During a live press conference today, NASCAR announced that it is now the first professional sports league that Twitter has partnered directly with.

The partnership will allow Twitter to bring fans of the drivers closer to the action by promoting the #NASCAR hashtag, which will also be promoted on hashtags and at venues.

Twitter is also launching a new product on June 10th that will show a stream of NASCAR related content along with editorial commentary from the company itself. There will be a new algorithm driving this experience, which will mix live tweets from fans along with the editorial content, according to Twitter.

Here is Twitter’s lead on Sports and Entertainment, Omid Ashtari, making the announcement:

If you remember the Daytona 500 at all, you’ll remember the first photo taken from a NASCAR race track which was tweeted out to millions of people.

NASCAR has been playing around with Twitter promotions for some time, recently launching a campaign in which you could get your username onto a driver’s car.

Twitter says the new system will work with its editorial staff paying attention to a large list of NASCAR drivers and personalities, then pinning the great content to the top of the search result landing page that is mixed with fan-created usage of the hashtag #NASCAR.

Neither company spoke of any monetary agreement, saying they are looking to make the relationship tighter as the experience grows and they see how fans react.

This is a developing story, please refresh for more details.

According to a report by AdAge, location-based check-in service foursquare is starting to get serious about making money. It has hired former Apple iAd exec Steven Rosenblatt as Revenue Chief, the first such role the company has had in its history.

Foursquare has shown that its serious about getting more companies to join its platform by way of claiming their venues with a new simple verification process that will run them $10. The company recently announced that the new feature is available to companies worldwide.

By bringing in Rosenblatt, the company is getting someone who has spent a long career in the mobile space. Before joining Apple, he was a VP of advertising sales for Quattro Wireless. Apple purchased Quattro in 2010, and Rosenblatt went on to help lead the iAd division.

The iAd product was introduced as a highly interactive ad unit only offered to a top tier of advertising partners.

With all of the talk today surrounding Facebook’s IPO, the question of how companies can advertise on mobile platforms effectively continues to gain steam. This appears to be the perfect hire at the exact right moment for foursquare.

Rosenblatt had this to say about the opportunity that foursquare has in helping companies reach all new audiences:

I think what we’re most excited about is helping create new products and building new tools for our merchant partners to be able to reach new customers.

He has a lot of work ahead of him, as does the company, but it looks like the team is on the right track.

Foursquare lost its head of Business Development, Tristan Walker, at the beginning of the month, so today’s announcement will help lighten that blow.

If foursquare is going to make serious money, it must figure out a way to reach its users without forcing them to take a “check-in” action, which it attempted to do with its “Radar” feature. Radar would alert you when you were close to venues and share deals with you, but as is the case with most location-aware apps, it’s an absolute battery drain.

According to Digitimes, original equipment manufacturers are having a hard time meeting price targets for tablets that will run Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8 RT operating system, which is coded for touch input.

This is no small matter. TNW has written on topic a host of times, fretting publicly that Windows 8 devices may be too expensive, and thus price themselves out of contention for mass market consumer dollars.

However, Digitimes has some encouraging figures, and some that sting. From its report [Edited and condensed by TNW]:

“[The tablets], based on estimated general BOM costs of US$300-350 for 10-inch tablet PCs and US$150-200 for 7-inch models, are struggling to meet vendors’ price targets [...] because of the additional US$90-100 fee for Windows 8.”

Interestingly, if software costs were nil, a 7″ Windows 8 tablet could be price competitive with Amazon’s rock-bottom priced, and quite popular Kindle Fire device, which costs a mere $199. Still, that Microsoft fee is hefty. On regular computers, laptops and desktops alike, the cost of Windows is better obscured, as it is a smaller percentage of the total cost of the device. Here, instead, Windows appears set to be a rather hefty cut of the expense of building a device to run it.

Microsoft may have to lower the price of Windows 8 RT, something that it could do to that specific flavor of Windows 8 while keeping its other price points intact, if it wants to be competitive. As we have said repeatedly: it matters not if Windows 8 RT is the best thing since the original iPad, if the hardware that it runs on is not viable. If that is the case then the software is moot.

These OEMs are the conduit for Microsoft to reach consumers, and if those pipes clog, so too shall Windows 8 stall. Finally, it’s important to keep in mind the time frame that we are dealing with in regards to this sort of device, as NeoWin notes: “Windows RT tablets are not expected to be sold in large numbers at first when Windows 8 itself launches later in 2012; it is likely that most won’t be ready to be released until sometime in 2013.”

TNW has reached out to Microsoft for comment on this story. Update: Microsoft declined to comment on the topic.

Truthfully, I thought everyone knew about the ‘Lucky 7 Lounge’. It’s a secret room at Pixar that’s really not so secret now. But I took a quick poll of some friends and coworkers and drew a blank, so here goes.

It was a nook, really, created by the shape of the building around it and the needs of the air conditioning system when the company’s new headquarters were built. Animator Andrew Gordon discovered it while investigating a human-sized hatch in the back wall of his new office. After finding that the tunnel ended in a ‘lost space’, he decided to start decorating.

In this clip from the Toy Story 3 bonus features, shared by Scott Myers at The Blacklist, Gordon details the discovery and decoration of the room. He also goes into how it was found by Pixar Director Andrew Stanton and, eventually, CEO Steve Jobs, who thought it was super cool:

Later on, the room was modified to add a sliding bookshelf with a hidden button, for easier access to the lounge.

The Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson also touches on it, but calls it The Love Lounge. Apparently, Steve loved to bring people there:

The wackiest piece of serendipity was “The Love Lounge.” One of the animators found a small door on the back wall when he moved into his office. It opened to a low corridor that you could crawl through to a room clad in sheet metal that provided access to the air-conditioning valves. He and his colleagues commandeered the secret room, festooned it with Christmas lights and lava lamps, and furnished it with benches upholstered in animal prints, tasseled pillows, a fold-up cocktail table, liquor bottles, bar equipment, and napkins that read “The Love Lounge.”

A video camera installed in the corridor allowed occupants to monitor who might be approaching. Lasseter and Jobs brought important visitors there and had them sign the wall. The signatures include Michael Eisner, Roy Disney, Tim Allen, and Randy Newman. Jobs loved it, but since he wasn’t a drinker he sometimes referred to it as the Meditation Room. It reminded him, he said, of the one that he and Daniel Kottke had at Reed, but without the acid.

This is the room itself, with Gordon at center with the 2008 Oscar nominees for Animated Short:

Here’s the hatch originally leading into the room:

And here’s a shot of the ‘Lucky 7′ sign and the secret button, courtesy of Singaporean blogger Xiaxue:

And the panel that hides the room, from that same AWN tour:

So, there you go, the secret room at Pixar, now you know.

Check out this one, called Facebook Made More Money Than…, which is accumulating all of the things that Facebook made more money than today. You can even submit your own.

My personal favorite? 66 sets of Winklevoss twins.

Simply click the arrow on the timeline and enter your own answer and source link:

By the end of the day, it’ll be interesting to see how many submissions the site can get and how creative all of you can be. Go get in on the action!

➤ Facebook Made More Money Than…

Welcome to innovation Friday, in which I change up the structure of this weekly roundup, simply because if I write it the same way again I will certainly go insane.

However, even though the content will be shuffled around in a different format than usual, I will, as always, ask that you ensure that you are following TNW Microsoft on both Twitter, and Facebook. Now, to the news.

NUads

NUads are advertisements in which a person with a Kinect can interact with them. However, as you might expect, privacy is a concern. A Kinect is a fancy camera that can track you, so what sort of information might an advertiser be fed is a good question? Microsoft, after issuing conflicting notes on when NUads would be coming out, released a statement hitting on privacy. We love it, they said. Don’t worry, was their line.

Windows Phone in China

Windows Phone has picked up a fair 7% of the Chinese market. Android continues to dominate the market, but Microsoft has snagged a toehold. Apple’s iPhone has about 6% of the same market, but as it isn’t officially for sale in the country, beating it is hardly much of a feat.

How to get the new Bing

If you want to try out the new Bing, which we reviewed here, head to this URL and get started. Don’t forget, the middle column of the three column design is not yet live. Oh, and if you are not in the US, change your country in your account to the United States.

Bing’s API now live

Speaking of things being live, or not, Bing’s paid search API is now up for use on the Windows Azure Marketplace. You can use up to 5,000 queries a month for free, but after that, you have to pay. Plans start at $20 a month, and go up from there. Microsoft put together tiers that contain up to 2.5 million searches a month.

 Lumia 900 headed to China

The Nokia Lumia 900 has passed the regulators in China, and looks set for a June release. This could boost that 7% figure sharply, if the phone finds an audience of fans.

The Omnia M is real, real cheap

Continuing the never-ending march of cheap Windows Phone hardware, the Omnia M came out of the shadows this week, tipping the dollar scale at a mere €294.99. Obviously, at that price point, it will compete with Nokia’s Lumia 610. Our take:

Microsoft made a bet with its mobile operating system: make it light. This means that the code that Windows Phone runs on doesn’t require the latest, and most expensive, hardware. Thus, cheap phones that provide a strong user experience can be sold, with no compromise.

Microsoft says no to Indian OEMs

And finally, Microsoft has decided against using any local original equipment manufactures in India, noting its need to provide an ‘Apple like experience.’

Let us know if you like the new format in the comments. Now, go make a proper Sidecar and enjoy the weekend.

เพียงแต่กรณีของ Facebook จะต่างไปจากปกติที่ผู้ก่อตั้งหรือซีอีโอต้องเดินทางไปเคาะระฆังที่ห้องค้าหุ้นของ NASDAQ อยู่บ้าง เพราะวิศวกรของ Facebook ทำระบบเชื่อมต่อทางไกล ให้ Mark Zuckerberg สามารถกดปุ่มหน้าสำนักงานใหญ่ของ Facebook ในเมือง Menlo Park ใกล้ San Francisco ข้ามทวีปอเมริกาไปยังห้องค้าหุ้นของ NASDAQ ในนิวยอร์กได้ (เบื้องหลังการออกแบบระบบอ่านได้จาก TechCrunch)

นอกจากนี้ ระบบกดปุ่มของ Facebook ยังโพสต์สถานะบน Timeline ของ Zuckerberg ว่าเขานำบริษัทเข้าตลาดหุ้น (listed company) เรียบร้อยแล้ว ถือเป็นการโฆษณาระบบ Timeline ไปในตัว

ที่มา – Business Insider, TechCrunch

ที่น่าประทับใจคือ Eduardo Saverin ผู้ร่วมก่อตั้ง Facebook อีกคนหนึ่งที่มีปัญหากันในภายหลัง ก็ออกมาโพสต์ข้อความบน Facebook ว่าในฐานะผู้ร่วมสร้างเว็บนี้มาตั้งแต่ต้น เขาดีใจกับทุกคนที่มีส่วนร่วมกับโครงการนี้ และยินดีกับ Zuckerberg เป็นพิเศษสำหรับงานเชื่อมผู้คนในโลกให้ใกล้กันมากขึ้น

On the eve of the Facebook public float, 8 plus year in the making, I as co-founder wanted to look back and cherish Facebook’s early beginning. Congrats to everyone involved in the project from day one till today, and I especially wanted to congratulate Mark Zukerberg on keeping tremendous stead-fast focus, however hard that was, on making the world a more open and connected place.

ที่มา – Eduardo Saverin, LA Times

แต่การขายหุ้น IPO ของ Facebook ก็ไม่ได้ราบรื่นไปทั้งหมด เพราะกำหนดการขายหุ้นเวลา 11:00 น (ตรงกับ 22:00 ของบ้านเรา) มีปัญหากับระบบเนื่องจากมีคำขอซื้อหุ้นมากเกินไป จนต้องเลื่อนมาอีกครึ่งชั่วโมงในที่สุด ราคาเปิดตลาด 42.05 ดอลลาร์ ใครสนใจติดตามก็ดูข้อมูลเรียลไทม์ได้จากเว็บหุ้นต่างๆ ครับ

ที่มา – @BloombergNews

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MXPhone ยังให้ข้อมูลว่า Galaxy S III จะแบ่งเป็น 2 รุ่นย่อยตามคลื่น 3G ในบ้านเรา คือ 900MHz (GT-I9300) และ 850MHz (GT-I9300T) ส่วนเรื่องสีก็มีครบทั้ง 2 สีตามต้นฉบับคือขาวและน้ำเงิน

ราคาอยู่ที่ “ประมาณ” 23,000 บาท นอกจากนี้ยังมีโปรโมชันเสริมของโอเปอเรเตอร์ใหญ่ทั้ง 3 รายอีกด้วย

ที่มา – MXPhone

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ผู้ประกาศแผนนี้จะเป็น Meg Whitman ซีอีโอคนปัจจุบัน เหตุผลที่ปรับโครงสร้างองค์กรคือต้องการเงินไปลงทุนกับนวัตกรรมใหม่ๆ ในระยะยาว ซึ่ง HP ในยุคของซีอีโอ Mark Hurd มีผลประกอบการทางตัวเลขดีจริง แต่งบวิจัยและสร้างนวัตกรรมถูกตัดออกไปจนบริษัทมีปัญหาในระยะยาว

HP ช่วงหลังมีปัญหาเยอะทั้งการเมืองภายนอก-ภายใน รวมถึงยุทธศาสตร์ธุรกิจที่เริ่มมีปัญหาเพราะสภาพแวดล้อมของธุรกิจเปลี่ยนไป (ผู้สนใจเรื่องนี้ควรอ่านบทความ How Hewlett-Packard lost its way ดีมากแต่ยาวมาก)

ที่มา – AllThingsD

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