Looks like Google isn't the only one looking to bring social to its local search results. Microsoft today announced that it is partnering up with Yelp in a bid to push its Bing Local search content. Yelp will reportedly surface content including, review snippets, photos, and business attributes to Bing users. This content will be featured Bing Local pages, presenting information to help consumers do more with businesses near them. "Whether it's discovering the right restaurant, planning the evening's entertainment or ...

A year after ICANN announced its plans to expand the TLD (Top Level Domain) namespace, we are finally able to see the application list for new TLDs. There are nearly 2 000 applications, each costing US$185 000. ICANN believes that each suffix will cost owners about US$25 000 per year to maintain and they will be required to commit to a 10-year maintenance agreement. Among the applications are many variations on a theme and conflicts over potential ownership. As a ...

Have you ever thought your home could do with a smattering of app icons, a science fiction artwork or two and a doormat covered in binary code? Did you just cry "it's like you're reading my mind"? Then this list may be the answer to your never-ending quest to make your home look as awesome as your smartphone. 1. Slide to unlock doormat: You may be used to sliding to unlock your phone -- but can you slide to unlock your front ...

On 13 June Richard Branson, world-famous founder and leader of the Virgin Group, wrote on his blog that he had lost his diary. In a couple of simple paragraphs, he explains how much he enjoys using a diary, travelling with it and recording his thoughts and he ends by saying “I’ve been travelling a lot recently so I can’t be sure exactly where I left it, and I know it’s a long shot, but if anyone happens to find it ...

In case you haven't heard, Apple's recent and much-anticipated iOS6 launch at WWDC sounded the alarm for third-party app developers. It's not the small app developers either: Google, Skype and, my tech bunny, RIM, also take a beating in the update. Google Maps got ditched for Apple's own mapping system which is now using Tom Tom's data as its map provider. Where Apple's maps product could fall short is in accurate traffic prediction via crowd sourcing, something Waze (despite its ...

There's a Kickstarter project I want you to know about. It's called Privly and it's a defiant kick to the face of oppressive governments. The Privly proof of concept works as a browser plugin and will allow you to view and post encrypted content on any website -- Twitter, Facebook, Google+, even Gmail. Let your imagination run wild. Taking Twitter as an example, you write a tweet -- 140 characters or more -- right click and select "Post to Privly." ...

How often do you scroll past a tweet in your timeline, wondering exactly where that t.co or bit.ly link will take you, cautiously hovering over the URL and rallying yourself for some spam attack? Twitter has felt your pain -- which is why it's rolling out more expanded content views in tweets. In an official blog post, the social media giant said that it has gradually started rolling out expanded tweets -- basically, tweets which allow you to see content ...

Nokia has announced that it plans to lay off thousands of employees and sell its luxury brand Vertu in a bid to "return the company to profitable growth". The embattled mobile giant apparently plans to reduce up to 10 000 positions globally by the end of 2013. Among the sections of the company highlighted for closure are its research and development facilities in Ulm, Germany and Burnaby, Canada and its manufacturing facility in Salo, Finland. "These planned reductions are a difficult ...

Google has partnered with the likes of AOL, Facebook, Twitter and the IAB to form the Ads Integrity Alliance in a bid to stop bad ads online. Unfortunately that doesn't mean anyone's going to do anything about the cringeworthy horrors you're sometimes faced with upon opening a YouTube video. Instead they're going after kind of ads that contravene their various individual policies, or promote counterfeit goods and malware. The alliance falls under the remit of StopBadware, an organisation ...

People clearly love a bargain. When South African fast food chain Steers announced that it would be offering R10 Rib Burgers today, it caused a rush on stores around the country and unleashed a social media storm. Thing is, when long queues didn't get any shorter and outlets around the country started running out of stock, people got angry. And the first port-of-call for rage that needs to be vented is social media. A lot of the Twitter traffic revolved ...