Today I’m going to give you my Top 5 Mobile Social Networking sites that you can use for your smartphone. Most of these applications are design for the iPhone but in some cases, they are cross platform.

Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular social networks on the mobile device, but it’s restricted to just iPhone users. Instagram is a must-have application for all iPhone users. Instagram is a social network that allows you to turn ordinary photos into stunning photography. You simply take a photo, choose from over 15 filters, upload the photo to Instagram and choose whether you want to push it to Twitter or Facebook. With over 14 million users, Instagram is definitely a must have. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, what are you waiting for? Instagram is free!

FourSquare

This mobile social network is also one of the world’s most popular social networks for mobile users. If you don’t own an iPhone and wish to use this application, you’re in luck. Luckily, FourSquare is a cross platform application for smartphone users.

At first glance, FourSquare is a simple concept; simply use the application whenever you visit a place. Whether you’re visiting a store, a park, your office or any other destination; use the “check in” feature to check in to your location. You may also add photos to your location, add a tip, push your location out to Facebook/Twitter and of course, gain points. Don’t leave with just that, you are also awarded mayorship of locations if you have checked in to that spot the most. You will always be awarded “badges” if you do certain tasks. Those tasks are unknown, so make sure you’re an avid user of FourSquare. Oh, did I mention that FourSquare is free!

Oink

If you’re on the iPhone and you love FourSquare, chances are high that you’ll love Oink. Oink’s theory was designed and developed by Kevin Rose. Instead of “checking in” to locations, you have the ability to review places, but things at those places – such as a specific type of beer at a bar or an item on a menu.

Just like FourSquare, Oink has integrated a way for users to gain points and unlock more features. If you’re interested in Oink, don’t worry, this application is also free!

Pinterest

Pinterest is a fairly new application for iPhone users that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find in your life on a personalized Virtual Pinboard. Many people have used Pinterest to play their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. In theory, Pinterest is a lot like FourSquare but instead of posting one photo on a timeline, you can create a virtual pinboard. If you’re interested in this application, it’s free and only available to iPhone users.

Skout

Last on the list is Skout. Skout is basically an application that you can meet new singles in your area. Essentially, Skout is a free dating service. I’m not a user or a fan of this application, but if you decide to try it out to find a date or make new friends, always be safe and meet in a public location. I am NOT responsible for your stupidity. Good news, Skout is a free application download!

This is my top 5 list for mobile social networking. Do you use any of these applications? Which one is your favorite? If you have any others that you wish to add to this list, please feel free to leave them in the comment section.

No matter what happens, it seems to be that Windows XP is immortal. Today, Microsoft very quietly extended support for Windows XP. Not only did they extend XP’s lifespan, they also gave Windows Vista and Windows 7 a nice extension.

A post on a Japanese Microsoft blog translated with Microsoft’s own service, reads this:

It’s about the product support life cycle policy changes of the Windows client OS (2/2012)

Changed the lifecycle policy for extended support, Microsoft provides a consistent customer use Windows client operating system (OS) services. Will be applied the extended support for Windows 7, Windows Vista consumer products.

Available service packs for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 product currently supported this change’s customers are subject to up to 10 years of security update provides will regardless of the Edition.

Support end date for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 are as follows:

Windows XP 4/8/2014

Windows Vista 4/11/2017

Windows 7 1/14/2020

With Windows 8 due this year, it’s interesting to see what Microsoft is doing for their support. XP has already avoided death a few times due to the unhappiness of consumers with Vista. To see Microsoft put a support announcement that runs through 2020 is amazing.

Don’t get confused with sales support and OS support.  Windows XP and Vista are no longer available for purchase, this is merely how long Microsoft plans to keep updating these Operating Systems and offering support.

What do you think about the extension of support for these Operating Systems? Did you see this coming? Leave your thoughts in the comment section.

My only complaints:  You can fit your headphones in the jack great, but when you want to plug an actually AUX jack, it doesn’t seem to fit.  You have to physically take the case off.  My second complaint is very small and not that big of a deal.  The top of the case by the lock button doesn’t seem to sit flush with the device.  Not a big deal.

Watch the video for a better review.  I hope you enjoy!  Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you have not done so already!

As far as we can tell, the iPhone is starting to take over the world.  Applications from the iPhone, such as iMessages, Notifications Center, Reminders, Notes and Gamer Center will now make their appearance on the Mac platform.  This was only a matter of time.

iMessages is moving to the Mac and will be called Messages.  This will allow you to chat with people with an Apple ID for free.  You can chat with people who have the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and now Mac.  Messages/iMessages is basically like RIM’s BBM.  With this new addition, we could expect the iChat application to disappear.

The Notification Center will be identical to the way it is on iOS.  Instead of coming in from the top of the device, it will now come in from the right hand side.  Whether or not this will have the ability to be customized or not, we do not know.

Reminders is self explanatory and will be exactly the same as it is on iOS.  Reminders is an application for you to use to set reminders!  Basically, it’s Apple’s version of Evernote.  This will run seamlessly with the iOS applications and iCloud.

Notes is also self explanatory.  This will be perfect for someone needing to take notes on the go.  With a better design and overall functionality, Notes may replace Text Edit.

For all you Twitter addicts out there, OS X 10.8 will feature the “Deep Twitter Integration” just like iOS 5.  Feel free to annoy your followers even more with this great feature!

It looks like Apple is trying to become more “gamer friendly” with this last update.  Game Center is now making its way onto the Mac for the people who love to do gaming on their iOS device.  It’s about time Apple is trying to step up the gaming aspect of their company.

Starting today, you will have the ability to download the Messages Beta and developers can get their hands on Mountain Lion.  The launch date for this amazing cat is set for Summer of 2012.  So, what are your thoughts on Mountain Lion?  Will you be buying it in the future?  Leave your comments below!

With touch-screen devices in their all time high, it would only make sense to include one in the next generation Xbox.  Xbox World magazine has published some rather bold claims about Microsoft’s upcoming game console.

According to the publications sources, the Xbox 720 is rumored to have a “souped-up” controller that features an HD touch screen in addition to the traditional analog sticks and buttons.  The overall design is very similar to the Nintendo Wii U’s own tablet controller, though the Microsoft version is said to be closer to Sony’s PlayStation Vita, in size.

Along with upping the overall gaming experience, this Xbox touch-screen controller also doubles as a TV remote control, a Web Browser and a panel for displaying software buttons and game information.  Believe it or not, this could be a revolutionary change.

What are your thoughts about the rumored Xbox “720″ touch-screen controller?  Good or bad?  Leave your thoughts!

Apple has charged ahead of Google in brand reputation, jumping from fifth place last year to No. 1 this year, according to a U.S. consumer survey released today.

Apple has the highest score in the 13-year history of the study by Harris Interactive and beats all the other companies in four of the six key reputation areas: financial performance, products and services, vision and leadership, and workplace environment. Whole Foods was top ranked for social responsibility and Amazon.com for emotional appeal.

The Reputation Quotient (RQ) for Apple is 85.62 and for Google, 82.82. Rounding out the top 10 are Coca-Cola, Amazon.com, Kraft, Walt Disney, Johnson & Johnson, Whole Foods, Microsoft, and UPS. The rankings and score of all 60 most visible brands is available in PDF form.

Apple’s trajectory contrasts sharply with that of HP in the Harris Poll Reputation Quotient study. HP started out in third place in 2000, was in the 25th spot last year, and is now in 32nd place.

What a difference a decade makes. Apple used to be among the bottom companies in terms of reputation, ranking 34th in 2000 and 40th in 2001. The company has steadily risen since, reaching fourth place last year as it offered more popular products and its finances improved. It benefits from being a hybrid company, selling software and hardware products as well as having retail stores, said Robert Fronk, executive vice president and global corporate reputation practice lead for Harris Interactive.

But things aren’t all rosy for Apple, particularly given complaints of poor working conditions at the Foxconn plant in China where some of its products are made, contributing to employee deaths and suicides. The company, which has borne the brunt of much of the criticism despite being just one of many tech firms that contract manufacturing out to Foxconn, is asking the Fair Labor Association to investigate conditions at Foxconn plants.

“Despite Apple being in the top spot, I would argue that they don’t hold reputation equity,” Fronk said in an interview with CNET. “There has always been concern around governance and a lack of a leadership bench (with regard to Steve Jobs). This Foxconn issue will be one that challenges whether Apple is good enough to be an uber brand or whether they’ll be called out on it.”

Amazon.com, meanwhile, is the highest trusted company in the study and is considered as having high ethical standards and being transparent, Fronk said.

Not making the list at all was Facebook. “They have no connection right now with consumers. They are (considered) a functional tool I use to accomplish something else,” he said. “They so lack in the emotional appeal attributes. They are strong in financial performance, but lack in the areas that form a more solid reputation foundation.”

Part of the problem for Facebook is its missteps on privacy matters, something that dogs Google too, according to Fronk.

“When you talk about trust, one of the behavioral metrics we look at is trust to do the right thing,” he said. “More than 25 percent of respondents say they do not trust Facebook to do the right thing. The whole notion around aggregating my life in order to be able to sell who I am to someone else to try to sell more to me is clearly going to be in the forefront of how those companies are perceived.”

In the list of 60 companies, for which more than 17,000 consumers were asked to name the two most visible companies, there are 10 that are tech or Internet firms: Apple, Google, Amazon.com, Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, IBM, HP, Dell and Netflix, which is on the list for the first time, ranked at spot 42. Five firms on the list are in the telecommunications industry: Verizon, Sprint Nextel, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Comcast.

“Telecom firms are and have traditionally been at the absolute bottom of our list,” mostly because they are seen as being the service provider and they suffer by being associated with the customer service challenges of the industry, Fronk said.

The biggest declines in ranking were five financial institutions: Bank of America, Berkshire Hathaway, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase, followed by AT&T. “The general public believes that Bank of America has been more concerned with operational and financial recovery than with customers, and rates the bank low in levels of trust, ethics, and customer service,” the Harris Interactive news release said.

Faith in corporate America, in general, has taken a hit over the past year, reflecting the anti-corporate sentiment of the Occupy Wall Street movement and disillusionment over the lack of concern for consumer welfare following the Wall Street bailout. Only two in 10 Americans have a positive perception of corporate reputation as it stands now. Meanwhile, the number of companies with Reputation Quotient scores of 80 or higher has been reduced by half in the last year, the study shows.

[via cnet]

The stock surge comes several weeks after Apple’s blockbuster earnings announcement, but also in the aftermath of a report about the substandard working conditions at the factories where many of Apple’s most popular products are made by third-party manufacturers. The outcry over the report prompted calls for boycotts and for others to petition Apple to build “an ethical iPhone.”

In any case, investors don’t appear to be fazed. Here’s what Apple’s stock has done in the six months since Tim Cook took over as CEO:

Windows 8, the next version of Microsoft’s PC operating system, will be a humungous change to those who have been use to all the previous versions.  At first glance, this new operating system may be overwhelming with their UI based around tiles, similar to the Windows Phone interface.

Like I have said, this may be overwhelming but think about it, the Windows flag which represents the Star button is starting to get a bit old.  First introduced with Windows 95, the Start button has gone through several changes but keeps the same basic look that we are all familiar with.  By the looks of things, this flag may be going away, as well.

A report by Tom Warren describes that Windows 8 Consumer Preview maybe delete the Start button entirely.  Tom Warren beings to explain…

“We have confirmed with sources close to Microsoft’s Windows 8 development that a hot corner has replaced the Start button orb. A thumbnail-like user interface will appear in Metro or desktop mode, providing a consistent way to access the Windows desktop and Start Screen in Windows 8 regardless of touch or mouse input. The new interface is activated on hover from the lower-left corner of Windows 8 and includes a thumbnail preview of where you will navigate to after clicking on the new visual element.”

The Star Screen Tom Warren is referring to is the tile-based default screen that I mentioned earlier.  It’s important to note that the Start button’s demise hasn’t been confirmed by Microsoft.

The first Windows 8 beta, Windows 8 Consumer Preview, is set to be released later this month.  With this being said, will you be giving Windows 8 Beta a try?  Do you think this will be a huge change in UI for Microsoft?  Do you feel this will lead Microsoft to a spiraling downfall or a skyrocketing moon landing?

The temptation of creating this video once I unboxed it was killing me.  You better believe that I have dedication to all of my fans!  The iPhone 4S has been my favorite phone that I have used, to this date.  I was excited to unbox it for you all but I’m even more excited to show you my first boot.

The set up process was a lot easier than I was expecting.  Minus all the jumps/cuts during the video, it took a total of 10 minutes to have my phone up and running.  Apple did all of my activation for me so I didn’t have to call my cell phone provider.  Apple makes all their products for simple to use and set up.  This is one of the main reasons why I love Apple.

I hope you enjoy my First Boot of the iPhone 4S.  Expect a lot of videos in the near future.  Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

In order to place these amazing quality calls, you will need a HD webcam.  Not everyone with an HD webcam will be able to send HD video.  You will need a suitable broadband connection speed of at least 2Mbps download speed.  Don’t worry, HD video calling isn’t the only feature that was rolled out.

You now have the ability to enjoy video calls with your friends over Facebook, whether they have a Skype account or not.  Previously, all participants were required to have a Skype account to video chat over Facebook.  If you’re a gamer, Skype has released a new feature called “Push to Talk.”  This feature allows those who use Skype for multiplayer games to configure a hotkey for quick and easy access to microphone muting during a call.

The last feature is something that is pretty cool for all you business owners out there.  You now have the ability to share your entire desktop or just a selected application with a group of people in a conference call.  This is an amazing feature to have if you have employees that work off site from your office.  The only draw back is that you will need a Skype Premium subscription to enjoy this screen sharing feature.

If you would like to download this update, head over to to the Skype Website.  This update is only available for Windows users.

What do you think of the new features in Skype 5.8 for Windows?  Will you be updating your Skype?