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Jolla, a Finnish startup that is reviving Nokia’s abandoned MeeGo platform through its new Linux-based mobile operating system Sailfish OS, unveiled its first smartphone today. The device, just called Jolla, is a peculiar beast that combines a dark, industrial top half aesthetic with a bright and colorful removable hardware shell. The company calls it the ‘Other Half’, which uses an unconfirmed bridging technology to grab new themes and content for the user. Martin Schuele, chief designer at Jolla, is cautious to explain how this ‘magic’ works. But it’s clearly meant to be one of the most prominent selling points behind the new smartphone. Rather like the Nokia feature phones of old, consumers are encouraged to find new interchangeable shells and snap it onto the back of their phone. Antti Saarnio, co-founder and chairman of Jolla, explains how a football team might use it to give fans a new background image, fonts, photos of the players and a ringtone of the local chant. Jolla should be commended for trying something new with its first smartphone. As Schuele explains, “We were aiming for something that is really pure. It’s really simple, but it’s also not plain or cold. We weren’t aiming at another rounded box.” The concept feels a bit tacky, however, and reminiscent of Skylanders; a wildly popular video game franchise whereby children unlock new levels and characters by buying additional toys. Jolla versus everyone The problem is that Jolla needs to offer an awful lot more than just interchangeable shells to compete in the modern smartphone space. Google announced at its I/O developer conference last week that there have now been over 900 million Android activations in total. With more than 48 billion app downloads, the company is looking to emerging markets as its next big area for growth. Nokia continues to push Windows Phone and its recently revamped Asha platform, as BlackBerry looks to rediscover its lost prominence with both enterprise users and young people through its newly unveiled Q5 smartphone. Firefox OS is set to launch later this year. Canonical is continuing it efforts to bring Ubuntu to mobile phones and tablets. Tizen is waiting in the wings. The list goes on. Everyone versus Google Jolla needs more than parlor tricks to capture a significant userbase. Talking to Saarnio, however, it’s clear that the Finnish startup isn’t worried about the impending avalanche of niche mobile operating systems. It’s all about Google. “This is not about us against new, emerging platforms,” Saarnio said. “This is about new platforms against Android. I think that’s the game.” He added: “I can’t comment about Windows Phone, but I believe the existence of BlackBerry, Ubuntu and even Firefox OS is helping us. The market needs different alternatives. If you look at the car industry, there are many brands in the car industry and many different types of models. “With the smartphone industry, there is no reason why it can’t be the same.” Tackling the app problem Consumer choice should always be encouraged, but the problem often lies in software and apps. Developers are being cajoled into producing their apps for a number of different platforms and inevitably, their attentions rests on those with the biggest market share. It means Android and iOS often get first pick, with BlackBerry and Windows Phone reduced to an afterthought. Firefox OS is trying to sidestep this problem with HTML5 apps, but Jolla needs a critical mass of native apps. Without them, it will be increasingly difficult to persuade new users to make the switch. Jolla says that since unveiling Sailfish OS at the Slush conference in Helsinki last year, it’s been working on apps and integration with third-party services, including Facebook. The platform will also be able to run Android apps which, like BlackBerry, should give its new smartphone a head-start when it launches later this year. The company is refusing to name any popular apps from high-profile developers, ho

The start of another week brings a wealth of reviews and articles for your viewing pleasure, so let's dive right in. We have a look at an HD 7790 1GB video card from HIS, complete with a custom cooler and factory overclock. There's a look at the ASUS Maximus V Formula motherboard for current Intel processors, and then two previews of what ASUS and Gigabyte are bringing to the party for the next generation processors and Z87 chipset. We also have reviews on a new Fractal Design case, a Mad Catz headset, and a Kingston 64GB microSDXC card. There's plenty of other stuff to check out, so hit up those links below for the full spread! Video Cards HIS 7790 iCooler Turbo 1GB @ Madshrimps Motherboards ASUS Maximus V Formula @ LanOC Reviews ASUS unveils Z87 Lineup @ Madshrimps Gigabyte Intel Z87 Motherboard Lineup Preview @ PC Perspective Cases Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 @ Benchmark Reviews Speakers/Headphones Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 5 Gaming Headset @ Madshrimps Storage/Hard Drives Kingston 64GB microSDXC SDCX10/64GB @ Bjorn3D Mobile What To Expect From The Next iPhone @ ThinkComputers Miscellany Case Mod Friday: Amethyst @ ThinkComputers

KeywordPhrase: Seagate 600 Pro SSD Review (400GB) – Better Warranty, 28% OP and Power Loss ProtectionFollowing in the footprints of our Seagate 600 SSD Review last week, today we are examining the next in line of the Seagate SSD family, the 600 Pro. We had held back on our review of the 600 Pro as we wanted to see how it was going to place in the marketplace before tackling [...]This content was created by The SSD Review - The Worlds Dedicated SSD Education and Review Resource |

Seamless and GrubHub, two of the top online food delivery services in the U.S., are joining forces.

With its $1.1 billion acquisition, Yahoo has pledged to keep Tumblr alive, though Tumblr users might eventually see Yahoo ads in their blog feeds, and Yahoo users could see Tumblr posts on the Yahoo homepage newsfeed.

YouTube today commemorates eight years of sneezing pandas and 8-bit flying cats.

Mobile remains a fraction of ad spend for many large advertisers. The question ad buyers have is whether advertising across screens can really help drive forward an overall campaign goal better than TV-only or traditional online campaigns. A growing number of mobile ad industry companies are aruging that a cross-screen approach integrating mobile is more effective. They're betting that with an increasingly powerful cross-screen pitch they can sell marketers on mobile. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we take stock of cross-screen marketing, analyze how audiences are becoming increasingly screen agnostic, examine how cross-screen advertising can be made effective, dig into the measurement and analytics problem, and offer a side-by-side comparison of the different mobile tracking technologies. Access the Full Report By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>> Here's a brief overview of why cross-screen marketing will be a game changer: It's where consumers are: Users consume the same content — perhaps presented in different manners — across screens.There are already contexts in which consumers are known to habitually use two devices simultaneously. For example, it has become a widespread habit to watch TV while using a tablet or smartphone. That behavior has translated to a growing spate of so-called second screen and social TV marketing campaigns. The opportunities for cross-screen marketers will multiply as we move across screens to accomplish tasks, or use them simultaneously. Cross-screen tactics are already achieving real results: AdColony, a mobile video ad company, employed a cross-screen marketing strategy for a client's consumer packaged goods brand. They targeted one set of users with just a TV ad about the brand, and another set of users with a combined TV, iPad, and iPhone campaign. Unaided brand recall was 43% for audiences who had been exposed to the cross-screen campaigns, and only 6% for the TV-only campaign. Purchase intent was 18% for the TV-only crowd, and 31% for the cross-screen campaign's audience. Cross-screen retargeting will become increasingly powerful: In cross-screen retargeting, users are tracked and presented ads from sites they have visited in the past. While this technique is now familiar on PCs, it's only recently that retargeting across screens has become feasible. Drawbridge, a startup that retargets from desktop to mobile, claims they have achieved a jump of 338% return on investment for certain clients when using cross-screen retargeting. As will frequency capping: Frequency capping, where an individual is only presented an ad a defined number of times in a time period to avoid overwhelming and desensitizing prospects, should help cross-screen marketing become more powerful as well. In full, the report: Analyzes how audiences are becoming increasingly screen agnostic Examines how cross-screen advertising can be made effective Digs into the measurement and analytics problem Offers a side-by-side comparison of the different mobile tracking technologies For full access to the report on Why Cross Screen Marketing Will Be A Game-Changer For The Mobile Industry sign up for a free trial subscription today. Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »

Reports this weekend from AllThingsD point to Tumblr being acquired by Yahoo for nearly $1.1 billion. Although popular, unlike Pinterest or Twitter it has yet to become a necessary part of any brand’s content strategy. But that doesn’t mean people aren’t doing interesting things on the platform. We looked at sites that are adding something new to the web or, if they’re curating something else they found, at least adding their own distinctive twist. It’s often used by bloggers looking for a fast way to share a distinctive, expert voice or brands looking to experiment under the radar. We’ve collected ten that tumbl travel well.Tasmania Behind the Scenery Tourism Tasmania uses its own photos and those of others from Tumblr and sources like Instagram to remind people why Tasmania's natural beauty is so impressive. Click here to visit the Tumblr > Reid on Travel Ex-Lonely Planet U.S. editor Robert Reid shares his thoughts and videos, the latter being the most clever travel videos online. Click here to visit the Tumblr > The Looking Glass A Disney-run blog that curates photography by shooters invited to Disney parks. Click here to visit the Tumblr > See the rest of the story at Business Insider Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Google-owned site is still growing. Thanks to YouTube, we have funny memories like Leeroy Jenkins leading his team to slaughter and declaring after the bloodbath, "at least I have chicken"; the art of Rickrolling; Old Gregg introducing a new audience to how a transsexual merman rolls; and so many more. Heck, if it weren't for YouTube, shows like Tosh.0 probably wouldn't exist. Pretty remarkable for a site that turns 8 years old today. What started off as a modest video sharing site has grown into so much more in the past 8 years. According to YouTube, would-be directors upload more than 100 hours of video to YouTube every mintue. On a monthly basis, it's seeing 1 billion visitors come to the site. And earlier this month, YouTube announced it was seeing 6 billion hours of video uploads each month. "And so, this Monday, on our eighth birthday, we’d like to thank you for making YouTube the special place that it is," YouTube stated in a blog post on Sunday. "For showing us how video can create connections, transcend borders and make a difference. For clicking these links even if you aren’t sure what they’ll be, but you trust us. In short, thanks for making us better in big ways and small ones, too. We can’t wait to see what you come up with next." The most viewed video on YouTube is Gangnam Style with more than 1.6 billion hits, followed by Justin Bieber's Baby video featuring Ludacris (859.2 million hits). What's your favorite YouTube video? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Uploading a history book to your website so your students can have access to it? I hope they throw the book at this hardened criminal! A teacher received a huge shock last week after uploading a copy of a book to his website that offers free educational resources for students. The Latvian publisher behind the work, a $4.00 history book, complained to the authorities which resulted in the teacher being raided by the police. During interrogation the teacher learned that his mistake could cost him dearly ? two years in jail, forced labor, or a fine. Comments