Google is apparently planning to challenge Facebook by rolling out a new feature that will allow Gmail users to easily view and set detailed social status updates.

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Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran is set to deliver a “punch” that will stun world powers during this week’s 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution, AFP reported.

We are all told to never judge a book by its cover, but let’s face it, when we find ourselves at an ugly website, we automatically make assumptions about the quality of the services that site provides. A topic we have begun to cover more often, and one which we strongly believe in, is the importance of design for startups. In the last several weeks we’ve provided tips and best practices for sign-up buttons and registration processes, as well as an inside look into at Boxee’s user experience overhaul.

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According to Silicon Valley angel investor Dave McClure, design needs to be one of the top priorities for Internet startups, not an afterthought. These days, as McClure explains in a recent BusinessWeek.com article, the technical expertise it takes to engineer a basic back-end framework is at a much more accessible level than it was in years past, so payroll dollars can be better spent on masterful designers.

“It’s actually pretty easy to write a Web-friendly app or Web site these days,” writes McClure. “But it’s still incredibly difficult to create visually appealing interfaces and, beyond that, to design them in ways that are compelling and engaging, drive calls to action, and are measurably adept at getting more customers to use your products.”

While coding languages can be learned through study and practice, having an eye for design is more of an innate talent. This isn’t to say that there aren’t people out there who are code masters and were probably born to practice their craft or than solid engineering isn’t critical to the success of a startup, but design is a more artistic and creative talent that you either have you don’t.

More importantly, the design of your product is what your users will interact with directly on a day-to-day basis. Opinions will be formed, rightly or wrongly, within seconds of laying eyes on your site before they even have a chance to put your code to use. So before you go hiring a crack team of code monkeys, make sure to reserve some roster slots for design all-stars.

Photo by Flickr user zaphodsotherhead.

Discuss

It’s Monday, and we know that getting the week started can be tough. We’re here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to tape Monday the 8th at 5:30pm. Think of it as a kind of time machine that will help you power through your day by reviewing what happened in the week HD-wise. Embedded Ustream tools and a list of topics after the break.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD podcast live on Ustream

Join the Engadget HD podcast live on Ustream originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On tomorrow night’s broadcast, Ellen DeGeneres officially joins the American Idol judging table.

While we’re looking forward to this debut, many viewers are already contemplating next season. Still shocked by the news of Simon Cowell’s exit, they’re left to wonder: who will replace this British icon?

Howard Stern has an idea: himself!

“I can’t imagine anyone else but me replacing [Cowell],” Stern said today. “How else are they going to make that show work? Who knows how to broadcast and who knows how to be interesting? And who’s not afraid to speak their mind?”

All good questions, but surely there’s someone out there that’s outspoken and more knowledgeable about music than he is about lesbians or sex toys.

Stern says quite clearly he’d do the show… if the money is right.

“It might be possible, we’ll see,” he said. “They’d have to pay me a ton of dough, because I already make a ton of dough.”

Stern’s five-year, $500 million contract with Sirius radio expires at the end of this year. Do you think he’d make a suitable replacement for Simon?

Justin Timberlake can be such a drag sometimes. Mr. Sexy Back became the most recent winner of the  Hasty Pudding Pot Man of the Year award at Harvard University on Friday, an honor that apparently requires its recipients to humiliate themselves in public.
So many questions. Is this some sort of bizarre fraternity ritual? Does JT look better as a blonde? And what’s up with the presents strapped to his chest—are they a gender-bent reference to his legendary “Dick in a Box” SNL skit?
One thing’s for sure: Justin makes a very handsome woman. Of course, it helps that he’s had practice…

Shai Agassi brokers a deal to electrify one-third of the country’s fleet within 5 years.

Olivia Munn gets physical in tight booty shorts (Click here)
Blake Lively in a tiny bikini will melt your eyeballs (Click here)
Maria Sharapova looks even hotter in a tiny red bikini (Click here)
Marisa Miller unleashes her drop dead sexy body (Click here)
Wow, Jennifer Aniston has one hell of a killer bikini booty! (Click here)
Yeah, Sophia Bush [...]

A spokesman says Democratic Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a retired Marine Corps officer who became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, has died. He was 77.

(ChattahBox)—-Drew Brees, the MVP New Orleans Saints quarterback who led his underdog team to a stunning defeat of the Indianapolis Colts in a 31-17 rout in Sunday’s XLIV Super Bowl, is headed to Disney World and an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. Although, Brees was only able to catch about two-hours of [...]