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Apple cuts prices on reburbished iPad Mini and iPad 4

garagefloorllc — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:33:12 +0000

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Those of you eyeing an iPad Mini or fourth-generation iPad can now save a bit more money on refurbished models courtesy of Apple.

As of Friday, Apple is offering 15 percent to 17 percent discounts on all flavors of refurbished units of the iPad Mini and the iPad 4.

The 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad Mini is selling for $279, 15 percent off the usual price. The 32GB Wi-Fi Mini is available for $359, 16 percent off the full price. And the 64GB Wi-Fi Mini can be had for $439, 17 percent off the regular price.

The 16GB Wi-Fi version of the fourth-gen iPad is going for $419, a 16 percent discount. The 32GB Wi-Fi model is on sale for $499, also 16 percent off the usual price. And the 64GB Wi-Fi edition is selling for $579, a hefty 17 percent cut in price.

Apple fully tests and certifies all of its refurbished products. Equipped with a new battery and outer shell, the units come with a one-year warranty.

(Via MacRumors)

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Apple cuts prices on reburbished iPad Mini and iPad 4

George Takei wins at Amazon reviews, too

baymonti1 — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:32:31 +0000

George Takei and some Amazon products.

(Credit: Takei: Diane Krauss)

Amusing Amazon reviews are an art form. They are delicate flowers of funny that need to be carefully nurtured in order to strike the right balance between absurdity, plausibility, and humor.

George Takei, known at Mr. Sulu on “Star Trek” and Mr. Internet anywhere social media resides, has the magic formula down.

Only slight sleuthing is needed to determine that the “George Takei” leaving reviews on Amazon is the real deal. He also cross-posts them to his official Facebook page. So far, he’s only racked up six reviews, but they’re good ones. He has tackled products as diverse as the “Best of David Hasseloff” CD to the Denon AKDL1 Dedicated Link Cable.

Takei’s most recent review covers the Accoutrements Yodeling Pickle, a toy pickle that yodels. He gives it one star and advises customers to stick with a bong instead. “On my birthday (4/20), I found this cute little green item on my dresser. I assumed Brad had left it for me as a ‘special’ birthday gift. I tried for hours to figure out how to pry off the lid so I could load it properly, but no go. Then the thing started yodeling at me, and I thought, ‘… [Read more]

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George Takei wins at Amazon reviews, too

Jon Stewart accuses the Senate of all being Apple fanboys

beauroyst — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:59:34 +0000

In our philosophy class today, we will be discussing this existential question: What is the opposite of a Genius Bar?

In Jon Stewart’s view, it’s a group of senators attempting to fawn all over Apple CEO Tim Cook, instead of heating him up next to their goat steak and their veal sausages.

It was inevitable, perhaps, that Stewart might have an observation or two about Cook’s odd appearance in front of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. (I say “odd appearance” because he was wearing a tie.)

The “Daily Show” host was most taken by how utterly fanpersonish so many of the senators appeared.

Instead of giving Cook an earful these senators seemed to express: “I want to iF*** you.”

The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

“Apparently there is nothing Apple can do to get us mad at them. They’re dodging taxes. They’ve got suicide prevention nets outside their hell factories,” mused Stewart.

Indeed, as far as … [Read more]

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Jon Stewart accuses the Senate of all being Apple fanboys

Watch the planets dance in a triple conjunction

danielteic — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:40:29 +0000

A celestial conjunction viewed on December 3, 2009: the moon, Venus and Jupiter, captured at the ESO’s VLT observatory at Paranal, Chile.

(Credit: European Southern Observatory)

Triple planetary conjunctions are relatively rare in the night sky, but astronomers are about to be in for a real treat.

The three brightest planets in our solar system as seen from Earth — Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus — will be coming together in the sky, “dancing” around each other over the course of several nights, starting Friday, May 24.

If we’re lucky, we see a triple conjunction once every two years or so. The most recent was in May 2011; the next won’t be until October 2015.

Because the planets in this conjunction are so bright, the dance will be visible to the naked eye, even in densely populated areas. But if you have access to a telescope or binoculars, so much the better.

Do You Have A Content Marketing Strategy?

Taylor Hawes — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:57:16 +0000

If you spend any amount of time on digital marketing blogs, you’ve probably noticed by now that content marketing appears to be the “hot promotional strategy” of 2013.

However, what you may not have noticed is that content marketing is more than a fad – it’s a shift in online promotional paradigms that’s here to stay. According to the Content Marketing Institute “2013 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends” report, 86% of B2C companies plan to maintain or increase their content marketing investments throughout the year, with 54% of B2B companies sharing the same opinion.

If your website doesn’t yet have a content marketing strategy, it’s time to create one. Here’s what your plan should include:

Element #1 – A detailed description of your target audience

The first thing you need to know when planning a content marketing campaign is who you’re trying to reach. The better educated you are about your target customers; the more likely it is that you’ll be able to develop content pieces that appeal to them.

Specifically, try to find out your customers’:

Age and gender distribution
Geographic location
Average annual incomes
Education levels
Personal interests
Belief systems and personal priorities
Online habits and activities

Your website’s analytics data can provide insight into some of these topics, as can customer surveys or simply tracking the behavior of your followers on public social media sites like Twitter.

Element #2 – The content channels you plan to utilize

As you learn more about your target audience, you should be able to get a feel for how they spend their time online. Make note of the social sites on which they’re most active, as these key locations will provide the basis for your content promotion activities.

While you might think that it’s safe to promote your content on Facebook and Twitter and call it a day, you’re always better safe than sorry. If your customer research efforts determine that your target demographic is hardly active at all on Twitter and instead prefers a niche forum for online engagement, it’s better to find this out before you’ve committed to a new Twitter marketing plan!

Element #3 – The content types you’ll produce

Another important component in a good content marketing strategy is a publishing calendar that details the types of content you’ll produce and when you’ll release each individual piece.

As an example, your customer research might indicate that your target audience prefers to share infographics and list type blog posts with others in their networks, compared with videos or long form, editorial-style blog posts. As a result, you could create a publishing calendar that involves releasing one infographic a month and weekly blog posts that periodically utilize the list format.

Keep in mind that consistent engagement is critical when it comes to content marketing success. By deploying content at regular intervals, you’ll expand your brand’s reputation and keep website visitors coming back for more.

Element #4 – The resources needed to create your content

As you’re building your publishing schedule, be careful not to get too ambitious!

If you hate writing, you need to either focus your efforts on the kinds of content you enjoy producing or you need to hire an outsourced writer who’s familiar with your industry. Similarly, if you love writing, but don’t have the time to commit to drafting regular posts, you’ll need to make the same type of decision.

Be honest with yourself. It’s fine to be optimistic about your campaign’s potential outcomes, but leaving yourself without the resources needed to develop high value content pieces will doom your promotional efforts from the start.

Element #5 – A metrics-driven plan for measuring the impact of your campaign

Finally, be clear with yourself about what you want your content marketing campaign to achieve. If you’re going to be investing either your time or your money, it’s important that you have a way to determine whether or not you’re achieving a positive ROI.

Potential goals for your content marketing campaigns include:

More sales
More website traffic
Increased brand mentions
New social followers
Viral content shares
More email newsletter subscribers

Whatever general goal type you choose, be sure to create both target milestones and a method for tracking your progress. For example, don’t just say, “I want to increase sales through content marketing.” Instead, say, “I want to acquire 10 new customers each month through content marketing,” and then set up a system (as in, Google Analytics Goals combined with Advanced Traffic Segments) that will allow you to determine exactly which sales can be attributed to your content marketing efforts.

Use the information your tracking program generates to regularly assess the success of your campaigns and to make adjustments as needed. By continually measuring and reevaluating your content marketing initiatives, you’ll position your business well to see improved performance through this powerful promotional strategy.

Verizon’s Galaxy S4 gets rooted almost instantly

foreig12a — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:29:16 +0000

Devs have already gotten to the bottom of the Verizon Galaxy S4.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Modders and ROMmers rejoice, almost as soon as it reached the hands of consumers, Verizon’s Galaxy S4 has been rooted.

Instructions for rooting Big Red’s S4 were posted on the xdadevelopers forum this week, allowing folks who want to take full control of all that sweet new hardware to do so and get the thrill of voiding their warranty at the same time.

Peek at the best-looking PlayStation 4 mockup yet

transfermast — Thu, 23 May 2013 03:31:18 +0000

A mockup of the PS4.

(Credit: Andy Gilleand)

When Sony has a secret up its sleeve, the company loves to tease. If you missed last week’s video enigma, Sony revealed very brief pictures of the mysterious PlayStation 4 hardware, leaving gamers in the dark about what the highly anticipated gaming console will look like.

Siri slams iPad in new Windows 8 ad

bathkitchenb — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:34:02 +0000

Oh, this hurts.

(Credit: Microsoft/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

Microsoft isn’t bothering to merely flex its muscles these days.

It’s opening fire in all directions, because what is there to lose? Oh, perhaps money. But apart from that.

It’s gone after Google in a quite chilling manner. It’s gone after the Apple-Samsung phone feud.

So, in a further escalation of hostilities, a new Windows 8 ad sees Microsoft take Siri hostage, tie her up in a chair, and make her tell the truth.

The truth as Microsoft sees it, that is.

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Now for sale on Craigslist: Google Glass

custommatsc — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:45:40 +0000

A Craigslist ad is perhaps not the most subtle of ways to go about doing things, and that includes selling your Google Glass.

A photo from the Craigslist ad. Those sure look like Google Glass…

(Credit: Craigslist)

One Craigslister, based in San Francisco’s East Bay according to the ad, is selling his or her pair of Google Glass Explorer Edition, something that’s expressly forbidden by the Glass Terms of Sale.

Violating a product’s sale terms is practically a rite of passage, from ripping the safety tag off a mattress to ripping CDs and DVDs. What makes this case unusual is that the Craigslister is clearly trying to make a buck: this pair of Glass, perhaps more valuable because of its rarity on Craigslist, is going for four times the market cost of $1,500.

A Google representative told CNET that the company wants Glass owners to use them as they see fit and that Google doesn’t “plan on bricking any Explorer’s device.”

With photos of the box and bagged Glass, the offering appears to be real. What’s not clear is whether the Glass are functional. This could also be a scam, aiming to reel in someone who just can’t wait for next year’s expected commercial release date for Glass.

Google Top Charts show world’s searches for whiskey, more

spencercockle — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:35:45 +0000

Have pit bulls’ search fortunes been aided by the rise of a certain hip-hop star?

(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET)

Google’s top dog for last month was, once again, the pit bull. Having taken the title for most searched breed away from the bulldog in January, the pit has stayed in the top spot for the past four months, but the german shepherd is looking to make a move after overtaking the siberian husky to advance into the number four position.

HostGator Coupon Codes

Apple cuts prices on reburbished iPad Mini and iPad 4

George Takei wins at Amazon reviews, too

Jon Stewart accuses the Senate of all being Apple fanboys

Watch the planets dance in a triple conjunction

Related stories

Do You Have A Content Marketing Strategy?

Element #1 – A detailed description of your target audience

Element #2 – The content channels you plan to utilize

Element #3 – The content types you’ll produce

Element #4 – The resources needed to create your content

Element #5 – A metrics-driven plan for measuring the impact of your campaign

Verizon’s Galaxy S4 gets rooted almost instantly

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Peek at the best-looking PlayStation 4 mockup yet

Related stories

Siri slams iPad in new Windows 8 ad

More Technically Incorrect

Now for sale on Craigslist: Google Glass

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Google Top Charts show world’s searches for whiskey, more

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