Google Maps Downloaded More Than 10 Million Times in Only 48 Hours

The resurrection of Google Maps for iOS has been a complete and utter success. If there was any question this was going to be a viable alternative to Apple Maps, those doubts have been obliterated—cold hard numbers don’t lie. In just 48 hours after release, the search giant said Google Maps was downloaded more than 10 million times. So much for Apple’s service.

The gigantic figure was amassed in just two short days, which says a lot about consumer interest in Google’s excellent service. With Google Maps being such a runaway success, it’ll be interesting to see how Apple responds. The company can improve its service all it wants, but the spotlight is clearly on Google at the moment. When iOS 7 is introduced, Apple will need to come up with a feature, integration, or something, that makes its own mapping platform a must-use. If not, then Google Maps will continue to rise up, and probably leave Apple Maps lost in the Australian wilderness. More here.

Hanger Brush Keeps Your Blazer Looking Spiffy

When most people look at hangers, all they see is a way to hang clothing, or a means to open a locked vehicle. Not designer Tim Parsons. He looked past their use as a tool for grand theft auto and saw a better way to both hand and maintain your stylish blazer.

Not only does the extra-strength Brushanger support even the heaviest of overcoats—keeping the shoulders at the perfect angle while it's hanging in a closet—it also does double duty as a way to maintain the fabric itself. Just fold down the arms and it instantly becomes a horse hair brush perfect for meticulously maintaining your favorite blazer. It seems a tool more apropos for those living a Downton Abbey-like lifestyle, and with a $65 price tag it even seems targeted at wealthy turn-of-the-century British lords. More here.

Your Instagram Data Is Now Officially Facebook Data

A new Instagram privacy policy goes into effect on January 16th, 2013. The service will now be sharing your data with its new owner Facebook.

Basically, Instagram has updated a few of the subhead sections of its policy to reflect the fact that it is a part of Facebook now. Instagram can now share information like cookies, log files, device identifiers, location data, and usage data,with "with businesses that are legally part of the same group of companies that Instagram is part of." According to the Instagram blog, it's a wonderful thing for you:

Our updated privacy policy helps Instagram function more easily as part of Facebook by being able to share info between the two groups. This means we can do things like fight spam more effectively, detect system and reliability problems more quickly, and build better features for everyone by understanding how Instagram is used.

Less spam? Great! Of course, this also means that Instagram is heaping its data over with the privacy nightmare that's Facebook. The data will definitely be used to target better advertising at you on Facebook, and to serve you advertisements on Instagram whenever that starts happening. Here is the relevant section from the new policy:

Affiliates may use this information to help provide, understand, and improve the Service (including by providing analytics) and Affiliates' own services (including by providing you with better and more relevant experiences).

This was inevitable, but at least now it's official. More here.

The Moon Marks 40 Years Without a Human Visitor, Prepares for Impending Probe Crashes

It's likely not an anniversary anyone thought we would meet after the first moon landing, but today marks 40 years since Gene Cernan left the last footprint on the moon as Apollo 17 ended its mission. That was the last of six manned missions to the lunar surface (nine including those that didn't land), which saw twelve men actually walk on the moon in all. The years since have of course seen continued exploration of the moon through other means, though, and next week will see another major event when NASA's twin GRAIL spacecraft conduct a planned crash into a mountain near the lunar north pole. 

Those have been in orbit since January 1st, creating a high-resolution map of the moon's gravitational field and collecting data that promises to provide more detail than ever about its internal structure and composition. You'll be able to follow along on NASA's website as that happens beginning at 5PM Eastern on Monday, December 17th. More here.

Apple Stock Hits 10 Month Low, Assembly Issues Still a Supply Concern

Apple’s stock is currently trading around $511, the lowest price the company’s shares have been traded at since February of this year. Why? There are concerns that Apple still has supply chain issues related to the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini. It’s also possible that part of the sell off was due to investors taking capital gains ahead of potential tax hikes.

According to Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, Apple is still facing “assembly execution issues [that] are taking longer to resolve than expected.” In addition, the firms that supply parts for Apple’s iPhone 5 have reportedly seen “larger order cuts” during the past two days. That’s alarming, because Apple’s iPhone 5 just launched in 33 new countries today and earlier reports suggestedApple’s supply problems had been ironed out.

As a result of the supply issues, Misek now estimates that Apple will sell 48 million iPhone units this quarter, down from his original estimate of 52 million units. More here.

A Tiny Tulip Shaped Humidifier Is the Cutest Humidifier

This is the most adorable little humidifier I've ever seen. The Tulip Stick Ultrasonic Humidifier is shaped like a sweet flower stalk and plugs right into your USB port.

Who knew a humidifier could be this small and pleasant? This $92 product comes in four different colors—pink, yellow, green, and ivory, and it weighs just an ounce. It has a timer, too, in case you only want it to shut off after you fall asleep, for example. More here.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Now Available for Android

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City launched for iOS and Android last week, but Rockstar quickly pulled the Android version due to several launch issues. Fear not, however, because it’s now back in the Google Play store for download. The game, which promises enhanced graphics and a similar experience to the original, is available for $4.99. Be warned, however – the app is 1.4GB in size, so you may need to free up some space before installing. More here.

Swappable Lens Wheel Puts 18 Crappy Filters On Your DSLR

You've been able to turn your iPhone into a low-quality Holga camera for some time now with this case that puts a spinning wheel of filters at your disposal. But DSLR users can now make the images from their thousand dollar cameras look like they were taken by a $30 plastic toy.

Just slap this Holga lens to the front of your shooter, attach one of the two included wheels of colored and distorted filters, and snap away. All in all you get 18 creative options to choose from, so when you post your shots online people won't be fooled into thinking you actually spent money on a nice camera. More here.

Google vs. Apple Maps: Total Domination

Google Maps for iOS is so much better than Apple's attempt at a replacement that it will make you giggle. But you can't grasp just how much better—almost perfect—iOS Google Maps is unless you see it in action. Here it is, head-to-head with Apple Maps. It's not even close.

Google Maps is exactly what it should be, aside from being the comforting Maps we used to know on our iPhones. It beats the hell out of the last version. Google Maps isn't just back, it's better than it's ever been—the best map app, period.

• It's fast. Your neighborhoods will load very, very quickly.
• It's accurate. No stupid erroneous listings.
• It's beautiful. Cleanly designed.
• It's easy to use—you can quickly swipe menu options in and out of view.
• It has public transit.
• It has Street View.

You won't find yourself frustrated, lost, or yearning like you might've been with Apple Maps. You probably won't have any complaints at all, unless you miss Siri giving you directions.

This is the map app we should have had all along, and you should download it right now if you haven't already. More here.

In China They Have Pepsi Flavored Potato Chips

Soda-flavored snacks sound like something invented by a lazy stoner, but apparently chicken wings cooked in Coca-Cola are a popular comfort food in China. So hey, the fact that Pepsi Chicken-flavored Lays are launching over there isn't that surprising.

AdAge says the taste is "vaguely similar to barbecue with a sugary aftertaste." These have to come to America, right? I'd eat them. More here.

Multiple Leaked Photos Show Off RIM’s BlackBerry 10 L-Series

Someone out there with Research In Motion’s L-Series has taken it upon themselves to take a whole gallery of high-resolution photos, and of course they’ve wound up on the Internet.

This is our best look yet at the upcoming all-touch device, which will help usher in RIM’s new BlackBerry 10 OS. It certainly isn’t too terrible as far as looks are concerned, and there’s plenty to discern from the pictures alone: microSD card slot, 1800mAh battery, 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, micro USB, HDMI and a teenie-tiny microphone under the BlackBerry logo on the front of the device.

It looks super clean, minimal, with an anodized metal that frames the handset’s display. There are a toooooon of images, so check out the source link to see what’s basically an entire exhibit’s worth, and remember that this is what’s we’re edging toward when RIM finally launches BlackBerry 10 on January 30. More here.

Here’s a USB Drive in a Deep Fryer Because Hey Why Not

There's probably a term you learn if you're an econ major to describe the point at which your product is so similar to every competitive product that you deep fry it in order to differentiate. Here it is.

LaCie makes great portable storage stuff—hard drives, flash drives, and the like. Their little XtremKey is a stylish ruggedized redneck orange number with USB 3.0 support. It has a dumb name, but it's fast and can hold a lot of valuable things. It can also, according to this marketing video, withstand five minutes in a deep fryer. So if you're Kim Dotcom or just generally looking for a flash drive that you can also drop into boiling fat, here is one. This one does that.

Your Twitter Profile Is About to Change Whether You Like It or Not

Back in September, Twitter introduced a new design for profiles with a header, which made your Twitter profile look a lot like your Facebook profile. Until now, uploading a header and switching over to the new profilehas been optional. Starting December 12th, it won't be any more, and your profile will be converted to the new design.

According to the blog post from Twitter:

On December 12, we're rolling this out to all users: you'll automatically get this new version of the profile on twitter.com. If you don't upload a header photo by then, you (and everyone else) will only see a default grey image on your page. That's not fun! To get inspired about what you can do, check out this video to see how to make your profile a little more "you", less generic. Have fun out there. More here.

Do You Want Restaurants Following You on Twitter?

This receipt is from a restaurant in San Francisco. Typical. On one hand, the thought of a restaurant following you on Twitter and Instagram, stalking you, liking your arty snapshots and faving your 140-character quips is obnoxious. And on the other hand, gift cards.

Does this annoy you? Or do you even care if restaurants want to follow you? More here.

Starbucks to Open 1500 More Locations for You to Find Free Wi-Fi

Starbucks announced today that it was opening 1,500 more stores in the U.S. over the next five years. For some this means more places to buy coffee, for others it means 1,500 more places to find free Wi-Fi.

It appears that the gigantic coffee seller is going to do something about that, and according to USA Today, it announced at its most recent investor day that it would be opening another 1,500 locations over the next five years through out the U.S. Canada, South America and China are also prime targets for further expansion. More here.

America Is Just So Beautiful at Night

NASA's Suomi NPP satellite was able to grab this beautiful image of the United States of America at night because of a new infrared sensor on the satellite. The sensor is able to detect natural light versus man-made light at extremely high resolution. That's how you get this perfect image of Earth at night.

Wired writes:

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite has a "day-night band" that can detect natural and man-made light with unprecedented resolution and clarity. It can resolve everything from the nocturnal glow of the atmosphere to the light of a single boat at sea. It can detect auroras, wildfires, the reflection of moon and star light off clouds and ice and the lights alongside highways. The sensor has six times better spatial resolution and 250 times better resolution of lighting levels than anything that came before it.

What's interesting is that the pictures from the Suomi satellite are available to the public, giving most people the clearest look of Earth at night ever. Before, the Air Forced had nighttime sattelites in play but most of the data was classified and not nearly as clear as the image above. To see more angles that the Suomi satellite was able to take, check it out here

A USB Flash Drive That Might Be More Beautiful Than a MacBook

This sleek flash drive is the perfect complement to your beloved Apple hardware, even going so far as to match its silvery finish.

Available in 16 and 32GB capacities for $60 and $82 respectively, these ultra-compact flash drives from Elecom add a bit of stylish extra storage to your hardware. And given their compact cylindrical design sits flush to the edge of your laptop, in theory you'll never need, or want, to remove it. Besides, why would you ever lend it to someone and risk never getting it back? More here.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Now Available for iOS

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is now available for the iPod touch, iPad and iPhone, as expected. Oddly, however, Rockstar hasn’t yet released the Android version, which was also due out today. The game has been tailored specifically for touchscreen devices and features updated graphics with improved character models and lighting effects, the ability to save games to iCloud, support for Retina displays and the option to play your own iTunes playlists. Here’s a bit about the game:

From the decade of big hair, excess and pastel suits comes a story of one man’s rise to the top of the criminal pile. Vice City, a huge urban sprawl ranging from the beach to the swamps and the glitz to the ghetto, was one of the most varied, complete and alive digital cities ever created. Combining open-world gameplay with a character driven narrative, you arrive in a town brimming with delights and degradation and given the opportunity to take it over as you choose.  More here.

Secret Elixir Makes Any Glove Touchscreen-Friendly

By now it's almost impossible to find a winter glove that doesn't work with touchscreen devices. But if you've got a favorite pair that predates the iPhone, this AnyGlove potion will let you use them with a touchscreen display without having to resort to sewing conductive thread onto the fingertips.

Just a few drops is all that's needed for your smartphone or tablet to recognize your gloved gestures. And while the liquid might stain lighter colored fabrics or yarns, it's completely invisible on darker materials. It's not permanent, though, you'll need to reapply the AnyGlove elixir as often as every few days depending on how active you are in your gloves. But a single $15 bottle should last until the warm summer returns. More here.

The Mathematical Formula For a Perfectly Decorated Christmas Tree

It turns out that decorating your Christmas tree isn't necessarily all about taste. Mathematicians at the University of Sheffield in the UK have developed a formula for the perfect way to deck the halls. More specifically, what ratio of ornaments to lights to tinsel will make your tree most aesthetically pleasing.

Since the geniuses behind the formula hail from the UK and embrace that new-fangled metric system, you'll need to know the height of your tree in centimeters. But you're just a tape measure away from having the data you need to use their handy online calculator. Did you know your average six foot tree only needs 37 ornaments to look its best? More here.