By Cynthia Herbert :: 3:02 PM
If you’ve ever perused the selection of Russian dashboard camera videos on YouTube and LiveLeak, you’ve probably noticed that most of them feature accidents, or incidents of insurance fraud gone awry.
So many Russians use dashboard cameras when they drive because of the rampant fraud across the country.
However, a recent video making the rounds of social media shows the flip side of Russian society. The 5-and-a-half minute video (below) shows a number of Russians helping out other drivers, pedestrians, and animals as they run into trouble on the country’s roads.
If you’ve been reluctant to watch other Russian dash cam videos due to accidents or other unsavory content, this video is for you.
By Paul Thomson :: 8:54 AM
App maker Rovio is introducing the social version of its popular avian game, Angry Birds Friends, to mobile devices, with versions available for both iOS and Android. The Friends version of Angry Birds lets players compete against their Facebook friends.
The game sets up players in weekly tournaments, where they can compete using the mobile app, or on Facebook. Games will by synched across all platforms. The next tournament round kicks off on May 6.
Rovio introduced the Facebook version of Angry Birds Friends last year, and has since directed players to participate in weekly tournaments. Each week, a different tournament is rolled out, that includes new challenges and levels.. Users can share their victories on the social network, and also give gifts to competitors.
Players with the top overall scores among their Facebook friends can gold, silver, and bronze trophys.
“Download it today to get some practice in before it all begins. And be sure to invite your Facebook friends to take part in all the fun,” the app maker said in a release.
Angry Birds Friends is available now in the Apple App Store and for Android on Google Play.
Below, leaderboard from Angry Birds Friends
By Paul Thomson :: 1:01 AM
Book retailer Barnes & Noble has announced a partnership with Google that will bring the Android publisher’s Google Play app store to Barnes & Noble’s Nook reader tablet.
Google Play will be available on both the 7-inch Nook HD and the 9-inch Nook HD+ tablets in the U.S. and U.K. Barnes & Noble explained that a software update for the tablets will be available later on Friday.
By adding Google Play to the Nook, the tablet will gain access to over 700,000 applications – a huge leap from the 10,000 currently available in the Nook store. The move is seen by many as a play by Barnes & Noble to increase sales of the tablet, which have been faltering recently, in the wake of a weaker than expected holiday season.
“We saw coming off holiday the market moved to multifunction tablets,” Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch said in a statement about the move. “Consumer research showed us the breadth of applications available is really critical.”
The software update will happen automatically to eligible Nook devices that are connected to WiFi hotspots. The update also includes other Google applications, such as the Chrome browser, Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 12:46 AM
Cats and cat memes – the Internet is full of them. Now, creators of two popular cat memes, Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat, have filed a lawsuit against Warner Brothers for using the cats in a video game without their permission.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that that Warner Brothers’ game Scribblenauts, infringes their copyright and trademarks. Also named in the lawsuit is 5th Cell, the developer of the game. Creators of both cat memes have registered their feline creations for trademark protection.
“Defendants have used ‘Nyan Cat’ and ‘Keyboard Cat,’ even identifying them by name, to promote and market their games, all without plaintiffs’ permission and without any compensation to plaintiffs,”the suit alleges.
Keyboard Cat, according to the suit, “was one of the first memes to become a widespread internet viral phenomenon and still is wildly popular, most recently featured in a national Starburst candy television and online marketing and advertising campaign.”
As for Nyan Cat, the pop-tart kitty was the fifth most-watched video on YouTube.com in 2011, the suit noted, and won the “Meme ofthe Year” award at 2012 Webby awards.
The case will be handled in federal court in Los Angeles.
By Gilbert Falso :: 10:49 PM
The Apple App Store is on the brink of its 50 billionth download. In an email sent to customers earlier today, the company announced that it would mark the occasion with a series of prizes for some lucky downloaders.
“To celebrate this milestone,” the e-mail read, “we’re awarding a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to whoever downloads the 50 billionth app — and $500 App Store Gift Cards to each of the next 50 customers who download an app.”
Awarding prizes for milestone download occasions is nothing new for Apple. Earlier this year, when the iTunes store sold its 25 billionth song, it awarded an iTunes gift card to the German student who downloaded the celebratory track. When the App Store reached its 10 billionth download in early 2011, Apple awarded a $10,000 gift card then, too.
In order to win the prize, customers just need to download apps from the App Store. Free or paid apps – it doesn’t matter which, and entries are limited at up to 25 downloads per person per day. The contest ends after the 50,000,000,050th app is downloaded.
Time to fire up those iPhones and iPads and start downloading apps!