Toronto-based Bitstrips secures $ 3 Million investment

By now, we've all seen the Bitstrips web comics on Facebook and other social media websites. Well, the Toronto-based startup that invented the DIY comics just received a $3 million investment from Horizon Ventures of Hong Kong. The 17-man group is expecting to grow the business organically, slowly building staff up while improving on their product. To date, 30 million avatars have been built, which proves that Bitstrips have some momentum going for them.

"Instagram Direct" announced by Instagram, brings ability to share pictures and videos privately

In an effort to completely own the photosharing market, Instagram today announced a new addition to their very popular photosharing service. Dubbed "Direct", the new feature will enable its users' to send private pictures and videos to up to 15 of their closest friends/followers.

With the forthcoming update, there will now be new icons that give you the option to choose “Followers” or “Direct.” To send a picture or video to an individual, or a group of people, you simply need to select their names, then press send. Taking a cue from BlackBerry’s BBM instant messaging service, Instagram also shows who’s seen your photo, and who’s liked it.

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Gift Guide: Three 8-inch Tablets

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Let's face it, tablets are here to stay and the 7 to 8-inch category is the most exciting and competitive area right now because they offer compact yet powerful options. Here are some that anyone will enjoy unwrapping this Holiday Season.

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Google Maps on iOS gains access to your flight, hotel and restaurant reservations

Google Maps on iOS just got a lot smarter with the recent update which now enables flight, hotel and restaurant reservations right to show up from the app. Integrating the functionality of Google Now into Maps, any of the above reservations that are tied in to your Gmail account will auto-populate on any relevant maps. This is  nicely integrated solution for globetrotting iOS users.