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Happy 10th birthday, Gmail. You’ve made email more bearable, but it still needs destroying

Apr01
by on April 1, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Google, Insider

gmail
A decade ago today, Google announced Gmail. What at first seemed like it might be an April Fools’ joke turned out to be one of the best products the company has ever released. Sadly, 10 years on, it still hasn’t done enough to make email a pleasure to work with. With ever-expanding storage, search so good you could stop manually organizing emails into sub-sub-sub folders, a genuinely great spam filter, not to mention the kind of speed that was largely unheard of at the time for a Web app, Gmail was an instant hit. Gmail invites were a hot property…

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Standing out in a sea of blue: Which color should you pick for your icon?

Apr01
by on April 1, 2014 at 3:37 pm
Posted In: 99designs, Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Design & Dev

color swatches
Blue is the most common favorite color in the world, which is why so many companies have used it for their logos and mobile app icons. However, by picking blue as a primary branding color, many smaller companies run the risk of literally blending in with their competition. This became grossly apparent to me a few weeks ago when I struggled with where to place Facebook and LinkedIn on my phone screen. My applications are organized by color, and the overwhelming number of blue icons is apparent in the screenshot below: This is just one screen, so it’s worth noting…

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Xbox Video can now resume playing on other devices, SmartGlass navigation improved, and next One update detailed

Apr01
by on April 1, 2014 at 3:00 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider

Screen-Shot-2013-11-19-at-21.21.39-769x305
Microsoft today updated its Xbox Video service and Xbox SmartGlass app. At the same time, the company detailed what’s coming in the next Xbox One update, including bringing TV elements to more global markets and a new option for using OneGuide on multiple devices. First up, after you rent or buy a movie, Xbox Video now lets you start watching on one screen and pick-up right where you left off on another. While the service is available on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and XboxVideo.com, the fine print says this feature is only available on…

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How to build a tech ecosystem: The essential building blocks for your city

Apr01
by on April 1, 2014 at 2:25 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Entrepreneur

Taipei skyline
Carlos Eduardo Espinal is a partner at Seedcamp, an early stage mentoring and investment program that engages startups through monthly Seedcamp Events. I’m continuously excited when I hear about how many new ecosystems are evolving and growing across Europe and around the world. It truly is an exciting time in history for us to live in with many new innovations being generated by smaller companies rather than a concentrated few. Aside from helping economies move forward through the creation of jobs and wealth, a thriving ecosystem allows startup founders to connect with other founders and share stories about how to overcome technical and commercial…

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LithiumCard: A Slimline battery pack designed to turbo-charge your gadgets

Apr01
by on April 1, 2014 at 2:13 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider, Product Reviews

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With six days still to go on its Indiegogo campaign, the LithiumCard’s goal of becoming the “thinnest and only battery-powered HyperCharger” is well on track. Indeed, $140,000+ raised of its $30,000 funding goal is nothing to be sniffed at. LinearFlux, the company behind the contraption, is currently gearing up to hit mass-production mode, with early backers possibly receiving their slimline chargers as early as this month. We managed to grab a hands-on with a pre-production prototype ahead of the official roll-out, and here’s how it looks. LithiumCard: A slimline charger At 53.9mm x 85.6mm x 5.5mm, the LithiumCard has the…

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