iPhone: What is airplane mode

There is a lot of debate online on the question of switching off cellphones once your airplane is ready for take off and landing. Can devices actually interfere with navigation systems etc. It is in this context that we decided to cover Airplane mode on your iPhone and how it works. What actually happens when you switch on airplane mode and is it safe.


To start off it is safe to say that once airplane mode on your iPhone has been enabled all wireless features are disabled. All non wireless features however are still available, which means you can still listen to music, watch movies and compose documents. 


What features can you use when Airplane mode is switched on
1. You can listen to music
2. Watch Movies
3. Check your calendar
4. Take or view pictures
5. Use your alarm
6. Use your stopwatch
7. Use calendar
8. Take notes
9. Read text-messages or email stored on your phone


What features are unavailable when airplane mode if turned on
1. All wireless features of your phone are turned off
2. Cellular both voice and data are unavailable
3. Wi-Fi
4. Bluetooth
5. GPS
6. Location Service


How to  turn airplane mode on
Tap settings to turn on airplane mode. Once it is turned on an airplane icon will appear in your status bar. 

Usually above 10,000 you are allowed to turn-on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. If the airline you are travelling on so allows it you can then turn on these two services when in airplane mode.


How to turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your iPhone when in airplane mode.

To turn Wi-Fi on while airplane mode is on, tap Settings > Wi-Fi, turn Wi-Fi on and choose your Wi-Fi network.
To turn Bluetooth on while airplane mode is on, tap Settings > General > Bluetooth, and turn Bluetooth on.



This feature is very good when you are travelling by air but to avoid confusion it is best to check with the aircraft staff if you can keep you phone on as this feature is still not fully understood and may be a cause for confusion.


Sources: Apple Help and Apple Support. 

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Sociolatte

Video: Samsung "Next Big Thing" Galaxy S II Commercial

Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung has a Galaxy S2 commercial out and with it they have gone straight after the competition - Apple. The Korean mobile phone maker has started an ad campaign by taking on the iPhone. If you watch the commercial you will notice that they try to keep the conversation real-world and stick to what debates are actually happening  with SmartPhone lovers. One line in the ad goes 'I can never get a Samsung'. Good job with the ad and for sure it has spurred on the SmartPhone debate. Taking on the Apple Fanboy culture with the commercial seems like quiet a long shot, for starters the Apple Queue was not long enough and apparently the look and brightness of the phone has been tweaked. The ad points out 4G and a better battery life. Highlighting the current battery problem with the iPhone 4S. There is however no mention of Siri. Take a look at the Ad and do leave a comment. 

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Sociolatte

LunchMeet will arrange for you to have lunch with your LinkedIn contacts

The makes of this app say that it has been inspired by the best-selling book 'Never eat alone'. There is a truth to this whole thing especially if you are serious about networking with your LinkedIn contacts. This app will come in handy for recruiters, people getting started in their careers and entrepreneurs. The built using the LinkedIn API promises to be able to set up meaningful face-to-face conversations with contacts who could prove useful to you. It's one thing to meet and network on LinkedIn and quiet another to take those contacts to the next level with a face to face meeting.

How does LunchMeet work. 
The way this App works is that you sign-in with your current location, let the App know where you will be available and when and let it search among your contacts for people who would also be available at that time. You can then invite people for lunch/drinks and build your networking contacts.

The App is free to download from iTunes and can be used on your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Read more here. 

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Sociolatte

Hotspot Shield VPN secures your iPhone's or iPad's internet connection

VPN stands for virtual private network and this is what you need to make sure your internet connection does not get compromised on your iPhone, iPod or iPad. Creating one can be difficult and that's why there are third-party apps that would do just that for you. Hotspot Shield VPN from AnchorFree is one such App that once downloaded on your i OS device will let you browse the net securely. 

This is especially true when you are using public Wi-Fi accounts, your Facebook or Twitter accounts could get compromised. The App however will ensure that all your data is encrypted and passed on securely. You can download and use the App for free but there are in-app purchases which will cost you about $1/month. You can however download and use the App free for seven days before you shell out any money.

So give it a try especially if you use Wi-Fi hotspots a lot and you access your iOS device when travelling. 

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Sociolatte

Facebook for iPad App

It's finally here the Facebook for iPad App. The app itself is stunning using the screen space available to deliver bigger and clearer photos. With Facebook for iPad you can navigate faster with the tap pinch or slide options. Mover around and see who is nearby using the map that is available. Regarding what's new with the App Facebook Says You can chat with friends right from your iPad, for example, or play games and use apps in full-screen mode. You can also watch high-res videos inline, record HD video and stream to Airplay devices.

This new mobile platform launched by Facebook is still so new and users have found a few bugs. Will need to give it sometime before things can be sorted out. You can also play all your favorite games on the App. Farmville and CityVille popular games from Zynga can be played on the App. The Facebook App is  Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later. If you are upgrading your iOS and the App does not function correctly you will need to delete the old App and reinstall you new App. This is for those users who will use the App on this iPhone. Visit the App store now to get the new Facebook App for the iPad or iPhone. 

Source: Facebook Blog

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Sociolatte

iMessage launching on Wednesday

iMessage will be out this week on Wednesday. We have already written about what iMessage is and how it works. Well just to recap iMessage is the messaging system that comes along with iOS 5. iPhone users can now send unlimited texts and messages to each other at no extra cost. Works on the lines of BlackBerry's BBM service. With the launch of iMessage, Service providers now have a cause for concern as people signup for texting plans but with iMessage you don't need a texting plan especially if most of you friends use iPhones. iPad and iPod users can also use the service if they upgrade their operating systems to the latest iOS 5. Once upgraded users can then send an unlimited number of texts and messages from their devices. 

This is a killer for Verizon which makes $7 billion a year from texting fees. So the waiting is over for iPhone users who have been waiting for this update and can now enjoy unlimited texting for free. 12 Oct, 2011 is the date and make sure your device has been upgraded to iOS 5 to avail the service. 

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Sociolatte

Siri: How does it work

 

With the announcement of the iPhone 4S comes the news that Siri is coming with it. She will be your virtual personal assistant and help with a whole lot of tasks on your new phone, Siri is a part of iOS 5 and is capable of making you life a lot easier. For instance you get a message or text on your phone it will be read out to you be Siri and you can reply to that message or text with your normal voice. You do not need to touch your phone at all. It is all done automatically and you keep on doing your work and Siri will keep working in the background.

You can ask Siri to set your timer, tell you about the weather, remind you of all your appointments, and ask questions like which route to take and what the traffic situation is like. Siri will also speak to you in an intelligent way and has the ability to ask for clarifications. 

How does Siri work

Works just like a personal assistant, albeit a very wise one. Speak the the assistant in your normal voice and give it all your commands and everything gets done. Will also bring down accidents that happens while texting and driving. Just speak to Siri and ask for nice places for dinner around here. You will get a reply and choose a nice place. You do not need to hold it close and keep using your fingers as it is a voice based assistant that will go on the net and do your research for you. will reply to you in a female voice and keep you updated. Please see video below for more information. 

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Sociolatte

iPhone 4S

iPhone 4s - Features and Highlights. 

After the expected announcement of the iPhone 5, Apple came out with something else the iPhone 4S. Some of the major highlights of the new phone are actually quiet amazing and Apple has held on to its market share. There is an all new 8 mp camera and iOS5 and iCloud. With the launch of the iPhone 4S there has been the new addition Siri.

What is Siri

Siri is you intelligent assistant residing inside your phone to help you. Some of the features of Siri include allowing you to send messages using your voice. You can also ask Siri to do things like schedule meetings and place a phone call. Siri is intelligent enough to talk back to you and works like your own personal assistant on the iPhone 4s

Duel-core A5 Chip

Perfect for gamers and people who require a lot of graphics. The two cores of the chip deliver twice the power and up to seven times faster graphics. Apple also says that the chip is very power-efficient. We will know how powerful it really is after it is tested in real-life.

8MP Camera

The camera is said to make the best use of light and not rely on Megapixels only. So when you are shooting the camera makes use of whatever light is available to give you great looking picturs to show-off with on your phone or HDTV. Apple says that while shooting with the new camera the way it uses light ensure that darks are not too dark and lights are not too light. You can also edit photos on the phone, crop,  rotate, remove red-eye etc. Tap HDR and the camera takes three shots each with a different exposure level and then layers it together. With photo stream in iCloud, you photos are sent to all your devices.

iOS 5

The new operating system for the iPhone 4s, some of the highlights of iOS 5 will be its notification center to see all your notifications in one place. iMessage the place to send texts to all your iPhone buddies and does not cost you anything. Newsstand a shelf in your phone to store all your magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Reminders to let you know what you were supposed to do. Twitter is also integrated right into iOS 5. Web browser Safari - with the promise to deliver only content sans ads and clutter. It is also PC-free so you do not need a PC to activate it. AirPlay mirroring - play whatever is on your phone wirelessly on HDTV via Apple TV.  

Pics and Videos below

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Sociolatte

Pico Dolly perfect for iPhone film makers

Filmmakers today you can find them everywhere. There's good reason for that with all the HD cameras and tools available these days to produce and edit, everyone can try their hand at it. with social media and sites like YouTube, it does not take a nice video too long to become famous. What video is complete without some effects and nice natural zooming and focusing. with the pico dolly it is really easy to mount your camera or phone for those great angle shots. The Pico Dolly is a small board on skate wheels which can be mounted with three arms. It is small and neat and easy to move around. The wheels can be adjusted to form a circle or a straight line. The video below explains how it works. The whole thing will cost you #65 if you pre-order and shipping starts in two weeks time.



Source: Tech Crunch

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Sociolatte

Dolphin Browser for Android and iPhone

Dolphin Browser up until now was a third-party mobile browser for Android devices both phones and tablets. Dolphin Browser now comes to the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Presented by Mobotap this browser has been very popular amount Android based devices. The browser for the iPhone has been built on i OS unlike the browser used for Android devices. So here are the features found in the browser and some of them really set them apart from other browsers.


Dolphin Browser: How does it work and features


1. Webzine - clearly displays web-pages as a series of thumbnail images
2. Gesture - a fun feature to navigate the web. You can move up or down by drawing arrows.
3. Add-ons - over 50 available and include a translator
4. Multi-Touch-Zoom - allows you to pinch the screen and expand or reduce text size. You can also double tap to zoom in and out
5. Tabbed Browsing - Lets you have a desktop experience while browsing. Open as many tabs as you want.
6. SideBar - you can quickly swipe to the tool bar on the right to quickly launch additional features
7. Speed Dial - puts your favorite sites on speed dial
8. Smart Address Bar - auto-completes URLs as you type
9. Bookmark Folder - organize your bookmarks into folders
10. User Agent - Allows you to view full sites on your mobile and switch between Andriod, iPhone and Desktop view
11. Bookmark Import - import bookmarks from your default browser


Find on the Android market
iTunes link
On the web

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Sociolatte

A cheaper iPhone 4 is on its way to help boost sales in emerging markets

Hi Phone 5 the fake iPhone already available in China for $31 on Taobao

Apple does not want to miss the big opportunities being provided by emerging markets especially the Asian markets. The only thing that deters Apple is the price of it's iPhone, something that is not right for lower and middle end consumers. People are willing to invest in phones but usually go for the mid-range and lower ranges in these markets. Which are controlled and ruled by companies like Nokia. Apple will now want to even enter these segments of the market being that they represent huge volumes to say the least.


Reuters reports that a new iPhone 4 is on it's way and with Asian manufactures already into production of a lower-priced version of the iPhone 4. Which will have a smaller 8 gigabyte flash drive. The new iPhone, which some call the iPhone 4S because of its largely identical appearance to the existing iPhone 4, will have a bigger touch screen, better antenna and an 8-megapixel camera


Meanwhile the iPhone 5's two manufacturers have been told to increase production capacity to 45 million units. 


The lower cost of the iPhone 4 will allow Apple to also compete against Android devices that are very popular in the mid and lower segments of the mobile phone market. 

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Sociolatte

Facebook Mobile Messenger App available now

The new Facebook App dedicated to messaging is available from today for both the iPhone and Android. This standalone App is not a part of the Facebook App but comes separate and is dedicated solely to messaging. The new Facebook Messenger for Mobile delivers your messages instantly and there is no need for a refresh. All communication on the App happens in real-time. The App allows from group conversations a feature that many companies have been trying to cash in on. With group messaging everyone who is  part of that group can carry on conversations in real time. Texting is taking on a new meaning all together with group texting. The technology that is used in the App is from Beluga the group messaging app company that Facebook acquired for the same purpose

If you do not have a smartphone you can still reply to messages by confirming your mobile number. 

How does Facebook Messenger work

Messages are delivered through texts and notifications

You can message all your friends whether they are on Facebook or a part of your phone contacts by typing the persons name

The Messenger App is an extension of Facebook messages and so all your texts, chats, emails and messages are stored in one place. So you can still see the full history of all your conversations whether you're on the wed or mobile device.

It is quick, fun and easy to start a group conversation and message everyone at once. 

You can also choose to add your location or turn off the feature. 

The App has a message alert system and you can choose to have them delivered at a specific time or choose to turn it off completely. 

You can also send photos using the App

To download for iPhone or Android you will need to search for the App as 'Facebook Messenger' and hit download in your phone's App store. 

If you want a link texted to your phone you can click here. 

Source: Facebook Blog. 

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Sociolatte

Google+ iPhone App

The good news for all those waiting for the Google+ iPhone App, it is now available for you to download for free. There are a lot of people who have already downloaded and have also begun testing the App. There have been App updates from Google+ engineers being shared on Google+. 


The latest update on the App is this... Posted by Punit Soni on Google+. Punit Soni is the Lead Product Manager, Google+ Mobile

We discovered an issue with the version of the iPhone Google+ App that was on the App Store. When we launched, the App Store started serving a previous test version of the App which didn't have the stability and fixes that the latest version had. It started serving the correct version a little later. If you downloaded within the first 1 hour 40 mins, you may have downloaded the older test version.

To check:
- Click on the gear icon on the top left of your App's homescreen and look right above the Help button, the version number of the App should be: 1.0.1.1809

- If that is not the version number, then please uninstall and reinstall by clicking on the link below:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google/id447119634?ls=1&mt=8

Google+ for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 on the iTunes App Store

Requirements for the App to run : Compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

What's New in Version 1.0.1.1809

- Better support for blocking unwanted messages in Huddle

- Better support for attaching photos to a post

- Various bug fixes and performance improvements

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Sociolatte

Photovine: Google's new iPhone photo sharing App

Google continues it's foray into the social space and have just launched a new App called Photovine. With Photovine users can take photos and share them instantly kind of like Instagram but with one difference. Uses can take photos and share them into a pool of other pictures centering around user-created topics called vines. In the teaser video found below you will find that a users takes of photo of a puppy creates a vine of photos called 'warm and fuzzy'.


So in the larger picture it works like a social network, users can take photos and share them through vines with their friends and others can join in and share photos relating to that topic or vine. It grows and grows after that. 


Photovine is invite-only at the moment, so you'll be asked to enter your email address after installing the app. If you haven't already been invited to Photovine by a friend, you can visit their website at www.photovine.com to request an invitation. Find Photovine on iTunes. Sorry no Android App at the moment.

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Sociolatte

What is the Apple App Store Volume Purchasing program and how does it work

To be released soon in  the US is the App Store's volume purchasing program and businesses. With this program businesses in the US will be able to purchase Apps from the App store in bulk to distribute easily across their organization. The bulk purchasing program will also come with discounts enabling organizations to save money on their purchases. Available for all iPhone and iPad users and with the number of organizations providing their employees with iPhone and iPads this comes as no surprise that Apple is now attracting businesses and doing more to attract business customers. 

Volume purchasing of Apps

Businesses can with the volume purchase program easily search for Apps, determine the quantity needed and easily complete the purchase with a corporate credit card or procurement card. To start off businesses need to first enroll in the program and create a volume purchasing account. Once created a business can then login and start purchasing Apps. Only paid Apps are available for download and not free apps. Free apps can be downloaded easily from the App store directly. 

What is needed for the enrollment in the VPP 

A Dun and Bradstreet (D-U-N-S) number would need to be provided for your company

Your contact information including business phone number and email ID

A valid business address for your company

A valid business address which must match your D&B database of your company.

Purchasing

Login

Search for Apps

Define the quantity

Complete transaction using your corporate credit card or Pcard.

Once purchased you can then distribute Apps easily across your company by sending user codes to chosen employees either via email or distribution using the company website (Intranet).

Purchase custom B2B Apps for business

Connect with the developer

Provide developer with your email address

Developer sets the price (minimum $9.99 for custom B2B Apps)

Purchase the customized app through the program

Distribute Apps to all users. 

Source: Apple

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Sociolatte

How to get the Skype Video Calling App for the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch

Skype has just announced that users can now use their iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch to make video calls. This way users can now use their iPhone 4 with the front and rear view camera to make calls to friends and relatives and share exactly what they are seeing in front of them. With this users can now make free voice and video calls over 3G and WiFi. Share video calls on Skype with people who are on the iPhone, PC or Mac. Talk face to face or show what you're seeing with front and rear facing cameras.

Skype's technology allows users to now make video calls between two PCs. Smartphones or TVs. This App has been rushed in time for New Year's Eve the most important day of the year. Skype Video Calling is not available on Android Devices.

Download the App for iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch now
Download the App from iTunes

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Sociolatte

How to create free iPhone ringtones.

The first part of the process is more or less the same for both Mac and Windows users. In iTunes, select the song you want to use, right-click on the track and hit “Get Info.”

Select “Options” from the menu along the top, then change the “Stop Time” of the song to 15 seconds (or how long you want it to be — reports vary, but apparently ringtones can’t be longer than 30 seconds).

Now, in the “Advanced” iTunes menu, select “Create AAC version.”

You will now see a second version of the song. Be sure to go back into the original song’s “Get Info” options and delete your “Stop Time” setting, or else the song won’t play past this point in the future.

---

Converting the File for Mac Users

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Mac users should right-click on the new, 15-second version and hit “Show in Finder” in order to change the file extension from .m4a to .m4r. This can be done just by clicking on it and overtyping. You also want to make the file name as short as possible too, so rename this in the same way.

Now, still in Finder, drag the .m4r file to your desktop and delete the version that is in iTunes. When this is done, you want to import the file back into iTunes. To do this, open the iTunes “File” menu and select “Add to Library,” find the song on your desktop and add it back in.

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Converting the File for PC Users

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PC users will do this last part a little differently. Once you’ve got the AAC version of the song, you need to find it on your computer. Unless your default settings have been changed, it’s likely you can find it by clicking through the following folders: My Documents, My Music, iTunes, iTunes Media, Music and then the relevant artist’s folder.

You need to change the file extension from .m4a to .m4r by clicking on it and overtyping. If you can’t see the file extension type (just the name) then you need to enable that functionality first. Go to your control panel and click “Folder Options.” Then, untick the option that says “Hide extensions for known file types.” Going back into the iTunes folder and you will now be able to see the extension to change it.

Once it’s changed, you need to import the renamed file back into iTunes through the “Add to Library” option in the “File” menu.

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Getting the File onto Your iPhone

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Now, both Mac and PC users will see the file under the “Ringtones” category on the left of your iTunes display.

To get the ringtone where it needs to be — on your phone — sync your iPhone to iTunes. If this is the first time you’ve added a ringtone in this way, make sure that the “Ringtones” tab is set to sync.

To change the ringtone on your iPhone to your chosen song, go to “Settings,” then “Sounds,” then “Ringtone” and you should now have a “Custom” list above the pre-loaded “Standard” list. Just touch the song you want and you can be free of that pre-loaded “Marimba” forever!

[This original article was published on Mashable]

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Sociolatte

MessagePary Chat Room App for the iPhone

This is a really interesting App and it works like this. It is the traditional internet chat rooms that we are all familiar with but this is on the iPhone enhanced with Geolocation. So you can download the App create a chat room or join one that has already been created, the thing about all these chat rooms is that they are located near you. So you can join a group of people and just chat. The App uses Facebook connect to login and uses your Facebook picture as your avatar.


There are lot's of rooms and one big room called everyone party. There are no private chats, direct messaging or profiles. You login and join a chat room or create one of your own and join the conversation with people who are located near you. The uses for the App are numerous and some creative people are going to make good use of it.


MessageParty on the net
Messageparty on iTunes

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Sociolatte

Facebook Places: How does it work

What is Facebook places and how does it work?


For starters it your familiar with iPhone Apps like Gowalla and Foursquare you will know how this works. It's called Facebook places because it let's you share you current Geographic location with your friends. You can also tag friends who are with you at that point in time. The feature is currently only available in the US and will be rolled out to other countries soon. So once you want to share your location you will need to check-in to that place. You can set your privacy to only your friends or to everyone and your location gets shared. There is also a "People here now" section to see other people who are there. 


If you friend tags you in a certain place you can set your privacy to allow tagging or turn it off. You can also remove yourself from a tag anytime you want since it works like "Photo Tagging". So you can use Facebook place on your mobile to share where you are and connect with friends who might  nearby. 


Read the Facebook update on Places
Brief on Facebook places
Download the Facebook App for the iPhone 


With the success of location-based services like Gowalla and Foursquare. This was something coming from Facebook for a long time. People love to share where they are and places they are visiting in real time. Some other just hate the concept. So, for people who do not mind sharing where they are and what they're doing, can start doing so right now. 

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Sociolatte

GetGlue: How does it work

What is GetGlue and how does it work.

GetGlue is a entertainment based social network and is available for Android and the iPhone. The iPad version will be coming soon. Once you get the App you can rate movies, music, stars, shows etc. See reviews by your friends and get recommendations. GetGlue currently has more than 4.5M new unique ratings and check-ins for tv shows, movies, music and books every month. GetGlue users rate and check-in to things they like to get recommendations and earn rewards and stickers.


The main features for the App include.

• Check-in to tv shows, movies, music, games, and books


• Share check-ins with your Twitter and Facebook friends


• See what your friends are currently watching, reading or listening to


• Earn leaderboard points and get stickers from GetGlue and major brands


• Rate lists of popular shows, movies, music and books


• Get suggestions for weekly new releases and old favorites picked just for you


• Take your favorite entertainment and suggestions with you everywhere

GetGlue has also announced new exciting stickers from partners - Revision3, HBO, Showtime, Barnes and Noble, Universal, Thrillist, FEARNet and TV Squad.

Revision3: A geeks dream come true - the fan stickers for all top Revision3 shows are here. We also have some secret stickers for Beer, Kevin Rose and Veronica Belmont.

HBO: When HBO launched stickers for True Blood, Entourage and Hung, fans loved them for their bold look and edgy names. Today, HBO is announcing a set of HBO personality stickers. To earn these, fans need to like various shows, characters and stars.

Showtime: Showtime is back on with the premier of Weeds and The Big C. We are delighted to offer exclusive stickers for these shows. The new Weeds secret stickers are sure to delight the fans of the Botwin family, with their provocative colors and themes.

Other partners: Barnes and Noble fans can now get a sticker for their favorite book store and also a special sticker for Nook. Since Friday, many of you have already earned a new sticker from Universal for checking-in to the Scott Pillgrim movie. We are also delighted to announce exclusive stickers for fans of Thrillist, FEARNet and TV Squad.

To download the iPhone App or Android App please click here. 

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Sociolatte