Digg Overhauls Itself (Again) To Win Back Users (Again)

One of the most public breakups last year was the online hurricane that hit after thousands of Digg users walked out on the then-popular social news curating site.

It must have been a heartbreaking time for the site, watching all of those who had been so loyal storm out and leave Digg for the younger and more exciting Reddit. Sure, Digg tried to win the users back, but for the past few months we've watched Digg slowly decline into the Internet abyss.

Now 5 months after the breakup, Digg is cleaning itself up and getting back on the market. Digg has overhauled its look based on user feedback, updated profile statistics, and opt-in notifications. But just like anyone who changes themselves based on what an ex said just to win them back, it's probably too little too late.

The new features are a nice touch, but the reviews I've seen don't favor Digg all that much. So while the social curating site is struggling to regain the attention of the Internet, it looks like the Internet may just want to stay friends.

Honeycomb Conference on Heels of Android's Strong Q4 Performance Report

Yes, as of right now Android tablets are basically enlarged smartphones. That is the biggest differentiator between the Apple and everything else on the market. However, that dynamic should be put to the test when Google releases its tablet-optimized Honeycomb OS.

And although Honeycomb has been announced and is expected to be integrated into tablets this year, we haven't seen too many of the specifics. That's why I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Google's Honeycomb press event this Wednesday.

Even though many Android fans are holding off jumping into the tablet waters until Honeycomb's release, Android tablets continue to close the market share gap on the iPad, according to a recent Q4 sales report.

Android tablet share increased from 2.3% in Q3 to 22% in Q4, largely due to the success of the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Granted, the iPad still accounts for 75% of tablet sales, but that it is a significant drop from their 96% market share in Q3.

Either way, the tablet fever that we saw hit last year should continue to grow and evolve in 2011.

Facebook Friday: Facebook Finds Tablets App-etizing

For those who don't follow the ever-changing stream of tablet news, I'm here to help. When it comes to existing social networks/websites releasing tablet-optimized apps, there's a definite pattern.

1. First, the social network/service creates an Apple app meant only for the iPhone and iPad.
2. Third-party developers create unofficial apps for the Android platform because there is nothing being offered by the social network itself.
3. Depending on the success of the iOS app, the social network will release an official Android app a few months later.

Yes there are exceptions, but by and large that's the dance that we inevitably see from most social media channels. 

However, Facebook is taking the road less travelled and developing an official app optimized for tablets across operating systems.

This upcoming app could further cement Facebook's online dominance, and more importantly could be a big feather in the cap of the often-debated HTML5 (which should allow easier coding for developers across platforms).

Will This Really Be Our Sputnik Moment?

"This is our generation's Sputnik moment."

That was probably the most-tweeted quote from President Obama's State of the Union Address last night, and it didn't take long for the Cold War reference to start trending on Twitter.

The President was referring to the fact that it took Russia beating the U.S. into space with its launch of the Sputnik satellite to spark the widespread innovation that led to America getting to the moon (or film studio to fake the moon landing if you buy into conspiracy theories). This comparison inspired the "Sputnik moment" quote.

But is this our Sputnik moment?

Yes, we are still suffering from a slow economy with widespread unemployment, so there is definitely the opening for much-needed innovation.

However, I think the drive and technological prowess that Obama is pushing for is already there. Just look at the slew of articles from CES 2011 a couple weeks ago. The technology scene has changed by leaps and bounds and continues to change exponentially, and we will continue to see more and more innovation in the coming years.

Tumblr Gets an Oatmeal-Inspired Fail Whale Page of its Own

The much-trafficked blogging service Tumblr has taken a lot of heat over the past year for its extensive downtime issues. And while Tumblr is not alone in its downtime issues, they don't have any amusing downtime page like Twitter's Fail Whale or Foursquare's crying girl.

But that is no longer the case, because they have a downtime page featuring "Tumbeasts" gnawing away at  their server equipment. The catch? The page was designed by The Oatmeal's Matthew Inman. 

For those who don't know, The Oatmeal is an insanely popular online cartoon that garnered over a quarter of a billion page views last year. That's what makes this a smart move on Tumblr's part, because they are taking advantage of The Oatmeal's popularity to make fun of themselves during downtime. In doing so, they are relieving a small portion of the backlash from their outages.

Of course, simply fixing the outages themselves would be the best solution.