ios

Google is taking on the invitation service Evite with Google+ Events. Not surprisingly, the service is tightly integrated into Google Calendar and into Google+, but users will be able to invite anyone to an event, not just users on the Google platform.

At Google I/O, Vic Gundotra showed off the invitation system, which allows "cinemagraphic" themes based on slightly-animated looping photos to grab the eye.

Events isn't just about invitations, though. During an event, users can turn on "party mode" to automatically upload all photos taken to a page for the event. Participants can … Read more

One rumor that didn't quite pan out following Apple's World Wide Developers Conference earlier this month, was that Apple would roll out a way for developers to make apps for its $99 set top box.

However a new beta version of iOS for Apple's TV box suggests that idea may still be alive and well in Cupertino.

Apparently unafraid of Apple's legal team, Brazil-based Apple tech blog MacMagazine (via Macrumors) has posted a video of an Apple TV set top box running a developer beta of iOS 6.

While seemingly unchanged from the current release, which … Read more

As a freelance writer, I need all the help I can get to stay on target. I don't have a boss who might suddenly appear, looming over my shoulder, wondering why I'm on Facebook. I don't have co-workers who are depending on me to finish my part of a larger project. It's just me and the Internet, with deadlines to hit and monthly quotas to fill.

I began using the Pomodoro Technique, which has you working for 20- or 25-minute blocks and then taking a 5- or 10-minute break. It has helped me stay focused for … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Google will be kicking off its annual developers conference here on Wednesday, and the company is expected to have lots of juicy news.

The Google I/O conference offers third-party developers a chance to mix-and-mingle with Google engineers. In the past, the company has used the event to highlight and announce new products and initiatives. And this year's event will likely offer the same.

The company will host two keynote sessions on Wednesday and Thursday morning, where company … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Some people go to Hawaii or the Caribbean for a destination wedding. But Jon Weissenburger and his bride Nina decided that Google I/O here in San Francisco was much more romantic.

The couple tied the knot at the San Francisco courthouse Tuesday morning, and then swung by the Moscone Center in the afternoon so that Jon could register and pick up his badge for the three day event that gets underway Wednesday.

When I saw them standing in line at the convention center, I assumed they were some wacky, Android-obsessed couple. After all, there have been … Read more

Popular streaming radio service Slacker Radio today launched a new category of stations that offers a different sort of listening experience to its users: lifestyle. Debuting as part of a partnership between Slacker and ABC Radio, the new stations offer curated talk radio content that includes advice and other stories dealing with the lifestyle interests of both men and women.

For now, Slacker's new lifestyle stations come in two flavors: Men's Life and Women's Life, with much of the content coming from sources like Esquire, Car & Driver, Consumer Reports, Popular Mechanics, Complex Magazine, and GQ. The … Read more

Instagram gets faster and brighter today as it rolls out its new 2.5 features for iOS.

Among the new items are a spruced up profile tab, different ways to search, commenting improvements, and visual and speed enhancements. There is also a noticeable Facebook feature that lets users share likes, or little hearts, to Facebook if they want.

Of these new features, the app does seem quite a bit faster with photos loading more quickly. The most noticeable change is the "Explore" tab, which was exchanged for the "Popular" tab and also has a new icon.… Read more

Google is looking to get news from its Google I/O conference out as broadly as it can. Company reps told me that "the magical feeling will be bigger and better" at the keynotes Wednesday and Thursday. And to make sure as many people as possible are encouraged to reflect that "magic" out onto the Web, the company is also rolling out a new, simple, embeddable liveblog tool that will also feature the live video streams from the conference.

The new tool, I/O Live, is dependent on Google+ for text input. What you post on … Read more

Break off a piece of that BlackBerry and friend some strangers on Facebook:

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has long been struggling to turn the company around. With thousands of layoffs ongoing, it could be time for the company to try something drastic. One report says RIM is considering spliting itself into two companies by diving the messaging network from the hardware side, and possibly selling the hardware division. RIM didn't comment on specifics of this report by The Sunday Times. But RIM did say it is examining a wide-range of strategies. Perhaps new BlackBerry 10 devices can shake … Read more