App of Week - News Booth

For the days I'm not on-air I can make everything seem like uber important breaking news -- and you can too! News Booth is a free app with four different themes to choose from as well as option to input text and resize photos.  You can save to camera roll or immediately share to Facebook and Twitter.

More to Love - Gadget Round-Up

@Teluric is back for more wacky gadgetry!


Corkcicle, $24.95
Keep your wine chilled the quirky way.
  

iPhone Pepper Spray Case, $50

Pac-man Poncho, $8
Because a regular ponchos are stupid.

Maple Bacon Coffee, $13.99/lb

Civet Crap Choice Coffee, $34.99
Unique flavor is because it's been pooped out by a civet.  Yep, click for more.

Dark Knight Rises Mr Potato Head, $17.99










Musical Wine Glasses, $45 (for two)
Each line has a chord that can be played A to G.

Wine Hourglasses, $75 (set of 4)
Easy way to say "Really, I can only stay for a drink." Comes in variety of colors - lasts about 10 minutes.

Hello Kitty KISS Plushies, pricing TBD

"Like" Foam Finger, $11


And as always picz for fun!

#Linsanity - by the numbers - CNN

Sarah Palin’s on board, Obama’s on board, the whole world is on board --- it’s called Linsanity.  Since graduating from Harvard with a 4.2 GPA, Jeremy Lin had been cut by both the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets before heading to the NY Knicks– earlier this month he got a start because Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were out with injuries. 

Since his debut at point guard on February 4, the Knicks have been on a winning streak.  Fans and media can’t get enough – and the term Linsanity has gone viral on the interwebz. 

It’s amazing how someone can own the web out of nowhere.

Let’s take a look at the numbers as discussed on CNN this weekend.

Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

LIN SOCIAL MEDIA STATS
    •    215,408 Twitter mentions in one week - More than any NBA player (beating LeBron by 20,000)
    •    Added 668,589  Facebook fans since 2/4
    •    Since 2/4, adding an average of 48K Facebook fans/day
    •    Yahoo! Searches for "Linsanity" are up over 19,000%, with 27% of searches coming from people ages 25-34
    •    Yahoo! Searches for "Jeremy Lin" since January 1, 2012 have been almost 30 times higher than searches on "Jeremy Lin" for all of 2011.

And it seems like everyone is trying to cash in on the Linsanity craze.  Two guys are attempting to trademark the phrase (Linsanity) through the US Patent and Trademark Office. The story gained so much attention that Lin actually turned around and filed for the trademark himself!

CASHING- IN ON LIN
    •    MSG Ratings up 87% in Lin’s last 5 starts
    •    Rookie cards are up collecting $5k+ bids
    •    Lin jerseys have been the top-selling jerseys at NBAStore.com for the last couple of weeks, and they've now been shipped to 23 countries.  (Knicks' merchandise is up 200 percent compared to last year)
    •    China's CCTV has had a 39% viewership rise

Do Not Friend Request in Court

Yet another example this week of why it is imperative to remember what you put up on Facebook could also be used against you – even in court.

Twenty-nine year old Jacob Jack, a juror in a Florida trial, thought it would be a good idea to "friend request" the defendant. 

The female defendant immediately alerted her attorney and Jack was dismissed from the case.  But it doesn’t end there – he went on Facebook and said “Score … I got dismissed!! Apparently they frown upon sending a friend request to the defendant … haha.” He was jailed for three days on a misdemeanor. 

Here’s the bottom line- this isn’t the first, nor will it be the last example of burning yourself on Facebook.  Facebook is a treasure trove for evidence across the board.

Let’s recall some notable stats:

·      Facebook is cited in 1 out of every 5 U.S. divorces

·      Looking for a job? 91% of employers use social media – Facebook leads all sites by 76%

·      24% of College admissions use Facebook – in other words drop the drinking photos!

So in short, this is another friendly reminder to rethink what you post! 

Statistics courtesy of Loyola University Health System, AAML, Reppler, Kaplan

Hearts Day CanvasPop Contest

Its a holiday and you know what that means.... nerdy giveaways!

Today a lucky winner received a 16x20 CanvasPop.

Just head on over to my Facebook page!

Google V-Day Search Trends

A comprehensive list of whats trending on the Google for Hearts Day. All stats provided by Google.

Comparing this February to last:

• Searches for ‘chocolate bacon’ are up by more than 10% year over year
• Searches for ‘heart shaped’ food are up by 15% year over year
• Searches for ‘unique valentines day’ are up by more than 60% year over year
• Searches for ‘homemade valentines gift’ are up by 65% year over year
• Searches for ‘engagement rings’ are up more than 25% year over year

Chocolate and other sweet treats

• While searches for ‘chocolate' (which most people assume to be milk chocolate sans qualifier) beat out searches for specific types of chocolate, there are people looking for more specifics. Search volume for ‘white chocolate’ beats out both dark and milk chocolate by 35% and 45%, respectively. Searches for ‘dark chocolate’ outpace those for ‘milk chocolate’ so far this February, by just over 5%.

• In the past 7 days:
• Searches for ‘chocolate ale’ are up by 500%
• Searches for ‘chocolate strawberries’ are up by 130%  
• In the past 30 days:
• Searches for ‘chocolate muffins’ are up by 70%
• Searches for ‘chocolate cupcakes’ are up by 90%
• Searches for ‘heart shaped cake’ are up by 450%
• Searches for ‘heart shaped pizza’ are up by more than 5,000%
• Searches for ‘chocolate flowers’ are up by 20%, year over year

• Searches for ‘valentines chocolate’ are up by more than 45%, year over year

Savory Foods

• Searches for 'heart shaped pizza' jumped more than 100% from Valentine's Day 2010 to 2011.
• Searches for 'heart shaped pizza' have jumped more than 200% since January. States with the highest search interest are Illinois, Texas, and California.
• Searches for 'ship pizza' are up more than 15% year over year.
• Searches for ‘chocolate bacon cookies’ are up 25% in the last 30 days; over 60% year over year; 110% since Vday 2010.
•  Searches for ‘chocolate covered bacon’ are up 40% in the last 30 days; over 10% year over year;  80% since Vday 2010.
• Searches for ‘cheese valentines gifts’ are up 80% in the last 30 days; over 10% year over year;  20% since Vday 2010.
• Searches for ‘ship steak’ are up 40% in the last 30 days; over 40% year over year;  100% since Vday 2010.

Dog Insights

• Searches for ‘dog dates’ are up ~10% year over year
• Searches for ‘personalized dog gifts’ are more than 100% higher than searches for ‘personalized husband gifts’
• Searches for ‘chocolate for dogs’ are up ~15% year over year
• The trend doesn’t necessarily extend for all pets, searches for ‘gifts for dogs’ are more than 150% higher than searches for ‘gifts for cats’ so far this Valentine’s Day season.

Jewelry and Rings

• Searches for ‘jewelry’ are up 20% in the last 30 days
• Searches for “engagement rings’ are up 15% in the last 30 days
• Searches for ‘diamond rings’ are up 15% year over year. Up more than 25% in the last 30 days.
• Searches for ‘mangagement rings’ are up 75% year over year

Valentine’s Day for Singles

• Searches for “girls valentine’s day” are up 614% in the last 30 days and 32% compared to last year. There is special regional interest for this search in CA.
• Searches for “single valentine’s day” are 145% from 2005. Up over 1500% in the last 30 days.
• Searches for “valentine’s day bar are up 47% from 2011 in New York and are up 6% across the nation, showing that the city that never sleeps is also single this Valentine’s Day.
• Searches for “match.com” are up 47% in the last 90 days in New York.
• Searches for “how to meet women” are 58% higher than searches for “how to meet men” in New York, showing that this year it’s the men that are looking for a relationship.
• In fact, searches across the U.S. in the last 90 days show that searches for “places to meet women” is 55% higher than “places to meet men.”
• New York is the top state for the searches “anti Valentine’s Day” and “I hate Valentine’s day” since 2004.
• Searches for “horror movie” are 272% higher than searches for “romantic movie” in the U.S. over the last 90 days.

Spider-Man Wall Climber - YES!

It's been a busy and exciting few days checking out the International Toy Fair at NYC's Javits Center (350,000 sq. feet of toys!)

A few big brands are also holding showcases off-site like, this one here from Hasbro.  I wanted to share with you one of my favorite toys - Spider-Man wall climber (with remote controll) being released later in 2012.  Awesome!

iPad 3 Rumors

Apple has sold over 55 million iPads to date and has an estimated tablet market share of 83%.  However, if you’ve been planning on purchasing one, you might want to hold off.  Rumors are swirling about the iPad3 hitting the market soon. 

And lets talk about those iPad3 rumors hitting the interwebz. According to AllThingsD.com an iPad3 announcement could happen around the first week in March.  That would likely make it available at retail latest near mid-March. And, I think this is a pretty safe assumption considering it’s nearly 12 months since the iPad2 has been released (and Apple typically works off a one year product cycle).

What should we expect:

Here are my guesses paired with the rumors:   I see this as kind of the equivalent of iPhone 4 to 4S.  A few bumps up, but nothing too crazy.  

·      Improved Display (New retina screen)

·      Faster Processor – Apple always improves speeds on new products

·      Better cameras

·      4G LTE capability

·      Siri – expect Siri on all things Apple moving forward from iPhone5 to the rumored Apple iTV  

       television set.   

What I don't think we see:

·      A smaller 7” form factor. This has been rumored for months but remember Steve Jobs said that size would never work.  Do I rule it out entirely?  No.  If we ever do see a smaller size I would guess it would be out around holiday.

As always, I’ll keep you posted on all things Apple as it comes in from the source.  Until then, let the rumor mill take it away!

Single on V-Day? So are millions of others...

First, if you are single, fear not.  So are many of Facebooks 850 million users. Here are the current stats.

*All information courtesy of Facebook*

Current Relationship Status Trends
*active users with specified status
    ◦    37.4% are “Single”
    ◦    31.0% are “Married”
    ◦    21.6% are “In Relationship”
    ◦    5.2% are “Engaged”
    ◦    2.0% “It’s Complicated”
    ◦    1.2%  “Open Relationship”
 
Relationship Status Updates in 2011
*numbers reflect *only* those users who changed their relationship status at some point in 2011
    ◦    7.6% updated their status to “Engaged”
    ◦    2.6% updated to “It’s Complicated”
    ◦    20.7% updated to “Married”
    ◦    25.2% updated to “In A Relationship”
    ◦    31.9% updated to “Single”

Oh and another stat, according to multiple surveys over the years, Facebook is a treasure trove for divorce attorneys -- but that's a whole other story...

#SportsTech - Philly Wings Leverage Twitter

It’s no secret that sports teams across the globe are leveraging social media more and more these days.  So much in fact, that the first American professional sports team, the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League, have traded last names on jerseys for Twitter handles in a one-of-a-kind game vs. the Buffalo Bandits, Sunday, February 12th. The game will begin at 4pm at the Wells Fargo Center.  Following the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the American Cancer Society.

It will be interesting to see how much the percentage of engagement increases.

Read more at the team's homepage.

Image courtesy of wingslax.com

Gadgets For Your Man

I talked to some of my fave guys and put together a list of go-to guy gadgets.  This is no fail gifting material here ladies!

DeLonghi Circolo Coffe/Espresso Maker, $130
For the guy who wants to make decent coffee or espresso at work and not an entire pot.

Mophie Air, $80
Great for 6 hours extra charging on the iPhone.  Its the slim version so while it doesnt charge 8 hours, 6 is plenty, and its still sleek enough for him to put in his pocket.

Jambox, $200
I think Im annoying myself with this one - as I must have put this in 5 segments on-air to date.  While I hate recycling previous items, this one is such a hit with anyone for listening to music wirelessly from computer, smartphone or tablet.  Also great for sticking in carry-on for travel.

Delgon Knife Meeting Set, $740
I know, they're ridic expensive - but they're gorgeous!



Coffee Cup Power Inverter, $35
Another charging gadget - because dudes don't consistently charge their gadgets like us smart girls do!  This is great for the car cup-holder.

Poler Duffaluffagus Bag, $80
I think this is incredibly sleek and practical for the traveler. Skateboard not included.

My Top Valentine's Day Picks! GeekSugar

I love me some GeekSugar!

Check out my fave Valentine's Day picks :)

Join me on Pinterest!

For chic geekery, funniez and just a bunch of tech junk I really like--- join me on Pinterest! Pinterest.com/Linendoll

Pocket Sized Folding Machine Gun/Flashlight?

"If it gets nasty, ya get down to business."

This video is from '08, which in our world is like 400 years ago, but it's so good I had to post it.

The machine gun/flashlight is purely a concept but lets all collectively push for production. 

Thanks to @annahalberg for this find!... entirely street legal.

App of the Week! Action Movie FX

Thanks to @keithjasper for this gem. 

Action Movie FX, Free.
This is a pretty solid special fx app.  Take video and add a car crash or missle explosion with the touch of a button. 

Super Bowl Tech – As discussed on CNN

A 30 second commercial is running about 3.5 million dollars.  And thanks to social media, I’d say that’s a steal.  Here’s the math:

·      111 Million People Watching Super Bowl
·      35 Million Post Favorite Ad on Facebook
·      Average Facebook User has 130 Friends
·      4.5 Billion Total Impressions
·      Total Estimated Added Value on Facebook- $18,000,000

*And this is just on the Facebook side alone!  Think about all the added value from Twitter and YouTube (especially if you leak a commercial out a little early).

*Statistics Courtesy: Venables Bell and Partners

Social Media Central Command Center (Updated from previous post)
This is the first time an event has actually set up a Social Media Command Center on-site.  Interactive agency, Raidious, is running the official super bowl Twitter, Facebook, Blog and Flickr accounts in a 2800 sq. ft. facility in Indy.  It’s set up much like a mini CNN Newsroom:

    •    Producers on the ground grabbing content
    •    Total Audience reach for Facebook and Twitter is nearing 40k – beating expectations by 800%
    •    Raidious and the Host Committee are managing 1500 interactions per day and helping a new person every two minutes on average

The Super Bowl Social Media Command Center Overview:

    •    2,800 sq. ft. facility seats up to 35
    •    Entire facility is controlled by iPad or iPhone
    •    9-screen monitor wall (over 100 sq. ft.)
    •    (6) Producer stations with 27" Apple Cinemas displays
    •    Approx. 300 sq. ft. of whiteboard space

Also - updated, Raidious has partnered with Ball State University's Emerging Technology initiative to develop customized software to better monitor tweets.

The technology, per Raidious, is “a proof of concept tool to measure and visualize Influence, Sentiment, Volume, and Topic on a geotargeted, real-time basis for the Super Bowl. This software tool allows us to see what is happening on the internet in real time in a 50 mile radius around Monument Circle.  This gives us a macro-level view of what is happening right now in a specific area-what people are talking about, where they are, how often they are talking about it, whether or not they are talking in a positive or negative tone, and how influential they are.”

Also, in terms of security Raidious team is connected. "We are connected to the event command center and the public safety command center via an alert system, and we share information regarding any potential or developing crisis situations."
 

Let's talk  -- Second Screen
Get accustomed to hearing this verbiage more than ever.  According to Nielson, two thirds of people watching TV are also using devices like smartphones and laptops (the second screen).  Brands are starting to take advantage of this – especially at a time like the Super Bowl.

Coke set up a Facebook page to watch two of their animated polar bears cheering for opposing teams in real-time.

GoDaddy will feature a QR code in their commercial pushing you to web content.

And with 70 commercials competing against each other -- you can bet that a number of commercials will sport hashtags in hopes to get their brand trending on Twitter – leveraging more eyeballs and hits on a multi-platform level.

February the Month of Wacky Gadgets... oh ...and Love.

I heart @teluric for more wacky finds. 

Stone Drink Dispenser, $125
Handmade from stones along the Northeast Coast (ie the sane part of the country). 

Photorito -- Burrito Lens Wrap, $20
Turn your gadgets in to ultimate. grand. supreme.



Scratch and Sniff Jeans, $165
Thanks to TechnaBob for this find, “this Canadian brand boasts of using only raw denim manufactured at a traditional mill in Japan”.  I dunno still just seems like the wrong area for scratch and sniff :-/

Cuisipro Scoop and Stack Ice Cream, $15

World’s Largest Scrabble Game, $12,000
Great for first dates!

Picture of Yourself Riding a Dinosaur, $50
What in the name of Photoshop is this?  I think I need one.

R2D2 Shoes, Lightsaber Shoes, $30
Yay for Stride Rite!

And as always pics of the week!