Business

Reference Tree: Buy College Textbooks Electronically By The Chapter

by Beth Graddon-Hodgson

One of the worst things about going to college - not that there's a lot of bad in the whole experience - is the cost of textbooks. You know and I know that in college you dish out hundreds or thousands each year for books that you may only need a couple of chapters from, and that will no longer be required the next year. There are a number of businesses that have surfaced in the last couple of years that have been focused on capturing this market, but one has particularly taken advantage.

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The Writing Really Is On The Wall - Write On Walls And Store The Information

by Jamie Reygle

A new partnership allows you to write on walls, and store the information in the format of your choice.

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BeeTV Turns Cell Phones Into Tiny TV Sets At A Price That Doesn't Sting

by Steve Levenstein

What's all the buzz about BeeTV? Ask the 1.5 million Japanese cell phone users who subscribe to BeeTV's monthly service and watch television on their smartphone screens.

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Red Rice For Beans - Marketing Rice To Reduce Poverty

by Jamie Reygle

A small organization is helping lift Sri Lankans out of poverty by marketing the rice they grow to the world.

Social Media Video Stars To Compete With Celebrity-Branded YouTube Channels

by Ron Callari

Internet stars have successfully used the YouTube platform to catapult their careers from oblivion to mega-super-stardom. In this category, Justin Bieber was probably the most successful. In return, YouTube's ad revenues have skyrocketed every time a new YouTube 'star was born.' However not content to just be an incubation tank for potential talent to go viral, YouTube has now chosen to go after established celebrities that have already made it and are wiling to offer them lucrative contracts to create their own celebrity-branded channels on their network.

Social Media Summit When Obama Hit Silicon Valley To Poke Zuckerberg

by Ron Callari

This year has been a momentous one for the Facebook founder. Having been portrayed in an award-winning movie, satirized in a graphic novel and on SNL, in addition to being named Time's Person of the Year, he's entered a stratosphere most CEOs twice his age haven't been able to achieve. So it's no surprise, that President Obama might want to consider sitting down with the wunderkind to discuss tech innovation and potential job creation.

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Social Media Product Placement vs Defamation Could Have Been Zuckerberg's Legal Remedy

Product Endorsment used as legal remedy in the Good Wife episode "Net Worth"

by Ron Callari

In the year that led up to the production of the movie 'The Social Network,' it was reported widely that Zuckerberg was outraged that an unauthorized portrayal of his life was making its way to the big screen. However, if he was so inclined, defamation of character suits are difficult cases to win in a court of law. Unless 'malice' is shown as intent, most of these suits never succeed. Product placement on the other is another story entirely.

Chevy Super Bowl Commercial Becomes Most Watched Commercial Of All Time

by RagingBull

Car companies in general did pretty well in terms of Super Bowl advertising. But only one walked away with "most-watched commercial ever" bragging rights.

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As The Social Media Cookie Crumbles, Rapper Licks Oreos on Facebook

Lil Wayne vs Oreos Facebook LIKE Challenge

by Ron Callari

Similar to the Ashton Kutcher-CNN-Larry King challenge on Twitter last year, Oreos, the venerable 89-year-old cookie company wants to set a Guiness World Record for the "most LIKES on Facebook within a 24-hour period." Unfortunately the cookie with the frosting everyone likes to lick off, might be knocked out of the competition by the mega-selling hip-hop rapper named Lil Wayne.

Deserting The Desert - A Plan To Green The World's Deserts

by Jamie Reygle

The Sahara Forest Project is a plan to produce fresh water, food and renewable energy in hot deserts. A demonstration center is being developed in Jordan.

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The Skinny On The iPhone Mini

by Ron Callari

Well the iPods did it - why can't the iPhone. Particularly since Android is upping the ante in producing their own iPhone clone, at less cost. Steve Jobs and Apple have always been aggressive in slowing the advance of the competition. Anyone that can potentially steal marketshare and has the chutzpah to think they can build a 'cheaper and smaller' iPhone is going to get whacked in the trying. That's Apple's job (no pun intended).

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From Ridicule To Dissident Tool, 5-Yr-Old Twitter Wooed By Giants

Google & Facebook in acquisition talks with Twitter?

by Ron Callari

Happy Birthday Twitter! Who would have thought 5 years ago when Twitter was dismissed as a narcissistic forum for those who needed to report what they had for breakfast, that it would become not only a major communication tool for protesters, but that some day it would actually be wooed by Internet powerhouses, the likes of Facebook and Google?

Bringing a Food Product to Market - The TERRA Chip Success Story

by Product For Profit

The story behind the success of TERRA Chips is truly inspirational for any entrepreneur interested in bringing a new food product to market.

Here’s their story…

"It's Elementary My Dear Watson" When IBM Computer Becomes 'Jeopardy' Contestant

'It's Elementary My Dear Watson' When IBM Supercomputer Becomes 'Jeopardy' Contestant!

by Ron Callari

This is a geek alert for Jeopardy fans, young and old. Alex Trebek and America will be given a special treat starting February 14 when IBM's supercomputer "Watson" is pitted against two of the quiz show's all-time winners - Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. It's guaranteed to be a ratings winner for the venerable game show, which has been on the air since 1964. So, let the games begin, and shall the best man ... erh, computer win.

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Apple Sits In Catbird Seat While AT&T & Verizon Duke It Out Over iPhone 4 Prey

by Ron Callari

When Apple found another distribution partner in Verizon, it didn't need to do much more than take a step back and watch the two telecom companies go at each other like two veteran wrestlers in a WWE Smackdown. And like humorist James Thurber's story, "The Catbird Seat," Apple is "sitting pretty, like a batter with three balls and no strikes on him."

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Philo's Social Media TV Brings "Ridin' QWERTY" Into The Home

by Ron Callari

The Urban Dictionary lists "Ridin QWERTY" as the play on words for "riding dirty," and defines it as the illegal act of texting while driving - with Q-W-E-R-T-Y being the first 6 letters on any standard keyboard. Philo, a new social networking for TV fans is taking that concept off-road and moving it into your living room or home office. Commencing on Valentines Day, check your local listings and start 'ridin QWERTY" from your favorite 'coach potato' perch.

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Google Egyptian Exec Uses Social Media vs Search To Become National Hero

by Ron Callari

As much as been written about Google lacking the social networking gene, it's ironic that one of Google's executives used social media as his weapon of choice in rallying demonstrators on the streets of Cairo. While Google's "Don't' Be Evil" stance on oppressive countries offered up their Speak2Tweet voice messaging service, their Middle East manager Wael Ghonim became so vocal on Twitter and Facebook that he was actually detained by Egyptian authorities for 12 days in captivity

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What's Love Got To Do With It? - Treating Marriage Like a Business

by Jamie Reygle

A new book explains how to succeed in marriage, by treating it like a business.

Automakers Score Big In Super Bowl Ads

by RagingBull

Two storied franchises. One big game. And the biggest audience of all time. It's all an advertiser's dream. And auto manufacturers didn't miss out. Car companies were among the most celebrated Super Bowl advertisers.

Tasty Social Media Layer Added To The Mashable Cake?

by Ron Callari

Social layers are a tricky thing for online news site. Both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today have failed in their attempts, and Eric Schmidt, the now deposed CEO of Google may have lost his job because of it. Mark Zuckerberg back in December admonished Schmidt's attempt at socializing Google with the quip, "Social is not a layer you add- you have to design it from the ground up." Nonetheless, Mashable has thrown their hat into the social ring, complete with badges to boot!