What Is Path? [Video]

Path! Path? It's this week's buzzy social networking iPhone app, developed by an impressive roster of peeps and backed by a long list of investors. But what's it really do?

Path is a 'personal network' app for the iPhone...

Path is a new social network app for the iPhone that lets you share what's going on in your life with friends and family. It's kinda like Twitter or Instagram, but it's kinda not.

with a personal twist...

Unlike other social media platforms where a bigger list of friends is always better, Path caps you at 50 friends. The idea is that when you know you're just sharing with people you really trust, you'll be far more inclined to share without inhibition.

based on sharing pictures...

Photos are the meat of Path. Snap one on your iPhone, tag it with any number of people, places, or things, and fire it off to your friends. It'll show up on their Paths, and a feature called "See" shows you which of your friends have actually stopped by and viewed your photo. Stop ignoring my pictures, friends!

that was developed by an all-star crew...

Path is the brainchild of Dave Morin, a long time Facebook employee who left the company last January, Shawn Fanning, Napster founder, and Dustin Mierau, developer of the Mac Napster client Macster. It's a pretty impressive team.

that you can download now for free.

Path is available in the App Store right now for free. [Path]

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Hide Google Instant Previews With an AdBlock Filter [Search]

We've looked at Google's new Instant Preview feature (and showed you how to access it with the keyboard), but if you don't like the previews popping up all the time, you can ensure they stay hidden with these AdBlock filters. More »

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Create a Dirt Cheap Camera Slider Using Skateboard Wheels [Video]

Camera sliders and dollies, designed to help you film butter-smooth video while the camera is in motion, are quite pricey. This DIY version uses extremely cheap parts, like skateboard wheels, to keep the cost under $50. More »

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Lenovo IdeaPad U260 Has A 12.5-inch Screen And Is Less Than An Inch Thick [Lenovo]

The ultraportable Lenovo IdeaPad U260 is set to release November 15th (this Monday) for $895. It's under an inch thin and Lenovo is calling it the first laptop to have a 12.5-inch display with an HD 16:9 screen.

Lenovo is using a single piece design made of magnesium-aluminum alloy for the first time, and the U260 clocks in at only 3 pounds. Lenovo is also pimping out luxury features like a leather palm rest and glass touchpad for the U260.

Users can configure the U260 with a Core i3 or i5, hook it up with up to 320GB of HDD storage space and max it out at 4GB of RAM. Comes in Mocha Brown or Clementine Orange. [Lenovo]

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Why Netflix Isn't On Android Yet (and Only Some Android Phones Will Get It) [NetFlix]

Netflix says: "The hurdle has been the lack of a generic and complete platform security and content protection mechanism available for Android." They can't get Netflix on Android because they can't get a secure DRM system across Android devices.

According to Greg Peters, from Netflix product development, the difficulty in securing a common DRM system on Android devices is "the same security issues that have led to piracy concerns on the Android platform." He goes on:

Setting aside the debate around the value of content protection and DRM, they are requirements we must fulfill in order to obtain content from major studios for our subscribers to enjoy. Although we don't have a common platform security mechanism and DRM, we are able to work with individual handset manufacturers to add content protection to their devices.

By dealing with individual manufacturers on a phone-by-phone basis, it means not every Android phone will get to have Netflix. Which means that F-word comes up again.

Unfortunately, this is a much slower approach and leads to a fragmented experience on Android, in which some handsets will have access to Netflix and others won't.

To Netflix's credit, they don't want to cause confusion among their customers but smartly believe that having some Android phones have Netflix is better than no Android phones having Netflix. In any case, those Android devices that will get Netflix should expect it early next year. [Netflix Blog]

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