Even search is getting social. People have always polled their friends for recommendations. Then there were Web sites that aggregated members' reviews (Amazon for books, TripAdvisor for hotels, Yelp for restaurants). But more and more the social Web is bringing search and review right to our own social circles, the New York Times reports. It gives three examples right off the bat: Amazon now … [Read more...] about Social searching
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Social location-sharing
More and more we're hearing about location-based socializing in the news – for example, Loopt and Latitude for keeping track of friends in a geographical sort of way, Facebook's new Places, the more game-like Foursquare, and Glympse for tracking kids for specific periods of time (like between 9pm and "curfew," up to 4 hours max). Well, in case you'd like a little primer on these location-based … [Read more...] about Social location-sharing
Mobile family healthcare?
Well, if not full-on healthcare via cellphone, at least preliminary diagnoses. A doctor in emergency medicine at George Washington University who had gotten comfortable making informal diagnoses for family and friends with snapshots of injuries taken and sent mobile phones thought he'd conduct a study to see if this would for other patients and doctors, the Washington Post reports. The … [Read more...] about Mobile family healthcare?
Back-to-school shopping on cellphones
Retailers like JCPenney, Sears, and Kmart hook us by suggesting we send them a text for special sales and discounts, the Washington Post reports. But while "Sears and Kmart promoted a mobile app that allows shoppers to order merchandise and have it shipped to a nearby store [and] American Eagle gave away free smartphones to anyone who tried on jeans ... many retailers are still waiting to see … [Read more...] about Back-to-school shopping on cellphones
Facebook adds ‘Places’: Cellphone location service
I'm sure you've heard about Foursquare, a game and geolocation app that lets people "check in" to their favorite spots virtually when they're walking in physically. Well, Facebook now has a geolocation app like that called "Places," so users can use their cellphones to let their FB friends know where they are (only in the US at this point). In addition to checking in, FB users can "see who else … [Read more...] about Facebook adds ‘Places’: Cellphone location service