Weekend Digest: Meet The iPhone 5

For our weekend business readers:

APPLE iPhone 5 LAUNCH & HUGE REVIEW
According to ZDNet, pre-orders for Apple’s new iPhone 5 reached two million and “that number suggests that Apple could sell 6-10 million phones in the launch weekend.” The sixth generation of the leading smartphone goes on sale Friday.  The reviews from techsters who eagerly got their hands on one prior to launch, have been a smash.

The world’s most popular smartphone becomes significantly faster, thinner and lighter this week, while gaining a larger, 4-inch screen—all without giving up battery life, comfort in the hand and high-quality construction.  (Wall Street Journal)
 
The consensus view is that Apple’s flagship device is a must have upgrade. The iPhone 5 is the iPhone we’ve wanted since 2010, adding long-overdue upgrades like a larger screen and faster 4G LTE in a razor-sharp new design.  This is the iPhone, rebooted.  (ZDNet)

A 16-gigabyte base model with contract is expected to cost $199.  The Wall Street Journal has a complete review of the new device.  Click here to learn what has eager users camping out on streets to be first-in-line to buy one.

7 WAYS LINKEDIN CAN DRIVE MORE TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE
Business networking social media site LinkedIn is becoming the go-to site for job recruiters, collaborators, and those looking to up their B2B opportunities.

Entrepreneur.com offers tips on how LinkedIn can boost traffic to your web site.

For online marketers, success usually boils down to two simple things: traffic and conversions. But how does someone cut through all of the noise online to capture the prized attention and fans?

One of the best, and often overlooked traffic sources online is LinkedIn. Yes, LinkedIn. The site is chock full of business decision makers and potential clients.

Here’s one of the 7 tips:

Create your own group. Creating a group should be a top priority for business owners. It allows you to build an audience inside of LinkedIn and send a message to that targeted audience each week. Send messages to helpful resources and articles on your site. This way you not only become the go-to resource to these group members, you also drive traffic as well.

Read more on the subject at this link.

10 CHEAPEST AMERICAN CITIES THIS QUARTER
Looking to relocate and save some bucks? AOL Daily Fiance has the scoop.

Most of the cities that will cost you less to live in have a southern flair this quarter, including one from Arkansas.

“It’s an area where there’s plenty of room,” says Dean Frutiger, the project manager and economist who worked on the Cost of Living Index. “If your housing is more expensive, that’s going to affect everything.”

Find out what criteria is used to make one place more expensive than another. Here’s a hint:  property taxes.

Go to this link to find out if location really matters, what city ranked the cheapest of the cheap, and what Arkansas community made the list.

COOKIE MONSTER’S BIG BREAK (AND BIG TEETH!)
Before Cookie Monster found major success on Sesame Street, the big blue muppet was guest starring in a number of early TV commercials.

Laughing Squid blog chronicles the young Cookie Monster, whose original prototype actually included teeth. There are even purple and green versions of him originally.

Cookie made a few unaired auditions for General Foods snacks as well as Frito-Lay Munchos. Laughing Squid has the early TV clips in YouTube format.

Click here to access.

WORLD’S FIRST GESTURE CONTROL TV BOX
Can’t find your remote and you’re too lazy to look for it?

What if you could channel surf just by waving your hand?

Mashable tips us off to the world’s first gesture-controlled TV box.

eyeSight Mobile Technologies has teamed up with Innodigital to create the nTobeBox, a set-top box that allows you to interact with your TV in an entirely hands-on/gadget-free way.

The nTobeBox, running on Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS, turns any ordinary TV into a SmartTV that goes past conventional televised broadcast viewing, — it allows for streaming content, apps, video calls, Internet connectivity and intuitive hand gesture recognition.

The box could ultimately be packaged with digital television subscriptions and, in effect, be standard issue for your future TV purchases. Read more on the subject here.

TWITTER OFFERS BEST PRACTICES FOR JOURNALISTS
Media Bistro takes a look at a study examining how journalists can use Twitter to boost their brand and practice their craft.

The end result? A few tips of the trade.

Twitter’s study followed 150 journalists and thousands of tweets, including national broadcast anchors, local journalists, radio, print and online only personalities.

Read the short post here — it’s a little bit longer than 140 characters, but plenty succinct.