Facebook Streaming Movies:

Warner Bros. is testing out streaming movies on Facebook with “The Dark Knight”. The movie rental costs users $3.00 (Facebook will receive 30% of revenues) and can be watched for 48 hours after purchase.  If the test goes well, we are likely to see more video streaming options on Facebook.

Foursquare v3.0:

Foursquare’s latest app version, v3.0, has some innovative new features. They have done away with the “tips” tab and replaced it with an “explore” tab. The explore tab will look at your information (where you’ve checked in, who you’re connected with, your favorite places to check in) and what you’re looking for (nightlife, sushi, etc.) to show you what Foursquare thinks you’ll like nearby. You will also be able to see how many of your friends have been to a recommended place, and what reviews have been posted about it.

The iPad 2 Available Today:

The iPad 2 has arrived. You can order it online now, and purchase it in store starting at 5pm local time. They will be sold at the Apple Store, AT&T, Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, Walmart and select Apple Authorized Resellers. Starting early today, people were lined up at Apple Stores all over the country in hopes of being some of the first to get the latest tech gadget.

Image from CultofMac.com

SXSW Interactive:

South by SouthWest’s interactive portion was kicked off today in Austin, Texas. Five days of networking events, presentations, announcements and exhibits, all centered around emerging technology. For those of us who can’t be there, we can follow along with the hashtag #SXSW or visit our favorite social media news websites (such as http://techcrunch.com/sxsw/) for updates.

Japan & Social Media:

When a tsunami and an 8.8 magnitude earthquake tragically hit Japan this morning, many took to social media. Some families relied on social media to get in touch with their loved ones, and Google even launched a Japan earthquake person finder to help victims and families locate each other.

There has been an overwhelming amount of support spread though social media channels:

-Anna (@alucas9)

Apple announced the iPad 2 this week. The iPad 2 is 33% thinner, has duel webcams, and new color options. The prices will range from $499 (for 16GB WiFi-only models) to $829 (for the works) and will be available on March 11, 2011. Watch the following video to see more about the new iPad:

(For those who are TeamCoCo, watch a spoof on the commercial here.)

@CharlieSheen:

You’ve probably been following the tirades of Charlie Sheen… actually I know some of you are (on twitter, at least). Charlie Sheen joined Twitter (@charliesheen) this week, and gained a million followers in a little over 24 hours, breaking a Guinness World record.

Side note: Three Feedbacker’s made it into the list of Charlie Sheen’s top 10 followers. #Winning

Libya’s Internet Down

The government has shut down the internet for most of Libya, including the capital city of Tripoli. The Wall Street Journal reported, “U.S. firms that monitor global Internet networks reported that Web traffic in and out of Libya was disconnected abruptly Thursday afternoon local time and continued to be unavailable late Friday.” This is all too familiar to what we saw a few weeks ago in Egypt. Learn more here.

Behind the Scenes with Old Spice

Old Spice brought you the man that smells like a man, man, and now they’re bring you behind the scenes of their latest commercial shoot. Take a look at the following video, which shows the creative process behind the latest Old Spice commercial:

Healthcare Pick: Emerging Media Whitepaper

Those who are members of SHSMD, take a look at the official Emerging Media Handbook/Whitepaper from SHSMD – Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development where Feedback’s Dean Browell wrote the introduction as the Chair of the Emerging Media Task Force.

-Anna (@alucas9)

Groupon has been on the tip of everyone’s tongues lately, but this week, deal rival LivingSocial made the news. LivingSocial’s deal on Wednesday was 50% off an Amazon gift card – allowing people to get a $20 gift card for only $10. Over one million vouchers were sold.  As Mashable pointed out,

“Amazon, clearly interested in helping the startup it just invested $175 million in, will likely take a big hit as a result of the deal’s popularity. The online marketplace will lose millions of dollars — at least $10 per voucher — when LivingSocial members make good on the offer. The company, however, probably sees the loss as a net gain and a worthwhile marketing cost.”

Google Offers:

More daily coupon news: Google will be launching their own deal service, Google Offers. The deal service will work much like Groupon and LivingSocial. Users will receive a deal of the day email and have an allotted time to purchase the deal. Google Offers appears to still be in the testing phases – but look out Groupon – there’s about to be a new coupon deal in town. As many are saying about Google’s failed attempt at buying Groupon (for $6 billion) and their subsequent plan to launch Google Offers, “If you can’t buy ‘em, beat ‘em”.

Social Network Takes Gold:

I love that a movie about social media won a traditional media award. Actually, it won several of them. The Social Network took home four Golden Globes this week for “Best Motion Picture, Drama”, “Best Director, Motion Picture”, “Best Screen Play, Motion Picture”, and “Best Score.”

Google’s CEO Switch:

Google has made some changes to their upper management this week, replacing CEO Eric Schmidt with co-founder Larry Page. Schmidt will still be working at Google as executive chairman. The change came as a surprise to many, and left people wondering, “Why Is Eric Schmidt Stepping Down at Google?” As Mashable reported, Schmidt’s current ownership stake at Google is worth $5.77 billion and he intends to sell half a million shares, the dollar equivalent of $335 million dollars.

Facebook & Feature Phones:

On Wednesday, Facebook launched a mobile app for non smart phone users. The app is compatible with over 2,500 mobile phones, and can be accessed via a data usage plan. For some global users, the first 90 days of accessing the data plan for Facebook will be free. The facts, from All Things Digital:

“Facebook today released a feature-phone app that is designed to be kind of a gateway drug for both Facebook participation and mobile data usage. The company has arranged deals with 13 carriers to give users of the app free Facebook-related data access for 90 days. If you look at the countries where the launch partner carriers are from, you can see where Facebook thinks it can grow: Romania, India, Mexico and elsewhere.”

-Anna (@alucas9)

The Best Of…
The best tech, music and more from 2010

Best, Worst, and Surprise Tech of 2010:

Mashable came out with a list of the best win, flop, and surprise tech of 2010. The winner for 2010 was the iPad. The iPad proved to be a huge success; Apple sold over 8.5 million in 2010. Mashable chose Google Buzz as the biggest flop of 2010, and Groupon as the biggest surprise of 2010. Google Buzz, essentially a mesh of gmail and the status update, never took off. The deal a day service Groupon, on the other hand, is so popular it is now worth a reported $6 billion dollars (Oh, and did I mention, Google tried to buy Groupon…).

Best (i)Tunes of 2010:

What is the top music of 2010? According to iTunes, the top singles include Train, “Hey, Soul Sister,” Katy Perry, “California Gurls” (feat. Snoop Dogg), Eminem, “Love the Way You Lie” (feat. Rihanna), and Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”. Best selling albums of 2010 included Eminem, Recovery, Lady Gaga, The Fame, Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More, and Jack Johnson, To the Sea. See full list here: http://bit.ly/haj6vf

More Best of Tech:

Other tech items that make my list include Microsoft Kinect, which is a controller free game console.1 million Kinect’s were sold in the first month. Also, the iPhone 4 turned out to be a huge hit in 2010, with HD photo capabilities, Facetime, and a multitouch display. What were your favorite technology items of 2010?

The Night Of…
Ensuring a fun-filled and connected New Years Eve.

Time Square Countdown:

Access Time Square from anywhere. The official time square ball holiday app counts down and shows footage of the ball drop. So for those who can’t make it to NYC for NYE, at least you don’t have to miss the show.

If you’re in Time Square on NYE and are the mayor of the Time Square Visitor Center by noon on NYE, you win 2 tickets to the official New Year’s Eve VIP Party. Details here.

SCVNGR+AE=4Charity:

If you are in Time Square for New Years Eve, you might like to know that SCVNGR is teaming up with America Eagle this New Years Eve. For every SCVNGR task you complete, SCVNGR/AE will donate $10 to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Skal!:

IKEA has created the app, Skal!, which is a fun NYE toasting app. You pick your glass style and watch it fill with champagne. Clink glasses with the iPhone next to you and your contact information will be shared, and a snapshot photo will be taken of the cheers for you or your friend to post on Facebook or Twitter.

For the Kids:

Have kids? Jeff Kelley (@JephKelley) found this great website where you can set the time you want an animated ball to drop – be it 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, or 11pm. It even does the count down. So, change the clocks, put this website up, and the kids will think they’re staying up for the fun.

More To Come…
Looking forward to 2011

Is iPad 2 coming soon? When will Facebook update company pages (we’ve seen a sneak peek of what they’ll likely look like)? Will Verizon carry the iPhone in 2011? What new technology will we be introduced to at CES? With the ever-changing landscape of social media, I can’t wait to see what’s to come in 2011. Thanks for tuning into my picks of the week this year… exciting changes to come for my pick’s as well!  Happy New Year’s!

-Anna (@alucas9)