With Facebook announcing its ballsy stock price of $38 yesterday and all eyes now on what will happen with the social network when it finally goes public today, a new trading platform in Hong Kong, 8 Securities, is seizing the moment to boost its own profile by offering customers US$200 of Facebook shares if they sign up to trade on 8 Securities’ trading platform in the next month.

The offer indirectly serves a couple of other purposes, too: it gives non-U.S. citizens a relatively easy crack at a bit of stock in the most valuable tech IPO ever, and it raises Facebook’s Asia profile even further as people continue to wonder how Facebook might finally address one of the biggest markets in the world, China.

Mikaal Abdulla, the CEO of 8 Securities (a TC Disrupt Beijing Finalist in October 2011), says it will work like this: An individual opens an investing account for 8 Securities’ trading platform, for a minimum of HK$10,000 ($1,290). His company will then purchase Facebook stock on the open market and deposit directly into that customer’s account. “Once a customer’s account is opened, we will purchase the stock on a rolling and daily basis. The customer need not worry as we will always purchase at least $200 USD of stock and round up for them.”

Making U.S. stocks more accessible to non-U.S. investors, specifically in Asia, is what 8 Securities is about: ”Until now, access to the US stock market has not been widely accessible to individual investors across Asia,” Abdulla said in the release announcing the offer. “Old technology, high pricing and poor local customer service has made US trading difficult for investors.” The company offers 15,000 U.S.- and Hong Kong-listed stocks from a single account and charges a US$8.88 flat fee per U.S. trade with no other fees.

Abdulla tells me that the most active stocks so far on its platform have been Apple, Google and Sina. “I am certain Facebook will take the top spot today,” he says. The company will be running the Facebook promotion for the next month, starting today.

8 Securities, founded by ex-E*TRADE employees, has only been live for the last three weeks, so this will be a profile-raising exercise for the company, which otherwise says it promotes itself exclusively via social and online in Asia. Before launch, 8 Securities had raised $8 million from VCs Velocity Capital in the Netherlands and Full Global in Hong Kong. On the back of “very strong” early results — Abdulla notes that Alexa data puts 8 Securities already as the most-visited brokerage in Hong Kong (there are over 150 there) — the pair of VCs have just invested an additional round of $1.5 million in the company, Abdulla tells me. He says the top geographies for account opening is Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Singapore.

The funding will be used to expand the company’s operations further in Asia, specifically Mainland China and Japan, he says. Not a precursor, necessarily, to Facebook itself expanding in these markets, but definitely one way its profile will rise.

In its latest S-1, Facebook noted that it had 230 million monthly active users in Asia. It notes that in countries like Japan and South Korea it has less than 15 percent of the market.

Perhaps more significantly, it has no official market share in the biggest market of all, China, where it is banned from official use — although there have been workarounds created using private networks. Some speculate that when Facebook finally does something in China it might be via an acquisition rather than an organic operation. Among the local social networks, RenRen currently has a market valuation of $2.4 billion and Tencent has one of $54.3 billion, and some believe that could make RenRen a target.

• FACEBOOK
• 8 SECURITIES LIMITED

Facebook is the world’s largest social network, with over 500 million users.

Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004, initially as an exclusive network for Harvard students. It was a huge hit: in 2 weeks, half of the schools in the Boston area began demanding a Facebook network. Zuckerberg immediately recruited his friends Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes to help build Facebook, and within four months, Facebook added 30 more college networks.

The original idea for the term…

Learn more

8 Securities was born from a mission to empower individual investors and reinvent the way people trade. Through a personalized Trading Portal, we give our customers global trading, market data research and a private social network on a single dashboard. Our customers can track the community’s most active buy sells, follow trending traders, stocks topics, view community sentiment and communicate with the network as a whole or in private circles. A totally transparent and real-time peer…

Learn more

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/yQi6YeJ6eB0/

With Facebook announcing its ballsy stock price of $38 yesterday and all eyes now on what will happen with the social network when it finally goes public today, a new trading platform in Hong Kong, 8 Securities, is seizing the moment to boost its own profile by offering customers US$200 of Facebook shares if they sign up to trade on 8 Securities’ trading platform in the next month.

The offer indirectly serves a couple of other purposes, too: it gives non-U.S. citizens a relatively easy crack at a bit of stock in the most valuable tech IPO ever, and it raises Facebook’s Asia profile even further as people continue to wonder how Facebook might finally address one of the biggest markets in the world, China.

Mikaal Abdulla, the CEO of 8 Securities (a TC Disrupt Beijing Finalist in October 2011), says it will work like this: An individual opens an investing account for 8 Securities’ trading platform, for a minimum of HK$10,000 ($1,290). His company will then purchase Facebook stock on the open market and deposit directly into that customer’s account. “Once a customer’s account is opened, we will purchase the stock on a rolling and daily basis. The customer need not worry as we will always purchase at least $200 USD of stock and round up for them.”

Making U.S. stocks more accessible to non-U.S. investors, specifically in Asia, is what 8 Securities is about: ”Until now, access to the US stock market has not been widely accessible to individual investors across Asia,” Abdulla said in the release announcing the offer. “Old technology, high pricing and poor local customer service has made US trading difficult for investors.” The company offers 15,000 U.S.- and Hong Kong-listed stocks from a single account and charges a US$8.88 flat fee per U.S. trade with no other fees.

Abdulla tells me that the most active stocks so far on its platform have been Apple, Google and Sina. “I am certain Facebook will take the top spot today,” he says. The company will be running the Facebook promotion for the next month, starting today.

8 Securities, founded by ex-E*TRADE employees, has only been live for the last three weeks, so this will be a profile-raising exercise for the company, which otherwise says it promotes itself exclusively via social and online in Asia. Before launch, 8 Securities had raised $8 million from VCs Velocity Capital in the Netherlands and Full Global in Hong Kong. On the back of “very strong” early results — Abdulla notes that Alexa data puts 8 Securities already as the most-visited brokerage in Hong Kong (there are over 150 there) — the pair of VCs have just invested an additional round of $1.5 million in the company, Abdulla tells me. He says the top geographies for account opening is Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Singapore.

The funding will be used to expand the company’s operations further in Asia, specifically Mainland China and Japan, he says. Not a precursor, necessarily, to Facebook itself expanding in these markets, but definitely one way its profile will rise.

In its latest S-1, Facebook noted that it had 230 million monthly active users in Asia. It notes that in countries like Japan and South Korea it has less than 15 percent of the market.

Perhaps more significantly, it has no official market share in the biggest market of all, China, where it is banned from official use — although there have been workarounds created using private networks. Some speculate that when Facebook finally does something in China it might be via an acquisition rather than an organic operation. Among the local social networks, RenRen currently has a market valuation of $2.4 billion and Tencent has one of $54.3 billion, and some believe that could make RenRen a target.

• FACEBOOK
• 8 SECURITIES LIMITED

Facebook is the world’s largest social network, with over 500 million users.

Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004, initially as an exclusive network for Harvard students. It was a huge hit: in 2 weeks, half of the schools in the Boston area began demanding a Facebook network. Zuckerberg immediately recruited his friends Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes to help build Facebook, and within four months, Facebook added 30 more college networks.

The original idea for the term…

Learn more

8 Securities was born from a mission to empower individual investors and reinvent the way people trade. Through a personalized Trading Portal, we give our customers global trading, market data research and a private social network on a single dashboard. Our customers can track the community’s most active buy sells, follow trending traders, stocks topics, view community sentiment and communicate with the network as a whole or in private circles. A totally transparent and real-time peer…

Learn more

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/yQi6YeJ6eB0/

Facebook knows what’s best for you, sometimes before you do. That’s the meaning of a new “Likers Gonna Like” inspirational mini-poster printed by the Facebook Toronto Office. If you don’t approve of something Facebook’s doing, fine, there’s millions of other people who do. And just as with the launch of the news feed, if you hate some change to the Facebook interface, wait a few months, and you’ll probably end up Liking it too.

It’s a cavalier statement, one based on several old hip-hop songs including “In Da Club” by 50 Cent, where he raps “If [they] hate then let ‘em hate and watch the money pile up”. It’s a mentality that has gotten the company into privacy trouble. But the idea that Facebook and its visionary CEO Mark Zuckerberg should push forward with bold ideas because “Likers Gonna Like” is what’s let Facebook move faster than its older rivals, and kept it from being disrupted these last eight years.

The poster wasn’t officially produced by Facebook Analog Research Laboratory, which made the company’s famous “Stay Focused Keep Shipping” and “Move Fast Break Things” posters. It’s a 8.5 x 11 inch printout, according to Sachin Monga of Facebook’s Toronto platform strategy team who snapped the photo above. But it’s still being widely Liked and shared by employees, showing the words resonate with them as they watch Facebook IPO later this morning.

Facebook’s mission is “making the world more open and connected”. Sometimes that means making people uncomfortable at first. You don’t have to agree with how Mark Zuckerberg does things, and you can hate if you want to. But remember, Facebook’s just the messenger. The message is the future.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ft3dAES2AmQ/

Facebook knows what’s best for you, sometimes before you do. That’s the meaning of a new “Likers Gonna Like” inspirational mini-poster printed by the Facebook Toronto Office. If you don’t approve of something Facebook’s doing, fine, there’s millions of other people who do. And just as with the launch of the news feed, if you hate some change to the Facebook interface, wait a few months, and you’ll probably end up Liking it too.

It’s a cavalier statement, one based on several old hip-hop songs including “In Da Club” by 50 Cent, where he raps “If [they] hate then let ‘em hate and watch the money pile up”. It’s a mentality that has gotten the company into privacy trouble. But the idea that Facebook and its visionary CEO Mark Zuckerberg should push forward with bold ideas because “Likers Gonna Like” is what’s let Facebook move faster than its older rivals, and kept it from being disrupted these last eight years.

The poster wasn’t officially produced by Facebook Analog Research Laboratory, which made the company’s famous “Stay Focused Keep Shipping” and “Move Fast Break Things” posters. It’s a 8.5 x 11 inch printout, according to Sachin Monga of Facebook’s Toronto platform strategy team who snapped the photo above. But it’s still being widely Liked and shared by employees, showing the words resonate with them as they watch Facebook IPO later this morning.

Facebook’s mission is “making the world more open and connected”. Sometimes that means making people uncomfortable at first. You don’t have to agree with how Mark Zuckerberg does things, and you can hate if you want to. But remember, Facebook’s just the messenger. The message is the future.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ft3dAES2AmQ/

The European activists “europe-v-facebook.org”, led by a group of Austrian students, say that they have reached the 7,000-comment threshold on a Facebook privacy proposal, first raised last week, which would force the company to take the revisions to a worldwide vote. Perhaps not the best timing for Facebook, but great timing for those looking for more profile on the whole issue of privacy and how it is approached by Facebook.

Specifically, if you go to Facebook’s English-language Data Use Policy page where it has detailed the new proposals, there are now over 9,000 comments on the post. The proposal, you can see, has some XXX’s at the top: that’s because it is due to close this evening, at 5pm Pacific time (yes, more business as usual at Facebook, despite the fact that it also happens to be going through the biggest IPO ever in tech history).

The signatures are potentially a milestone moment in a campaign that began about a year ago, when the activist group filed 22 complaints with the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (Facebook’s international HQ is in Ireland). Those complaints in part led to the DPC issuing a report in December with some suggested changes to its privacy policy — largely aimed at making it more transparent and for users to be able to more clearly access all their data and delete it if they choose — but the activists believe that the changes in fact “worsened many issues and did not comply with the Irish conditions.” The Irish DPC and its German counterpart, the German Data Protection Agency, have put in more suggestions for changes since then.

Europe-v-facebook.org has been trying to drum up support for its campaign and says that after an appearance on a German TV show “Stern TV,” it resulted in a wave of responses — 30,000 on the German version of the privacy proposal page, and over 7,000 on the English page (although if you look at that page you can see  that there are a lot of German comments there, too).

What happens next? It’s an unprecedented situation but Facebook says in its own “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities” that it will take any proposed changes to its wider user base, currently at 901 million active users, for a vote, and if 30 percent of them vote in favor or against, their decision will be binding:

If more than 7,000 users comment on the proposed change, we will also give you the opportunity to participate in a vote in which you will be provided alternatives. The vote shall be binding on us if more than 30% of all active registered users as of the date of the notice vote.

It’s been a hot topic, but it’s anyone’s guess whether 300 billion people will actually make the effort to weigh in on privacy. And according to europe-v-facebook.org, Facebook is still looking at the comments to decide whether they are applicable to this rule. Indeed, there’s scope for duplicates and fake comments, so that is one vetting that will likely be done first.

We have also reached out to Facebook ourselves for a comment and will update this as we learn more.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/UMt4_ekA8DM/

The European activists “europe-v-facebook.org”, led by a group of Austrian students, say that they have reached the 7,000-comment threshold on a Facebook privacy proposal, first raised last week, which would force the company to take the revisions to a worldwide vote. Perhaps not the best timing for Facebook, but great timing for those looking for more profile on the whole issue of privacy and how it is approached by Facebook.

Specifically, if you go to Facebook’s English-language Data Use Policy page where it has detailed the new proposals, there are now over 9,000 comments on the post. The proposal, you can see, has some XXX’s at the top: that’s because it is due to close this evening, at 5pm Pacific time (yes, more business as usual at Facebook, despite the fact that it also happens to be going through the biggest IPO ever in tech history).

The signatures are potentially a milestone moment in a campaign that began about a year ago, when the activist group filed 22 complaints with the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (Facebook’s international HQ is in Ireland). Those complaints in part led to the DPC issuing a report in December with some suggested changes to its privacy policy — largely aimed at making it more transparent and for users to be able to more clearly access all their data and delete it if they choose — but the activists believe that the changes in fact “worsened many issues and did not comply with the Irish conditions.” The Irish DPC and its German counterpart, the German Data Protection Agency, have put in more suggestions for changes since then.

Europe-v-facebook.org has been trying to drum up support for its campaign and says that after an appearance on a German TV show “Stern TV,” it resulted in a wave of responses — 30,000 on the German version of the privacy proposal page, and over 7,000 on the English page (although if you look at that page you can see  that there are a lot of German comments there, too).

What happens next? It’s an unprecedented situation but Facebook says in its own “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities” that it will take any proposed changes to its wider user base, currently at 901 million active users, for a vote, and if 30 percent of them vote in favor or against, their decision will be binding:

If more than 7,000 users comment on the proposed change, we will also give you the opportunity to participate in a vote in which you will be provided alternatives. The vote shall be binding on us if more than 30% of all active registered users as of the date of the notice vote.

It’s been a hot topic, but it’s anyone’s guess whether 300 billion people will actually make the effort to weigh in on privacy. And according to europe-v-facebook.org, Facebook is still looking at the comments to decide whether they are applicable to this rule. Indeed, there’s scope for duplicates and fake comments, so that is one vetting that will likely be done first.

We have also reached out to Facebook ourselves for a comment and will update this as we learn more.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/UMt4_ekA8DM/

The CW revealed the audience voting addition, a new judge and a new stylist Thursday during its programming upfront in New York City. Meanwhile, the show’s Twitter account spent the day sharing the news and retweeting excited fans.

For 18 seasons, creator Tyra Banks and her ever-changing judging panel have chosen the eliminated contestant. But now viewers get to vote at CWTV.com. Adding online voting for the college-themed cycle 19 in the fall season will give fans only some power, however, as their votes and the judges’ votes will collectively decide who stays.

Reality shows — new and old — are trying new ways to keep viewers engaged, particularly with fresh social media-driven voting methods.

Most recently, The Voice introduced for season two voting via a Facebook Timeline app. In October 2011, X Factor began allowing votes to come in from direct messages on Twitter. And for season 10 of Idol, producers let viewers vote on a dedicated Facebook page.

SEE ALSO: Britney Spears, Demi Lovato Break ‘X Factor’ News on Twitter, Path

The CW also announced Rob Evans, a globally known model will join Banks and fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone on the judging panel. Stylist Johnny Wujek will become part of the cast, too. Evans and Wujek replace America’s Next Top Model staples Nigel Barker, J. Alexander and Jay Manuel.

This cycle’s college theme is fitting, considering Banks received a diploma from Harvard University in February.

On Thursday, @CW_ANTM took the photo of Banks with her diploma from February and plastered an America’s Next Top Model logo on it (see below).

Hey ANTM fans! Your votes will now help decide who stays and who goes at judging!

— ANTM (@CW_ANTM) May 17, 2012

Flashin lights, celebs and gettin asked for pictures/autographs, life is good right Now,and this is just the begining..

— Rob Evans (@the_robevans) May 17, 2012

You get a say in who stays and goes on #ANTM Cycle 19! Vote, sound off and join in starting next week! twitter.com/CW_ANTM/status…

— ANTM (@CW_ANTM) May 17, 2012

BONUS: Summer TV Guide — 20 Social Shows to Watch

A crop of new and returning reality shows, comedies, talent competitions and dramas will vie for your attention on your TV screens, web browsers and mobile devices this summer.

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Premieres: May 14 on NBC

Social media: America’s Got Talent ushers in a new judge this season: shock jock Howard Stern, who’s already igniting buzz across social networks with his recent jabs at the American Idol‘s too-soft judging panel. Anticipate his critical judging style to incite significant social chatter. Meanwhile, AGT‘s Facebook Page has been pushing multimedia, including Spotify playlists from Stern and fellow judge Sharon Osbourne.

Photo courtesy of Mark Seliger/NBC

Premieres: May 20 on E!

Social media: The mega succesful Keeping Up With the Kardashians returns for a seventh season after having spawned spin-offs Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami, Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Khloé Lamar. A new show companion app for Android, Blackberry and iPhone lets viewers see the Twitter feeds of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe, watch video clips and flip through photo galleries.

Photo courtesy of E! Entertainment

Premieres: May 24 on Fox

Social media: Heavy online commentary from fans of So You Think You Can Dance started in January after producers announced the show would dwindle its two-night format to one night, killing the often weekly, drawn-out results show. Fans are still waiting for the show to begin posting official performance videos on YouTube — which would help the show reach more eyeballs — just like The Voice and American Idol did this past fall.

Premieres: May 24 on ABC

Social media: Star-studded Duets is trying something new with the traditional singing-competition scheme. Instead of having its celebrity panel — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thick — judge or mentor, they will perform with contestants on stage. The show’s website has a “Discuss Duets” page at which viewers can find Twitter handles for the four stars and host Quddus (of TRL fame), see relevant hashtags and chat with fellow fans.

Photo courtesy of ABC

Premieres: Summer 2012 on Syfy

Social media: Alphas, a scripted drama about people with super powers, touts its interactive Alpha Powers online portal, where fans can take a 10-question assessment to discover whether they’re Alphas material. The website also lets viewers submit Alpha sightings (a.k.a. citizens doing extraordinary things in the real world).

Photo courtesy of Justin Stephens/Syfy

Premieres: May 28 on History Channel

Social media: Hatfields McCoys, a three-part miniseries about a legendary decades-long family feud, will have help from a strong History Channel initiative on Facebook. “History just launched a new Facebook game for its new show Hatfields McCoys a trend A+E Networks is at the forefront of,” Natan Edelsburg, writer at social TV blog Lost Remote, told Mashable.

Photo from History.com

Premieres: May 29 on Comedy Central

Social media: Funnyman Daniel Tosh is back to host Tosh.0, a series that pokes fun at viral videos, celebrities and everything pop culture. The “What You’re Saying” page on the show’s website highlights the best tweets mentioning the Tosh.0. Viewers also can suggest their favorite on-air moments to be shared on the site.

Photo courtesy of Ian White/Tosh.0

Premieres: May 30 on CBS

Social media: CBS is letting the dogs out on-air with Dogs in the City, an unscripted series about doggy dilemmas. New York City dog “guru” Justin Silver will help solve any pet issues people have with their canines. As we’ve learned from our time on YouTube, anything about dogs and puppies is bound to go viral.

Photo courtesy of Brian Friedman/CBS

Premieres: June 3 and 4 on MTV

Social media: MTV unveiled the trailer for Teen Wolf on May 6 with a challenge to its audience: Get the trailer to 5 million views and the first 10 minutes of season 2 will be unlocked ahead of the June 3 and 4 two-part premiere. The season begins after the MTV Movie Awards.

Photo courtesy of MTV

Premieres: June 4 on Bravo

Social media: Three new faces join the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City for season 5. The show often spawns significant buzz on Twitter and GIFs across the web. A “Tweet Tracker” on BravoTV.com displays tweets from and about each housewife in real time and lets viewers send tweets on the platform.

Photo courtesy of Michael Rosenthal/Bravo

Premieres: June 5 on ABC Family

Social media: Murder Mystery Pretty Little Liars capped last season with a revealing episode that received the most social media buzz in TV history. Topics about the show regularly trend on Twitter, with about 50 trending during the season 2 finale.

Premieres: June 7 on NBC

Social media: A new host (comedian Jenny McCarthy) and a new location will help spice up the action on season 2 of dating show Love in the Wild. As the title implies, the singles will compete for love in a tropical paradise. Challenges lead to rewards and finishing at the bottom yields not-so-favorable living conditions with another single. Look for McCarthy’s wild personality and commentary to spark entertaining reactions from social media users.

Photo courtesy of Trae Patton/NBC

Premieres: June 10 on HBO

Social media: “True Blood will no doubt take over social conversations for another year,” says Edelsburg, echoing how many insiders and fans feel about the hit HBO series about vampires and other superhuman characters. HBO has been teasing season 5 with new trailers, art and photos on Facebook (10 million Likes). Most of the images feature hashtags as HBO tries to build a bigger following on Twitter. Last season, its Facebook Page pimped “Immortalize Yourself,” an interactive app that pulls Facebook data to create a video starring the user and his or her friends. Don’t be surprised if HBO delivers another digital gem leading up to season 5′s premiere.

Premieres: June 13 on TNT

Social media: “The Dallas reboot on TNT has been garnering positive buzz,” says Scott Ellis, VP of marketing at social TV company Peel, in an interview with Mashable. The show’s Facebook Page, for example, includes entries dating back to 1978 — told in the voice of character J.R. Ewing — to help viewers get a taste of the original Dallas episodes and feel for the modern-day ambience.

Premieres: June 28 on FX

Social media: “Everyone will tune into FX’s Anger Management with Charlie Sheen, who we’ll definitely see using his social influence to promote the show,” says Edelsburg. Sheen plays Charlie, a therapist specializing in anger management. Sheen’s social media antics played out for the world to see in 2011, after he joined Twitter, set a Guinness World Record for reaching 1 million followers the fastest, and then eventually accidentally tweeted his phone number to 5 million followers. Keep your eyes tuned to Twitter as Sheen will likely leverage his now 7.2 million-strong following to support Anger Management.

Premieres: July 1 on Showtime

Social media: Dark comedy Weeds enters season eight filling in the holes from the prior season’s finale. The show’s app for Android and iPhone allows fans to watch exclusive clips, read episode guides and use the Weeds photo booth, where they can create show-themed images and share them across social networks.

Photo courtesy of Jordin Althaus/Showtime

Premieres: July 2 on Showtime

Social media: Web Therapy, a televised comedy that started as an Internet series, stars Lisa Kudrow as therapist Fiona Wallice. A feature on Showtime’s website lets fans ask Fiona a question and get an answer straight from her lips.

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Premieres: July 10 on USA

Social media: White Collar, a drama about a con man and the FBI, has one of the most interactive websites out of all the summer offerings. The “Character Chatter” page shows which characters are garnering the most buzz online, while a slew of games and features immerse fans deeper into the White Collar world.

Photo courtesy of David Giesbrecht/USA Network

Premieres: July 12 on CBS

Social media: Veteran reality TV show Big Brother has roped in viewers since 2000. Now in its 14th season, the show is no stranger to causing moments that spread quickly online. CBS also makes live streams available to fans who want more than what’s televised and care to pay for the live footage.

Photo from CBS.com

Premieres: Sometime in July on AMC

Social media: “Breaking Bad‘s final season will be huge, especially after the buzz it created after last season’s finale,” says Edelsburg. The drama series’s website offers several spiffy interactive features, including a graphic novel game, case files and a criminal aptitude test.

What shows will you be watching? Let us know if we missed your favorites.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Social media: America’s Got Talent ushers in a new judge this season: shock jock Howard Stern, who’s already igniting buzz across social networks with his recent jabs at the American Idol‘s too-soft judging panel. Anticipate his critical judging style to incite significant social chatter. Meanwhile, AGT‘s Facebook Page has been pushing multimedia, including Spotify playlists from Stern and fellow judge Sharon Osbourne.

Photo courtesy of Mark Seliger/NBC

Premieres: May 20 on E!

Social media: The mega succesful Keeping Up With the Kardashians returns for a seventh season after having spawned spin-offs Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami, Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Khloé Lamar. A new show companion app for Android, Blackberry and iPhone lets viewers see the Twitter feeds of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe, watch video clips and flip through photo galleries.

Photo courtesy of E! Entertainment

Premieres: May 24 on Fox

Social media: Heavy online commentary from fans of So You Think You Can Dance started in January after producers announced the show would dwindle its two-night format to one night, killing the often weekly, drawn-out results show. Fans are still waiting for the show to begin posting official performance videos on YouTube — which would help the show reach more eyeballs — just like The Voice and American Idol did this past fall.

Premieres: May 24 on ABC

Social media: Star-studded Duets is trying something new with the traditional singing-competition scheme. Instead of having its celebrity panel — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thick — judge or mentor, they will perform with contestants on stage. The show’s website has a “Discuss Duets” page at which viewers can find Twitter handles for the four stars and host Quddus (of TRL fame), see relevant hashtags and chat with fellow fans.

Photo courtesy of ABC

Premieres: Summer 2012 on Syfy

Social media: Alphas, a scripted drama about people with super powers, touts its interactive Alpha Powers online portal, where fans can take a 10-question assessment to discover whether they’re Alphas material. The website also lets viewers submit Alpha sightings (a.k.a. citizens doing extraordinary things in the real world).

Photo courtesy of Justin Stephens/Syfy

Premieres: May 28 on History Channel

Social media: Hatfields McCoys, a three-part miniseries about a legendary decades-long family feud, will have help from a strong History Channel initiative on Facebook. “History just launched a new Facebook game for its new show Hatfields McCoys a trend A+E Networks is at the forefront of,” Natan Edelsburg, writer at social TV blog Lost Remote, told Mashable.

Photo from History.com

Premieres: May 29 on Comedy Central

Social media: Funnyman Daniel Tosh is back to host Tosh.0, a series that pokes fun at viral videos, celebrities and everything pop culture. The “What You’re Saying” page on the show’s website highlights the best tweets mentioning the Tosh.0. Viewers also can suggest their favorite on-air moments to be shared on the site.

Photo courtesy of Ian White/Tosh.0

Premieres: May 30 on CBS

Social media: CBS is letting the dogs out on-air with Dogs in the City, an unscripted series about doggy dilemmas. New York City dog “guru” Justin Silver will help solve any pet issues people have with their canines. As we’ve learned from our time on YouTube, anything about dogs and puppies is bound to go viral.

Photo courtesy of Brian Friedman/CBS

Premieres: June 3 and 4 on MTV

Social media: MTV unveiled the trailer for Teen Wolf on May 6 with a challenge to its audience: Get the trailer to 5 million views and the first 10 minutes of season 2 will be unlocked ahead of the June 3 and 4 two-part premiere. The season begins after the MTV Movie Awards.

Photo courtesy of MTV

Premieres: June 4 on Bravo

Social media: Three new faces join the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City for season 5. The show often spawns significant buzz on Twitter and GIFs across the web. A “Tweet Tracker” on BravoTV.com displays tweets from and about each housewife in real time and lets viewers send tweets on the platform.

Photo courtesy of Michael Rosenthal/Bravo

Premieres: June 5 on ABC Family

Social media: Murder Mystery Pretty Little Liars capped last season with a revealing episode that received the most social media buzz in TV history. Topics about the show regularly trend on Twitter, with about 50 trending during the season 2 finale.

Premieres: June 7 on NBC

Social media: A new host (comedian Jenny McCarthy) and a new location will help spice up the action on season 2 of dating show Love in the Wild. As the title implies, the singles will compete for love in a tropical paradise. Challenges lead to rewards and finishing at the bottom yields not-so-favorable living conditions with another single. Look for McCarthy’s wild personality and commentary to spark entertaining reactions from social media users.

Photo courtesy of Trae Patton/NBC

Premieres: June 10 on HBO

Social media: “True Blood will no doubt take over social conversations for another year,” says Edelsburg, echoing how many insiders and fans feel about the hit HBO series about vampires and other superhuman characters. HBO has been teasing season 5 with new trailers, art and photos on Facebook (10 million Likes). Most of the images feature hashtags as HBO tries to build a bigger following on Twitter. Last season, its Facebook Page pimped “Immortalize Yourself,” an interactive app that pulls Facebook data to create a video starring the user and his or her friends. Don’t be surprised if HBO delivers another digital gem leading up to season 5′s premiere.

Premieres: June 13 on TNT

Social media: “The Dallas reboot on TNT has been garnering positive buzz,” says Scott Ellis, VP of marketing at social TV company Peel, in an interview with Mashable. The show’s Facebook Page, for example, includes entries dating back to 1978 — told in the voice of character J.R. Ewing — to help viewers get a taste of the original Dallas episodes and feel for the modern-day ambience.

Premieres: June 28 on FX

Social media: “Everyone will tune into FX’s Anger Management with Charlie Sheen, who we’ll definitely see using his social influence to promote the show,” says Edelsburg. Sheen plays Charlie, a therapist specializing in anger management. Sheen’s social media antics played out for the world to see in 2011, after he joined Twitter, set a Guinness World Record for reaching 1 million followers the fastest, and then eventually accidentally tweeted his phone number to 5 million followers. Keep your eyes tuned to Twitter as Sheen will likely leverage his now 7.2 million-strong following to support Anger Management.

Premieres: July 1 on Showtime

Social media: Dark comedy Weeds enters season eight filling in the holes from the prior season’s finale. The show’s app for Android and iPhone allows fans to watch exclusive clips, read episode guides and use the Weeds photo booth, where they can create show-themed images and share them across social networks.

Photo courtesy of Jordin Althaus/Showtime

Premieres: July 2 on Showtime

Social media: Web Therapy, a televised comedy that started as an Internet series, stars Lisa Kudrow as therapist Fiona Wallice. A feature on Showtime’s website lets fans ask Fiona a question and get an answer straight from her lips.

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Premieres: July 10 on USA

Social media: White Collar, a drama about a con man and the FBI, has one of the most interactive websites out of all the summer offerings. The “Character Chatter” page shows which characters are garnering the most buzz online, while a slew of games and features immerse fans deeper into the White Collar world.

Photo courtesy of David Giesbrecht/USA Network

Premieres: July 12 on CBS

Social media: Veteran reality TV show Big Brother has roped in viewers since 2000. Now in its 14th season, the show is no stranger to causing moments that spread quickly online. CBS also makes live streams available to fans who want more than what’s televised and care to pay for the live footage.

Photo from CBS.com

Premieres: Sometime in July on AMC

Social media: “Breaking Bad‘s final season will be huge, especially after the buzz it created after last season’s finale,” says Edelsburg. The drama series’s website offers several spiffy interactive features, including a graphic novel game, case files and a criminal aptitude test.

What shows will you be watching? Let us know if we missed your favorites.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Article source: http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/Xel5zFpe-60/

The CW revealed the audience voting addition, a new judge and a new stylist Thursday during its programming upfront in New York City. Meanwhile, the show’s Twitter account spent the day sharing the news and retweeting excited fans.

For 18 seasons, creator Tyra Banks and her ever-changing judging panel have chosen the eliminated contestant. But now viewers get to vote at CWTV.com. Adding online voting for the college-themed cycle 19 in the fall season will give fans only some power, however, as their votes and the judges’ votes will collectively decide who stays.

Reality shows — new and old — are trying new ways to keep viewers engaged, particularly with fresh social media-driven voting methods.

Most recently, The Voice introduced for season two voting via a Facebook Timeline app. In October 2011, X Factor began allowing votes to come in from direct messages on Twitter. And for season 10 of Idol, producers let viewers vote on a dedicated Facebook page.

SEE ALSO: Britney Spears, Demi Lovato Break ‘X Factor’ News on Twitter, Path

The CW also announced Rob Evans, a globally known model will join Banks and fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone on the judging panel. Stylist Johnny Wujek will become part of the cast, too. Evans and Wujek replace America’s Next Top Model staples Nigel Barker, J. Alexander and Jay Manuel.

This cycle’s college theme is fitting, considering Banks received a diploma from Harvard University in February.

On Thursday, @CW_ANTM took the photo of Banks with her diploma from February and plastered an America’s Next Top Model logo on it (see below).

Hey ANTM fans! Your votes will now help decide who stays and who goes at judging!

— ANTM (@CW_ANTM) May 17, 2012

Flashin lights, celebs and gettin asked for pictures/autographs, life is good right Now,and this is just the begining..

— Rob Evans (@the_robevans) May 17, 2012

You get a say in who stays and goes on #ANTM Cycle 19! Vote, sound off and join in starting next week! twitter.com/CW_ANTM/status…

— ANTM (@CW_ANTM) May 17, 2012

BONUS: Summer TV Guide — 20 Social Shows to Watch

A crop of new and returning reality shows, comedies, talent competitions and dramas will vie for your attention on your TV screens, web browsers and mobile devices this summer.

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  Happy Earth Day! Celebrate With Google Doodles [PICS]

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  15 Rad Robot Accessories for Your Office

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Premieres: May 14 on NBC

Social media: America’s Got Talent ushers in a new judge this season: shock jock Howard Stern, who’s already igniting buzz across social networks with his recent jabs at the American Idol‘s too-soft judging panel. Anticipate his critical judging style to incite significant social chatter. Meanwhile, AGT‘s Facebook Page has been pushing multimedia, including Spotify playlists from Stern and fellow judge Sharon Osbourne.

Photo courtesy of Mark Seliger/NBC

Premieres: May 20 on E!

Social media: The mega succesful Keeping Up With the Kardashians returns for a seventh season after having spawned spin-offs Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami, Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Khloé Lamar. A new show companion app for Android, Blackberry and iPhone lets viewers see the Twitter feeds of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe, watch video clips and flip through photo galleries.

Photo courtesy of E! Entertainment

Premieres: May 24 on Fox

Social media: Heavy online commentary from fans of So You Think You Can Dance started in January after producers announced the show would dwindle its two-night format to one night, killing the often weekly, drawn-out results show. Fans are still waiting for the show to begin posting official performance videos on YouTube — which would help the show reach more eyeballs — just like The Voice and American Idol did this past fall.

Premieres: May 24 on ABC

Social media: Star-studded Duets is trying something new with the traditional singing-competition scheme. Instead of having its celebrity panel — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thick — judge or mentor, they will perform with contestants on stage. The show’s website has a “Discuss Duets” page at which viewers can find Twitter handles for the four stars and host Quddus (of TRL fame), see relevant hashtags and chat with fellow fans.

Photo courtesy of ABC

Premieres: Summer 2012 on Syfy

Social media: Alphas, a scripted drama about people with super powers, touts its interactive Alpha Powers online portal, where fans can take a 10-question assessment to discover whether they’re Alphas material. The website also lets viewers submit Alpha sightings (a.k.a. citizens doing extraordinary things in the real world).

Photo courtesy of Justin Stephens/Syfy

Premieres: May 28 on History Channel

Social media: Hatfields McCoys, a three-part miniseries about a legendary decades-long family feud, will have help from a strong History Channel initiative on Facebook. “History just launched a new Facebook game for its new show Hatfields McCoys a trend A+E Networks is at the forefront of,” Natan Edelsburg, writer at social TV blog Lost Remote, told Mashable.

Photo from History.com

Premieres: May 29 on Comedy Central

Social media: Funnyman Daniel Tosh is back to host Tosh.0, a series that pokes fun at viral videos, celebrities and everything pop culture. The “What You’re Saying” page on the show’s website highlights the best tweets mentioning the Tosh.0. Viewers also can suggest their favorite on-air moments to be shared on the site.

Photo courtesy of Ian White/Tosh.0

Premieres: May 30 on CBS

Social media: CBS is letting the dogs out on-air with Dogs in the City, an unscripted series about doggy dilemmas. New York City dog “guru” Justin Silver will help solve any pet issues people have with their canines. As we’ve learned from our time on YouTube, anything about dogs and puppies is bound to go viral.

Photo courtesy of Brian Friedman/CBS

Premieres: June 3 and 4 on MTV

Social media: MTV unveiled the trailer for Teen Wolf on May 6 with a challenge to its audience: Get the trailer to 5 million views and the first 10 minutes of season 2 will be unlocked ahead of the June 3 and 4 two-part premiere. The season begins after the MTV Movie Awards.

Photo courtesy of MTV

Premieres: June 4 on Bravo

Social media: Three new faces join the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City for season 5. The show often spawns significant buzz on Twitter and GIFs across the web. A “Tweet Tracker” on BravoTV.com displays tweets from and about each housewife in real time and lets viewers send tweets on the platform.

Photo courtesy of Michael Rosenthal/Bravo

Premieres: June 5 on ABC Family

Social media: Murder Mystery Pretty Little Liars capped last season with a revealing episode that received the most social media buzz in TV history. Topics about the show regularly trend on Twitter, with about 50 trending during the season 2 finale.

Premieres: June 7 on NBC

Social media: A new host (comedian Jenny McCarthy) and a new location will help spice up the action on season 2 of dating show Love in the Wild. As the title implies, the singles will compete for love in a tropical paradise. Challenges lead to rewards and finishing at the bottom yields not-so-favorable living conditions with another single. Look for McCarthy’s wild personality and commentary to spark entertaining reactions from social media users.

Photo courtesy of Trae Patton/NBC

Premieres: June 10 on HBO

Social media: “True Blood will no doubt take over social conversations for another year,” says Edelsburg, echoing how many insiders and fans feel about the hit HBO series about vampires and other superhuman characters. HBO has been teasing season 5 with new trailers, art and photos on Facebook (10 million Likes). Most of the images feature hashtags as HBO tries to build a bigger following on Twitter. Last season, its Facebook Page pimped “Immortalize Yourself,” an interactive app that pulls Facebook data to create a video starring the user and his or her friends. Don’t be surprised if HBO delivers another digital gem leading up to season 5′s premiere.

Premieres: June 13 on TNT

Social media: “The Dallas reboot on TNT has been garnering positive buzz,” says Scott Ellis, VP of marketing at social TV company Peel, in an interview with Mashable. The show’s Facebook Page, for example, includes entries dating back to 1978 — told in the voice of character J.R. Ewing — to help viewers get a taste of the original Dallas episodes and feel for the modern-day ambience.

Premieres: June 28 on FX

Social media: “Everyone will tune into FX’s Anger Management with Charlie Sheen, who we’ll definitely see using his social influence to promote the show,” says Edelsburg. Sheen plays Charlie, a therapist specializing in anger management. Sheen’s social media antics played out for the world to see in 2011, after he joined Twitter, set a Guinness World Record for reaching 1 million followers the fastest, and then eventually accidentally tweeted his phone number to 5 million followers. Keep your eyes tuned to Twitter as Sheen will likely leverage his now 7.2 million-strong following to support Anger Management.

Premieres: July 1 on Showtime

Social media: Dark comedy Weeds enters season eight filling in the holes from the prior season’s finale. The show’s app for Android and iPhone allows fans to watch exclusive clips, read episode guides and use the Weeds photo booth, where they can create show-themed images and share them across social networks.

Photo courtesy of Jordin Althaus/Showtime

Premieres: July 2 on Showtime

Social media: Web Therapy, a televised comedy that started as an Internet series, stars Lisa Kudrow as therapist Fiona Wallice. A feature on Showtime’s website lets fans ask Fiona a question and get an answer straight from her lips.

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Premieres: July 10 on USA

Social media: White Collar, a drama about a con man and the FBI, has one of the most interactive websites out of all the summer offerings. The “Character Chatter” page shows which characters are garnering the most buzz online, while a slew of games and features immerse fans deeper into the White Collar world.

Photo courtesy of David Giesbrecht/USA Network

Premieres: July 12 on CBS

Social media: Veteran reality TV show Big Brother has roped in viewers since 2000. Now in its 14th season, the show is no stranger to causing moments that spread quickly online. CBS also makes live streams available to fans who want more than what’s televised and care to pay for the live footage.

Photo from CBS.com

Premieres: Sometime in July on AMC

Social media: “Breaking Bad‘s final season will be huge, especially after the buzz it created after last season’s finale,” says Edelsburg. The drama series’s website offers several spiffy interactive features, including a graphic novel game, case files and a criminal aptitude test.

What shows will you be watching? Let us know if we missed your favorites.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Social media: America’s Got Talent ushers in a new judge this season: shock jock Howard Stern, who’s already igniting buzz across social networks with his recent jabs at the American Idol‘s too-soft judging panel. Anticipate his critical judging style to incite significant social chatter. Meanwhile, AGT‘s Facebook Page has been pushing multimedia, including Spotify playlists from Stern and fellow judge Sharon Osbourne.

Photo courtesy of Mark Seliger/NBC

Premieres: May 20 on E!

Social media: The mega succesful Keeping Up With the Kardashians returns for a seventh season after having spawned spin-offs Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami, Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Khloé Lamar. A new show companion app for Android, Blackberry and iPhone lets viewers see the Twitter feeds of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe, watch video clips and flip through photo galleries.

Photo courtesy of E! Entertainment

Premieres: May 24 on Fox

Social media: Heavy online commentary from fans of So You Think You Can Dance started in January after producers announced the show would dwindle its two-night format to one night, killing the often weekly, drawn-out results show. Fans are still waiting for the show to begin posting official performance videos on YouTube — which would help the show reach more eyeballs — just like The Voice and American Idol did this past fall.

Premieres: May 24 on ABC

Social media: Star-studded Duets is trying something new with the traditional singing-competition scheme. Instead of having its celebrity panel — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thick — judge or mentor, they will perform with contestants on stage. The show’s website has a “Discuss Duets” page at which viewers can find Twitter handles for the four stars and host Quddus (of TRL fame), see relevant hashtags and chat with fellow fans.

Photo courtesy of ABC

Premieres: Summer 2012 on Syfy

Social media: Alphas, a scripted drama about people with super powers, touts its interactive Alpha Powers online portal, where fans can take a 10-question assessment to discover whether they’re Alphas material. The website also lets viewers submit Alpha sightings (a.k.a. citizens doing extraordinary things in the real world).

Photo courtesy of Justin Stephens/Syfy

Premieres: May 28 on History Channel

Social media: Hatfields McCoys, a three-part miniseries about a legendary decades-long family feud, will have help from a strong History Channel initiative on Facebook. “History just launched a new Facebook game for its new show Hatfields McCoys a trend A+E Networks is at the forefront of,” Natan Edelsburg, writer at social TV blog Lost Remote, told Mashable.

Photo from History.com

Premieres: May 29 on Comedy Central

Social media: Funnyman Daniel Tosh is back to host Tosh.0, a series that pokes fun at viral videos, celebrities and everything pop culture. The “What You’re Saying” page on the show’s website highlights the best tweets mentioning the Tosh.0. Viewers also can suggest their favorite on-air moments to be shared on the site.

Photo courtesy of Ian White/Tosh.0

Premieres: May 30 on CBS

Social media: CBS is letting the dogs out on-air with Dogs in the City, an unscripted series about doggy dilemmas. New York City dog “guru” Justin Silver will help solve any pet issues people have with their canines. As we’ve learned from our time on YouTube, anything about dogs and puppies is bound to go viral.

Photo courtesy of Brian Friedman/CBS

Premieres: June 3 and 4 on MTV

Social media: MTV unveiled the trailer for Teen Wolf on May 6 with a challenge to its audience: Get the trailer to 5 million views and the first 10 minutes of season 2 will be unlocked ahead of the June 3 and 4 two-part premiere. The season begins after the MTV Movie Awards.

Photo courtesy of MTV

Premieres: June 4 on Bravo

Social media: Three new faces join the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City for season 5. The show often spawns significant buzz on Twitter and GIFs across the web. A “Tweet Tracker” on BravoTV.com displays tweets from and about each housewife in real time and lets viewers send tweets on the platform.

Photo courtesy of Michael Rosenthal/Bravo

Premieres: June 5 on ABC Family

Social media: Murder Mystery Pretty Little Liars capped last season with a revealing episode that received the most social media buzz in TV history. Topics about the show regularly trend on Twitter, with about 50 trending during the season 2 finale.

Premieres: June 7 on NBC

Social media: A new host (comedian Jenny McCarthy) and a new location will help spice up the action on season 2 of dating show Love in the Wild. As the title implies, the singles will compete for love in a tropical paradise. Challenges lead to rewards and finishing at the bottom yields not-so-favorable living conditions with another single. Look for McCarthy’s wild personality and commentary to spark entertaining reactions from social media users.

Photo courtesy of Trae Patton/NBC

Premieres: June 10 on HBO

Social media: “True Blood will no doubt take over social conversations for another year,” says Edelsburg, echoing how many insiders and fans feel about the hit HBO series about vampires and other superhuman characters. HBO has been teasing season 5 with new trailers, art and photos on Facebook (10 million Likes). Most of the images feature hashtags as HBO tries to build a bigger following on Twitter. Last season, its Facebook Page pimped “Immortalize Yourself,” an interactive app that pulls Facebook data to create a video starring the user and his or her friends. Don’t be surprised if HBO delivers another digital gem leading up to season 5′s premiere.

Premieres: June 13 on TNT

Social media: “The Dallas reboot on TNT has been garnering positive buzz,” says Scott Ellis, VP of marketing at social TV company Peel, in an interview with Mashable. The show’s Facebook Page, for example, includes entries dating back to 1978 — told in the voice of character J.R. Ewing — to help viewers get a taste of the original Dallas episodes and feel for the modern-day ambience.

Premieres: June 28 on FX

Social media: “Everyone will tune into FX’s Anger Management with Charlie Sheen, who we’ll definitely see using his social influence to promote the show,” says Edelsburg. Sheen plays Charlie, a therapist specializing in anger management. Sheen’s social media antics played out for the world to see in 2011, after he joined Twitter, set a Guinness World Record for reaching 1 million followers the fastest, and then eventually accidentally tweeted his phone number to 5 million followers. Keep your eyes tuned to Twitter as Sheen will likely leverage his now 7.2 million-strong following to support Anger Management.

Premieres: July 1 on Showtime

Social media: Dark comedy Weeds enters season eight filling in the holes from the prior season’s finale. The show’s app for Android and iPhone allows fans to watch exclusive clips, read episode guides and use the Weeds photo booth, where they can create show-themed images and share them across social networks.

Photo courtesy of Jordin Althaus/Showtime

Premieres: July 2 on Showtime

Social media: Web Therapy, a televised comedy that started as an Internet series, stars Lisa Kudrow as therapist Fiona Wallice. A feature on Showtime’s website lets fans ask Fiona a question and get an answer straight from her lips.

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Premieres: July 10 on USA

Social media: White Collar, a drama about a con man and the FBI, has one of the most interactive websites out of all the summer offerings. The “Character Chatter” page shows which characters are garnering the most buzz online, while a slew of games and features immerse fans deeper into the White Collar world.

Photo courtesy of David Giesbrecht/USA Network

Premieres: July 12 on CBS

Social media: Veteran reality TV show Big Brother has roped in viewers since 2000. Now in its 14th season, the show is no stranger to causing moments that spread quickly online. CBS also makes live streams available to fans who want more than what’s televised and care to pay for the live footage.

Photo from CBS.com

Premieres: Sometime in July on AMC

Social media: “Breaking Bad‘s final season will be huge, especially after the buzz it created after last season’s finale,” says Edelsburg. The drama series’s website offers several spiffy interactive features, including a graphic novel game, case files and a criminal aptitude test.

What shows will you be watching? Let us know if we missed your favorites.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Article source: http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/Xel5zFpe-60/

Facebook IPO Stock Price and Predictions

Facebook’s IPO has definitely been the story of the week, and it’s definitely been a busy week for both current and future shareholders of the company.

Yesterday, Facebook has confirmed that it will price its stock at $38, raising $16 to $18.4 billion in the IPO, making it the largest tech initial public offering in the history of the US.

What everyone wants to know, however, is the closing price on Friday afternoon, and Twitter-based crowdsourcing might just have an answer.

Meanwhile, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin denies he renounced his U.S. citizenship in order to escape taxes. Saverin said his decision to do so is “based solely on (his) interest in working and living in Singapore.”

Steve Jobs Dreamt of an iCar

Steve Jobs dreamt of designing an iCar, claims J. Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler. Unfortunately, Jobs never got to design it, claims Drexler, shedding some light on Apple’s immediate plans. The living room is something Apple is “dealing with at some point in the near future,” said Drexler.

Samsung Received 9 Million Pre-Orders for the Galaxy S3 [REPORT]

Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S3, is due to hit the European market on May 29, but it’s already doing really well, according to a report from Korea Economic Daily.

The company reportedly received 9 million pre-orders from more than 100 international carriers for the device. KED’s sources also claim Samsung’s smartphone factory in South Korea is running at full capacity, producing 5 million units per month.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mattjeacock

Article source: http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/RXXlQ8wS5aY/

Facebook IPO Stock Price and Predictions

Facebook’s IPO has definitely been the story of the week, and it’s definitely been a busy week for both current and future shareholders of the company.

Yesterday, Facebook has confirmed that it will price its stock at $38, raising $16 to $18.4 billion in the IPO, making it the largest tech initial public offering in the history of the US.

What everyone wants to know, however, is the closing price on Friday afternoon, and Twitter-based crowdsourcing might just have an answer.

Meanwhile, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin denies he renounced his U.S. citizenship in order to escape taxes. Saverin said his decision to do so is “based solely on (his) interest in working and living in Singapore.”

Steve Jobs Dreamt of an iCar

Steve Jobs dreamt of designing an iCar, claims J. Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler. Unfortunately, Jobs never got to design it, claims Drexler, shedding some light on Apple’s immediate plans. The living room is something Apple is “dealing with at some point in the near future,” said Drexler.

Samsung Received 9 Million Pre-Orders for the Galaxy S3 [REPORT]

Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S3, is due to hit the European market on May 29, but it’s already doing really well, according to a report from Korea Economic Daily.

The company reportedly received 9 million pre-orders from more than 100 international carriers for the device. KED’s sources also claim Samsung’s smartphone factory in South Korea is running at full capacity, producing 5 million units per month.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mattjeacock

Article source: http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/RXXlQ8wS5aY/

Electric Imp calls itself “a complete solution to connect devices to the internet, wirelessly.” The start-up, founded by former team members of the iPhone and Gmail, came out with a line of programmable, pluggable network cards that look like SD cards — except each Imp card actually contains an embedded processor and WiFi antenna. By installing these Imp cards to your devices using circuit boards (which Imp sells), you’re able to connect them to an “Imp cloud,” through which you can control them and program them.

Automated homes aren’t exactly new — for example, a student at UC Berkeley recently automated his dorm room. But Imp promises to be much easier than other current “Internet of Things” products.

For one, Imp cards don’t require you to hook up all your devices to a central controller. Rather, you can control all your gadgets and appliances individually online.

For example, as seen in the video, one theoretical application is having Christmas lights that flicker off when the water in your tree stand gets to below a certain level. Or, perhaps you could program water sprinklers to turn on when you notice that the weather is especially hot.

Users can set up commands to program their Imp cards using a drag and drop graphical interface on Imp’s web-based software. We haven’t tested it ourselves yet, but anything drag and drop is fairly intuitive and presumably easy.

In addition, as Gizmodo reported, connecting the Imp cards to your home or office WiFi network is not much trouble at all:

“Getting the Imps to work with a WiFi network is super easy, and ingeniously done. You input the WiFi network name and password into the Electric Imp your phone (iOS or Android) and the app flashes light at a photosensor on the Imp card, using pulses of light to transfer the login. It. Was. Slick.”

The varying sizes of Imp’s circuit boards makes it simple to install them in different-sized gadgets and appliances, and Imp is currently in talks with other manufacturers to make future devices Imp-ready right off the assembly line.

Developer previews for the Imp card are slated for June. The cards will initially sell for $25, and it’s expected that a basic circuit board will sell for about $10.

Would you be interesting in wiring your home with Imp cards? Let us know in the comments.

Thumbnail courtesy of LodgeNet

Article source: http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/S7T_liVEtHs/

Electric Imp calls itself “a complete solution to connect devices to the internet, wirelessly.” The start-up, founded by former team members of the iPhone and Gmail, came out with a line of programmable, pluggable network cards that look like SD cards — except each Imp card actually contains an embedded processor and WiFi antenna. By installing these Imp cards to your devices using circuit boards (which Imp sells), you’re able to connect them to an “Imp cloud,” through which you can control them and program them.

Automated homes aren’t exactly new — for example, a student at UC Berkeley recently automated his dorm room. But Imp promises to be much easier than other current “Internet of Things” products.

For one, Imp cards don’t require you to hook up all your devices to a central controller. Rather, you can control all your gadgets and appliances individually online.

For example, as seen in the video, one theoretical application is having Christmas lights that flicker off when the water in your tree stand gets to below a certain level. Or, perhaps you could program water sprinklers to turn on when you notice that the weather is especially hot.

Users can set up commands to program their Imp cards using a drag and drop graphical interface on Imp’s web-based software. We haven’t tested it ourselves yet, but anything drag and drop is fairly intuitive and presumably easy.

In addition, as Gizmodo reported, connecting the Imp cards to your home or office WiFi network is not much trouble at all:

“Getting the Imps to work with a WiFi network is super easy, and ingeniously done. You input the WiFi network name and password into the Electric Imp your phone (iOS or Android) and the app flashes light at a photosensor on the Imp card, using pulses of light to transfer the login. It. Was. Slick.”

The varying sizes of Imp’s circuit boards makes it simple to install them in different-sized gadgets and appliances, and Imp is currently in talks with other manufacturers to make future devices Imp-ready right off the assembly line.

Developer previews for the Imp card are slated for June. The cards will initially sell for $25, and it’s expected that a basic circuit board will sell for about $10.

Would you be interesting in wiring your home with Imp cards? Let us know in the comments.

Thumbnail courtesy of LodgeNet

Article source: http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/S7T_liVEtHs/