It may not have been a good week for Big Bird, but it was a good one for Detroit Tigers infielder Miguel Cabrera, who won the first Triple Crown since 1967. Over the past few days we’ve witness the beginning of debate season and the end of baseball’s regular season.
With all that going on, it’s understandable if you lost track of what’s happening in the social media and tech world. To get you up to speed, we’ve rounded up all our best feature stories from the past week.
The Lifestyle section was particularly active with resources that could help improve your ever-important quality of life. You can also start crossing names of your holiday shopping list with gift ideas such as geeky wine racks, funky iPhone cases and a high-end coffee maker that brews the perfect cup of java.
For you political junkies, be sure to check out our new special feature on how the digital sphere is shaping modern campaigning and elections. There’s also plenty of information regarding social media and business. It’s all here; dig in.
Editor’s Picks
The iPhone 5 Will Cost You at Least $1,800 [INFOGRAPHIC]
This infographic breaks down how much you’ll spend on your iPhone over the life of its contract.If Your Android Phone Is Stolen, This App Photographs the Thief
If your Android phone goes missing Kaspersky’s mobile security app can send you pictures of the phone’s current surroundings.Mashable Special Report: How Digital Is Transforming Politics
Mashable takes an in-depth look at how technology is changing the democratic process.5 Better Ways to Network on Twitter and LinkedIn
Social media is like a professional cocktail hour — a way to connect, share and interact with others beyond the confines of your cubicle.5 Online Resources for Fact Checking the Presidential Debates
These sites will help you fact-check President Obama and Mitt Romney’s words in real time during all the presidential debates.
Social Media
Send and Receive New Facebook Gifts Without Hurt Feelings
Facebook is rolling out a new, real-life gift-giving feature, making a normally private affair public, and potentially causing awkward moments between friends.YouTube’s 10 Most Shared Ads in September
This gallery features the 10 most shared advertisements last month from political campaigns to musical samplings.YouTube’s Slick New TV Mode Lets You Browse From the Keyboard or Your Phone
Now users can more easily control the YouTube experience from a TV or large monitor.LinkedIn Introduces Follow Feature for Influencers
LinkedIn hopes to jazz up its news feed with the addition of 150 super influencers on the network who fans can follow, a la Twitter.Facebook Launches Redesigned Help Center
Getting help from Facebook may get a little easier, since the social network debuted its redesigned Help Center.Want to Highlight Your New Facebook Pictures? Pay to Promote Them
Facebook has announced that users in the U.S. will now be able to promote their personal posts to friends for a fee.Tumblr Launches Street Style Vertical With Burberry
Tumblr has launched a new Spotlight section, its 56th, to highlight blogs dedicated to street style photography.YouTube Introduces ‘Appeals Court’ for Copyright Fights
If a content holder still insists you’re using its material without permission after you appeal, the content holder has to go the extra mile and file a takedown notice.
For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Business & Marketing
Is Your Company Leveraging the Right Social Tech?
Today’s tech is changing how people communicate in real time, which allows more employees to work remotely — but can also enhance productivity when someone’s in the same room.Pre-Order Fashion Retailer Aims to Take on Moda Operandi
Keiron McCammon and Shari Rudolph, founders of Bonfaire, thinks there’s room for more than one pre-order fashion retailer on the web.With Acquisition, HotelTonight Plans More Personalized Recommendations
The PrimaTable team, which developed last-minute perishable inventory demand forecasting and pricing tools for the restaurant industry, will join HotelTonight’s staff, applying their algorithms to the hotel industry.The Swizzle Cleans Your Inbox By Combining Promo E-mails Into a Daily Digest
The Swizzle cleans up commercial emails from your mailbox and combines the emails you want to keep into a daily email digest.Redesigned LinkedIn Brand Pages Are Now Available to All Companies
LinkedIn is now rolling out its recently revamped brand pages to the more than 2 million companies on the social network.16 Tips for Picking the Perfect Startup Name
Check out these tips (and learn from startups who found success) to help you name your own company.11 Inspiring Sessions From Leaders in Digital Media
Mashable releases a dynamic agenda full of amazing speakers for the 2012 Media Summit.Microsoft and B&N Name Joint Venture: Nook Media
The joint venture between Microsoft and Barnes & Noble now has a name: Nook Media LLC.Codeacademy Releases Free Ruby Development Courses
Codecademy is expanding its catalogue of free, interactive programming tutorials with the launch of five Ruby courses.Craigslist Rolls Out Maps for Apartment Hunters [VIDEO]
Just months after filing a lawsuit against PadMapper, Craigslist introduced a mapping feature of its own for the website.
For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Tech & Mobile
Data Is Data Right? The Truth About LTE vs. 3G
While LTE has its advantages over 3G, there’s a downside to faster data speeds.Spy App Can Turn Smartphones Against You
The smartphone in your hands could get hijacked and used as an accessory to virtual burglary.Ultrabooks Get Super-Slim With Acer Aspire S7
Acer has shrunk the Ultrabook even more with its new touchscreen-enabled Aspire S7 designs.Toyota Unveils Super-Compact Car With Location-Based Ads
“INSECT,” a single-user SmartCar, has facial recognition-based locks and voice command features, among others.Gmail Now Lets You Search Within Email Attachments
Google just made life easier for you with a newly added keyword search feature for Gmail attachments.Charging Your Phone Becomes a Game With This Toyota App [VIDEO]
Toyota developed “Plug-in Championship,” an app that turns the activity of charging your phone into a fun game.5 iPhone Cases to Keep Your Earbuds Tangle-Free
No matter how neatly you tidy them, iPhone headphones always seem to end up in a knotted mass. If this drives you crazy, we have a few solutions to help.Specs Compared: Kindle Paperwhite vs. Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight
We compare the capabilities of two illuminated e-readers: the Kindle Paperwhite and the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.Logitech Harmony Touch Is the Ultimate Remote Control [REVIEW]
The Logitech Harmony Touch is the company’s newest universal remote control, and it might just be the most hassle-free remote yet.Broadcom Teaches Kids to Program in an Hour Using Raspberry Pi
This week Broadcom taught kids how to program using the Raspberry Pi.Worldcam Helps You Find Instagram Photos in Specific Locations
Ever wanted to find Instagram photos taken in a certain location? With Worldcam, this becomes really easy.Acer Iconia W700 Tablet: Windows 8 Takes a Stand
Acer’s W700 Windows tablet offers an optional cradle for when you want a more traditional desktop setup.Google’s Street View Now Available on Mobile Browsers
Google’s Street View is now available on mobile browsers, meaning you can enjoy all of Google’s street-level photo imagery on your smartphone.9 Captivating Data Visualization Projects
From presidential races to gay right to sports droughts to space, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite data visualizations.
For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Lifestyle
Netflix ‘for Kids’ Now Available on the iPad
Netflix has moved its ‘Just for Kids’ service to mobile territory, launching the app for the iPad 2 and the new iPad.Digital Passport For Children Encourages Responsible Online Behavior
Just as children need to learn good behavior, they also need to learn how to safely and responsibly use the technological resources available to them.6 Geeky Wine Racks
We’ve scoured the web to find the most fantastically geeky wine racks for the oenophile (aka the wine lover or grape nut) in your life.Pay For One Course, Get a Bunch with BenchPrep’s Low Cost Subscription Model
Online learning site BenchPrep recently announced a $30 per month subscription-based service to access a wide variety of courses.How Smart Devices and Social Media Impact Your Shopping Habits [INFOGRAPHIC]
This infographic shows how smart devices and social media impact your shopping habits.Next-Gen Nest Thermostat Gets Even Cooler and Smarter
Nest 2.0, just out, is even slimmer, smarter and more compatible than its predecessor.Wello: Affordable, Personal Training Using Video Chat [REVIEW]
If you have a hard time stepping away from your computer screen, but want to workout, a new website called Wello will make that possible.Former Apple, Nasa Engineers Design $11,000 Coffee Machine
Engineers from Apple and NASA have designed an $11,000 coffeemaker that brews coffee at just the right temperature.‘Internet-Use Disorder’ Is Real, But Who Has It?
Internet-Use Disorder has been accepted for inclusion in the official psychiatrist’s diagnostic manual, the DSM-IV, as of next year.4 Ways to Write Faster
Whether working on a deadline or managing simultaneous beats, journalists need to be able to write quickly. But maintaining quality can be a challenge when you’re racing against the clock.16 High-Tech ’90s Gadgets That Are Pretty Lame When You Think About It
Here’s a tribute to our 16 favorite tech toys from the ’90s, which if you asked us back then, were just about the most advanced gadgets on the planet.Lockitron Lets You Unlock the Door With Your iPhone [VIDEO]
Apigy just made its Lockitron keyless entry technology smarter, letting you unlock your door from anywhere in the world, or having it automatically unlock when you walk up to it.Virtual Grocery Shopping Eases Daily Commute
Virtual shopping stores are making travelers’ commutes more efficient and less of a hassle.7 Funky but Chic Cases for Your iPhone 4
We’ve rounded up seven unique cases that will have those around you asking “where’d you get that case?”iPad App Turns Your Pinterest Pins Into Interactive Catalog [VIDEO]
Bazaart is a fashion iPad app that lets users create interactive boards where items are available for purchase with Pinterest pins.
For more digital lifestyle news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s lifestyle channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/06/digital-media-resources-57/
52 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed
