Hikers in the calanques east of Marseilles, France. Jason Clampet / Flickr

Fresh on the heels of its $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr, Yahoo says it is rebooting its languishing photo-sharing site Flickr with plans to make it “awesome” again.

Yahoo Inc. said at an event in New York City’s Times Square on Monday that it is now offering users 1 terabyte of online storage for free. One terabyte is 1,024 gigabytes — enough to store more than 500,000 images at a resolution common to most smartphones.

Yahoo has redesigned the Flickr website to emphasize photos rather than text or white space, as was the case previously. Photos are bigger and shared in full resolution rather than compressed into a lower quality.

Flickr also launched a new Android app to follow the December unveiling of a new iPhone app.

Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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This week’s SkiftSeedlings speaks to that breadth of opportunity by including everything from a media company looking to launch the world’s largest consumer travel event to a small device that tracks employees’ driving behaviors.

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The back of the Burj al Dubai's gold-plated iPad. / Burj al Dubai

Guests at the self-proclaimed world’s most-luxurious hotel, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, are being bestowed with a new privilege on arrival – a gold-plated iPad.

As lesser hotels struggle to provide free wi-fi, guests at the Burj Al Arab, one the world’s tallest hotels, are being offered one of the 24-carat devices, worth £6,715, upon check-in.

While the “bling” equipment may be deemed a little showy for some tastes, the iPads are specially engraved with the name of the hotel and contain software that acts as a “virtual concierge”, offering information on the hotel’s many services which include private dining experiences and a butler.

The hotel said it had introduced the gold iPad, “the ultimate in luxury accessories”, as a way of making itself stand out from its competitors. It also frequently refers to itself as a “seven-star” property.

The limited edition iPad is designed by Gold & Co. Guests need to return it on checking out.

The hotel has also recently installed iMacs into all its suites – an item that can also be found in much cheaper hotels however, such as the Mama Shelter in Paris. (Read the Mama Shelter review here ).

The addition will be welcomed by the kind of high-spending guests that frequent the hotel’s Royal Suite, a 8,395-square-ft room located on the 25th floor.

Inside are marble floors, mahogany furniture, Hermes toiletries, a private cinema and a rotating four-poster bed. Guests can also make use of a chauffeur-driver Rolls Royce or helicopter (at extra cost).

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Bourdain soaks up the views in Leptis Magna, some of the most intact ruins of the Roman Empire.

If Quebec was Bourdain’s most gluttonous episode to date, Libya is its most austere.

Geopolitics and Libyan culture are the snippets that viewers and Bourdain feast on in this week’s episode; and images of Libyan children offering the peace sign serve as a decadent dessert.

Bourdain calls episode 6 of Parts Unknown “the best piece of work I’ve ever been part of,” something at least several viewers will agree with.

The foray into Parts Unknown’s most dangerous destination begins with newsreels of the Libyan uprising in 2011. Newscasters’ announcements are interwined with Bourdain’s explanation of the revolution and the role that social media played in its success.

“They recorded the whole thing on their cell phones… young people heeded the calls for revolution on Facebook and Twitter,” describes Bourdain.

Akram, a Libyan local that flew home from Manchester at the first word of revolution attributes Twitter and Google Earth to the movement’s success.

Over a breakfast of fried bread and eggs, Akram tells Bourdain, “How did it happen? Easy. Twitter.”

Solidarity

For one moment it seems like Bourdain and crew plan to show just one happy side of Tripoli. They arrive just in time for a firework celebration in honor of Prophet Mohamed’s birthday, a holiday that one local describes as “…Christmas, the Fourth of July, all rolled into one.”

That local is Michel Cousins, the co-founder of the English-language paper the Libya Herald, who Bourdain meets in a traditional male-only coffee house. Cousins is described as having seen many faces of Libya’s past, but he refutes fears that its future will like look anything like its neighbors.

“The biggest misconception is that the place is turning into another Afghanistan and Iraq where bombs go off, attacks, but it’s not. Libyans have gone through an awful time, people have died, people have struggled, and that’s going to hold them together.”

A similar sentiment is described by Omar, a travel agent and medical student turned fighter. The first-hand account of Omar’s revelation that the groups’ goal of overthrowing Gaddafi was indeed possible is heard over a meal of grilled freshly caught fish at a seaside restaurant.

Barakoda is just one of the first images of Libya’s impressive coast line on the Mediterranean where any entrepreneuring hotelier would dream of rows of resorts that would easily fill with tourists if not for the country’s instability. The vast opportunities for tourism are seen throughout the hour, most notably in Leptis Magna, the gorgeous and empty Roman ruins.

Obstacles ahead

Bourdain; however, does quickly dive into the struggles that still lie heavy on the country’s people. Men and women’s traditional roles have remain unchanged, the British Foreign Office orders all UK citizens to leave Benghazi early in Bourdain’s stay, and the ZPZ film crew of Westerners is regarded with apprehension.

Viewers get a very real look into what it must have been like taping the episode when the crew is forced out of Gaddafi’s old palace after a militia group tells them to delete what footage they have of the destroyed grounds.

So proud of my co-workers and friends at ZPZ for tonight’s Libya show. It was very, very difficult. But worth it.

— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) May 20, 2013

The important point that Parts Unknown makes is that, despite what foreigners are called out of the country or what local threats exist, locals that live in Tripoli still go about their daily lives.

“If you only look at what’s on the news, you miss, maybe, what’s a bigger picture,” Bourdain surmises.

As much is proven in the Libyan version of KFC, Uncle Ketaki, where the crew talks with Johan, another young Libyan that quickly answered the call for revolution.

“That’s why we give it a lot of blood from my country,” Johan says while pointing to a Uncle Kentaki chicken sandwich, “because I want the feeling that the taste of freedom.”

Freedom can be as simple as a fast food sandwich.

Lasting impact

It is in Misrata that viewers see the most obvious impact of the fighting with bullet holes covering every wall, and where it becomes most apparent that this episode is not a culinary tour of Libya, but a tribute to those that fought in the revolution.

In the Misrata War Museum, the camera pauses on faces of those that were killed in the uprising, giving international attention and honor to those people that fought for change.

As Bourdain relaxes with a group of ex-freedom fights and a picnic lunch of stew, which includes the heart and kidneys of a lamb killed just moments before, he boils down freedom to its most essential ingredients. “…the freedom to enjoy an afternoon that no one thought possible only a little while ago, the freedom at least to joke, to laugh, to be relatively carefree. ”

In Libya, he has unveiled more evidence that supports an opinion formed by his very unique world view: “Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.”

Psyched for tonight’s Libya episode of @partsunknowncnn . Our best EVER. Will actually be able to watch a bit of it before gotta go… 9EST

— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) May 20, 2013

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But that doesn’t mean people aren’t doing interesting things on the platform.

We looked at sites that are adding something new to the web or, if they’re curating something else they found, at least adding their own distinctive twist. It’s often used by bloggers looking for a fast way to share a distinctive, expert voice or brands looking to experiment under the radar. We’ve collected ten that tumbl travel well.

Discover more travelers, travel companies, and expert advice on Tumblr’s self-curated list of the most important travel Tumblrs.

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An iPhone or iPad can be a handy tool to finding your way around an unfamiliar city, but now it can also be used to check in at your hotel – as our feature about hotel tech in this month’s issue of PC Pro reveals.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, these are the ten apps to download before your next business trip.

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A woman rushes to catch her cab in New York City. David Thompson / Flickr

New York City’s much-anticipated e-hail app program was cut short by a temporary restraining order (TRO) just days after launch, but that hasn’t halted the operations of the two startups that were already approved for participation.

Hailo and Uber‘s cab drivers continue to pick up passengers via the companies’ mobile e-hail apps every day.

Why do they continue to operate even after the pilot program was so clearly blocked?

That’s an answer that no one seems able to agree on, or in some cases, even answer.

New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission is tight-lipped as it works out what will happen next. Uber is similarly quiet, while Hailo is taking another approach that includes court sessions and courting Prince Harry.

Uber and Hailo in NYC

Even though Hailo and Uber are similar in allowing customers to use their respective apps to hail yellow cabs in New York City, the startups have reacted very differently to the TRO.

Uber spokesperson Matt Mittenthal declined to comment to Skift’s inquiry, but he did note that its competitor, Hailo, “is also operating at the moment under the same conditions.”

Hailo continues to aggressively pursue its entrance into the New York City market. The startup sent out an email on May 10 asking early Hailo Beta testers to “Tweet a pic of your first ride and tag it with #SaveOurSoles to score five Beta invites to share with your friends.”

It announced its open Beta via email on May 14 and tweeted a picture of Prince Harry receiving a brief tutorial of the app from co-founder Russell Hall the next day.

Hailo co-founder Russ showed Prince Harry how to use Hailo to get home after a big night at the @uktiusa Tech event: hailo.to/l4naQ

— HailoNYC (@HailoNYC) May 15, 2013

Hailo heads to court

Hailo CEO and co-founder Jay Bregman went to court on May 6 to argue that the startup doesn’t need a pilot program to run in New York.

Bregman’s affidavit (embedded below) estimates that Hailo is losing some $18,000 every day that the Pilot Program remains ordained. He also said that several of Hailo’s key employees have deferred payment, and six city launches have been delayed as a result of the changing situation in New York.

Bregman tells Skift, “The TRO enjoins the Pilot Program, not Hailo. In fact, we specifically went to court to clarify that point and the judge said unequivocally we were not affected by her ruling. The City has consistently maintained that absent the Pilot program e-hailing is legal – that there are no rules or laws preventing it.”

Stance of the Taxi & Limousine Commission

As Bregman points out in the affidavit, the Taxi & Limousine Commission‘s approval of the Pilot Program is key to eliciting cab drivers’ participation.

“It is apparent that many taxi drivers are wary of using e-hail applications without the express endorsement of the TLC, which is now tied to the fate of the Pilot Program,” Bregman writes in the affidavit.

TLC Commissioner David Yassky was bullish on the eventual success for the pilot program even after the pilot program was cut short.

Yassky is quoted as saying “The Supreme Court was absolutely right that taxi-hailing apps are not only good for the riding public, but perfectly legal as well.  It is appalling that narrow commercial interests continue to try to block passengers from using the latest technology….We’re confident this program will move forward.”

The Taxi & Limousine Commission; however, has been less forthcoming about its current position since the pilot program block.

The TLC was scheduled to meet on May 16, and although the meeting was ultimately cancelled, the e-hail app program was not on the agenda.

“I don’t expect it to be relevant to this meeting, other than a mention of the TRO during the chair’s report at the start of the meeting,” TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg responded in an inquiry from Skift.

New York City’s statement

The quotes captured from what appears to be New York City’s main spokesperson on the topic over the last three weeks make it difficult to deem the city’s official stance on the issue.

On May 1, the TLC cites Michelle Goldberg-Cahn, Senior Counsel of the NYC Law Department as saying, ”It’s unfortunate that taxi riders will not be able to continue to test this innovative tool for hailing taxis.”

One week later, Goldberg-Cahn confirmed in a statement to the New York Daily News, “There are no regulations that prevent e-hailing per se.”

When Skift asked TLC spokesman Fromberg on May 14 if Uber or Hailo were allowed to operate outside of the pilot program, he could only reply:

From City attorney (Senior Counsel) Michelle Goldberg-Cahn: “The City is fully complying with the TRO.”

The fate of New York City’s e-hail apps is still pending, but we could have an answer by Monday evening.

A final decision on whether the restraining order will stand or be appealed will be issued on May 20 when a full panel of Appellate Division judges decides on the petitioners’ motion for an injunction.

Below is the affidavit of Jay Bregman, CEO and co-founder of Hailo, which outlines the impact of the pilot program’s delay on the plausibility of an eventual launch.

Download (PDF, 1.89MB)

The post Do Hailo and Uber taxi e-hail apps defy a NYC judge’s orders? Nobody knows appeared first on Skift.

Larry Page, Google's co-founder and chief executive, seemed an exception to the rule when he went Google Glass-less during the keynote presentation at Google I/O 2013 in San Francisco, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Jeff Chiu

The future came crashing down on me this week at the Google I/O developer conference while I stood at a bathroom urinal.

I had just wrapped up a conversation with a man who owned a pair of Google’s Internet-connected glasses, Google Glass. He had explained that one of the gadget’s greatest features is the ability to snap a photo with a wink. “It’s amazing, you just look at something, wink your eye and it just takes a picture,” he said enthusiastically.

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But what about the submarines and the tricycles and the backpacks? At Google I/O this week, the company showed off the collection of off-road gear it uses to map the places the cars can’t go.

The post How Google creatively maps terrain too tight for cars appeared first on Skift.

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Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions calls its small shops the "original boutiques" in its new ad. Screenshot / YouTube

Trave ads seek to inspire and excite viewers into booking a trip. The methods used to elicit such sentiments include fast-paced music, flashy images, and emotional voiceovers; and ultimately they aim to convince viewers that a better time is just a plane ride away.

This week Holland defends its traditional way of life as the ‘original cool,’ while Thomson revamps its brand with a free running routine. Portland takes its time to convince viewers that it never settles for boring and an Italian tour company pushes food and wine instead of its services.

FOR ALL OF OUR SKIFTADS OF THE WEEK COLLECTION, CHECK OUT OUR ARCHIVES HERE.

Holland appeals to Americans’ inner hipster with a new multi-year campaign. The ad scoffs at Brooklyn, stating that it doesn’t consider its meals as artisanal or its small shops as boutiques because that’s the way they’ve always been in Amsterdam.  The ad quickly became one of the most watched videos on YouTube this week and one of the top videos on Reddit video after its debut on Tuesday.

Holland, The Original Cool was created by New York-based Mustache with sponsorship from the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, Amsterdam Schipol Airport, KLM, and Amsterdam Marketing.

Thomson Holidays uses the freerunning trend to take viewers through one of its cruise ships at high speed. Freerunning team 3RUN stars in the campaign that’s meant to rebrand Thomson Cruises with a more contemporary, youthful image. The ship shown is the Thomson Dream, which just went underwent a multi-million pound makeover.

Travel Portland‘s new tourism campaign is too heavy on the text and too light on images that show what truly makes Portland unique. Images of Portland’s serene shoreline, biggest brands including Colombia and Nike, and famous Voodoo Doughnut shop are mixed in with generic shots of wine glasses and restaurants. At two minutes long, the video could afford to cut some length for a more direct and powerful campaign.

This new ad for Roman tour company Carrani does as much to draw tourists to Italy as it does to convince them to choose the established brand’s services. The video seamlessly connects the brand with the city’s finest food, people, and architecture. Italian videographer Gabriele Rivoli created the video.

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