pranks but according to Delphin, the code could have been exploited to steal user account information.

"The problem was being able to write the code that can steal usernames and passwords while still remaining under Twitter's 140 character tweet limit," he said. "Luckily, no one, as far as Twitter admits, actually used this to extract passwords from users."

Twitter swats one BIG bug

A flaw with Twitter's security system has impacted thousands of Twitter accounts by redirecting them to inappropriate websites - including porn sites- without the users consent.

This bug is uniquely dangerous in that it uses a JavaScript function called "onMouseOver" which creates an event or preview pop-up that redirects users to a websites.

Lucky for most users, third-party apps like HootSuite and TweetDeck have not reported any impact from the bug.

At around 11:00 a.m. Twitter announced via it's @Safety account that the problem was taken care of.

Beaching the Whale

In a post on the Twitter company blog, Matt Graves, director of communications at Twitter, updated Twitter users about what the company is doing to beach the "fail whale."

"As we said last month, we are working on long-term solutions to make Twitter a more reliable and stable platform. It's our number one priority," Graves said in the blog post.

He went on to say that a large part of the company's engineering efforts are focusing on making the social network more reliable. He even says that some employees have been taken off of other projects to work on improving the system.

If you haven't already read J.P. Cozzatti's, a member of the Twitter development, post on what the company is actually doing. Check it out.

Does the Fail Whale really matter?

Obviously, we are all getting annoyed by Twitter's overcapacity messages but does it really matter? Maybe the fail whale is making us think less of Twitter's reliability but would you eventually give up on Twitter if the reliability of the network continues to slope? Comment here or on our Facebook wall and let us know.

Five social media extensions for Google Chrome

Google Chrome is by far the fastest browser available for download according to tech reviews from ZDNet and CNet. However, can Google's browser compete with FireFox's add-on catalog? Over the past few weeks 140 Characters has collected five Chrome extensions that may even push FireFox into your second-string browser slot. Below is a list of five Chrome extensions which can greatly enhance your social media use and reduce time-spent tweeting and posting to Facebook.

Facebook for Google Chrome

Manage the essentials of your Facebook account from the top-right corner of your Chrome browser. Using the Chrome Facebook extension, users can view the news feed, wall and messages and receive Facebook notifications. If developers were to include a Facebook Chat feature, this extension would nearly replace the need to run Facebook in the browser. NOTE: Users cannot edit their fan pages nor groups or events.

Chromed Bird

This extension is just like the previous tool but for Twitter. Users can literally manage their entire account from this extension including tweets, @replies, direct messages, favorites and lists or hash tags. The downside to this extension is that you cannot manage multiple accounts and since you cannot install the same extension twice, users may revert back to their primary desktop app (Tweet Deck, Tweetie).

Goo.gl URL Shortener

It's hard to mention any URL shortener other than Bit.ly but here goes. Google's URL shortener goo.gl is probably the simplest shortener around. Unlike Bit.ly, no sidebar will pop-up and users definitely do not need to go to any Web page to shorten a link. Instead, just select the Goo.gl URL shortener extension in the Chrome browser and a small speech bubble will appear with the shortened link. Unfortunately, Google's shortener does not track clicks like Bit.ly does but if you're using SnipURL, I recommend using Goo.gl instead.

Autopen - Email Signatures

It seems Gmail will never have the ability to build social media icons into user signatures. Instead, the email service relies on WiseStamp in FireFox and now Autopen in Chrome. But while WiseStamp asks users to select a social network and add a profile link, Autopen allows users to use HTML to create buttons.

This is both good and bad. For users who have HTML experience, this allows greater freedom to customize your social media icons. However, for users who don't know HTML (or refuse to find the proper codes via Google), Autopen is almost useless.

UPDATE: You can copy and paste your WiseStamp signature into Autopen and link the social media icons to the proper Web addresses.

Speed Dial

This is just barely a social media tool but it's still worth mentioning. Remember the last time you pulled up a new tab in Chrome or Safari only for your co-workers and friends to see that you've visited an embarrassing site enough that it became one of your browser short cuts? Well this extension will put an end to the embarrassment.

Speed Dial allows users to assign up to 12 shortcuts in the Chrome browser once a blank, new tab is opened. The extension also offers a number of backgrounds to use in the Speed Dial tab.

Three ways a newsroom can build its Twitter network by location

Twellow/Twellowhood (http://www.Twellow.com/)
Twellow.com is essentially the Yellow Pages of Twitter. You can search for users by profession, interest and most importantly, location. Click the "Twellow Hood" tab on the homepage and you can search to see what users are in what town.

Reporters should use Twellowhood to search their coverage area for Twitter users. Once the reporter finds Twitter users, follow them and begin building your online network to connect with die-hard or potential readers.

American Towns (http://www.AmericanTowns.com/)
AmericanTowns.com is a website that catalogs online communities by town in the United States. Users who sign up for an account can find local bloggers to link to and Twitter users with whom users can share and find stories. American Towns even pulls multimedia like YouTube videos and Flickr photos, which have been tagged to certain zip codes. This is by far one of the most personal and powerful tools on the Web which has yet to be used to its potential.

Nearby Tweets (http://nearbytweets.com/)
NearbyTweets.com allows its users to view a Twitter feed by your GPS location. This feed, however, is not your personal Twitter feed, instead users can see locally posted tweets. So if a user is on Nearby Tweets in Cleveland, Ohio, that user will see other Twitter users who are Tweeting from Cleveland.

Three iPhone apps for your mobile multimedia tweets

VR + Voice for Twitter/Facebook...

When I first started my journalism job at Montgomery Media, I was obsessed with two things: NPR and podcasts. VR + Voice for Twitter/Facebook/Blogger/Myspace may not be the easiest name to type into your iPhone app store but it is the easiest way to produce audio snippets which can then be shared to social media outlets.

Simply record your audio snippet, whether it be a political speech or your own on-location report, press share and you're done. You've just shown your boss how innovative you can be.

iVideoCamera

Not all of us have the iPhone 3GS, but now you can shoot and share video even with your 3g using iVideoCamera. This app is the most basic of video recording apps, you simply press record, point and shoot.

This app does have an optional HD feature but I've found that it doesn't work on the 3g. Further, this app only allows video to be shot in the iPhone's vertical position. Nevertheless, this app lets you shoot low-res video that can be shared to almost any social media outlet including Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Kyte Producer

Here's the photographer's Ustream. Kyte Producer is an app that allows its users to produce slide shows via your iPhone. Capture and add photos on the go then preview and post. You can even add links to your slide shows to pull followers to your latest blog post.

The down side of this app? It doesn't have the ability to add audio to your slide show. The upside? When the iPhone SD card reader extension is released for Apple mobil devices, you will be able to post high-quality photos in realtime.

YouTube-versity: No more questions, just ask YouTube

At my office, I get a lot of people asking how-to questions about Twitter, Facebook, really anything technology related. I don't mind it, in fact I love helping coworkers with technical problems. Last week, when I helped a woman understand how to use Twitter, it was as if she had learned to speak Spanish. A whole new world to explore, a new hunger to learn and communicate.

But everyone knows the old saying, give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach the man to fish and he'll eat for life. So if I can offer one bit of wisdom to readers, it's this: Stop asking the office tech geeks for help. Instead, ask YouTube.

Below are three ways readers can use YouTube to become the ultimate know-it-all:

How to tie a tie
I learned how to tie a tie from YouTube. I remember, I was still in college and I needed to wear a tie to a job fair. With my father no longer in the next room I decided to see what YouTube could teach me. Thankfully, YouTube has a dedicated network of tutorial producers. I never found a job at that job fair but I did the following week for my interview with Montgomery Media. I wore a tie that day too.

How to Tweet

Every business in today's economy needs someone to handle social networking. If your company doesn't have a Twitter, Facebook Fan Page or Foursquare Venue, chances are they should and the company just hasn't realized what potential lies in these networks.

Flash...in a flash

Web design, HTML, Action Script, these are some of the most challenging skills to learn and yet some of the most sought out in the business world. You can pay a University thousands of dollars to teach you the basics of all. But I say, see what you can learn from YouTube first.

I learned to create a Flash video using CS4 from the tutorial below. Sometimes the best way to learn Web design is to think of something you want to create, then ask YouTube how to do it.

-- Post From My iPad

The Twitter Start-up Kit: Four Tools for New Twitter Users

Many of my friends and co-workers are just getting started with Twitter and the recurring joke involving the word "twit" doesn't make that any less obvious. So I've compiled a list of four Twitter tools that will help jump-start all you new Twitter users so you can skip the next Twitter 101 meeting.

1. Bit.ly

If you really want to measure your success on Twitter then you need to know how many clicks your links are receiving every time you Tweet. Bit.ly, a link shortening Web site lets registered users do just that. I can't stress this enough. There is no reason to use link shorteners like TinyUrl or SnipUrl when these services provide absolutely no analytics. At first, you may be surprised with how many or how little clicks your bit.ly links receive but keep in mind you're numbers will grow as your network grows.

2. WiseStamp

When most people are sending and receiving up to 40 emails a day why not use email to pull a following? WiseStamp, a FireFox add-on, allows users to add social media icons to their email signatures. Users can choose from an unlimited array of social media sites to add to their signatures including well known sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and lesser known networks like Newsvine and Bebo.

3. Mobile Apps and Text to Twitter

Once you start Tweeting, you're eventually going to want to go places and tell your followers what you're doing. If you're using a smart phone I recommend Tweetie or Tweetie 2. I used the Tweet Deck iPhone app for a few months before deciding its load up time was too slow. By the time I was actually able to tweet, I had decided it wasn't worth the wait anymore.

If you don't have a smart phone you're in luck! Go to your Settings page, click mobile and provide your cell phone number. Twitter will then send you a five digit number to text to and that will go right to your Twitter feed.

4. Twellow

Twellow is an E-Yellow Pages for Twitter. Registered users can find other Twitter users by category or city. Search the "All Categories" tab to find users interested in everything from amnesia to textiles. Or go to the "Twellowhood" tab and search for local Twitter users. You can really build a following when you're looking for local users.

Google Buzz: Twitter-Killer or another Google flop?

When rumors hit the Twitterverse that Google had created a social network of it own, bloggers were quick to dub the network a "Twitter-Killer." Twitter was shaking in its nest....false!

What Google would later call Google Buzz is now no Twitter killer. In fact, most users would agree that without the ability to sync their accounts directly to Twitter (and Facebook) Google Buzz would be little more than an expanded version of Gchat.

But the real question is, would Google Buzz even have any real value if not for Twitter? My response, barely. Without Twitter and Facebook, there is really no need to use Google Buzz because, at least in my case, Buzz is only a means of organizing a Twitter into a more personalized feed.

What do I mean by this? Twitter users often need to follow over 500 people to get a following of over 800. In trying to build a following, most users have to give up a quality group of users to follow. However, with Google Buzz, users can revert back to that smaller group of friends to follow. This is where Buzz can excel.

In other business, Buzz is a middle ground between Twitter's restricted 140 characters and Facebooks unfiltered clutter. It is a place for Google account users to post all forms of media including photos, videos and text content (like Twitter) without archiving the content in a personal profile (Facebook archives wall photo and video content).

But if there wasn't the added conversational content taken from the two other network giants, users may have eventually seen Buzz as another network that couldn't "catch-on" and the "twitter-killer" would get rolled up and thrown in the waste basket beside it's compadres Google Wave and Orkut.

The Birds and the Bees make the perfect team:

In my opinion, Buzz is actually one of Google best tries at creating a social network thus far. The fact is that Buzz, being that users can access it direct from their Gmail accounts, has accomplished what Twitter, so far, has not. Google has created a network as accessible (and visible) throughout the day as email.

So don't expect to see Buzz pushing up daisies anytime soon. My guess is that eventually it may find a way to surpass Twitter in accessibility and usage. That will take a long time but if anyone could do it, it would be Google.

What is the One Forty Blog about?

Welcome to the 140Characters blog. Being that this is my first post I would like to provide readers with a few ideas of what one can expect to find here.

1. This blog revolves around Social Networks-

I've never claimed to be a social networking specialist. In fact, I may be just like you. I'm a heavy user of social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Buzz. But we should keep in mind that blogs, YouTube and even Google Wave are also forms of social networks and those will be covered here too. This blog will ultimately revolve around Social Networks.

2. This is a place to learn about Social Networks and how they can be used-

Any business, organization or individual that has yet to grasp the power of social networking is far behind today's standards of technology, marketing and promotion. However, if you are a reader who doesn't necessarily understand social networks both new and old, hang in there. This is the place to learn about them!

3. I have no life...outside of Tweet Deck...

It's true and it may be true for many of us. Talking about your social life in 2010 is far different than what one would call a social life in 2000. While this blog will also be a place to read up on my (physical) social ventures, and how they lead back to social networks, expect a few posts on what Foursquare badge I've just won and who has retweeted me.

Just to kick things off, I've posted a few items from my previous blog "Renewing the Voice" which runs out of MontgomeryNews.com. So adjust your lumbar support, stay a while...and welcome to the One-Forty Characters Blog.