Watch Google’s I/O Keynote LIVE on TechDrink. Starts 9am PDT / 4pm GMT, 15th May 2013.

Thank you for reading Google I/O Keynote Speech – LIVE, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Verizon Cloud will be launched on various carriers in the coming weeks. To use it, you’ll download an app onto your Android device, which creates a folder on the device. When you place files into this folder, they are uploaded into the matching folder in the cloud. Once in the cloud, any device which is connected to your account will have access to those files. According to PCMag.com, there will be some ability to share files between Android and iOS devices, and a iOS version will be available soon after this release of the Android version.

Customers will receive 500MB of storage for free with options to purchase 25GB, 75GB and 125GB. Dropbox, another popular cloud storage service, charges $9.99 per month for 100GB, while Verizon charges that for 125GB.

Why is a mobile service provider in the cloud business? According to Verizon’s David Samberg, a public relations manager, smartphone users’ content is more valuable to them than the actual device. If you were ever reluctant to purchase a new phone because of all of the information you have on it to transfer, along comes cloud backup to the rescue.

It’s Heating Up in the Cloud

There are as many cloud storage providers as there are clouds in the skies over Kansas during tornado season. While this makes it hard to choose a provider for your own use, it also means ample competition between service providers to deliver unique features and lower  pricing. Services like CloudStorageFinder.com can help you sort through your choices.

We are starting to see features that increase the security and utility of cloud storage. The nice thing is that many are built in or available through low-cost apps. With all of these cloud services out there, what’s new and different?

A Shortcut to File Saving

Here is a typical scenario. You receive an email with an attachment. You look at the attachment. Save it to a folder. Copy it to your cloud storage. PCMag.com profiles a new free service called Send to Dropbox which allows you to email content for storage in your Dropbox files. Just forward the email attachment to Dropbox and you’re done.

Lost and Found

If you use several different cloud services, it can be easy to misplace a file. “Did I save that resume on Google Drive or Microsoft Skydrive?” Otixo is a service that links up with the major cloud services to give you a single place from which to manage files. With this service you can copy, search and share files.

Save for a Rainy Day

This is for the user who has 150 websites bookmarked to read “when you have time.” Two services, Instapaper and Pocket let you clip web pages you want to read and save them to the cloud. They’ll be there when you have time to read them.

Back Me Up, Scotty!

Why back up one file at a time when you can have it all? If you have a WordPress site, back it all up to your Dropbox cloud with the WordPress Backup to Dropbox plug-in.

Look for even more exciting advances to come this year. In the meantime, go read some of those old websites you’ve bookmarked.

Thank you for reading Verizon Launches New Cloud Storage Service for Android Devices, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Even if you’re not a junkie, your smart phone can help you to stay in-the-know so that you can be a part of the conversation around the water cooler. Here are the top 5 apps for helping you to keep up with pop culture:

People Celebrity News Tracker

iTunes Link

You don’t have to subscribe to the magazine to get your celebrity news fix. You can pay $1.99 for this app and get breaking news about all the hottest celebrities. There’s even a “Top 5″ feature to help you know what’s most important right now.

Entertainment Tonight

iTunes Link

If you don’t want to spring for the $1.99, you can opt for this free app from another leading authority on celebrity news: Entertainment Tonight. Get the latest news, first looks at new movies and TV shows, celebrity interviews, and much more with this comprehensive app.

IMDB Buzz

iTunes Link

The leading television and movie database offers this free app to give you up-to-the-minute entertainment  news compiled from hundreds of sources around the web. You can also click on links for the people and titles mentioned in the stories to get more information about their work or the project in question. You can even customize the app to follow your favorite celebrities or to rank your news feed to prioritize what you get.

Billboard.com Charts

iTunes Link

Find out what’s hot in music right now with the authority on the subject. You can learn about new artists, or find out when your favorites have new music to share. The app is free, but the subscription service costs $1.99 a year.

Netflix

iTunes Link

With this handy app, you can watch new movies and TV shows right on your smart phone. In fact, some shows are now being released exclusively through Netflix. That means that if you want to see the long-anticipated return of Arrested Development, you’ll have to sign up for the service. The app is free, but you have to subscribe to Netflix. Plans vary, but you can get a subscription starting at $7.99 a month.

What other apps do you use to keep up with all the latest in pop culture? Share your favorites in the comments!

The Author

Kelly Opferman is a seasoned writer who at this time focuses on her site, autoloancalculator.org. Her educational background includes finance, teaching, and economics.

Thank you for reading Top 5 Apps for Keeping Up with Pop Culture, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Ashton Kutcher

Ashton Kutcher is in many ways a well-known and well-respected venture capitalist in the tech industry, and has somewhat of a midas touch when it comes to his technology investments. Kutcher is most famous for investing in VoIP service Skype, who as an early investor must have made a killing when the service was sold to Microsoft for $8.5 billion. Yet Skype is just one of Kutcher’s main tech investments: he has also placed his money in successful forays such as location checking-in app FourSquare and social magazine Flipboard. Kutcher is a techie at heart, and has a well-known social media presence that shows he has a good understanding of the business.

Justin Timberlake

Justin must have been taking notes when he played Napster founder Sean Parker in The Social Network, because in recent years he himself has shown a big interest in investing in tech firms. He has played a lead role in reinvigorating ailing social network Myspace, using his power as a major investor in the company to direct ‘new Myspace’ to continued success overseas. He also invested in photo-sharing start-up Stipple, which allows people to label pictures online.

Lady Gaga

Mother Monster has spoken frequently and at length about her belief in the importance of social networking, and it is good to see that Gaga put her money where her mouth is and invested in former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s new social media startup Backplane, a platform for allowing celebrities and their fans to converse easily. LittleMonsters.com has been a successful venture for Backplane, and while the business slowly develops it has had much success with gaining further venture capital—indicating that industry movers and shakers have belief in its bright future.

Kim Kardashian

Kim is from a business-orientated family, so it is no wonder that she decided to dip her feet in the successful online technology pool. Her most notable investment so far has been the online shop store Shoedazzle, which she helped found in 2009. Not only has Shoedazzle expanded significantly since its inception, but also it has managed to wrangle in a whole new series of funding for further expansion.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio may be a Hollywood leader, but with his tech investments he has been somewhat of a follower. Alongside celebrities like actor Toby Maguire and cyclist Lance Armstrong, Leo has been a major investor in media sharing platform Mobli. Leo also has a role in advising the company, perhaps giving him a chance to flex his business muscles.

This is a guest post by Sam, who is a freelance writer and an avid blogger. She loves writing about everyday interests and a huge fan of technology. Right now she is writing articles in association with CLEARwire internet.

Thank you for reading Top 5 Celebrity Tech Investors, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

An empty Apple Store. Is this the future for Apple?

Since Apple’s share price peaked in September 2012 the company has lost 40% of its value. 40 PERCENT. For most (all?) other companies that would be catastrophic. It’s not exactly great for Apple. When the share price dropped below $400 a share yesterday – the first time since October 2011 – it must have set alarm bells ringing in the office of CEO Tim Cook.

The reason for this fall? A profit warning from Cirrus Logic, the company that makes audio chips for the iPhone and iPad. The company that gets around 90% of its business from Apple. Yeah, a profit warning from them can only really mean a drop in demand for its iPhone / iPad chips from the tech giant, which  in turn can only mean a drop in demand for the iPhone / iPad itself.

This is not surprising to TechDrink. The range has stagnated since the iPhone 4 and the new iPad. The iPad Mini is actually quite an attractive product but it’s not groundbreaking and if you already had an iPad, you certainly weren’t about to buy a Mini. Some would argue if you had the iPad 2 then you weren’t going to get a new iPad. The leap forward in technology between iterations of both products has become more of a shuffle.

In the face of increasing competition in both the smartphone and tablet markets, Apple isn’t doing enough to persuade newcomers to the brand. Everyone knows that the iPhone and iPad are superior products in terms of build quality, looks and usability but a decreasing number are convinced that justifies the significantly higher price.

There are a lot of smartphones hitting the market at extremely low cost that “will do”. In some cases, they’re challenging Apple on the looks front too – the Nokia Lumia is a great looking phone for example. On the tablet front, the iPad stands alone in terms of looks, but the gap in usability is rapidly diminishing between it and the plethora of Android versions out there. Even the Kindle Fire HD looks like a preferable purchase against it. Apple will no doubt be secretly pleased that the Surface looks terrible and is priced badly.

In short, Apple is losing the race in both markets and it needs to do something to justify their high price point and stop people choosing the cheaper, adequate option. But more than that, they need to reestablish the air of superiority and mystery they once had. It’s been eroded by product leaks, negative stock market reactions and, yes, the loss of Steve Jobs.

Apple are very much in danger of going from the company to a company and when you sell top of the range products that’s not going to cut it. The cheaper option will always be preferred because there’s no prestige in owning something from a company.

The next iPhone and / or the next iPad need to represent a massive leap forward in technology while retaining superior looks and usability. Or Apple need to break ground in an entirely new market and revolutionise that. Oh, and it won’t be TV. Or watches. Or wearable computers. If I knew what it was I’d be doing it and you’d be reading the thoughts of the latest billionaire start up founder…

In the meantime, Apple is just going to have to accept the fact that selling less for more is no longer working.

Thank you for reading Apple Shares Dip Below $400 – What’s Going On?, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Smartphones have revolutionized business. Yet many small business owners aren’t utilizing many of the tools. In some ways, smartphones are a little like laptops. They have the capacity to do way more than what the average small business owner is currently using. So whether, you’re a road warrior traveling through a variety of time zones, a builder working on site, a retailer in a strip mall, or a home-based business, here are 10 tips to make sure you’re maximizing the capacity of your smartphone device.

Stay Current on Credit Card Charges

Keep current with your statements and monthly charges on your business credit cards from American Express. Transfer funds from your main account to clear your balances or set up monthly programmed payments.

Saving Texts

You have the capacity to send and save text messages. You can re-send texts with addresses or meeting confirmations.

Payments on the Spot

Tradesman and retailers never had it so enjoyable — you can take payment on the spot. Sell an outfit, finish a renovation or want to take progress payments on your renovation, you can. You have the facility to transfer funds on the spot and accept credit payments with the touch of a button and the swipe of a credit card via smartphone.

GPS Advantages

Are you one of those people who seem to get lost all the time while they’re driving or looking for restaurants or shops. Great news, with a smartphone you’ll never again get lost. Using the GPS tracker, you can be guided by voice activation to your desired location.

Skype Updates

Tradesman can update progress of their clients by using daily or weekly on-site Skype calls, to show real-time progress.

Instant Uploads to YouTube

Surf reports, sporting events or memorable family moments can be recorded on video and uploaded to YouTube in no time. It is crucial for a small business to introduce instant upload to clients with a few thoughts on how we remember the things that matter. Now is the time to check out some ways of rethinking real-life sharing options.

Synchronization

Tracking your team’s schedules and availability with synchronized diaries and calendars are available with a few key strokes. Microsoft allows you easily to synchronize data, so you can use Outlook as a central point for contacts and calendars.

Receipt Tracking

If you’re continually being harassed by your bookkeeper for not keeping receipts, help is a click away! Take a photo of your receipts. There are different types of apps that can keep you organized. The most basic will file your snapped receipts away into preset categories and tags so you can find them again later, although you’ll still have manually to enter the details of each receipt into your expense reports. Piikki ($1.99 for iOS) is one such app that includes extras features that enhance the captured image.

In addition to receipt tracking: Another “personal database,” Evernote lets you organize your life and your business. Like entering information into the Evernote database any which way — by snapping a photo, taking a screenshot, or inputting text. Evernote will then process and index the information, and make it exceedingly helpful.

Author Bio: A financial wizard, Monica knows all sorts of secrets and tips to help you organize your financial affairs.

Thank you for reading 8 Tips for Running Your Small Business From Your Smartphone, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

1) The controller won’t change much

If they’ve got any sense at all, Microsoft will be well aware that the 360 controller is regarded as the best controller of all time by many gamers. PC gamers even choose it as their default controller and have started picking it for games over a mouse and keyboard (save for shooters, admittedly). While touch integration may be making an appearance on the Dualshock 4 controller, it still won’t be a match to the touchscreen responsiveness of today’s smartphones like iPhone 5, so if they’ve got any sense they’ll stick to the Surface-360 controller combination.

2) Windows 8 will define the 720′s Dashboard

You can see it even now on the 360 – Microsoft really are committed to their mosaic-inspired design for Windows 8, and it’ll no doubt make an appearance on the next Xbox. Despite the overwhelmingly negative feedback from users, it’s still a force to be reckoned with and while it might send you running, you might be best getting on with things if you want Microsoft’s next-gen tech. Or you might totally dig the tiled look on your next Xbox. However, if anything, we know for sure that some communities will always (always) find ways to circumvent this.

3) Xbox Live Gold will still be mandatory for an online experience

Xbox Live Gold is Microsoft’s gaming cash cow – it can’t be pirated, and it holds hostage features as basic as online multiplayer, access to video apps, and sending and receiving messages. If this ever disappeared Microsoft would change its image, but it won’t. What they can do instead is turn it into Playstation Plus – make everything free for Xbox Live Silver members, but offer discounts, beta access and free games to Gold members. That way, no one suffers, but those who subscribe benefit.

4) Kinect will never, ever go away

Kinect! The Xbox’s hands-free sensor bar that allows for motion control. While hackers have crafting some amazing uses for it, its primary objective – to be used by gamers – is falling short of the mark at times. It’s inaccurate, it’s extremely expensive for a gaming peripheral, and the games that use it just aren’t very good (save for Fruit Ninja, of course). Admittedly, it did kick the Wii’s motion control technology in the butt, and it will probably stick around, just like the “tile” look of Windows 8. Also, developers would definitely want to know if Kinect will be supported by default. If the rumours are true, Kinect will make games for the next Xbox more unique (and harder to port on other consoles). Let’s just hope, against all odds, that it comes with the console as standard this time and doesn’t jack up the cost.

5) The console will cost a ton

This is Microsoft we’re talking about – who still charge for their Office suite and who thought a 250GB hard drive should cost a hundred dollars, years after that price point was still considered acceptable. You might be looking at four hundred dollars for a basic model, at best. Early adopters would not mind and it probably wont be as horrifying to most hard-core games, the price of consoles is really getting out of control, and Microsoft could usurp the PS4 before things even get fully underway post-launch by pricing it a hundred dollars lower, soaking up the loss and getting it back through peripherals, Gold subscriptions and their publisher/platform-owner income. Sony lose money frequently – Microsoft have the potential to crush the competition and should, to the benefit of the consumer.

Of course, we can never know for sure until Microsoft launches the next Xbox. Will they go the Sony way and deny us a box to look at? Will this be the real Playstation Killer? Time will soon tell.

David Thompson is a fresh and upcoming technology and entertainment blogger who enjoys the challenges of creativity and attention to detail. His specific areas of interest include film, gaming and the mobile industry.

Thank you for reading Five Uncomfortable Realities We Might See in the Xbox 720, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Both geek.com and Gizmodo are reporting that Google are looking to unify messaging right across their properties with a new, built from the ground up system – which can only be good news for serial users of Google Chat, Google+, Google Drive and, of course, Android users.

As it stands, as Gizmodo point out, the messaging option across Google are “a bit of a mess”. Google Chat is a very nice, lightweight messaging system, but you’ve also got Hangouts, G+ messenger and Drive chat. Should Google combine all these, keeping the best features of each of course, into one single system that works on mobile and desktop within whatever property you’re using it would be phenomenal.

According to Geek, that’s exactly what Google Babble, as it is apparently known, is going to do – as well as the cloud, iOS and BlackBerry too. While there’s no launch date in sight it is rumoured that Babble will at least be unveiled in part at this year’s Google I/O event.

As a regular user of Gmail, Gchat, G+, Google Calendar and Google Drive this can’t come soon enough. I’m also quite fond of the name…

Thank you for reading Google To Unify Messaging with Google Babble?, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

The Android market is filled with applications. More and more people are leaning on this technology for all aspects of life including communication, education, and entertainment. Here is a list of the top 5 downloaded Android Applications.

1. Facebook: Facebook has taken the world by storm and tops the list of the most downloaded Android apps. It is one of the most common forms of modern communication between friends and family. It is a way to share thoughts and pictures of important events and memorable times. It has over one billion active users and is one of the easiest apps to manage.

2. Angry Birds: This app is a huge franchise of games developed by Rovio Entertainment. It involves a series of levels where birds are used to kill pigs. Millions of copies of this game have been bought through the Android market. There are numerous versions including space, seasons, and a tie to the popular world of Star Wars. It is a game that does not require skill and is a fun way to pass spare time.

3. YouTube: This app is a video sharing site that allows people to upload and watch videos. Many people use this media as a way to view old television shows, music videos, or original videos. It is one source to find all typed of content from educational information to fun and silly nonsense. It was one of the first places to contain “viral videos”.

4. Skype: Skype is a communication app that involves the use of a webcam and instant messaging. It is a great way for friends and family to communicate over great distances. It has also been popular at work as a way to video conference. The best part is that it is free to millions of people across the globe.

5. Twitter: Another popular social media networking app is Twitter. It allows a person to send or receive text messages under 140 characters. It is a way to follow famous people as well as friends. Unlike Facebook, it is a way to follow people who have common interests without actually knowing them.

The above apps are 5 of the most popular additions to the Android Market. They are enjoyed by millions of people. They have paved the way for other future apps as well.

Author Bio: Lucy loves travelling and is interested in writing articles for travelling, gadget and financial blogs. She is currently researching on missold ppi.

Thank you for reading Top 5 Most Downloaded Android Apps, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Thank you for reading That Google Glass Video Everyone Is Raving About, originally published on TechDrink. Ben Greenwood is the founder and editor of TechDrink. You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. You can also follow TechDrink on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.