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Breaking: White House Tumblr says it's GIF, with a 'hard G'

The first post on the White House's official new Tumblr boldly tackles a topic sure to inspire as much debate in certain circles as immigration reform, tax cuts, and gun control -- the pronunciation of "GIF."

I, being the softie that I am, have always pronounced the acronym for Graphical Interchange Format "jif" (it sounds more French), but the White House informs me I am wrong and may be declared an enemy of the state. "Hard G," it declares on a graphic (or is that jraffic?) previewing the kinds of content we should expect to see on the new Tumblr -- everything from behind-the-scenes photos to updates on policy and First Dog Bo (and, presumably, Bo's take on policy updates).

And because a Tumblr without them wouldn't be worth its weight in dancing cats, "yes, of course there will be GIFs," it says. … Read more

Funny GIFs viewer 2.2 Review

Animated GIFs have practically become a form of currency online. Funny GIFs Viewer lets you sift through or download dozens of them to find the best ones in circulation. It's easy to use and the user-voting system makes sure you see the funniest ones. The biggest warning is that some of the content isn't suitable for everyone and you could find some of the GIFs offensive.

Since all of the GIFs are user-submitted, there are definitely a few surprises. One of the highest ranked GIFs during testing was an NC-17 image that looked downright pornographic. Since there's … Read more

T-Mobile gets iPhone, kills the contract

CNET Update keeps it simple:

Tuesday's Update explains T-Mobile's new plans and how its selling top smartphones for less than the competition.

Also featured in this tech news roundup:

- Google+ allows animated GIFs for profile pics

- Google+ updates apps with new photo tools and location sharing

- Facebook creates comment threads with reply option

- New BMW 6-series takes dictation, shows virtual gauges

- Sneak peek of New York Auto Show (pictures)

Watch CNET Update in the video above, and subscribe to the podcast via the links below.

Subscribe:

iTunes (HD) | iTunes (SD) | iTunes (HQ)… Read more

Oh goodie, Google+ now allows animated gifs as profile pics

Everyone's favorite social network has added everyone's favorite feature. That's right, Google+ is now supporting animated gifs as profile pics.

"Our gif to you. You can now use animated gifs for your profile photo," the official Google+ account announced Monday afternoon.

The animated gif profile pic performs its ceaseless looping act on both desktop and mobile, but only on profile pages. Thankfully, those who hate the lively images -- this reporter included, as you may have guessed -- won't have to endure animated avatars as friends post to the stream, save for the occasional &… Read more

The 404 1,231: Where time is brain (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Check out our interview with B.O.B. and Big Boi for their new game, "Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel."

- Mico headphones let your brainwaves choose the music.

- Google Images adds filters for animated GIFs.

- Detroit doctors link garbled texting as first sign of a stroke.… Read more

Amazon could be next Spotify challenger

CNET Update can't be grumpy for GIFs:

The streaming music scene is about to get more interesting. The latest report indicates Amazon is targeting Spotify with its own on-demand music streaming service. We've also heard that Google and Apple are working on similar products.

Other stories featured in Wednesday's tech roundup:

- Google Image search has added filters for finding animated GIFs and other specific file types.

- The Jawbone Up fitness bracelet now has an Android app.

- Websites can now put a "Send to Kindle" button on blog posts and news stories, next … Read more

Google Images adds filters for animated GIFs

Google is making it easier to find the perfect animated GIF with which to e-mail a friend or post on a blog, adding new filters to Images that let users query specific file types.

Google confirmed to CNET that it is rolling out the new filters to users today. The file types now searchable include faces, photos, clip art, line drawings, and animated GIFs. All appear under "search tools." Click "any type" on the drop-down menu that appears to see the animated GIF option.

The filters highlight the wide range of file types contained within image … Read more

Convert PDF files to a modifiable format with iPubsoft PDF to GIF Converter for Mac

People often want to work with locked PDF files, but the file format prevents editing. For those people, iPubsoft PDF to GIF Converter for Mac effectively changes those files to a format that can be modified.

iPubsoft PDF to GIF Converter is available as a free trial version with a 15-time usage limit; the full version requires a payment of $39.95. In addition, the trial version only allows part of the conversion to complete. The program downloaded quickly and the native installer placed it directly in the applications folder. Startup required acceptance of a user agreement. The interface design … Read more

Any GIF Animator 2.0

Animated GIFs -- short sequences of images that act like tiny moving pictures -- have been around since Netscape Navigator 2.0 (!), but thanks to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and particularly Tumblr, these little slices of Internet hilarity have exploded in recent years. By this point, even your mom knows what they are (see Jennifer Lawrence at the 2013 Oscars for a major mainstream-media example), but it's not too late for you to get in on the craze. One of the best things about animated GIFs is that they're easy to make, especially with tools like Any GIF … Read more

The 404 1,216: Where we 3D print our way out of the friendzone (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- "Friendzone" added to Oxford dictionary.

- Makerlove is an online community of 3D-printed adult toys.

- New app turns your iPhone into a mobile urine lab.

- It was bound to happen: Dongiverse lets you print 3D sex toys.

- Boston frat starts Indiegogo campaign for transsexual brother.

- Oleg Berg's YouTube and Soundcloud pages rework the keys of classic songs, for better or worse. Exhibit the creepiness of "Hey Jude" in minor.… Read more