If you haven’t heard already, Facebook bought Instagram today. Mark Zuckerberg has been quoted saying the following:

“For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.”

Some have speculated that Facebook’s latest buy is an attempt to box out the competition. Others have also complained heavily that, under Facebook’s administration, Instagram is ruined. While this may be true, Facebook, a billion dollar company, is pretty good at running the show. In fact, Facebook would probably successfully run several other companies as well. Here are some companies I think Facebook should buy:

initiating the gallery...

[Lead image via androidauthority.com]

Fact: College students love free stuff. Also fact: College students love Apple products.

Now, thanks to Vonage and their new Time to Call App (that makes international calls super easy and super cheap…what up, smart phone-using study abroad ladies!), you can win either a new iPad 2 or a $715 iTunes gift card. And nope, I’m not joking.

Want to learn how to get your hands on some amazing back to school technology? Check out the sites below on the corresponding dates for a chance to enter — and maybe win — a free iPad 2 of your own.

12-16 Aug:
Gear Live
Mobility Site

13-17 Aug:
Neowin.net
Geek in Heels
What the Tech

14-18 Aug:
Chip Chick
Gear Diary

15-19 Aug:
Digital Home Thoughts
Daily Social EN
Smallbiztechnology

16-20 Aug:
AuTechHeads
The Study Abroad Blog

17-21 Aug:
Her Campus

And check back later this month for a chance to win right here on CollegeCandy!

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Any New Books?, When Parents Text and College Daybreak) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

I love going to concerts, but I always manage to hear about them long after the tickets are sold out. Then I spend weeks hearing about how excited my friends are to see <Insert Favorite Band Here> and another few weeks listening to them gush about how amazing <Insert Favorite Song Here> was live.

Well, I’ll never have to pretend I don’t want to punch them in the face worry about that again now that I’ve discovered iConcertCal.

iConcertCal is a GENIUS tool that syncs with your iTunes library to create a personalized calendar of all upcoming concerts in your area. It also contains information about the venue, what other bands are playing, and direct links to where you can purchase tickets.

If that isn’t amazing enough, iConcertCal can be exported right to your computer’s calendar and is also available as an iPhone or Android app, so you can get concert info whenever and wherever you need it. You can also share your calendar with friends (and see their shared calendars as well).

And iConcertCal isn’t just for concerts — it will also show you if any artists you like have CDs being released soon and provides links to where you can pre-order them.

Thanks to iConcertCal, I’ll never miss another concert! I’ve already discovered so many upcoming  concerts I want to go to — but now I just have to decide which ones to buy tickets to!

Pretty cool, eh? Well, there’s plenty more web where that came from. Check out the other sites that are on Laura’s web radar!

This week, I’m in nostalgia/angry mode. Angry because my Dbag of an ex-boyfriend has decided to try to start calling me again (barf). Nostalgic because when I’m trying to blow off steam, I tend to go into organization mode and this time around, my music collection got my attention. While re-labeling my iTunes collection I came across an old favorite album of mine: AFI’s ‘The Art of Drowning.’ It immediately took me back to my punk rocker days in middle school. The days I would trick myself out in Hot Topic clothes from head to toe before my town even got one. Embarrassing, yes. But while my fashion sense wasn’t top notch, I did have good taste in music as a 12-year-old.

About the Band:
AFI, or A Fire Inside, started back in 1991 in California and currently consists of Davey Havok, Adam Carson, Hunter Burgan, and Jade Puget. They formed when the members were all in high school, but they disbanded when they went off to separate colleges. After reuniting for a live performance, they all decided to drop out of college to make AFI a full time thing.

Top 3 Tracks:

The Lost Souls

The Days of the Phoenix

Morningstar

Why You Should Listen To It:
This album is great for those days where you’re just pissed off and in a bad mood; when you just want to listen to something with screaming and good guitar riffs. It’s rough and loud and the best way to get yourself out of a funk, express some emotion, or even motivate you when you need a few hours to clean the disaster you call a room. It’s the kind of music that makes you feel better after you listen to it, like whatever you were dealing with is somehow OK now. So if that’s what you need, and we all have days when that’s exactly what we need, AFI’s ‘The Art of Drowning’ is the perfect prescription.

Want more awesome iPod suggestions? You got it!

Here are ten things you are definitely never too old for:

1. Glitter: Although you got away with wearing glittery lip gloss and questionable glittery eye shadows as a preteen, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little glitz and glam now. Seriously, if Lady Gaga and Katy Perry can rock glitter on a daily basis, so can you. Not sure how to pull off glitter without looking like a five-year-old that got a little too crazy at the arts and crafts table? Add a glittery top coat to your nail polish or go for a subtle glitzy shimmer in your eyeshadow. Want to be a little over the top? Go for the gold in a metallic glittery shirt. Worst case scenario is that you look like a Claire’s employee. Best case: you look hot.

2. Pigtails: Preschoolers aren’t the only ones that can rock this look. While you probably don’t want to be known as “pigtail girl” around campus, going out with pigtails could be a fun and flirty alternative to your everyday hair. You probably had your pig tails pulled up high, so for a more-adult approach to this look that you’re never too old for — sport them lower. Also, pigtails work incredibly well when you’re working out.

3. Licking the bowl of batter: You know you did it when you were younger. Your mom baked a cake and you couldn’t keep your little hands out of the chocolately goodness. Go ahead — dip your finger in the mix. Or, just dig in with a spoon. Or don’t even cook the batter and just go after the cookie dough. You’re definitely not too old to enjoy any kind of sweets — baked or not. Go ahead, no one’s looking!

4. Sleeping With A Stuffed Animal: Just because you’re in college doesn’t mean you have to leave your favorite stuffed animal at home, you know the one that you have been sleeping with since you were two years old. While you probably shouldn’t bring your Beanie Baby collection and your CareBear stuffed animal set along with you, you don’t have to give up your best bed buddy entirely now that you’re 21. However, we do recommend you refrain from setting up your Polly Pockets on your dorm desk.

5. Reading Books For Girls: Who says that just because you’re an English major writing a thesis about Shakespeare’s heroines that you can’t appreciate your favorite book as a fourteen year old? Even though you aren’t writing essays about the importance of Harriet the Spy, it doesn’t mean you can’t go back to those old books you loved. Now that you’re older, maybe you’ll get something entire different out of them. Also, just because you never got the chance to read that Judy Blume novel you wanted to read, you don’t have to give up hope. Read it! No one will judge you reading a book for a high school girl. You can still feel young at heart with each turn of the page.

6. Disney Movies: Every group of girls should at least have a Disney night throughout their college career. Remember how you loved The Little Mermaid so much? Watch it. You don’t always have to watch rated-R movies and crappy comedies about bromances. For so many kids, Disney was a main staple, so chances are that you and your friends will all have your own opinions about the best movies and the best Disney princesses.

7. Calling Your Parents: So you had a bad day in class — call your mom and cry about it. Although you may feel silly calling your mom to cry when you’re away at college, it’s not silly at all. You used to do it all the time, back in the days of glittery lip gloss and tutus. Not only will you feel better to be consoled by your mom or dad, you will make your parents feel like you still need them. In fact, call your parents frequently. I’m not talking about every day, but check in and say hi. Just because you’re out of the house doesn’t mean you can’t count on them. However, I think it’s safe to say that the one time you shouldn’t call your parents is when you’re drunk…all you need is one slurred word and they’ll have campus safety on the lookout for you.

8. Top 40 Hits: Just because it’s 2010 and the Backstreet Boys haven’t had a major hit in a few years doesn’t mean you can’t rock your body and sing along to “I Want It That Way.” In fact, you’re never too old for top 40 hits from back in the day. Remember when Britney was a school girl with pigtails? If not, you should re-vist this because no matter how grown up you are, pop music can still make you feel whatever age you were when it was a hit. Instant nostalgia anytime, courtesy of iTunes and the radio!

9.  Old TV Shows: You are never too old to go back and re-watch TV series’ such as Boy Meets World, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and Clarissa Explains It All. In fact, you’re never too old to indulge in the drama of your favorite coming-of-age WB (remember when it was called the WB?) shows such as Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While these shows might be a blast from the past, it doesn’t mean you can’t watch them with as much glee as you once did.

10. Saying “When I Grow Up”: Just because you’re “grown up” now doesn’t mean you can’t think of the future and what you want it to bring you. With the same vigor that you possessed when you were dying for your mom to paint your nails, get excited about the future and when you “grow up.” Don’t be scared to say things like “I’ll get botox when I grow up” and “I can’t wait to grow up and not drink boxed wine.”

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Homeslyce, BadDateTV and Beauty Story) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

I love the convenience of watching TV shows online (besides that whole “burn my thighs” thing), but it can be a hassle sometimes when the season or particular episode isn’t available on a particular site, forcing me to hunt across the internet for the show I want to watch. Which, turns out, is only available in Japanese.  Luckily for me, I’ve discovered a handy site that makes everything a whole lot easier (…and in English).

Clicker is a super-extensive catalog of every TV show episode available to watch online.  To use it, simply type in the name of the TV show you want to watch in the search bar (or browse the site’s multiple categories), and Clicker will search it’s catalog of over 5,200 TV shows (and over 280,000 episodes!) from sites all over the web to take you to its Clicker profile page.  Once you’re there, you simply choose the episode you want, and follow the link to watch it!

Some of the links take you to places where you can purchase or rent the episode for a fee, like Amazon and iTunes, or subscription services like Netflix (which is the only option for some shows, especially ones on premium channels). However, there are TONS of shows available for absolutely free!

What a great way to save some money.  If you’re on a tight budget (and who isn’t these days, really?), watching TV on the internet is a great alternative to having to pay for cable.

Or maybe you already pay for cable, but don’t feel like you’re getting your money’s worth because your roommates keep hogging the TV in the living room to watch 90210 and Vampire Diaries busy social life keeps causing you to miss episodes of your favorite shows.  You might be thinking of getting a DVR box or TiVo, but those come with pretty hefty additional monthly fees.  You can get around paying those by catching up on the shows you missed through Clicker instead!

Just think of how much money you’re going to save (and how much of your sanity when you can watch what you want in the privacy of your own room) by using Clicker to watch TV online!

As we all surely know, starting a new diet or exercise routine can be an expensive and time consuming endeavor. Gym memberships, personal trainers and private nutritionists have always come with a hefty fee, and women are often too busy to take the steps necessary for achieving weight loss.

These days, however, your iPhone may be all you need to tone up and shed pounds thanks to dozens of new applications that make calorie counting and following exercise routines a snap. With the tap of your finger, these apps can help you organize a healthy shopping list, search extensive databases for low-calorie recipes, and customize workout plans and diet journals. And since we’re attached to our phones all day anyway, there’s really no easier way to get motivated and start transforming your body before summer rolls around.

Here are some of top applications, all available on iTunes in the “Healthcare and Fitness” category and compatible with iPods, iPod Touches and iPads.

Tap and Track: Calorie, Weight Loss and Exercise Tracker, $3.99
After you plug in your Body Mass Index and weight loss goal, this application keeps track of how many calories you’ve consumed throughout the day. Just record what you eat and the serving size in the food journal, which analyzes each meal’s fat, calorie, and carbohydrate content and keeps track of it in a neat list separated by “breakfast,” “lunch,” “dinner” and “snack.” When you press “add exercise” and describe the workout you’ve just completed, the application will reset your calorie allotment for that day.
(If you don’t want to spend $4, you can also download MyFitnessPal, a similar app that is free and is also available online.)

Eat this, Not that!, Free
For women who are always on the go (or in college…), unhealthy restaurant choices often turn into diet downfalls. This application pits take-out items against one another (think fast-food hamburgers, sandwiches from chains like Cosi and Au Bon Pain, and bags of tortilla chips) to help people make healthier choices when they don’t have time to cook for themselves.

Weight Watchers Mobile, Free
This application keeps track of how many Weight Watchers points you consume with each meal and keeps a running tally of the points that remain to be consumed on both a daily and weekly basis. You can log the foods that you eat even if you don’t have an internet connection, and update your list later–which the application will remind you to do if you forget. Finally, it records your weight loss progress in an interactive chart while helping you find Weight Watchers meetings no matter where you are. It’s like having your own nutritionist.

Body Fitness: Ultimate Exercise Journal with 320+ Exercise Support, Free
This app allows you to log your workouts while providing detailed pictures and verbal descriptions of abs, arms, legs and core routines. If you’re unsure how to use a dumbbell or carry out a sit-up routine on a balance ball, this is the perfect way to ease into an exercise routine while monitoring your achievements.

RunKeeper, Free
This application is perfect for women who prefer to run outdoors but still want to measure their speed, distance and number of calories burned. With a built in GPS system, you can be sure that you’ll never make a wrong turn–and this comes in handy when you’re walking as well.

*Note: For all you non-Apple users, many of these applications are available on other phones as well.

Thank God this is one award TSwift didn’t take.

Where’s Andrew Koenig?

Perfect waves while you sleep?!

People are scum. And here is your evidence.

So Billy Corgan is not with Jessica. I think.

No more sexy time in the iTunes store.

It’s officially the future, people, and while there may not be flying cars just yet, the advancements in technology are plentiful. Especially when it comes to gettin’ some. Yes, sex has gone tech, and I’m talking about more than those nakey photos you’ve been sending to the boyfriend while he’s away. (Which is a bad, bad idea. Has Vanessa Hudgens taught you nothing?!)

Below, a list of the sexiest things in tech:

For Your iPhone

Got an iPhone? No? Well, maybe it’s time to spend the cashola, because when it comes to sex, well, there’s an app for that. Here are a few of my favorites.

Cosmo’s Sex Position of the Day
This app is a to-go version of the Cosmo Kama Sutra. It offers a new sex position every day, as well as instructions and advice, illustration, and a difficulty rating (for those girls who are always up for a challenge).

The Love Guru
The Love Guru app gives you daily love predictions based on your zodiac sign, and lets you know the best time to make your move.

101 Cheesy Pick Up Lines
We’d all roll our eyes if a guy actually tried to use one of these on us, but they can be a great way to break the ice with that hottie you’ve been eying across the bar. After all, using these lines takes confidence and a sense of humor, both turn-ons.

Massager for iPhone
OK, so maybe putting your iPhone in your happy place isn’t the smartest (or most sanitary) idea, but it’s definitely something to consider if you ever get a little….lonely.

For Your Computer

Skype
If you’re separated from your hunny over break, Skype is the best way to keep the passion going. Skype offers free webcam chatting, so you talk face-to-face with S.O. instead of gluing your cell phone to your ear. To spice things up, wear something extra sexy (or nothing at all). Just make sure he’s not hanging in the living room with the fam… or taking screenshots to send to his homies.

Teledildonics
Teledildonics are sex toys that connect to the internet, so you can have someone else operate them from far away (handy if you’re in an LDR, or just really like chat rooms).

OhMiBod Vibrator
Hook it up to your favorite iTunes playlist (or the one that has the most bass), and enjoy your music in a new – and more intimate – way. It’s almost like getting a private, very special performance from the likes of Usher, The Rolling Stones or whoever you’ve got playing. (Though I advice against anything by David Archuleta or Justin Bieber…that’s just creepy.)

Yes, it’s holiday season, which means it’s time to print out that list of wants you’ve been keeping all year and hand it over to mama so she can make all your dreams come true. We all know this time of year should be all about the giving, but we can admit that getting feels really freaking awesome, too. And with all the giving you’ll be doing, you deserve to get some great stuff in return!

Since I’ve been working my ass off and totally neglecting my every shopping desire to save some serious cash this year, there are about a billion things I want for the holidays. Like this dress from Alloy (wouldn’t it be adorbs for NYE??), or any of Ashley Watson’s brilliant recycled leather handbags, or even a lame gift card to iTunes! (I’m so cheap I’ve been listening to Miley on YouTube all year…) Yeah, I want it all. And I know I’m not the only one…

This week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to share their #1 wish this year. Perhaps this will inspire any friends/boyfriends out there still looking for gifts for the special people in your life. Or maybe the writers can just send this along to their parents as a little nudge in the right direction.

Now you tell us – what’s #1 on your list?

Norah – Drake University: Season 2 of The Tudors on DVD. I watched the entire first season on Netflix over Thanksgiving break, and now I’m obsessed. It’s one of those guilty pleasure shows that I could watch again and again – but hey, it’s history, so it’s not a complete waste of time…right?

Erica – Kent State University:  I am obsessing over sequins.  I just hope this skirt looks as good in person as it does online.  Looking like I just stepped off a Cirque du Soleil stage is not the idea.

Leah – Ryerson University: I’ve already received all my presents, but I just gifted myself a pair of Cole Haan boots.  Merry Christmas to me.

Brithny – Duke: A glow-in-the-dark toilet seat cover. Because you know it’s hard to find at night. Don’t lie.

Ricki – University of Michigan: For the holidays, I want the Nine West Tina Crossbody Bag in PURPLE!

Katie – Michigan State University:  A new computer! After almost five years, my poor laptop is five mp3′s away from committing suicide.

Samantha -  UCSB: Lululemon’s “Wear With All” jacket. I think I’ll do just that!

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley:  I’m not much of  Juicy girl, but this year I am fiendin’ for the Juicy Couture Perfume. It smells toooo good!

Lauren – University of Michigan: The Perfect Brownie Pan. Who doesn’t want those hard, chewy edges every time? I’m drooling just thinking about it.

Noa – CU Boulder: I want a boyfriend. But if I can’t get that then I guess I’ll settle for this gorg Botkier bag in burgundy.

Elise – Stanford: I want this huge block of Himalayan Salt to cook on.  Sounds weird, but it may be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

Charlsie – Hollins Univesity: Making a donation to the South African organization These Numbers Have Faces is the number one gift on my list this year — I’m doing it for my sister, and I think the cause is great. It sends poor South African students to college!

Emmy – Loyola University Chicago: Currently my number one on my wish list is sleep. It is priceless and sadly not sold online. But I mean, I wouldn’t say no to a manicure, pedicure, and massage. Almost as good as some sleep during finals week.

Nina – Michigan State University: It’d be fun to get the Victoria’s Secret Miraculous Pushup Bra. TWO cup sizes? That’s just ridiculous.

Hillary – Columbia: I’m crossing my fingers for an iPhone 3GS. Whenever I try to list all of the awesome features it has, I lose count almost right away: voice control commands, a built-in compass, a video camera… if you’re going to dream about presents, dream big, right?

Sara C-Fordham: The holidays are always a feast for the senses, with the scent of pine needles and gingerbread and peppermint lingering just about everywhere. But for the eleven other months out of the year, I’d like to smell just as pretty, which is why I hope to find a little bottle of Marc Jacobs’ Rain with my name on it!

Zahra – Northwestern University: Nothing’s sexier in the winter than a trench coat.

Carrie – Duke: Furniture for my new off-campus apartment! Hellooo, IKEA.

Mechelle – Florida State: A boy to impress my mother. Must be Jewish, a med student, and obscenely wealthy. Any takers?

Alex K – Lakehead University: Number 1 on my wish list is the Dawson’s Creek complete series! My guilty pleasure, all in one convenient package!

Note: if you feel like fulfilling any of my gift desires, hit me up for my address! I write really nice thank-you notes!