Apple New Ipad 2 In Production

Originally Posted on WallStreetJournal's Website By YUKARI IWATANI KANE And SHAYNDI RAICE

Apple Inc. has started manufacturing a new version of its iPad tablet computer with a built-in camera and faster processor, said people familiar with the matter.

The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said. It will have at least one camera on the front of the device for features like video-conferencing, but the resolution of the display will be similar to the first iPad, these people said. It will also have more memory and a more powerful graphics processor, they said.

The production of the new iPad shows how Apple is moving forward in the wake of Chief Executive Steve Jobs's disclosure last month that he was taking...

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Advertising Goes Modern With Dare 2 Scan’s QR Mobile Code Technology

Dare2scan Mobile marketing a division of Creative Powerhouse Inc. is the next generation of advertising media bridging the gap between offline and online advertising content using QR Mobile Codes.

With the onslaught of advertising options available on the market these days, it’s no surprise that many businesses don’t know where to start. Of course, there are always the tried and true options of print and visual media advertising to turn to, as well as the plethora of options that the Internet has brought to the scene in terms of marketing goods and services effectively.

All of these are available to businesses at varying degrees of cost and effectiveness. But what about those businesses that are looking for something a little more unique in terms of combining the cutting edge of technology with an interactive experience when it comes to advertising? Let’s face it: most people don’t like advertising nearly as much as businesses want them to. What if there was a way to get customers excited about your marketing strategies?

Dare 2 Scan offers a way by means of QR Mobile Codes. These codes are stamp-sized marks that can appear anywhere, from magazines to television commercials to billboards. The viewer takes a picture of the code with his or her cell phone, and is then taken to an advertising medium of the business’ choice, be it a website, a connection to a phone line, a text message, or a video. This unique method of advertising allows the business to get customers hooked in with interest, as the code offers a bit of mystery to the entire advertising process.

To track results Dare2Scan offers Code Management and Analytics. This platform give marketers the power to create, manage and track Mobile Codes. Best of all now marketers can change content to an active campaign in real time.

QR Mobile Code advertising has proven to be extremely effective when it comes to getting the attention and business of customers. For those who would like to take the next step when it comes to advertising technology, check out how QR Mobile Codes can work for you by contacting Dare 2 Scan, one of the business’ premiere companies in QR Mobile Code technology. For more information on QR Mobile Code advertising, feel free to visit Dare 2 Scan at http://dare2scan.com or scan our Dare2scan logo and experience it for yourself.

Dare 2 Scan Offers Unique Advertising Through Tailor-Crafted Projects

Stay on the cutting edge of advertising and technology with QR Mobile Codes and Dare 2 Scan

Location Celebration FL. 31/Feb, /2011

The Internet and rapid advancement of technology has revolutionized the scope of advertising over the past few decades. Where before advertising was mostly limited to print and television mediums, the Internet has taken the accessibility of information and the challenge of presenting it well to the next level.

For the businesses that are looking to stay on top of it all with their promotional methods, Dare 2 Scan offers a unique chance to try combining top-notch technology with the best of information dissemination. The method lies in QR Mobile Codes.

QR Mobile Codes is a way of hooking the interest of potential customers while offering an interactive experience. The process itself consists of printing a stamp-sized code on anything from magazines to billboards to video broadcasts. When the viewer encounters the code, they take a snapshot of it with the camera on their cell phone.

The code itself transmits information to the phone, which takes the viewer to one of many different kinds of advertising mediums, including websites, videos, text messages, pictures, or even kicking off a phone call. Part of the excitement of using QR Mobile Codes is that the viewer never knows exactly where the code will take them; it’s very much like the new-age equivalent of an Easter egg hunt.

Both the novelty factor and the innovative information transmission make using QR Mobile Codes an attention-getting way of getting the word out. Why stick with the old, tired methods when the very best of modern technology can offer viewers a more interesting, interactive advertising experience? Dare 2 Scan can help companies who want to learn more about how this incredible advertising method can better their conversion rates, visit http://dare2scan.com.

Twiistup 8 Judges Name Chromatik Showoff Winner

L.A.'s Signature Technology and Startup Event Gives Top Prize to Developer of Web-Based Tools for Learning Music

LOS ANGELES, CA--(via Marketwire - February 15, 2011) - Twiistup -- the Los Angeles region's seminal tech industry conference and emerging company showcase -- has recognized online music education platform Chromatik as the Twiistup 8 "Showoff" winner.

A panel of judges awarded Twiistup's top prize to Chromatik for what it described as the company's unique potential to redefine how students approach music learning. The award was presented during the Twiistup 8 afterparty on February 10th at the Skirball Center in West Los Angeles.

Chromatik was named the winner among 10 companies selected to present before the judges and an audience of more than 300 technology industry leaders from across Southern California and around the world. More than 100 companies competed for a chance to present at the conference. The 10 Showoff finalists were selected based on their technology, business model, management team, competitive environment and other key criteria for success.

The competition to name this year's winner was unusually fierce, as the five member panel of judges short-listed four different Showoff contenders for the top prize. Chromatik earned the top spot in a close decision. The judges were particularly impressed with the company's technology, which enables students around the globe to benefit from the best music education techniques and content.

"There was a great group of Showoff companies this year, and we're honored to have been recognized," said Chromatik CEO Matt Sandler. "We're still early in our development, but it's really exciting that the judges and attendees saw promise in what we're doing. There's incredible opportunity in the future of music education, and Twiistup 8 was a great forum for us to showcase our technology."

Twiistup 8 Producer Patrick Valskovits added, "The quality of each Showoff pitch was simply unbelievable this year. All of the startups were contenders, as the crowd and judges would attest. This was a hard-fought, well-earned victory for Matt and the Chromatik team."

The Twiistup 8 panel of judges was composed of Naval Ravikant (Angel List), Scott Sangster (TechCoast Angels), Matt Thompson (Microsoft), Paige Craig (BetterWorks) and Jim Andelman (Rincon Venture Partners). Prior Twiistup Conference Showoff winners include Geodelic, ExpenseCloud and The Rubicon Project.

In addition to showcasing promising startup ventures, Twiistup 8 featured a world-class lineup of speakers including David Cohen (Founder/CEO of TechStars), Suneel Gupta (VP of Product Development for Groupon), Loic Le Meur (Founder/CEO of Seesmic and Founder of LeWeb), Naval Ravikant (Co-Founder of Epinions and Co-Author of "Venture Hacks"), Rand Fishkin (CEO of SEOmoz), Scott Sangster (President of Tech Coast Angels) and David Travers (Principal of Rustic Canyon Ventures), to name just a few.

Sponsors for the event included Microsoft, Media Temple, CallFire, EventBrite, Music180, May, Noodleyard.com and ReTargeter.

More information about Twiistup 8, including a full list of speakers and Showoff companies, is available at www.twiistup.com.

About Chromatik
Los Angeles-based Chromatik is a startup working to redefine how students learn music. The company's adaptive learning platform brings the world's best music techniques, teachers and content to students' fingertips via mobile and desktop applications. In essence, what Rosetta Stone did for languages, Chromatik is doing for music. Learn more at www.chromatikmusic.com

About Twiistup
More than a conference, Twiistup is the Los Angeles region's signature technology and startup event. From its humble origins in 2007, Twiistup has grown in scope and stature to attract entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders from across the U.S. and around the world. It combines a showcase for innovation with a platform for discussion -- all wrapped in an event with distinct "L.A." style. More information is available at www.twiistup.com.

Media Contact:
Erik Deutsch
ExcelPR Group
(323) 851-2300 x112
erikd[at]excelpr[dot]com

ShareSquare Free To All SXSW Music's Performing Artists

ShareSquare (http://getsharesquare.com), the leading startup focused on bridging the gap between outdoor advertising and the mobile web, announced today that its self-serve content management system (CMS) will be available for free to all SXSW Music's performing artists via the invite code: "TWISXSW". Previously in closed beta, the platform has powered nationwide campaigns for select artists and labels including William Morris Endeavor and Disney artist Mitchel Musso, among others, where it drove engagement via ShareSquare QR codes on packaging, posters and digital signage in Walmarts across North America.

Now any SXSW artist or promoter can quickly enhance their posters, stickers, flyers, merchandise tags (and more) with calls-to-action such as: mobile video, mp3 downloads, instant win contests, and one-click connections to Facebook and Twitter just by including their ShareSquare QR code. Deep real-time analytics on audience engagement and location allow tracking and optimization on the fly.

From March 11-20, Austin, Texas, the "Live Music Capital of the World," will be overrun with more than 2000 musical artists, inundating the small city with promotional materials all vying for attention. With so much noise, any lasting impression on a new fan becomes a precious commodity. By incorporating a ShareSquare QR code – a type of barcode easily read by mobile devices – the artist's promotions rise above the crowd. Using a smartphone and any barcode scanning application (like Redlaser on iPhone, Barcode Scanner on Android or the native scanner in BBM 5.0 on BlackBerry) a new fan can deepen their engagement and experience the artist's custom ShareSquare mobile web app containing rich media, prizes, social sharing and more.

"We've found that discovering new music in the real world quickly becomes a point of passion," said Matthias Galica, ShareSquare CEO. "But prior to ShareSquare, a new fan was pretty much forced go home and discover more on their computer. For the first time, all outdoor advertising can become immediately interactive, and soon, a point of purchase."

As an added bonus for SXSW performers, ShareSquare will feature real-time leaderboards and geo-tagged heat maps to highlight local hot spots of music discovery and reward the "Most Scanned Bands" with increased visibility and prizes, to be announced live at the event.

About ShareSquare

ShareSquare (getsharesquare.com) is a platform for crowd-sourced street teams to support the bands & brands they love, with real-time analytics and performance-based rewards.

Currently focused on enhancing physical promotions and Out-Of-Home advertising in music & entertainment, ShareSquare bridges the offline world with the mobile web. Headquartered in Los Angeles, ShareSquare is backed by investments from prominent angels like Paige Craig and John Frankel and is pursuing a Series A.

CONTACT:
Matthias Galica
419.862.5327
Matthias@getsharesquare.com
Founder & CEO
Web Site: http://getsharesquare.com/

SOURCES: ShareSquare,prnewswire.com

Tweetdeck's Deck.ly Raises 140 Character Limit

Recently Tweetdeck launched Deck.ly which allows users to continue typing over the 140 character limit. This has been a long awaited addition to many, like myself, in the twitter community.

I have such a hard time fitting my tweets into 140 character limit; especially if I have to leave room for a url.

There have been many times that I have had to shorten a tweet to include words like, "workin," or "2" instead of "to" just to fit within the limit. I don't like using slang when I am tweeting professionally and I prefer to use proper grammar!

Sometimes these tweets are a first impression on a potential client or business associate, I always try to put my best foot forward and sometimes that cannot be done in 140 characters.

What is a QR Code?

by Nichole Wheat

QR is the abbreviation for Quick Response. A QR Code is a specific barcode (different from traditional linear barcodes) readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. Basically, anyone with a smartphone can take a photo of the bar code and your phone will tell you what information is associated with the QR Code.

The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.

Here is an example of how they can be used for business:

How many times in the last five years have you had to change business cards? Think about how much your contact information has changed. A simple remedy is to design a business card with a QR code on it. This QR code could point to your contact information which you can update as it changes. No longer would old email address and phone numbers keep you out of touch! The money a company could save by not having to re-order business cards every year could be significant!

All information on the first card is fluid. Everything, but my name, can change at any time. However, on the 2nd card, a change of information does not effect my business card! This makes my life so much easier!!!!!!!!!! I am in love!

The Story Behind ShareSquare

ShareSquare is a platform for users to support the bands and brands they love. Using a type of scan code (QR CODE), artists and promoters can upload anything from a posters to a sticker and more. The app gives the user a specific QR code corresponding to a mobile web app.

By scanning the QR code, another user can immediately experience a music video, download tracks and apps, winprizes, join mailing lists, one-click Like and Tweet, and (coming soon) make purchases.

I first told you about ShareSquare in another blog, this is just a little follow up because I found this to be such a great story. Talk about the power of attraction! I am a true believer that the best ideas usually come out of someone discovering a desire to have a better way to do something. This is the story as it is posted in the ShareSquare Media Kit.

"The idea for ShareSquare was born one day when founder Matthias Galica spent 20 minutes staring at a bus‐stop poster for an upcoming concert. He realized that while it was the longest impression he'd ever had, there was no direct way for him to learn more, hear what the artist sounded like, or otherwise convert his interest to action.

Matthias expressed his discontent to his lone companion at the bus stop: a spritely Japanese girl named Kimiko. Kimiko explained that in Tokyo, a poster like this would have a QR code, thus enabling anyone to engage with the real world item for rich media, more information, and even the opportunity to make purchases.

Matthias, enraptured by Kimiko's account of this magical technology (and the electric blue shock of hair that fell across her almond eyes) stood speechless as she boarded the next bus, with no way to

know if he'd ever see her again.

Determined to bring the magic of QR codes to the United States, Matthias assembled a crack team to build ShareSquare: the coolest most awesomest way to connect real world promotions with the mobile web. One day, he hopes his efforts will also reconnect him with Kimiko, so that he can marry her in her native land."

ShareSquare- Music Like Never Before!

by Nichole Wheat

ShareSquare launched its beta version last month, with the announcement that they completed a first closing of $150,000 on a $500,000 seed round. Participating angels include Paige Craig the Adrenaline-fueled

Angel, John Frankel of ff Asset Management, Jeff Miller, and Roy Rodenstein of HackerAngels.

What Is ShareSquare?

I found a ton of high tech information online. It included a lot of words that I didn't know. I tried to decipher it for you!

ShareSquare is a platform for users to support the bands and brands they love. Using a type of scan code (QR CODE), artists and promoters can upload anything from a posters to a sticker and more. The app gives the user a specific QR code corresponding to a mobile web app.

By scanning the QR code, another user can immediately experience a music video, download tracks and apps, winprizes, join mailing lists, one-click Like and Tweet, and (coming soon) make purchases.

I found the "Like Lock" feature to be very interesting. This features enables users to click a Facebook Like button and get access to exclusive content, downloads or contests. Looking at this feature from a promotional stand point, this will give artists exposure with minimal effort from fans. No longer does a artist have to hope their fans like their music enough to remember to go onto Facebook, find their page and click "Like." The fan is able to click one button and an instant update is posted spreading their activity to their friends.

Screen shot of ShareSquare's Mobile Like Lock Feature.

From what I have seen of this company it is one to keep an eye on. You can find out the background story of ShareSquare here, I found it very interesting and inspiring!

Advertising Goes Modern With Dare 2 Scan’s QR Mobile Code Technology

Press Release:

Dare2scan Mobile marketing a division of Creative Powerhouse Inc. is the next generation of advertising media bridging the gap between offline and online advertising content using QR Mobile Codes.

With the onslaught of advertising options available on the market these days, it’s no surprise that many businesses don’t know where to start.  Of course, there are always the tried and true options of print and visual media advertising to turn to, as well as the plethora of options that the Internet has brought to the scene in terms of marketing goods and services effectively. 

All of these are available to businesses at varying degrees of cost and effectiveness.  But what about those businesses that are looking for something a little more unique in terms of combining the cutting edge of technology with an interactive  experience when it comes to advertising?  Let’s face it: most people don’t like advertising nearly as much as businesses want them to.  What if there was a way to get customers excited about your marketing strategies?

Dare 2 Scan offers a way by means of QR Mobile Codes. These codes are stamp-sized marks that can appear anywhere, from magazines to television commercials to billboards.  The viewer takes a picture of the code with his or her cell phone, and is then taken to an advertising medium of the business’ choice, be it a website, a connection to a phone line, a text message, or a video.  This unique method of advertising allows the business to get customers hooked in with interest, as the code offers a bit of mystery to the entire advertising process.

To track results Dare2Scan offers Code Management and Analytics. This platform give marketers the power to create, manage and track Mobile Codes. Best of all now marketers can change content to an active campaign in real time.

QR Mobile Code advertising has proven to be extremely effective when it comes to getting the attention and business of customers. For those who would like to take the next step when it comes to advertising technology, check out how QR Mobile Codes can work for you by contacting Dare 2 Scan, one of the business’ premiere companies in QR Mobile Code technology.  For more information on QR Mobile Code advertising, feel free to visit Dare 2 Scan at http://dare2scan.com or scan our Dare2scan logo and experience it for yourself.

Welcome Message

My name is Monica Nielsen. I live, work and play in Central Florida, within steps of Walt Disney World.  It is a great life!

Admittedly I am not very good at all this “Techie” stuff, but I sure love to try! I think this makes me more qualified to try out new stuff and let anyone who reads this blog, know what my experience has been.

 I am the average user that companies try to get their products in the hands of. Every time I see something new in the tech I try to figure out how I can use it to make my life easier. If products are too complicated, I will let you know. If I am having a great time with something, I will certainly let you know. 

I have been described as a fireball of information! When I have a passion about sometime I want to let the whole world know it. That is why I started this blog. I want to write about anything and everything new, fun, practical, or silly that has to do with technology.