readings in public relations for august 2nd 2010

Some beautiful Concord Grapes my parents are growing in California

 Here are a few things for today’s reading!  :

• marketers slow to embrace iPad

“Magazines have embraced the iPad, but despite the product’s hype, larger screen and dual-touch technology, brands haven’t followed suit. By Ad Age’s count, there are only a handful of iPad branded apps not from content companies, out of the 11,000 apps explicitly built for the tablet in the App Store.”

• how technology is rewiring our brains

“You think your car radio is broken because it doesn’t display the name of the song and the artist. You tap a word on a paperback and wonder why the definition doesn’t automatically pop up. You swipe a digit across the screen of your cell phone and all you get are fingerprint smudges.”

• media companies trying to get social with tumblr

‘“I saw it as an opportunity to talk to our audience in a new way,” he said. On Twitter, he said, “the main feedback comes mostly from retweeting,” or retransmitting an interesting message. On Tumblr, “the tone is a lot more conversational.”

• 10 geekiest flavored apple cakes

Here at Mashable, it’s no secret we all love cake. In fact, the only things we love more than cakes are geeky cakes. So, to satisfy our sweet tooth (and geekiness) we’ve hunted down 10 particularly fine examples of Apple-themed pastry. Why not have a little wander through the gallery below and let us know which ones you’d like to sink your teeth into?

• how small businesses will use social media

 “Short of saying we’ll all be doing business from Foursquare-fueled hover cars, the future of social media and small business is very much an unknown. While most social media-savvy businesses undoubtedly have an online presence, the ability to then monetize online efforts is still in its infancy”