Evernote Competitor Springpad Launches Killer Android App [VIDEO]

Springpad is an awesome app we’ve told you about before. Like Evernote, it allows you to save items in a virtual notebook of sorts.

But the app doesn’t stop at saving information; it also pulls in actionable links. For example, if you “save” a movie, you also save links to buy tickets for a local theatre or add that film to your Netflix queue. If you save a restaurant, that entry is accompanied by link to the menu and an Open Table link so you can quickly and easily make reservations.

The idea behind the app — that we no longer surf the web idly or without intention — has led to a highly effective product, one that’s just today launched in the Android Market (Android Market). The app is free and also available as an iPhone application.

Users can make lists, save items by barcode, save images, save locations using geo-data only and access saved information from a variety of devices, including web browsers. And of course, users can choose to share items on the social web if they like.

Jeff Janer is Springpad’s CEO, and he was kind enough to give us a demo of the Android (Android) app today at Google (Google) I/O. Check it out, and if you’ve got an Android device, give Springpad (springpad) and spin and let us know what you think.

Create Collaborative Photo Books with Group Story

This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.

Name: Group Story

Quick Pitch: Group Story lets users collaborate with others online to create multifaceted photo books.

Genius Idea: If you’ve ever tried to get a collection of photos from a big group of people, you know that it can be a bit of a hassle. Group Story is based on the observation that since no one lives their lives in isolation, a group can tell a tale much better than an individual can. For example, if there are 12 kids on a soccer team, each one should have a voice in telling about the team’s big win.

In Group Story, photos are uploaded from a user’s computer to a shared and secure workspace for the community. Each member of the community can upload and tag photos, and all images are viewable and usable by the whole group.

Then, users can build a photo album — a physical one — from the images they’ve uploaded. They can choose single- or multi-photo layouts, change the background color, and add titles and text.




For team sports, family reunions, small companies, parties and conferences, Group Story provides a great way for individuals to collaboratively share and publish memories. Here’s a brief overview and demo:



The downside is that there doesn’t seem to be an “online album” option for these images, and the app doesn’t yet integrate with Facebook or Flickr (Flickr), two of the most popular repositories of event and group photos. It might also be convenient to have a native photo-editing option — perhaps a Picnik (picnik) integration — for simple tasks such as cropping, adjusting exposure or correcting red-eye.

Also, creating physical books for these photo collections gets pricey. For example, printing and ground shipping for 30 books with 20 pages measuring 8×8 inches each comes to a whopping $456. At that rate, it would be more economical to buy a high-quality printer and a binding machine. Finally, typography options are limited to a small collection of web fonts such as Arial and Times New Roman — hardly what one might expect from a print product.

What’s your opinion of this app? Would you use Group Story to make a physical photo album for your group or event?

Another Microsoft Kin Ad Dubbed Creepy by Consumer Reports [VIDEO]

First Consumer Reports took on the infamous Microsoft Kin “sexting” commercial, and now it’s going after a new series of ads for the device in which a girl named Rosa sets out to meet her entire social network.

After Consumer Reports covered the previous commercial — in which a boy takes a picture of his chest — Microsoft edited the spot. Why? CR thought it promoted sexting, and that it was “downright creepy.” The new ad that CR is taking offense to features an “online flirt” named Matty Goldberg, who flirts with Rosa via Facebook chat even though they have never met (apparently, Rosa doesn’t know how to hit the “unfriend” button).

Rosa goes to meet Matty, and ultimately decides that he’s an OK guy, even if he is extremely socially awkward, says semi-lascivious things and admits to using the InternetInternetInternet to pick up girls. CR thinks that the whole thing is dangerous and, well, creepy. Basically, they think it sends the wrong message: That everyone on the web is nice, and it’s OK to go hang with strangers.

CR has yet to hear from Microsoft — we’ll keep you updated when they do — but we’ve embedded the clip below so that you can draw your own conclusions.

Is this ad “creepy”? Does it encourage kids to engage in risky behavior? Let us know what you think. This whole Kin thing is shaping up to be a quite a hotbed.

HOW TO: Reclaim Privacy on Facebook

Facebook is at the center of a privacy debate following the web-wide release of “Like” buttons, with some users ready to ban together to quit Facebook altogether. For those concerned about privacy but looking for a less drastic alternative, there’s a new tool you can use to reclaim your privacy on Facebook.

Reclaim Privacy is an open-source browser-based privacy scanner that automatically inspects your Facebook privacy settings and denotes settings that are risky privacy-wise.

Concerned Facebookers can drag the Scan for Privacy bookmarklet to their browser’s bookmarks toolbar, log in to Facebook and click to see which settings “might be unexpectedly public.”

The results of the privacy scan are displayed above your profile. The scan detects whether or not you’ve opted-in to Instant Personalization, assesses what types of information — personal, contacts, tags, friends, etc. — you share with your social circle and beyond, and also detects what your friends and/or applications can share about you. Higher risk items are called out with red “insecure” alert buttons and links to the appropriate destination to alter your settings.

The bookmarklet is simple to use and perfect for those of us confused by Facebook’s overwhelming array of privacy options. Of course, to use the tool you have to trust Reclaim Privacy not to violate your privacy, but the company promises that, “we never see your Facebook data” and “we never share your your personal information.”

Mayors of Starbucks Now Get Discounts Nationwide with Foursquare

Starbucks, a company that already rewards frequent customers with the Barista badge on social gaming app Foursquare — is officially turning on the rewards side of its experimental Foursquare loyalty program with the first-ever nationwide mayor special.

Starting today, mayors of individual Starbucks stores can unlock the Mayor Offer and enjoy a money-saving perk for their frequent store checkins.

The deal offers customers a $1 discount on a Frappucino. The special greets mayors with this message: “As mayor of this store, enjoy $1 off a NEW however-you-want-it Frappuccino blended beverage. Any size, any flavor. Offer valid until 6/28.”

Tristan Walker, who heads up business development at Foursquare (Foursquare), tells us that the Starbucks special is a one-time mayor deal that runs through June 28, but he’s optimistic that Starbucks will continue to experiment with mayor rewards on an ongoing basis. “Starbucks is particularly innovative as it relates loyalty and social media,” Walker noted, “so we continue to be super excited to explore this intersection with them.”

There are a number of reasons why the Starbucks nationwide mayor reward is significant. It’s a first for both Foursquare and the coffee retailer, and will likely bring mass attention to the marketing possibilities of the location-sharing trend.

It’s also an important development in light of pending Facebook location features, which we’ve yet to see in the wild. Starbucks — which is one of the most “Liked” brands on Facebook — is making a conscious choice to go with Foursquare, which should serve to legitimize Foursquare as the key player in the space for now.

On the consumer side of things, getting a $1 off a Frappuccino is a pretty nice discount, considering customers routinely pay $4 or more for their favorite blended beverage. Of course, with the mayorship rewards, we expect competition to heat up on Foursquare more so than ever before. As such, it will be crucial for Foursquare to ensure that their new anti-cheater measures work as designed.

GQ’s Men of the Year Issue on iPad: 365 Copies Sold

GQ, one of the first magazine titles to appear on the iPad, has sold 365 copies of its December 2009 Men of the Year issue, according to publisher Pete Hunsinger.

The issue was priced at $2.99 per download — $2 less than the newsstand price — for a grand total of $1,091.35 in sales. Somewhat surprisingly, GQ appears to be pleased with this figure.

“This costs us nothing extra: no printing or postage,” says Hunsinger. “Everything is profit, and I look forward to the time when iPad issue sales become a major component to our circulation.”

It seems developer fees did not enter into his cost calculations.

On the bright side, sales for the iPhone and iPod touch version is steadily increasing, according to the iTunes store [iTunes link]. GQ’s latest May 2010 issue for the iPhone and iPod touch is the best-selling in the store right now, suggesting that the magazine is developing a solid base of repeat buyers.

It’s hard to put these numbers in context, as little data about iPad app sales has been released thus far. A month ago, ABC announced that its app has been downloaded more than 200,000 times, and earlier this month Rupert Murdoch revealed that the WSJ app has roughly 64,000 subscribers. Both of these apps, however, are free.

Although we need more data to make an accurate assessment, one thing seems certain — the iPad is not the savior certain major publishers had hoped it would be — at least not yet. Nevertheless, it may yet prove a profitable distribution platform for magazines in addition to other platforms, like Facebook.

Publisher Condé Nast is forging ahead with the development of iPad versions of its other popular titles. Vanity Fair appeared in the iTunes catalog this week, and WIRED is slated to launch this summer.

Robot Priest Marries Couple in Japan [VIDEO]

Procedurally, the ceremony of marriage is a very linear affair. The priest says some things, then the groom and bride say some things, kisses are exchanged and the couple is married.

Is it odd, then, that Satoko Inoue and Tomohiro Shibata decided to employ a robot called i-Fairy to marry them? Now, perhaps; but in a couple of years — especially in a country that is already home to 800,000 industrial robots — it might become a regular occurrence.

The bride, Inoue, works for Kokoro Ltd., the company that makes the i-Fairy. The i-Fairy is a robot usually employed as a museum guide. The husband, Shibata, was a client of the company so, in a way, the robot brought them together. “It’s true that robots are what caused us to first begin going out, and as suggested by my wife, we decided that we wanted to try this sort of wedding,” Shibata said.

All it took was new software. The robot presided over the marriage without problems, as you can see in the video below. So much for robots not understanding the meaning of love.