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How to manufacture desire

Oct29
by on October 29, 2014 at 3:25 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Insider, tnwusa

Hook
This essay is part of a series written by speakers featuring at our upcoming TNW USA Conference on December 10 in New York. It is adapted from Nir’s book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. Type the name of almost any successful consumer Web company into your search bar and add the word “addict” after it. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Try “Facebook addict” or “Twitter addict” or even “Pinterest addict” and you’ll soon get a slew of results from hooked users and observers deriding the narcotic-like properties of these websites. How is it that these companies, producing little more than bits of…

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The guide to crafting an amazing online portfolio

Oct29
by on October 29, 2014 at 3:05 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Design & Dev, How-To's, Squarespace

photography book

This is the third of a series on “The Guide to Your Online Portfolio,” and has been brought to you by Squarespace. Create exceptional websites, blogs, portfolios and online stores.

Are you working on designing your new portfolio site or personal website? Unsure of where to start or how to make it look professional? What type of design elements should you focus on when you are working on your site? Designing your online portfolio should best highlight on your portfolio pieces so your work speak for themselves. How do you create a portfolio site in a way that the design isn’t really the first thing that is seen? Below, let’s talk about some of the major design decisions that need to be made as you work through designing your new online…

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MailChimp taps Unbabel to offer translations of promo emails in more than 20 languages

Oct29
by on October 29, 2014 at 2:17 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

Translation service Unbabel has announced a new integration with MailChimp that allows customers to translate their newsletters and promotional emails into more than 20 languages. With the partnership, you’ll now be able to send MailChimp drafts out for translation. After Unbabel’s combination of machine and human translation is finished, you’ll receive a new draft for each language. From there, MailChimp allows you to make custom lists based on geotargeting and language preferences. Unbabel charges $0.03 per word for the service. Founded last August, Unbabel graduated from Y Combinator as part of the Winter 2014 batch. ➤ Unbabel + MailChimp

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Poynt is an Android-based payment terminal for the future

Oct29
by on October 29, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, mobile payments, payments

Poynt - Customer screen on counter
Designed to bring consumer-facing businesses up-to-date with today’s technology and help them stay future-proof, Poynt is a smart payment terminal that supports multiple payment methods, encrypted transactions and allows for extended functionality to be added over time. The Poynt terminal features a 7-inch merchant-facing screen, a second 4.3-inch customer-facing screen, a barcode scanner and a built-in printer in a compact device. It connects to the internet via Wi-Fi or 3G, can accept payments via cards, Apple Pay and other NFC/Bluetooth mobile apps, and can be moved around — away from the cash register to customers’ tables, to delivery destinations and…

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Feedly has killed its URL shortener as part of its mobile and Web updates

Oct29
by on October 29, 2014 at 1:24 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider, Product Updates

Feedly_feat
Feedly has removed its URL shortener to provide better transparency for users, alongside making a few other tweaks to better optimize its mobile apps for the new versions of iOS and Android. The company explained in a blog post that the decision to remove the shortener, first introduced in January, would give users more control and insight into exactly what they’re opening, before clicking. “It is the right thing to do for users, because people who receive those links in emails, SMSs and social media posts will be able to tell by looking at the URL where it leads and who…

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