Gizmo5 is Google’s latest acquisition, after spending $750-million in stock on AdMob earlier in the week. This company is essentially one ‘that provides internet-based calling software for mobile phones and computers.’ Continue reading to see how it works on Android.

While we don’t have any specific features to announce right now, Gizmo5’s engineers will be joining the Google Voice team to continue improving the Google Voice and Gizmo5 experience.

[via Google]

Learn how to make a dirt simple (basically free) wifi antenna booster using tin foil.  Yes, it sounds crazy, but it actually works and significantly increases your wifi signal in the dead zones of your house. The video above is pretty lengthy, but does a good job walking you through a few optimal designs.

You can make this wi-fi parabolic antenna for your router without breaking a sweat.

• Manila file folders
• EZ-12 Templates for the antenna from Freeantennas.com
• Adhesive
• Aluminum foil

The parabolic antenna is nothing but a focusing device cut out from the stiff manila folder and backed by a layer of aluminum foil on the back for the reflective surface. The exact cutting pattern is aided by the EZ-12 template.

As the video shows, the construction is as easy as an elementary school project. The effect is pretty impressive for such a simple device. You can expect a signal boost from 9 to 12dB. The signal gain depends on the size of the antenna and the number (1 or 2) in use with your wireless router.

(Via HacknMod.com – You name it. We hack it..)

Grooveshark, the music-streaming service we shared with you to last year, has an updated user interface and some new tricks under the hood.

Those of you who have been using Grooveshark all along will notice the much cleaner interface right away. Its easier to search for songs and organize them into playlists and under the hood theyve made a few unseen but much appreciated tweaks—like local caching of songs youre playing so if you listen to the same song back to back there will be no buffer time.

You don’t need an account to use Grooveshark but if you want to do things save your plays lists and add things to your library you’ll need to sign up for a free account.

Grooveshark [via TechCrunch]

(Via Lifehacker.)

Mac only: If you’re not a big fan of using the Terminal but love hidden features in OS X, Secrets is the preference pane for you. Secrets provides a list of hidden features (and descriptions of each) that can be easily toggled on and off with a simple click of a checkbox. It includes settings for about 40 different OS X applications as well, including third party applications. The utility has just been updated to work with Snow Leopard, no doubt with some new hidden tweaks for all you early upgraders to try out.

Secrets is a free download, Mac OS X 10.5+ only.

Secrets [via Macworld]

(Via Lifehacker.)

Orb’s been out for a while, but now there’s OS X 10.5 and 10.6 compatibility. Mac users can finally use the app to stream all sorts of media from iTunes to nearly any internet-connected device. Oh, and it’s completely free.

You can download the Orb application right here. You’ll have to look for porn to stream on your own. [Orb via Engadget]

(Via Gizmodo.)

Fortune Magazine has named Steve Jobs CEO of the Decade. The Apple co-founder, Apple II, Mac, iPod, iTunes, and iPhone visionary is summed up in suitably dramatic fashion:

Youthful founder gets booted from his company in the 1980s, returns in the 1990s, and in the following decade survives two brushes with death, one securities-law scandal, an also-ran product lineup, and his own often unpleasant demeanor to become the dominant personality in four distinct industries, a billionaire many times over, and CEO of the most valuable company in Silicon Valley.

Congrats Steve! Take a moment between tweaking the last few pixels on the iTablet icons and getting (what we hope is) the massive next generation iPhone HD OLED screen white balance just so, and enjoy.

And if anyone hasn’t seen it yet, get on over to iTunes and watch Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Address. He sums himself up even better than Fortune, of course.

(Via The iPhone Blog.)

With a new year on the horizon, it’s time to pack away the old, worn web designs and prepare for the brave, new face of tomorrow. Although trends don’t start and stop on January 1st, there is a definite shift from what we craved at the beginning of the year to what we are seeking tutorials for at the end of the year. Most of the time, this shift is subtle. It’s a perfection or re-interpretation of a currently hot trend. Trends help us evolve as designers. As we master the skills of design aesthetic, we continue to push forward to what’s next or what needs to be fully discovered.

Make no mistake about it, you will recognize the ideas behind these trends. Although this list isn’t a drastic departure from what was popular in 2009, it marks different trends that will be expanded upon and made better as a result. As you think of how you will incorporate new trends into your designs, focus on the main idea of each trend. Be encouraged to dabble into these trends so that you become part of the movement.

1. Oversized Logos/ Headers

Splash pages are so yesterday. To make an unforgettable impression on the visitor, the trend for 2010 will be oversized logos on an equally oversized header. These types of headers can take up the entire screen, but with one important note. Visitors will not need to click anything, just scroll down. Visitors often having a clicking phobia (due to years of poor navigation), so big headers do the job of a splash page without forcing your visitors to click anything.

Main Idea: Huge headers that make your visitors remember you.

2. Sketch/ Hand-drawn Design

Hand-drawn design is not exactly new on the horizon, but we all know that it is still on the fringes of web design. Many designers admire the style but are afraid to create their own sketches because of the ‘I can’t really draw’ attitude. If you look at the most popular hand-drawn websites (and relative to other types of trends, there are only a few), you will notice that most of your fellow designers can’t draw. These designs are not exactly headed to an art museum, but they do convey a sense of whimsy, and blur the line between cold web and personal interaction– the ultimate goal of the internet. If you can doodle, you can sketch for web design.

Sketch in 2010 will become more elemental, and not as much the main focus of a web design. It will be used to personalize standard web copy in new and exciting ways.

Main Idea: Sketch becomes an elemental part of corporate design.

3. Slab Typefaces

Slab typefaces are relatively new, although they’ve been around for over 200 years in traditional media. To get a good visual definition of slab typefaces, think of the old Wild West ‘Wanted’ posters. Those bold letters are slab typefaces. Slab typeface is commonly all capital letters and are bold and imposing. Many designers have shied away from slab typefaces in the past because logos and headers were smaller and more understated. However, combined with the trend toward larger headers, slab typefaces demand the reader to take notice.

Main Idea: Slab typefaces is used to bravely express who you are.

4. Typology

Typology is one of the most difficult trends to tackle which is why it will remain fresh in 2010. With all the cries for usability, web designers are afraid of using new and different fonts. The idea of mixing varying font sizes together is completely unthinkable. Fonts are meant to be explored, twisted, and molded to fit your purposes. With the correct placement, a website that utilizes typology as its main design element will be more interesting to a reader than overloading the same site with tons of photos.

Main Idea: Typology is young, but will continue to be a part of web design.

5. One Page Layouts

One pay layouts challenge you to edit away what’s unnecessary. In 2010, this trend will move away from the quirky navigation and become more minimal in its approach. Think of these websites as business cards. These websites will be more of a one-stop-shop for how to locate you and your work on various other sites– your blog and your social media hangouts.

Main Idea: One page layouts will be more about personal profiles and less corporate.

6. Huge Images

A close relative to the oversized logo/ header, the huge image does much the same thing. It creates an visual impact that the visitor won’t soon forget. Unlike the oversized header from above, huge images are not part of the site’s branding. Instead, these images draw the visitor into your site, if not for their content then for their humongous size. In 2010, web designers will find themselves more comfortable using these big statements in their design to convey the site’s tone.

Main Idea: Huge images will be used to invite visitors in.

7. Change of Perspective

As we’ve discussed before, the desktop perspective has been done to death. 2010 will see a definite change in perspective to a more realistic view. There may also be a move toward side-shot aerial.

Main Idea: 2010 will play around with different perspectives.

8. Interactive/ Intuitive Design

Flash has seen better days. There was a time when you couldn’t visit a website without running into an annoying Flash interface. These days Flash is a lot more relaxed and much more professional. Although some designers prefer jQuery for forms and popups, Flash still has its place in design, especially when done subtly. Flash still has no equal to its interactivity. In 2010, web designers will move toward the more redeeming elements of Flash. Because the average visitor is more web savvy these days, designers will also create sites that are slightly more intuitive than in the past.

Main Idea: Interactive design will make a come-back.

9. Modal Boxes

Modal boxes are a trend that’s picking up steam and will be virtually everywhere in 2010. A modal box is like the popup’s more sophisticated older brother– it’s smooth, good looking and popular. Modal boxes are so easy to design and easy to use, making them the perfect solution for any designer concerned with usability.

Main Idea: Modal boxes will continue to pop up in 2010 designs.

10. Minimalism

Forget the old school minimal websites. Websites of 2010 will continue to feature lots of white space but with bold typology and surprising color schemes. Not all minimal websites will agree with the notion of black and white simplicity. Although minimalism is by nature muted, it will also showcase fresh colors. Minimalism isn’t cold, it’s warm and too the point.

Main Idea: Minimalism will venture into typology.

11. Oversized Footer

Oversized footers may be everywhere already, but 2010 will find them even more exaggerated. The footers of tomorrow will be less of an after-thought and more of an integral part of the design. Look for footers that feature contain random information, such as feed updates from various social media, daily polls, and Flickr feeds.

Main Idea: Oversized Footers will feature less important, but more personal information.

12. Retro

Retro designs are here to stay. Although a lot of the design community admires retro web design, it can be difficult to fully embrace this style without coming across ‘undone.’ The key to retro designs is to be inspired by its tone and underlying playfulness. In 2010, retro design will be expanded as designers find new ways to honor vintage art.

Main Idea: Retro is new.

13. Intro Boxes

‘Hi, my name is…’ will find an even bigger stage in 2010 as designers recognize the beautiful simplicity of introducing yourself to your visitor. If you’re struggling with making a creative ‘About’ page, the intro box will be your best bet. It forces you to condense who you are into a relatively small about of space. In 2010, intro boxes will push its own boundaries. Instead of the boring hello, designers will find new pick-up lines. And, instead of the left-flanked intro block, 2010 will see boxes in unusual placement, perhaps even in the middle of a page.

Main Idea: New ways to say ‘hello.’

14. Magazine Layouts

As more and more people migrate from the comforts of traditional press to online infotainment, designers are challenged to welcome them in with an easy transition. There is a move toward the magazine layout, where information is carefully organized on a single home page, giving the visitor an opportunity to explore as interested. The familiar layout will appeal to appeal to anyone who’s ever read a magazine or newspaper, but it will also be easier to use– no flipping pages! In 2010, magazine layout will become very huge for blogs in particular.

(Via Web Design Ledger.)

We’ve already covered how viral the chat options on live video services like Ustream, Justin.tv, and Tinychat can be.

By signing into these services with your Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace credentials and then having your messages broadcast as status updates, more users become aware of the video feed and its audience can grow exponentially.

Ustream just taken this concept to another level by launching what it calls Social Stream. The new feature allows you to sign-in to all three networks simultaneously, plus AIM, and have each chat message distributed to all of them. Further, the chat room will contain messages streaming in from all four platforms.

This means that if you’re watching Ochocinco or Soulja Boy on Ustream, now, you can have your chat messages show up on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and AIM. Thus, there’s potential for 4x the viralness of your typical live video with chat. It should be another big win for Ustream, who has seen its audience grow significantly in the past year as it taps into the growth of other social media sites.

(Via Mashable!.)

WordPress has announced that WordPress for iPhone 2 is now available in the App Store.

Here’s what’s new:

• A new, more efficient user interface that makes it faster to switch between comments, posts, and pages.
• Various user interface refinements and bug fixes
• New Comments interface, with Gravatars and the author URL shown in the comment list
• Passwords are now stored in the keychain
• Posts are now automatically saved and restored if network connection is lost during publishing
• Added persistence, so the app re-opens in the blog you last used
• Added an interface for manually entering the XMLRPC endpoint for non-standard setups
• Fixed rotation-related visual glitches
• Fixed errors where malformed XML prevented access to XMLRPC endpoint
• Fixed edge case where local drafts were sometimes not saved
• Fixed the order of photos so that they’re displayed in the order they’re uploaded

WordPress for iPhone 2 is a new app, and the previous version won’t automatically update to 2, so after you install it, you’ll want to delete the old version.

(Via Podcasting News.)

Ryan Deal is a social media and creative advertising lover who’s got an eye for good design and a passion that won’t quit. He runs the website TopCultured.com, which can also be found on Twitter.

It’s nearly Halloween again and you know what that means: candy, costumes, and carving pumpkins. This year, social media has taken the world by storm with huge acquisitions, traditional media recognition, and thanks to Twitter, news at lightning speed. What better way to pay homage to social media than via a carved pumpkin? We’ve compiled 12 great social-media-inspired pumpkins to get some ideas flowing.

1. Fail Whale Pumpkin

Twitter’s frequent bouts of downtime, though less frequent in recent months, have almost become part of the expected user experience for the site, and their iconic ‘fail whale’ has become part of pop culture.

Source: Scott B. on Flickr

2 & 3. Firefox and IE Pumpkins

Firefox recently won our web browser faceoff against Google Chrome rather handily, so we can understand why someone would want to make a Firefox pumpkin. But why spend time carving an Internet Explorer pumpkin? On the other hand, IE is pretty scary…

Source: CyberNet News

4. Digg Pumpkins

You have to be a real fanatic to carve not just a pumpkin homage to Digg, but one that includes the likenesses of Diggnation hosts Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose, as well. Still, these two are very impressive, if a little creepy for their stalker qualities.

Source: Tutorialized

5. Reddit Pumpkins

Reddit’s mascot really lends itself to Halloween. The cute little alien character looks great on a pumpkin, as these two prime examples above illustrate.

Source:Robert Balousek and inecather on Flickr

6. RSS Pumpkin

Even though some people think that RSS is dying and social media is usurping its role in the way we discover and consume news, RSS is still the dominant method that most of us use to keep on top of web site updates. Many people use RSS without even knowing it, via personal aggregator sites like MyYahoo! or iGoogle.

Source: jsiarto on Flickr

7. Apple Pumpkin

Apple has had one heck of a year. They released a new phone, the iPhone 3G S that comes with a built in video camera, and then proceeded to sell 7.4 million iPhones in the last quarter. Oh, and there are these persistent rumors that this tablet computer thing is in the works, too.

Source: RipFire on Flickr

8. Android Pumpkin

The 2.0 version of Google’s free and open source mobile operating system is on its way, and with it the Motorola Droid, which many feel will be the first phone to really potentially challenge the iPhone’s smartphone dominance. Like Reddit’s, Android’s mascot looks pretty great adorning a pumpkin.

Source: David Watson on Flickr

9. WordPress Pumpkin

WordPress won 87% of the vote in our faceoff with TypePad for blogging platform supremacy. ‘Nuff said.

Source: Eric M Martin on Flickr

10. Plaxo Pumpkin

Plaxo hasn’t been in the news too much lately, but their Plaxo Pulse software remains a good social stream aggregator and content sharing platform.

Source: Plaxo on Flickr

11. Threadless Pumpkin

It’s a great Internet success story: two guys take a couple hundred bucks and build a multi-million dollar t-shirt empire by relying on crowdsourced designs and customer voting. And this year they launched Twitter Tees, giving us a reason to like them even more.

Source: cshimala on Flickr

12. Obama Pumpkin

The Barack Obama campaign’s groundbreaking use of social media and the web likely helped propel him to the White House last year, and his historic inauguration broke all sorts of records on the Internet. For those reasons, an Obama-themed pumpkin is also inherently a social media pumpkin.

(Via Mashable!.)