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[engadget] Nokia C6 is actually a 5230-ish landscape slider?
Fri, 12 March 2010 23:38:00 GMT - We hate to turn your entire world -- nay, your very belief system -- on its end, but it's at least conceivable here that the so-called Nokia Mystic with the portrait QWERTY keyboard may not be the upcoming C6 after all. Instead, Tom's Guide is submitting this bright white exhibit as the device lucky enough to wear the C6 name, a phone that looks a whole hell of a lot like a 5230 with a QWERTY slider tacked on for good measure. That would make sense considering Nokia's goal of turning the freshly-introduced Cseries into a midrange, consumer-friendly brand; this phone could easily slot in below the N97 Mini, for example, particularly in light of rumors that the phone will lack the N97's beefy internal storage. Word is the C6 is pegged for a European release by [...]
[engadget] Playcast Media nabs support from big name publishers, aims to bring STB gaming to US
Fri, 12 March 2010 23:15:00 GMT - GDC is winding down here in San Francisco, but Playcast Media is hoping to snag its 15 minutes by announcing new partnerships with Atari, Capcom, Codemasters and THQ (to name a few) for use in its "console-free games-on-demand" service. 'Course, streaming games in through a set-top-box is nothing new, but few operators in the States offer such a thing with any real substance behind it. Playcast's solution enables titles to be pushed through existing cable and telco STBs, and we're told that the US market is next in line to get gifted. We're not given any significant details beyond that, but we're pretty jazzed about big name publishers signing on to finally give this distribution method a bit of credence. Now, if only this Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD [...]
[NewTeeVee] Viral Hitmakers Team With Indie Doc AboutGrocery Baggers?
Fri, 12 March 2010 23:00:23 GMT - Last fall, I interviewed Pixar CTO/indie film producer Oren Jacob for a GigaOm Pro piece about using online data in the offline world. At the time, Jacob was considering the idea of putting his latest project, the Spellbound-esque documentary Ready Set Bag!, online in full for free, as a means of figuring out how [...]
[engadget] German student shows off camera-based input on an iPhone
Fri, 12 March 2010 22:49:00 GMT - Using a camera as an input device is hardly a new idea -- even on a mobile device -- but most examples so far have been to enable functionality not possible on a touchscreen. As Master's student Daniel Bierwirth has shown in the video after the break, however, a phone on a camera can also be used as an alternative input method for features like scrolling or zooming, potentially allowing for easier interaction on devices with smaller screens. Bierwirth also takes the idea one step further, and sees the system eventually including a second camera that's worn by a person, which would be able to detect when your hands are near the phone and allow for a range of other gestures. Check out his full report at the link below.Continue reading German student shows off [...]
[engadget] Win XP needs some TLC to use next-gen hard drives
Fri, 12 March 2010 22:21:00 GMT - Solid state drives may be the fast-moving wave of the future in PC storage, but the technology for bigger and better magnetic media keeps on trucking. Only recently, that truck hit something of a pothole: the 4096-byte sector size that will allow advanced format drives to have more usable space (and surpass the current 2TB capacity limit) doesn't play nice with the world's most popular OS -- Windows XP. While manufacturers like Western Digital have already introduced software that successfully combats the problem, the new drives perform poorly in Win XP without it, and rival manufacturer Seagate told the BBC that even with software tricks, XP users should expect the occasional 5ms delay, or 10% speed reduction, during write times. Is this the end of Windows [...]
[betanews] Bing gains show why Microsoft-Yahoo search deal is a dumb idea
Fri, 12 March 2010 22:11:00 GMT - By Joe Wilcox, Betanews One of Microsoft's major justifications for the Yahoo search deal is scale. CEO Steve Ballmer has repeatedly asserted that greater scale would allow Microsoft to improve search accuracy. Just last week he told Search Marketing Expo Westattendees: "The ability to put together Yahoo's volumes and Microsoft's volumes and use that in a way that improves the experience more, let's call it all involved parties, we think is absolutely fantastic."But the scale argument presumes that Microsoft and Yahoo would combine search share. The deal is in place but not fully implemented, and already Microsoft's Bing is taking away search share from Yahoo -- not Google. In February, Bing's US search share reached 11.5 percent, up from 11.3 percent month [...]
[onlinevideowatch] NBC Direct Still Sucks Two Years Later
Fri, 12 March 2010 22:05:47 GMT - Last rant before leaving. NBC Direct sucks. Period. Their "HD Download" service is a great idea, especially for people who want higher quality and dont mind downloading in the background. In case anyone is interested, check out the forum on the My.NBC message board. Thread started in August of 2008. In that entire time, there [...]
[techcrunch] South Asian Mobile Social Network Mig33 Sending Twice As Many Messages A Day As Twitter
Fri, 12 March 2010 22:02:26 GMT - Mobile social networks have tremendous potential to flourish in developing countries where mobile phone usage trumps internet connectivity. SMS based social networks like SMSGupshup have gained considerable traction in Asia because of this. For example, in India, there is currently a 10 to 1 mobile-to-PC ratio. Mig33, a mobile social network that involves VoIP calls, instant messaging, e-mail, text messaging, and picture sharing, has accumulated 35 million registered users of its service and is growing fast in South Asian markets such as Indonesia and India. Assuming 3 to 10 percent are active on a monthly basis, that would be 1 million to 3.5 million active users. Mig33's users are now sending over 1 million virtual gifts a month, and posting approximately [...]
[readwriteweb] Chevrolet Blends Mobile and Desktop Augmented Reality at SXSW
Fri, 12 March 2010 22:00:00 GMT - Everyone has been talking about how this year's SXSW will be the "year of location" as Foursquare and Austin-based Gowalla go head-to-head in a location-based battle royale. Location, however, is not the only emerging technology that will be on display in Austin; American auto maker Chevrolet announced it will be debuting new augmented reality promotions at SXSW this year. Sponsor Festival attendees can download the Chevy iReveal application on the iPhone which will allow them to participate in a scavenger hunt-like game that blends augmented reality with location-based functions. A map in the application shows the location of Chevy vehicle promotions around Austin where users can "unlock" the ability to view 360-degree 3D models of the cars in an AR view us [...]
[engadget] Verizon's Nexus One to be sold only through Google, have Sense UI (or not)
Fri, 12 March 2010 21:57:00 GMT - This doesn't come as much of a surprise, but Android Central seems to have obtained a screen shot from a deep, dark, top-secret Verizon system that indicated that the upcoming CDMA version of the Nexus One will be "available only through www.Google.com/Phones." That, of course, matches T-Mobile's strategy of quietly letting Google do its thing -- and Verizon's strategy of keeping its network "open" -- so you'll just have to remember to not line up at your local store at 8PM the night before the launch, otherwise you're going to come away very, very disappointed. What's a whole lot stranger, though, is a mention that it runs HTC's Sense UI, which means one of a few things: Google's allowing carriers and manufacturers to have their way with the Android builds [...]
[gizmodo] Slacker Radio Planning On-Demand Music Service [Slacker]
Fri, 12 March 2010 21:55:04 GMT - Wired is reporting that Slacker Radio has secretly been prepping an on-demand music subscription service that will give users unprecedented control over streaming radio. More » [...]
[betanews] Italy launches a beta of Microsoft Tags for tourism
Fri, 12 March 2010 21:34:31 GMT - By Tim Conneally, Betanews Last week, I wrote a little article about Microsoft's four-color approach to QR black-and-white barcodes, the still-in-beta Microsoft Tag, which was also related to the company's first official Android application.I only briefly touched upon the many things that are being done with QR codes: advertisements that you scan with your cell phone camera to pull up related content on the Web, business cards that you can scan for an instant call to the card's owner, or boxes that you can scan for an instant Web-based list of contents.One area that I neglected to mention is tourism. For the last couple of years, more and more cities have begun to employ black-and-white QR codes as virtual tour guides. Historical sites and points of interest [...]
[engadget] The Engadget Podcast, live... now!
Fri, 12 March 2010 21:28:00 GMT - Hey, is there something going on that we should talk about? Join us in just a few and let's find out... together. Update: We're all wrapped up, but the regular post will be up tomorrow if you missed it! The Engadget Podcast, live... now! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments [...]
[NewTeeVee] Netflix Cancels Recommendation Engine Contest, Settles Privacy Lawsuit
Fri, 12 March 2010 21:19:47 GMT - There won't be a second edition of the Netflix Prize contest any time soon: The company announced today on its blog that it has canceled the next round of its competition to improve its algorithms in light of an FCC investigation of potential privacy issues. It also said that it settled a [...]
[engadget] Apple iPad -- model A1337 -- phreaks the FCC
Fri, 12 March 2010 21:17:00 GMT - A pair of iPads was just revealed in the FCC's system in perfect synchrony with that little pre-order sitch with which you may or may not already be familiar. Apple, of course, has a track record of timing its FCC filings perfectly so that virtually nothing is revealed before Cupertino wants it to be, and frankly, you're not going to get much here that you didn't already know -- the photographs (both external and internal) and the user manual are all still under confidentiality. Both units were tested for WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth, while one -- model number A1337 -- adds in GSM 850 / 1900 and UMTS 850 / 1900, so it appears that Apple has bundled all of its 3G and non-3G models into just two filings regardless of storage capacity. We caught A1337 flipp [...]
[slashdot] Here Come the Linux iPad Clones
Fri, 12 March 2010 21:13:00 GMT - CWmike writes "You can now pre-order an Apple iPad; but do you really want to, asks Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. 'I mean, I get why you'd want an iPad. I'd like one too,' he writes. 'But,' he says, 'when I consider that there are soon going to be literally dozens of cheaper, Linux-powered iPad devices on the market, I find it a lot easier to resist putting $499 on my credit card. On top of that, Apple will be including DRM on some eBooks and other iPad content. I really, really hate DRM. All that said, I agree the iPad is really cool. I predict with absolute faith that the iPad and its clones are going to kill off single purpose devices like dedicated eReaders such as Amazon's Kindle and GPS devices within the next three years. How can it not work out this way [...]
[engadget] Lenovo CEO says mobile internet products will soon account for '70 to 80 percent' of sales
Fri, 12 March 2010 21:12:00 GMT - Lenovo may mostly be associated with laptops and all-business desktops these days, but it looks like the company's CEO hopes that won't be the case for too much longer. Speaking with the AP, Yang Yuanqing dropped the somewhat surprising statement that he expects mobile internet products to account for between 70 and 80 percent of the company's sales "within three to five years." Of course, Yang didn't specify exactly what constitutes a "mobile internet product" for Lenovo, but we'd assume it includes things like the company's new IdeaPad S10-3t (and possibly even traditional laptops), or else it really has its work cut out for itself. He further went on to add that Lenovo is focused on a "protect and attack" strategy over the longer term, noting that while C [...]
[engadget] AT&T's de la Vega: HSPA+ coming 'in certain locations'
Fri, 12 March 2010 20:49:00 GMT - AT&T hasn't been quite as forthcoming with the exact details of its next-gen network plans as T-Mobile and Verizon have been recently, but FierceBroadbandWireless appears to have wrested a tidbit from wireless boss Ralph de la Vega in a recent interview. Though the standard HSPA 7.2Mbps deployment is still AT&T's short-term focus, HSPA+ -- which can theoretically take HSPA to 21Mbps and beyond -- is clearly still on its radar prior to LTE. "We will also deploy HSPA+ in certain locations," de la Vega said on no uncertain terms -- without revealing even a hint about where those "certain locations" might be, unfortunately. Speaking of LTE, the 4G tech still seems to be on AT&T's back burner for the moment with the first commercial markets not sched [...]
[readwriteweb] Superfeedr Now Adds Location to Feeds Automatically
Fri, 12 March 2010 20:37:10 GMT - Real-tme feed publishing startup Superfeedr has quietly turned on automatic location data in the feeds it republishes from around the web, we confirmed with the company today. Founder Julien Genestoux explained the feature using Twitter as his example, but the same content extraction and analysis is being done on all kinds of feeds run through the service. "If you turn geolocation on in Twitter, then your feed will include geolocation in your Tweets and we'll just push that through," he said. "If you don't do that but you Tweet about Austin, we will deliver the latitude and longitude for Austin in the XML." In other words, developers building apps on top of Superfeedr's real-time feeds will now know programmatically what geographic locations are discussed in [...]
[NewTeeVee] Lady Gaga + Beyonce + Telephone + Video = Branding Opportunity?
Fri, 12 March 2010 20:30:46 GMT - Okay, so last week I kvetched about OK Go's newest video, which is visually awesome but isn't much of an actual music video, especially since there's no real effort being made to tell a story. This week, wow: Lady Gaga, with guest collaborator Beyonce, has gone in the completely opposite direction for the video [...]
[engadget] Entourage Edge review
Fri, 12 March 2010 20:19:00 GMT - Is it an Android tablet? An e-reader? Just a sweet gadget with two screens? Truth is the Entourage Edge is a little bit of everything, and that's exactly why we've been so intrigued with the "dualbook" since we fondled it at CES. Finally ready to make its shipping debut, the $499 dual screen device is aimed at students, but really it's for anyone interested in a combination 9.7-inch E Ink reading / note-taking experience and a 10.1-inch Android web tablet. It's sounded very cool to us for quite a while, but there's always a difference between hype and reality. Does the Edge live up to its promise or attempt to do too much? The only place to find out is after the break in our full review. Gallery: Entourage Edge reviewContinue reading Entourage Edge reviewEnt [...]
[engadget] Nokia asks court to dismiss part of Apple patent lawsuit
Fri, 12 March 2010 19:57:00 GMT - How do we know we're years away from a final resolution to the Nokia / Apple patent lawsuit? It's been six months since Nokia first filed its complaint, and the two parties are just now starting to argue about which specific substantive claims they're eventually going to argue about. Let's do a quick refresh: at the heart of the lawsuit is a conflict over Nokia's wireless patents, some of which are almost certainly essential to how cell data and WiFi operate. As a member of the ETSI and the IEEE licensing groups which oversee GSM and WiFi, Nokia's required to license its patents to anyone who asks on fair terms, but those terms aren't set in stone -- Nokia can negotiate separate licenses as it sees fit, and it apparently wanted Apple to cross-license its tou [...]
[techcrunch] Its Hard To Watch The Newsosaurs Turn A Blind Eye To Their Own Extinction
Fri, 12 March 2010 19:47:56 GMT - Sometimes it is obvious where the world is headed, but some people and industries become frozen in place and time. They are like the duckbilled dinosaurs happily munching on the still-abundant plants around them when the meteor strikes instead of the small furry mammals underfoot who take cover every day by natural habit. In the print newspaper industry, it's the same story. Everyone wants to wall off the Web and keep grazing on declining ad revenues. A week ago, I wrote a post based on a conversation I had with Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Marc Andreessen in which he made the case that print media companies would be better off shutting down their print operations now ("Burn the boats") and move forward unencumbered into the digital age, no matte [...]
[engadget] The Engadget Show: Inside chiptunes and 8-bit visuals
Fri, 12 March 2010 19:34:00 GMT - Greetings humans! If you've seen The Engadget Show, then you've been privy to some pretty incredible performances by a group of musicians and artists who eschew familiar instruments in exchange for hacked and modded handheld gaming devices. We grabbed our cameras and got a brief look at the history of the chiptunes movement, the difference between Game Boy music and music from Game Boys, and most importantly, how these artists and visualists make it all happen. Kick back and take a look at the segment (featuring the likes of Glomag, Paris, and Outpt) -- you'll be glad you did! Special guests: Glomag, Paris, and Outpt Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Michael Slavens Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Downlo [...]
[NewTeeVee] Court: Cable Cant Keep All the Good Stuff
Fri, 12 March 2010 19:20:23 GMT - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled today that cable companies can't withhold programming from competitors, affirming rules put in place by the FCC to guarantee fair competition amongst pay TV service providers, according to a BusinessWeek report. Comcast and Cablevision had challenged these rules in court; [...]
[engadget] Wacom Cintiq 21UX hands-on
Fri, 12 March 2010 19:12:00 GMT - It's almost too much to take in all at once. Sure, the $1,999 Cintiq 21UX pen display is priced out of reach for most of us mere mortals who "don't draw good," but the pure lustworthiness of this unit sure makes us try to forget that inconvenient fact. The expanded movability of Wacom's latest is commendable, the pen input is naturally great, the screen is beautiful, and even those new rear-mounted touchpads seem helpful. It would take someone much more familiar with professional draw-ist-ing to really speak to the more specific merits of the 21UX, but from a mere standpoint of inspiring irrational desire in our hearts, Wacom seems to have done a pretty good job this time out. Check out a video of the screen in action after the break. Gallery: Wacom Cintiq 2 [...]
[gizmodo] The Void Between Protons and Electrons Makes Us All Phantoms [Science]
Fri, 12 March 2010 19:00:00 GMT - Are you real? You may seem real and solid, but you are mostly made of empty space. To demonstrate it, someone enlarged an electron to the size of one pixel, proportionally showing its distance from a equally scaled proton. More » [...]
[engadget] FCC comes through with a Consumer Broadband Test app for iPhone, Android and the home
Fri, 12 March 2010 18:43:00 GMT - We talk about the FCC a lot here, but usually the ways ye olde Commission affects our lives are indirect. A little extra spectrum here, a nice leaked image there, that kind of thing. Not this time, though, as the FCC is getting involved directly with its own Consumer Broadband Test app, designed to probe network latencies and download speeds on your home connection or mobile device. Part of the hallowed National Broadband Plan, this will furnish the FCC will useful data to show the discrepancy between advertised and real world broadband speeds, and will also -- more importantly perhaps -- serve as a neat way for users to directly compare network performance in particular areas. It's available on the App Market and App Store right now, with versions for other [...]
[techcrunch] CauseWorlds New App Melds The Check-In With The Check-Out
Fri, 12 March 2010 18:30:58 GMT - Last night, we wrote about a CauseWorld teaming up with TechCrunch to provide double karma points during the SXSW festival starting today in Austin, Texas. These points, obtained through checking-in at various locations, can be used to donate to charities through big brands that support the app. It's a great feature, and we hope you'll use it in Austin. What we didn't talk too much about is the app itself that enables it, CauseWorld, which just released a new version of its iPhone app in the App Store. We first covered the app back in December, but now it has been significantly upgraded. One of the core ideas behind the app has always been the intersection of the mobile and physical world (something I've thought a lot about as well). A new feature bridges th [...]
[readwriteweb] While Facebook & Twitter Sit on Sidelines, MySpace Jumps Into Bulk User Data Sales
Fri, 12 March 2010 18:30:06 GMT - MySpace has taken a bold step and put a large quantity of bulk user data up for sale on startup data marketplace InfoChimps. Data offered includes user playlists, mood updates, mobile updates, photos, vents, reviews, blog posts, names and zipcodes. Friend lists are not included. Remember, Facebook and Twitter may be the name of the game these days in tech circles, but MySpace still sees 1 billion user status updates posted every month. Those updates will now be available for bulk analysis. This user data is intended for crunching by everyone from academic researchers to music industry information scientists. Will people buy the data and make interesting use of it? Will MySpace users be ok with that? Is this something Facebook and Twitter ought to do? The MyS [...]
[NewTeeVee] Vid-Biz: Rovi, Starz, American Greetings
Fri, 12 March 2010 18:28:37 GMT - Execs Downplay Web Video Threat; Cablevision, Rovi and Disney execs dismissed cord cutting fears at the 2010 Media Summit in New York. (Light Reading) Pick Your Favorite Rev3 Shows & Create a Personalized Feed; Revision3 viewers can now generate personalized RSS feeds, combining new episodes from shows like Diggnation and Film [...]
[techcrunch] FunMails FunTweet Visualizes Twitter Streams With Pretty Pictures
Fri, 12 March 2010 17:58:54 GMT - We've written about FunMobility's nifty picture messaging app for the iPhone and Android, called FunMail, that allows users to blasts their text into the application, which then breaks down whatever the user typed for context and places fun graphics with your original text. Now, FunMobility has caught the Twitter bug and is launching FunTweet, a web service which turns any Twitter stream into visual messages that are related to the text. Similar to FunMail, FunTweet will turn text in Tweets into a matching image. On FunTweet's site, you sign in with your Twitter credentials and the service will draw your Tweets from your Twitter homepage feed and display each tweet as a FunMail image on FunTweet. Users can also enter a @UserName, a HashTag or a Subject as we [...]
[engadget] HDI headquarters walkthrough: details galore on the new face of in-home 3D
Fri, 12 March 2010 17:57:00 GMT - Call it an inexplicable fascination, or call it all-out geek lust over a screen with three digits in the "diagonal screen size" specification field -- either way, we had little choice but to shuttle over to HDI's nondescript Los Gatos, California headquarters in order to check out what even Steve Wozniak has been quoted as saying is the best 3D solution out there. While stationed on the west coast this week for GDC, we grabbed a camera and bolted down the 280 in order to get a sneak peek at the aforesaid firm, a tight-knit startup that currently has prototype displays in production and plans for far more. We've heard plenty through the grapevine, but we set out to get our questions answered directly, and possibly even provide some insight that has yet to be [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Weekend Pick / Pick of the Week
Fri, 12 March 2010 17:42:43 GMT - Since I can't get enough concerts streaming to my living room since last week's Trey Anastasio stream, I'm adding more concerts to my Weekend Pick and Pick of the Week for next week. Tonight and tomorrow, March 12th and 13th, The Drive By Truckers will be live streaming two nights from Atlanta's Variety Playhouse, courtesy of [...]
[lightreading] SeaChange Softens Up, Cuts Staff
Fri, 12 March 2010 17:40:00 GMT - Company promotes Yvette Kanouff to president, but will cut up to 4% of its staff as it streamlines and puts its software biz under one roof [...]
[engadget] iPad mute switch magicked into a 'screen rotation lock' overnight, a flurry of other tidbits emerge
Fri, 12 March 2010 17:34:00 GMT - Apple's pushing out a few more scraps of info about the iPad in conjunction with the launch of pre-orders. One of the quirkier details is that what was previously known as the mute switch on the iPad -- similar to the one on the iPhone -- is now known as the "screen rotation lock" on Apple's website. We suppose it makes more sense for this sort of device, both due to the "hold it any way you feel like" marketing push, and since it's less likely to start ringing in the middle of a Remember Me screening than your iPhone is. In other news, it's been confirmed that iBooks will be able to sync free (non-DRM'd) ePub titles in from iTunes, which is good news for people who want to use an existing ePub stash of theirs with Apple's fancy page-flipping interface. Also [...]
[techcrunch] Sonos Confirms $25 Million Investment From Index Ventures
Fri, 12 March 2010 17:31:32 GMT - Sonos has now confirmed the Index Ventures investment we reported two days ago. The company has taken an additional $25 million in capital from Index, raising the total raised by the company to $65 million. And Index Ventures Partner Mike Volpi, a former CIsco executive, has joined their board of directors. The funds will be used for growth equity, says the company, which signals that they are past the proof of product stage (well past, in this case) and will use the funds to speed market penetration. From our original post: [...]
[engadget] United puts the kibosh on in-flight video chat, one family seriously 'bummed'
Fri, 12 March 2010 17:17:00 GMT - It may not be illegal to tuck your kids into bed via iChat while taking advantage of United's in-flight WiFi, but that didn't stop a flight attendant from ending John Battelle's (admittedly precious) use of the service during a flight two days ago. It seems that the airline has a policy that prohibits "two-way devices" from communicating with the ground -- you know, in case some terrorists board the plane and try some shenanigans. Apparently a laptop with WiFi isn't considered a "two-way device," until you throw videoconferencing apps like Skype into the mix. Somehow, it seems, the company missed Apple iChat when blocking ports, thus enabling the whole affair. Let this be a lesson to those of you with children: save the chats for the hotel room or the airpor [...]
[NewTeeVee] Where to Watch the Indian Premiere League Cricket Season Online
Fri, 12 March 2010 17:00:41 GMT - Turns out, March Madness isn't the only major sporting event starting this weekend: Cricket fans all over the world have been feverishly awaiting today's start of the Indian Premiere League Cricket Season. In fact, the first game is already underway while I'm writing this story, with the Deccan Chargers facing off [...]
[engadget] Motorola Milestone with Android 2.1 hitting Bulgaria by March 20th, rest of Europe to follow?
Fri, 12 March 2010 16:54:00 GMT - We'd had some indication that Europe would be seeing Motorola Milestones running Android 2.1 roughly around this time, and it looks like we are now finally starting to get a few more specifics. According to Mobile Bulgaria, that country's leading carrier, Vivacom, will begin selling Milestones equipped with Android 2.1 "by March 20th," which should no doubt be just part of a broader European rollout in the coming days / weeks (that will hopefully extend to Canada as well). Unfortunately, things still aren't any clearer for Droid users in the US, but you can be sure we'll be watching every development on that front.Motorola Milestone with Android 2.1 hitting Bulgaria by March 20th, rest of Europe to follow? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 [...]
[techcrunch] TechCrunch Friday GiveAway: An Apple iPad #CRUNCH
Fri, 12 March 2010 16:49:54 GMT - It's Apple iPad day, and every early adopter worth their salt is pre-ordering one of the soon to be ubiquitous little devices and counting the days until they get their hands on it on April 3. You've been waiting on this thing since December 2008, after all. We know you've already bought two for yourselves, the limit, because that's how TechCrunch readers roll. We know this because we've told our advertisers that every single one of our 9.2 million monthly readers is a high disposable income influencer in technology and media that just loves to try out new things that they see advertised on TechCrunch. And since those advertisers believe us, we have the means to buy an extra iPad and give it to you. Even though you'll then have three of them. Because you, de [...]
[engadget] Sony Japan busts out Mickey Mouse-ified S Series Walkmans
Fri, 12 March 2010 16:33:00 GMT - Sony Japan's just outed three newly styled S Series Walkmans for the Disney fanatic. That's right, Mickey & Minnie Mouse can now be found gracing the back of your PMP -- if that's what you're into, of course. The S640 and S740 models can be chosen in their wide variety of hues, then emblazoned with one of the three designs featuring Mickey, Minnie, or the pair together. Unfortunately for us, the engraving of Disney characters on Walkmans remains an underground, unofficial pastime: the Disney S Series Walkmans are available only in Japan at this time.Sony Japan busts out Mickey Mouse-ified S Series Walkmans originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Sony Style Japan [...]
[engadget] iCub gets upgraded with tinier hands, better legs
Fri, 12 March 2010 16:11:00 GMT - We're pretty familiar with iCub -- the humanoid robot modeled on a two year old -- around here. Just because we know him well, though, doesn't really change the fact that we get the slightest chill running down our spine every time we're reminded of his existence. Well, iCub's getting an upgrade which includes newer, lighter legs which will be more impervious to damage, and smaller hands. That's right, the youngster, who is about toddler-sized, has had until now, the hands of an eight-year old: pretty embarrassing for the little fellow. The new hands are the right size, and have the correct dexterity as well. Regardless, he's still a little creepy, but as you'll see in the video after the break, impressive none the less.Continue reading iCub gets upgraded wi [...]
[engadget] Joystiq and Sony VP Scott Rohde talk PlayStation Move
Fri, 12 March 2010 15:49:00 GMT - So, we brought you along for the big reveal and some playtesting, and even presented you with this handy guide just in case you had any more questions. You still haven't got enough of Sony's new motion controller? You're going to want to hop on over to Joystiq for an enjoyable interview with Sony Worldwide Studios VP Scott Rohde where he gets down to brass tacks and answers questions involving the ins and outs of Move game distro, whether the preponderance of "shovelware" mini-game collections will help or hurt the platform, and the fate of the DualShock controller. It's a wild ride, indeed. So why are you still here?Joystiq and Sony VP Scott Rohde talk PlayStation Move originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms fo [...]
[gizmodo] Reminder: The iPad Will Read DRM-Free Ebooks From Your Nook or Sony Reader [Ipad]
Fri, 12 March 2010 15:47:17 GMT - In case you missed Giz Explains the other day—which lays out the entire ebook format and DRM landscape—the iPad will support DRM-free ePub books, in case you've got some on your Sony Reader or B&N Nook. If you've got a Kindle on the other hand, you're SOL, since it uses its very own ebook format. [Apple] More » [...]
[techcrunch] Update: In Time For SXSW, Twitter Officially Turns On Geolocation
Fri, 12 March 2010 15:37:09 GMT - A few days ago, we spotted Twitter's initial roll out of a geolocation feature on its Website. It appeared that Twitter was testing the feature because it quickly turned it off. Last night, the feature went back on, and Twitter co-founder and CEO Biz Stone officially announced it. While Twitters geolocation feature has been live through its API since last November, this is the first time Twitter has enabled geolocation on its site. To start Tweeting with your location attached, you need to enable the feature in your Twitter Account Settings. Once you've opted-in, you will be able to add your location information to all your Tweets or choose to add them to individual Tweets as you compose them. You can choose to share your exact location (your coordinates) or [...]
[readwriteweb] Twitter Location? Thanks, But No Thanks
Fri, 12 March 2010 15:31:00 GMT - Twitter announced yesterday that it would finally be adding location support and, while they certainly appear to be doing it right, we have to wonder about the new feature. Twitter seems like it's a bit late to the game on this one, even though we've all been talking of the "location-based wars" lately. We already have Gowalla, Foursquare, MyTown, BrightKite and more - do we really need Twitter too? Sponsor First, we have to say that we're quite happy with the opt-in, "back out at any moment" method that Twitter is taking on including location into its service. Not only do its users have to opt in, they can even set the function to check every time they tweet as to whether or not they want to include location information. The specificity of the location dat [...]
[engadget] NBC-Comcast deal comes under Justice Department, FCC scrutiny
Fri, 12 March 2010 15:24:00 GMT - We can't say we didn't warn you. Looks like the kids at Comcast have to answer some questions over at the Justice Department -- and the FCC -- before they get their hands on NBC. Both agencies have pledged to "examine the transaction closely," says AP, being ever-vigilant as they are to protect consumers and competition in this free market society of ours. The review could last upwards of a year, but if that means that 2011 could see the debut of NBC-Universal's "Comcastic!" theme parks, it will all have been worth it.NBC-Comcast deal comes under Justice Department, FCC scrutiny originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  PhysOrg  | Email this | Comm [...]
[NewTeeVee] Twilight Super Fan Isnt Bothered By the Haters
Fri, 12 March 2010 15:10:22 GMT - Here are just some of the first comments I saw yesterday on the Youtube user page of nuttymadam3575: "OH GOD IT'S AN ABOMINATION."/"fat f-k."/"i hate you. you insulted kristen stewart so i HATE YOU."/"You made me laugh so much xD"/"Kill yourself you fat mess."/"you don't deserve to live." / "Go to you hell you f-king useless [...]
[engadget] Toshiba's Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn't do burnouts (video)
Fri, 12 March 2010 15:03:00 GMT - Lazy humans, your dream has come true: a robot that could carry food and drink from the kitchen straight to your couch-borne position without you having to get up. It's the Toshiba Wheelie, a balancing bot that zips around on two wheels like an autonomous Segway, but with the added bonus of retractable runners on the front and back to keep it from toppling should it ever suffer an abrupt power failure. It sports stereo cameras on top and a laser range finder as well, enabling it to find its way around (or under) obstacles. The demonstration video below shows it propping a plate of steak and mixed veggies on its head before taking them for a ride around a demonstration space -- impressive, but given it lacks the arms to pick up the plate in the first place we [...]
[engadget] Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video)
Fri, 12 March 2010 14:46:00 GMT - There are 2,073,600 pixels in a 1080p TV, yet Carnegie Mellon student Chloe Fan has blown our minds by showing that you only need 64 of them to have a little fun with Super Mario Bros. She wired an Arduino to an 8 x 8 LED matrix through a breadboard, then scaled the first level of the game down to a resolution that makes the 160 x 144 resolution Game Boy look positively high def. The controls are similarly simplified: one button to move Mario (the slightly more orange dot) right, and a second to jump. She also wired up a separate board to play the game's theme song, as you can see in the embed below, but be aware: the video ends before the theme song does, meaning you'll be humming it to yourself all day long.Continue reading Carnegie Mellon student shows th [...]
[readwriteweb] Google Wave Extensions Gallery Launches
Fri, 12 March 2010 14:44:13 GMT - This morning, Google launched an "extensions" gallery for their real-time communications product, Google Wave. Within the new gallery, you'll find the tools and add-ons that have been created by the developer community to add additional functionality to the Wave service. Among the extensions are those some Wave users have probably seen before - like the popular "yes/no" voting gadget, for example, which lets you create polls via Wave. However, there are others that you may not have seen yet - like the "iFrame Gadget" that lets you embed webpages into a Wave or the "Likey Gadget" that provides a "like" (and "dislike!") button for showing support for a particular topic, similar to those found on Facebook or Google Buzz. Sponsor According to the Google blog po [...]
[techcrunch] AOLs Big SXSW Bet On Seed and Bionic Journalism
Fri, 12 March 2010 14:24:31 GMT - Editor's Note: This guest post was written and reported by Steven Rosenbaum, the CEO of Magnify.net. Today, the world of music, film, and the internet converges on Austin, Texas for what is fast becoming one of the key the places to launch new software products. For the folks at AOL, South By Southwestknow also as SXSWwill be a debutant party for AOLs new Seed form of journalism.. AOL has it's hopes pinned on that fact that SXSW will be the perfect place to both introduce the new Seed content machine to a large audience and test the concept of mixing freelance and pro-journalists to create a huge amount of original content. Seed has been operational for a few months now, but SXSW will be it coming out party, according to former New York Times writer Saul Han [...]
[engadget] Eric Schmidt confirms Chrome OS is on schedule, on target
Fri, 12 March 2010 14:23:00 GMT - The last time we heard anything about the launch schedule for Google's Chrome OS it was summer of last year. At that time we were told a rather vague "second half of 2010" and, now that we're entering the second quarter of the year, forgive us if we were starting to get a bit doubtful about that timeline. But, Google's Eric Schmidt is here to assuage our fears, speaking at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit and indicating the little OS is still on track for that same, rather vague release window. That we're still not getting a more specific date makes us think we're probably looking at a release toward the end of the second half of this year, but just the same it seems like you shouldn't wipe that Chrome-powered netbook off your wishlist for this upcoming holiday se [...]
[techcrunch] Confession: I Pre-ordered My iPad And Breguet Made Me Do It
Fri, 12 March 2010 14:14:28 GMT - I'm a sucker. It's true. As much you guys think we rail against Apple, we're like abused puppies, slinking back to our master's hard ankles, shivering and awaiting praise. Why did I pre-order the iPad? Well, first I'm a gadget blogger. Second there is no certainty that mother Apple will grace us with an early review unit so I want to hedge our bets. Third? I want to see where computing is headed. Bear with me here. Apple is not the bringer of fire to a benighted world. Far from it. In my recent writing I've been struck by a few parallels with Steve Jobs to Abraham Louis Breguet, a French watchmaker who lived in the 18th century. He was a mechanical genius, to be sure, but he was also a salesman. While the rest of the benighted world was sloshing around in an [...]
[techcrunch] Formerly Cc:Betty, Threadbox Emerges As A Realtime Collaboration Platform
Fri, 12 March 2010 14:10:06 GMT - Recently, startup Cc: Betty, a nifty service that organized and managed group email threads, decided to rebrand and relaunch its service. The new product, Threadbox, was going to be streamlined and tweaked to appeal to workspace users. Today, Threadbox is officially launching in private beta, as a more collaborative and user-friendly service. Essentially, the site aims to combine email, IM, and collaboration tools into one platform. Instead of focusing on email like Cc:Betty, Threadbox centers around collaboration in the workplace. The service organizes and logs every type of communications with clients, allows users to share documents and images, and record decisions and feedback. The new service also has the ability to serve as a project management tool, a [...]
[engadget] Microsoft loses second Word patent appeal, on the hook for $240 million in damages
Fri, 12 March 2010 13:54:00 GMT - And the intellectual property rollercoaster continues. Microsoft's second appeal of that $240m judgment banning sales of Word with features infringing on i4i's XML-related patents has been rejected, leaving the Redmond giant with a huge fine to pay atop its undoubtedly sky-high lawyer bills. The appeals court held that Microsoft was explicitly aware of i4i's patents before implementing the relevant XML code into Word -- undoubtedly because i4i had been selling an extremely popular XML plugin for years and had approached Microsoft about licensing it. Yeah, oops. Don't worry, though, there shouldn't be any consumer impact here: old versions of Word aren't affected, and current versions of Word 2007 and Office 2010 don't have the offending features. Still, Micr [...]
[engadget] iPad pre-order is go -- will you buy one?
Fri, 12 March 2010 13:30:00 GMT - After years of rumor and speculation, Apple's now taking orders for its iPad tablet. And now that cash money is involved we'll finally see if Apple has a success on its hands by filling the void between smartphones and netbooks/laptops -- something Microsoft and its hoard of vendors just haven't been able to muster. Today's order is delivered on April 3rd (in the US) for free and orders are limited to two per customer. But rather than wait for analysts and Apple's financial reports to tell the tale, let's get a jump on things with an informal poll: are you ordering the iPad? View PolliPad pre-order is go -- will you buy one? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  [...]
[engadget] Unreal Engine 3 adds extra dimension with NVIDIA 3D Vision
Fri, 12 March 2010 13:17:00 GMT - Epic Games has announced that its wildly popular Unreal Engine 3 has now added NVIDIA's 3D Vision to its list of supported technologies. We've already come across Batman: Arkham Asylum being played with NVIDIA's signature shutter glasses so this isn't a huge surprise per se, but it does put a stamp of compatibility on the vast catalog of games -- both current and future -- built upon Epic's graphics engine. Those include Borderlands, Mass Effect 1 and 2, Bioshock 1 and 2, and that all-time classic 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. The Unreal Development Kit -- a freeware version of the Engine for non-commercial uses -- is also being upgraded to make the addition of stereoscopic 3D effects "easier than ever," while other small improvements (covered by Gamespot) sho [...]
[engadget] Ricoh GXR gets accessorized, is ready for the town -- or the shooting range
Fri, 12 March 2010 12:54:00 GMT - When the Ricoh GXR hit the review circuit back in December it certainly intrigued but didn't necessarily impress with its swappable lenses and sensors. However, now that we're seeing all the various and wonderful things it can do with its toys, we're more tempted than ever to give this little transformer a shot. Ricoh recently set up an exhibit to show the body dressed up as everything from a portrait shooter to a tripod-mounted sniper support, hanging off the end of a giant Kowa spotting scope -- complete with what looks to be a red dot rifle sight on the side. Rather less excessive (and olive drab) were Ricoh's own new lenses for the camera, a 27mm F2.5 and a 28-300mm F3.5-5.6, both due out before the end of the year and both looking impressively thin. No [...]
[engadget] Sony's ultra-compact concept shooter will come with an APS sensor, UI shows up on video
Fri, 12 March 2010 12:25:00 GMT - Yesterday we brought you pictures of the touchscreen-loving user interface on Sony's genre-straddling camera concept, so what better way to improve on that than with video and a few specs? Beyond the break you shall find one of those excessively stylized promotional vids you know and love to hate, but tolerating the fluff with reward you with some nice hints about how the shooter is operated plus finally some word on what's inside. An Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor is touted, along with the accompanying capability to shoot 1080p AVCHD video. While we still find the design of these interchangeable lens cameras ridiculously appealing, there is one thing we have to complain about and that's the clunky naming scheme. Please Sony, give us something sexier to call it th [...]
[engadget] InstantAction streams full games to any web browser, gives indie developers a business model (video)
Fri, 12 March 2010 12:00:00 GMT - Look out, OnLive -- you've got company. InstantAction is having their coming out party at GDC, and we stopped by for a lengthy chat about the technology, its future and the hopes / dreams of the company. Put simply (or as simply as possible), IA has developed a browser-based plug-in that allows full games to be played on any web browser so long as said browser is on a machine capable of handling the game. In other words, you'll still need a beast of a machine to play games like Crysis, but the fact that you can play them on a web browser opens up a new world of possibilities for casual gamers and independent developers. You'll also be notified before your download starts if your machine and / or OS can handle things, with recommendations given on what it wou [...]
[engadget] Apple Store down globally: iPad pre-orders only or something more?
Fri, 12 March 2010 11:35:00 GMT - Ok, you know the routine: the Apple store goes down prompting blog posts to deflect the onslaught of tips. Commenters then ponder why Apple has to go offline to add updates before a flamewar breaks out with somebody accusing somebody else of being a Nazi. Ah the internet, somebody should give it a prize. In between all the nonsense, feel free to wonder whether or not we'll be seeing an overdue Mac Pro update to Gulftown in addition to the long awaited MacBook Pro update that should bring automatic NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching to Apple's top-o-the-line laptops. We already know that iPad pre-orders are a lock. Check back at around 830 New York time to find out. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Apple Store down globally: iPad pre-orders only or someth [...]
[engadget] Google to stop censoring Chinese search results 'soon,' China warns of consequences
Fri, 12 March 2010 11:24:00 GMT - According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is making headway with its plans to stop filtering search results in China. Quoting Eric Schmidt as saying that "something will happen soon," the latest report is that Google is engaged in negotiations with multiple government agencies in China, and the likeliest scenario at this point is that the search giant will remain in the People's Republic, though it may be in a slightly altered state. "There will be a way for Google to not pull out 100%" says a source familiar with the ongoing discussions, who expects that El Goog will find a patchwork arrangement by which it'll be able to maintain some parts of its business running while no longer adhering to China's censorship fiat. For its part, China is keeping up its [...]
[engadget] Plastic Logic QUE proReader delayed: time to reevaluate that pre-order?
Fri, 12 March 2010 10:53:00 GMT - Did you by any chance get in on the early QUE proReader pre-order? Well, we've got news for you that might be good or bad depending upon your perspective. A pre-orderer just forwarded us an email received from Richard Archuleta, CEO of Plastic Logic, detailing a shipment delay from mid-April to sometime in the summer, a date echoed by the QUE product site at Barnes & Noble. According to the email, the delay is due to a desire to "fine-tune the features and enhance the overall product experience." Now the good news: credit cards have not been charged leaving disgruntled hopefuls either $649 (for the 4GB WiFi model) or $799 (for the 8GB WiFi + 3G model) to spend on something else. There are certainly more e-reader choices available now than when the QUE pr [...]
[engadget] Vodafone's Wayfinder is first victim of free smartphone navigation services
Fri, 12 March 2010 10:18:00 GMT - Back in January 2009, as Vodafone was preparing to close a £20 million ($30 million) deal to buy Swedish mapmaker Wayfinder, it was seen as a bold move from a carrier intent on entering the apparently lucrative market for location based services. Fast forward to the present day -- past the bit where free Google Maps Navigation destroyed TomTom and Garmin share prices, and past the introduction of free turn-by-turn navigation to Nokia's Ovi Maps -- and you'll find Wayfinder gently sobbing into a handkerchief as it permanently closes up its doors. Vodafone's Anna Cloke gives us the reason for it with devastating concision: "We could not charge for something that others gave away for free." So there we have it, the paid navigation services deathwatch ha [...]
[engadget] First Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series devices to boast 480 x 800 pixel displays, HD2 owners sigh
Fri, 12 March 2010 9:37:00 GMT - Even though Microsoft's big MIX event is still days away, the Windows Phone 7 Series development platform is already pretty well defined. It's also clear that Microsoft wants to keep things tidy for developers by requiring all WP7 phones to meet a certain base-level spec. Now, thanks to a post from Microsoft's Shawn Hargreaves, we know the display resolution for the first batch of Microsoft's next generation phones: 480 x 800 (WVGA) pixels at launch, with a future update that will introduce a 320 x 480 (HVGA) native resolution. Dedicated hardware will ensure image scaling across all those pixels without taxing the GPU. That allows game developers, for example, to write to a lower resolution (requiring less horsepower) and then scale up as required while rema [...]
[engadget] PlayStation Move will offer limited four player support
Fri, 12 March 2010 8:54:00 GMT - So you do your research, you read up on everything important about the PS3's new Move controller, and you consider yourself well prepared for a future of wild merrymaking and multiplayer gaming parties. And then you find out you can't use four full sets of controllers with your console. As it turns out, the PS3's Bluetooth module is only fit to address up to seven wireless devices at a time, which poses something of a puzzler when you consider that you need a pair of Move controllers (or a Move plus a sub-controller) to get your money's worth and four times two is, well, a number greater than seven. Perturbed by this, Gizmodo contacted Sony for an official response and the news gets even worse: "Four PlayStation Move controllers can connect to a PS3 at one [...]
[engadget] NPD: Xbox 360 wins US sales war in a downbeat February
Fri, 12 March 2010 8:16:00 GMT - The cosmos must clearly have approved of Microsoft's actions over this past month, as today we're hearing the Xbox 360 broke out of its competitive sales funk to claim the title of "month's best-selling console" ... for the first time in two years. Redmond's own Aaron Greenberg describes it as the best February in the console's history, with 422,000 units sold outshining the consistently popular Wii (397,900) and the resurgent PS3 (360,100 consoles shifted, which was a 30 percent improvement year-on-year). In spite of the happy campers in Redmond and Tokyo, the overall numbers for the games industry were down 15 percent on 2009's revenues, indicating our collective gaming appetite is starting to dry up. Good thing we've got all those motion-sensing accessori [...]
[NewTeeVee] Sorry, HTML5 Crowd, Flash Aint Dead Yet
Fri, 12 March 2010 8:00:01 GMT - Microsoft has launched a UK Hulu wannabe called the MSN Video Player. In addition to Microsoft's Silverlight, it uses Adobe's Flash. Others are switching from Move Networks' technology to Flash. Seems like Apple's Jihad against Adobe's Flash may not be enough to kill it.
[techcrunch] The Real War At SXSW: AT&T Versus 15,000 Data-Crazed Velociraptors
Fri, 12 March 2010 7:20:34 GMT - We've talked a lot this week about the so-called "Location War" brewing at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas starting tomorrow. That war will happen, but actually, there are likely to be a lot of winners because a few of the location-based services should be able to leverage the exposure to gain usage after the conference. Those with real bloodlust should probably be watching another war: AT&T versus everyone in Austin on their network. AT&T's struggles to stay up last year are well-documented. CNN recently ran a piece about how AT&T hopes to avoid a similar fate this year. But actually, "struggles" is way too kind of a word. If you were at SXSW last year and happened to be on AT&T's network like, say, if you had an iPhone, like many festiv [...]
[techcrunch] Music Distribution Service Zimbalam Opens
Fri, 12 March 2010 7:19:51 GMT - Zimbalam, the digital music distributor from Believe Digital, launches in the US today. The service lets artists submit and distribute their music through 25 of the most popular music platforms, including Apple's iTunes and Spotify, in addition to "several hundred additional stores worldwide". This makes Zimbalam the largest music distribution network as measured by number of stores and geographic reach, says the Paris-based company. To distribute their music via Zimbalam's network, artists are charged a simple annual fee ($29.99 in year one then $19.98 per year after for an EP or album) and then once the fee is recouped, get to keep 100% of royalties - after, of course, whatever commission is taken by each store. Additionally, following year one, artists wo [...]
[engadget] Darkworks shows off TriOviz for Games 2D-to-3D SDK, we get a good look
Fri, 12 March 2010 7:11:00 GMT - Darkworks introduced its TriOviz for Games SDK yesterday during GDC, and while TriOviz technology has been around for years in Hollywood, it wasn't until today that this same technology debuted for console and PC titles. Essentially, this software wrapper enables standard 2D video games to be viewed in 3D on a traditional 2D display, and we were able to sneak an exclusive look at the technology today at the company's meeting room. We were shown a European version of Batman: Arkham Asylum on Microsoft's Xbox 360, and we were given a set of specialized glasses (which were passive, unlike NVIDIA's active-shutter 3D Vision specs) in order to enjoy the effect. So, how was it? In a word or two, not bad. It obviously wasn't perfect, but you have to realize just how [...]
[readwriteweb] Health Clouds Forming: California's Health Internet Exchange
Fri, 12 March 2010 6:34:00 GMT - Today, the California Health and Human Services convened a summit with an expected three hundred people in the interest of a state HIE (Health Information Exchange). This project has been tasked by volunteers and state groups and led by Jonah Frolich, deputy secretary of California Health and Human Services. The teams formed have met a series of hurdles already in preparation for the next big phase of executing the next generation system and raising an initial seed of $38.8m to move the effort forward. At stake is at least $3 billion by connecting to these services for doctors and hospitals that qualify by using the HIE as built. This means that doctors can bill for more Medi-Cal and Medicare payments that are expected to be available in coming years from th [...]
[engadget] Ask Engadget: Best (useful) WiFi network detector?
Fri, 12 March 2010 5:23:00 GMT - We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Mitchell, who couldn't care less if you have a problem with his question. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I just got a new laptop and am looking for a WiFi detector. The catch is that I want one that will tell me if the network it is detecting is open or not. I can't fathom the point of one that doesn't tell you that information. If posted, this will probably generate a lot of snark, but whatever, I just want to be able to find open networks!" You know, we appreciate the honesty here. And we totally feel you. If anyone ou [...]
[techcrunch] And It Begins: Foursquare Shatters Its Check-In Record The Day Before SXSW
Fri, 12 March 2010 5:17:22 GMT - The official Foursquare account just sent out a tweet letting everyone know that today is already the service's biggest day ever. This is interesting since it's actually the day before the SXSW conference kicks off in Austin, Texas. According to the tweet, Foursquare broke 275,000 check-ins (the previous record, set last Friday) for the day "hours ago." This means they're very likely well past 300,000 now and perhaps even higher. To put that in some perspective, just a month ago, Foursquare set a record with 1.2 million check-ins for the entire week. And that was double was it was the month prior. At today's rate, Foursquare would be doing well over 2 million check-ins a week.
[techcrunch] Check-In For Charity During SXSW With CauseWorld And TechCrunch
Fri, 12 March 2010 5:07:58 GMT - There are no shortage of location-based services launching this week at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Many of them allow you to "check-in" places to let others know you are there. So how do you differentiate between then and decide which to use? Well, here's one good way. CauseWorld, is a free iPhone and Android app that lets you check-in places, but it has an added real-world bonus: big brands give money to charity when you do so. And this week at SXSW, CauseWorld is teaming up with TechCrunch to offer double point (which they aptly call "karma") when you check in to one of over 50 venues around Austin (I'll paste the full list at the bottom of the post), including the Austin Convention Center (where SXSW is held).
[techcrunch] Hot Potato Tosses A New Site, API, And iPhone App With Foursquare Integration At You
Fri, 12 March 2010 1:16:38 GMT - Back in November of last year, the location-based social event service Hot Potato launched at our Realtime CrunchUp. Today, they've taken what was a solid service, and made it a lot better with a number of upgrades. First and foremost, there is a new iPhone application that just went live in the App Store. With a completely revamped user interface, the app makes it easier than ever to find and participate in events. Perhaps more importantly, it makes it really easy to create new events and notably, the service has the nicest third-party Foursquare integration I've ever seen. When you click on the button to create an event, you can still manually enter a location, but if you happen to be around the venue, you can simply pick it from Foursquare's list of venu [...]
[techcrunch] On The Eve Of SXSWs Location War, Plancast Gets An iPhone App
Fri, 12 March 2010 0:31:16 GMT - It's getting tough to keep up with all of the location-related developments leading up to this year's SXSW, and they just keep coming. Tonight, on the eve of the event, Plancast has just had its iPhone application approved. The service, which we've previously described as a 'Foursquare for the future', allows you to tell your friends where you're planning to be as opposed to where you currently are (in other words, it lets you and your friends plan ahead). You can grab the new iPhone app here. The application itself looks solid, and includes the core functionality you'll find on the Plancast website. The main view allows you to scroll through a list of your friends' upcoming events, and tapping on an event will show you where it is on a map and who else is g [...]
[NewTeeVee] Indie Series Off-Key Hits a Few Strong Notes
Fri, 12 March 2010 0:30:11 GMT - It's a tricky thing to pull off, producing a show that can't be pigeonholed into any one genre, but new indie entry Off-Key has somehow managed to carve out a place for itself in the space between drama, comedy and thriller. In fact, upon closer inspection, that lack of genre distinction is a key part of [...]
[techcrunch] Milos Response To Googles Blue Dot Specials: A Picture
Thu, 11 March 2010 23:04:03 GMT - This morning Google announced a new Blue Dot feature on the mobile version of Google Product Search that shows whether a product is in-stock at nearby stores. This seems to pose a threat to startup Milo, which highlights local inventory in product search results both on the web and mobile devices. Milo's co-founder Ted Dziuba subsequently responded to our post with a Tweet that read "Google Product Search has availability for 5 retailers vs. Milos 49. Super cool web service, bro." At launch Google only has partnerships with Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm. Milo's list of merchants includes a range of retailers, from BestBuy and Nordstrom to Midwestern regional department store Blain's Farm and Fleet. When we asked for an addition [...]
[NewTeeVee] Doctor Who Getting Early Online Debut in Australia, Thanks to iView
Thu, 11 March 2010 23:00:02 GMT - Good news for online Australian sci-fi fans: The upcoming fifth season of British Doctor Who, which will premiere Sunday, April 18 on ABC1, will actually make its first Down Under appearance two days earlier on iView, the Australian Broadcasting Company's iPlayer equivalent. The one-day head start that online Aussie fans are getting probably won't do much [...]
[yahoo] Web Connectivity a Bigger Deal for HDTV Than 3D (PC World)
Thu, 11 March 2010 22:59:00 GMT - PC World - Is 3D television the next big thing in consumer tech? Splashy, flashy, and (virtually) in your face, 3D TV is getting a mega-promotional boost by its backers, including Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony, all of whom hope you'll be so bowled over by 3D's visual splendor that you won't mind paying a few thousand bucks for the 3D-at-home experience.
[yahoo] OnLive Plans On-Demand Streaming of Video Games (NewsFactor)
Thu, 11 March 2010 21:56:32 GMT - NewsFactor - In a move to shake up the online gaming industry, OnLive has announced PC and Mac versions of its on-demand, instant-play games will roll out in June during the E3 2010 show. Here's the rub: Gamers don't have to buy a console, and they can get broadband speeds.
[NewTeeVee] Online TV Audience Reaches 26 Percent
Thu, 11 March 2010 21:10:45 GMT - 26 percent of US consumers watch TV programming online more than once a week, according to a new report from In-Stat titled "OTT Video Platforms, Devices, and Consumer Expectations." And more and more of these consumers watch online video in the living room, thanks to game consoles, Roku boxes and Internet-enabled [...]
[techcrunch] Vicarious.ly: SimpleGeos One Location-Based Stream To Visualize Them All
Thu, 11 March 2010 20:59:20 GMT - As I've made abundantly clear over the past several days, just about every service that has anything to do with location is launching something at the SXSW festival which starts tomorrow in Austin, Texas. Don't believe me, here's a small sampling (Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, Whrrl, Plancast, Brizzly, Twitter). So, how are you going to wrap your head around all this location data? SimpleGeo has an awesome way. Vicarious.ly is a real-time location-based stream of information presented in a nice visual way. While the plan is to eventually launch one for many different cities around the U.S. and eventually the world, the first one is based around Austin, for SXSW. To make it, SimpleGeo partnered with BlockChalk, Brightkite, Bump Technologies, Flickr, Fwix, Fours [...]
[NewTeeVee] Obama Girl Gets Action Heroine Look From Shear Genius
Thu, 11 March 2010 19:30:16 GMT - Ettinger poses for a headshot on SHEAR GENIUS. Last night, my flight from SFO to LAX was stuck on the runway, and so I was channel-surfing the DirecTV provided by Virgin Airlines. It was an exercise in minimizing boredom, not to mention enjoying a few minutes off the clock -- which is why I found it [...]
[VideoNuze] March Madness on Demand iPhone App Will be Big Test for AT&T's 3G Network
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:23:34 GMT - College hoops bragging rights won't be the only thing on the line when the NCAA March Madness men's basketball tournament kicks off next week. Also under the microscope will the performance of AT&T's 3G network, since CBS Mobile announced earlier this week that its new $9.99 premium iPhone app will offer live streaming of all the tournament's games over AT&T's 3G, EDGE and Wi-Fi networks. As with last year there will also be a free "lite" app that will offer on-demand clips only. Presumably AT&T, CBS and NCAA have modeled how many concurrent streams could be requested under different penetration rates for the app and feel comfortable with AT&T's ability to support these in a quality manner. Let's hope for their sake they got the math right. I [...]
[VideoNuze] Government to the Rescue in the Retransmission Consent Quagmire?
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:08:40 GMT - Earlier this week, in "Will Nasty Fee Fights Fuel Consumers' Cord-Cutting Interest," I conjectured that last weekend's WABC-Cablevision retransmission consent fee fight (the most recent of many fee fights) would ultimately sow consumers' interest "cutting the cord" in favor of free, online-only alternatives. Obviously that would be bad news for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), but it would also be bad for the whole video ecosystem that depends on consumer payments for its economics to work. In this context it's only mildly surprising that subsequently this week a group of MVPDs including Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, DirecTV, Verizon and others petitioned the FCC to intervene and revise the retransmission consent rules (for what it's wo [...]
[NewTeeVee] Vid-biz: JooJoo, YouTube, OnLive
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:00:43 GMT - JooJoo Revamps Interface Ahead of Launch, Adds Local Video Playback -- and Changes Color; the device formerly known as the TechCrunch tablet plays back Flash video streams and local content stored on a thumb drive, supports H.264 HD and many other codecs. (Engadget) New YouTube App for Windows Mobile and Nokia S60 Phones; [...]
[VideoNuze] Cisco's New CRS-3 Router Strengthens Foundation for Online Video Delivery
Thu, 11 March 2010 17:50:31 GMT - I've often remarked that one of the really impressive things about online video is that there's innovation at every level of the ecosystem; it's not just core infrastructure, delivery, "last mile," aggregation, applications, content, etc. - it's all of them at once that are rapidly advancing. This week's announcement by Cisco, of its new CRS-3 router, is further evidence of this dynamic. Though most online video users never think about them, Cisco's routers are one of the key building blocks on the broadband Internet. Cisco itself knows how important video is to its future; it has been publishing its "Visual Networking Index" Internet traffic growth forecast, which identifies video as the biggest single traffic generator in the future. Cisco CEO John Chamber [...]
[VideoNuze] VideoNuze Posts from the Caribbean
Thu, 11 March 2010 17:45:05 GMT - If you noticed a little "virtual sand" in your VideoNuze emails this week, that's because I've been posting from St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where I'm on a quasi-vacation with my wife. If you've never been, I highly recommend it. Lounging on Trunk Bay's powdery white sand and snorkeling in its crystal-clear green water is one of life's exquisite pleasures (see below). Apologies for slow responses to emails and voicemails this week. Tomorrow I'm taking the full day off, so VideoNuze will be back on Monday.
[NewTeeVee] Movieclips.com Gets Hacker Help for New Video Player
Thu, 11 March 2010 17:00:14 GMT - Paul Yanez is back: The developer of many rogue and fabulous media players, including the MyMediaPlayer application that brought Hulu to the desktop until being shut down by the video site, has been tapped by Movieclips.com to develop its new Flash video player, the company just announced. The new player, which [...]
[BizOnVid] Adobe Preparing To Launch Multicasting Support For Flash
Thu, 11 March 2010 16:49:34 GMT - Back in October, Abobe announced a really long list of new functionality that would be supported in Flash Player 10.1, due out sometime this year. One of those features would be the long awaited support for multicasting that is essential to the way many enterprise organizations deliver video. While music, movies and game content delivered over CDNs in a unicast...
[BizOnVid] Save The Date: Online Video Networking Event In NYC, May 10th
Thu, 11 March 2010 15:38:11 GMT - On Monday May 10th, we'll be teaming up with the NY Video Meetup group to once again host their monthly event at the Hilton Hotel in midtown, the night before the Streaming Media East show opens. Last year we had over 500 attendees watch six promising local online video startups demo their products followed by networking at the Bridges Bar...
[betanews] Second thoughts about Google Buzz
Thu, 11 March 2010 15:24:49 GMT - By Carmi Levy, Betanews So it's been a few weeks since Google Buzz launched, and because I'm a good little geek-soldier who eats his own (figurative) dog food, I've invested lots of time to learn how it works and, more importantly, how it can work for me. Although I'm doing my best to be an optimist, I can't seem to warm up to Buzz. Yes, folks, I think I'm falling out of like with Google's new social media darling service.Or, to be blunt, Google Buzz sucks.Maybe that's a little harsh. Maybe it sucks for me and not for others. Maybe other users absolutely love the thing because they feel it's already transformed how they connect to each other. If you're one of them, please let me know, because so far, no one I know has bothered using it to any great degree.An [...]
[NewTeeVee] Where to Watch March Madness Online
Thu, 11 March 2010 2:00:12 GMT - March Madness, baby! If you didn't already have a good reason to drive down to Costco and pick up a huge new TV, this is it. Of course, that shiny new flatscreen won't help you much for those games airing during office hours, but there is hope. The good thing about the [...]
[NewTeeVee] 3D TVs Are Coming, but Wheres the Content?
Thu, 11 March 2010 0:30:10 GMT - Panasonic started to sell its new line of 3D TVs through a partnership with Best Buy today, offering a bundle of a of 50-inch plasma TV, a 3D-capable Blu-ray player and a pair of glasses for around $2900. Consumers will also soon be able to buy similar set-ups from Samsung and [...]
[betanews] Giant inflatable pig used in recording studios' Washington war with broadcasters
Wed, 10 March 2010 23:33:34 GMT - By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews The danger with waging a populist political war is in potentially boiling down one's message to such a degree that it ends up insulting and patronizing the very people the message is targeting. The case in point could not be made clearer this afternoon in Washington, DC, as The Hill's Kim Hart first discovered: A handful of otherwise unnoticeable protestors outside the headquarters of the National Association of Broadcasters erected an 18-foot inflatable pig, bearing the message, "Fair Pay for Musicians."The pig has become the mascot of the MusicFirst Coalition, the performers' rights agency that collects and distributes royalties. For the last few years, MusicFirst has campaigned extensively against the decades-old exemptio [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Eyeblaster (re)Files for IPO
Wed, 10 March 2010 23:14:22 GMT - Rich media ad serving provider, Eyeblaster, selected as Streaming Media's Reader's Choice Award Winner for video ad serving, has refiled with the SEC for their highly anticipated IPO. Two years ago the company said in a regulatory filing that it planned to go public. However, as the equities market began to deteriorate, the company pulled [...]
[yahoo] Panasonic Sets the 3D HDTV Bar At Best Buy (PC World)
Wed, 10 March 2010 22:55:00 GMT - PC World - A scrum of reporters pressed against Brad and Ashley as they shuffled up to the counter at a Best Buy store in Manhattan. Cameras flashed and elbows flew. Was it the end of Brangelina? Some new reality show?
[zdnet] Potential console killer OnLive to go live June 17
Wed, 10 March 2010 21:20:15 GMT - OnLive, a streaming video game service that, if properly implemented, could threaten traditional console makers. by Daniel Terdiman CNET News [...]
[betanews] Apple's business database for Windows and Mac (you read right) moves forward
Wed, 10 March 2010 20:54:41 GMT - By Jacqueline Emigh, Betanews FileMaker Pro 11 left beta testing for general release on Tuesday, adding a host of new capabilities for better productivity in database use, faster database creation, and easy production of eye-catching charts. Now updated for Microsoft's Windows 7 and Apple's Macintosh native Mac OS X "Cocoa" platform, FileMaker Pro is the only software in its category that runs on both Windows and Mac, noted Ryan Rosenberg, vice president, marketing and services for FileMaker, Inc., in a briefing for Betanews."We're number one on Mac, and number two after Microsoft Access on Windows," according to Rosenberg.With so few rivals for FileMaker Pro on either platform, why is the Apple division adding so many new features this time around? "We want [...]
[wired] Apple Beware: Dell (With A Little Help From Amazon and Google) is Taking on iTunes
Wed, 10 March 2010 20:19:00 GMT - The formidable triumvirate of Amazon, Dell, and Google is apparently poised to give iTunes the first serious run for its money just as the iPad is about to take Apples downloadable media megastore where no computer has gone before.
[betanews] Android picks up more US subscribers as Windows Mobile share plunges
Wed, 10 March 2010 19:16:00 GMT - By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Windows Mobile phones continue to bleed US subscribers, with Android devices picking up most of the lost subscriber share. Can you say free falling? Today, ComScore released standard handset and smartphone data for the three-month period of November 2009 to January 2010. ComScore designates the platforms by vendor. Microsoft smartphone subscriber share fell to 15.7 percent from 19.7 percent three months earlier. Meanwhile, Google rose to 7.1 percent from 2.8 percent during the same time period.What about iPhone, for which American bloggers and journalists are seemingly obsessed? If Apple is gaining smartphone subscribers, it's not substantially showing in the data. Subscriber share rose from 24.8 percent to 25.1 percent, which is stat [...]
[VideoNuze] New "NCAA Vault" is More Evidence of Archived Assets' Value
Wed, 10 March 2010 17:11:35 GMT - This year's "March Madness" men's college basketball tournament is just around the corner and in addition to the now-customary live streaming of the games (and this year an iPhone app for additional streaming), a new feature was introduced last week: "NCAA Vault" - a video index to every single moment in "Sweet 16" history for the last 10 years. NCAA Vault is powered by Thought Equity Motion, a technology provider that partners with media companies and rights-holders to digitize, deliver and monetize video assets. Last week I spoke with Thought Equity's CEO and founder Kevin Schaff to learn more about how the Vault works and the background of the deal with the NCAA. Kevin explained that Thought Equity indexed all 150 of the Sweet 16 games' video with rich me [...]
[BizOnVid] Test Results Published Show Flash Is Not a "CPU Hog" Like Apple Claims
Wed, 10 March 2010 17:04:46 GMT - There's been a lot of discussion on the blogsphere over the last few weeks due to Steve Jobs being quoted as saying one of the reasons Apple won't support Flash video on the upcoming iPad was due to Flash being a "CPU Hog". Apple's workaround to Flash video is to use HTML5 and that encouraged some to even suggest that...
[BizOnVid] Cisco Preparing To Launch New Flip Cameras
Wed, 10 March 2010 16:07:16 GMT - Last week someone sent me specs for new Flip cameras Cisco is preparing to launch around the NAB time frame. While I've been able to confirm that new cameras are in fact on the way, I have not been able to verify that the specs I have been sent are completely accurate, so I'm not going to publish them. But...
[yahoo] Need an Extra Terabyte for Your TiVo? New App Lets You Link to an HP MediaSmart Server (PC World)
Wed, 10 March 2010 12:06:00 GMT - PC World - If youre a TiVo aficionado, you know that theres no such thing as too much storage. And now you can let your TV show and movie collection spill out of the box, across your home network and into an HP MediaSmart server.
[betanews] Get your glasses ready: Samsung soars into the third dimension
Wed, 10 March 2010 2:31:12 GMT - By Jacqueline Emigh, Betanews At a press conference in New York City on Tuesday, Samsung unveiled new 3D products that include six HDTV series, a Shrek 3D movie, and a DVD player designed to handle 3D along with regular Blu-ray and standard DVD disks. Samsung's initial 3D TV line-up -- which requires 3D glasses for viewing - ranges from the LED 7000/8000/9000 Series to the LCD 750 Series and the Plasma 7000/8000 Series. Samsung also debuted the 3D-capable BD-C6900 Blu-ray player, a 3D-enabled release of Dreamworks' Monsters vs. Aliens along with the entire Shrek series, and a large set of Internet-downloadable applications for the 3D Blu-ray player and some of Samsung's 3D TVs.Kicked off by an ad campaign broadcast during Sunday's Academy Awards show, the fi [...]
[BizOnVid] PS3 To Get More Movies: Sony Signs Deal With All Six Studios For Movie Streaming
Tue, 9 March 2010 20:57:07 GMT - (Updated Below) Sony just announced that 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros have all agreed to allow Sony to stream their movies over the PlayStation Network to users of the PS3. The service, which launched today, is only available in the U.S. but will be expanded to consumers in U.K.,...
[VideoNuze] Interpreting comScore's January 2010 Online Video Usage Decline
Tue, 9 March 2010 17:59:13 GMT - comScore released its Jan '10 online video rankings yesterday, and while the numbers were still very strong, they did show declines from Dec '09. For example, in Jan, total monthly views were 32.4 billion, compared with 33.2 billion in Dec '09, a decline of 2.4%. To try to put this blip downward in a little more context see the chart below. I've called out the Dec-Feb period for the past 3 years. In prior years there have been slight to moderate decreases somewhere in this period. This might suggest some seasonality, based on limited historical data. It's also worth noting that over the course of the last 3 years there have been 7 monthly sequential declines in the total monthly video views. Obviously nothing grows uninterrupted forever, and nobody shou [...]
[programmableweb] Celebrate Your Developers: a Lesson From Mobypicture
Tue, 9 March 2010 17:47:24 GMT - If you're looking to run a successful developer program, you should probably pay attention to Mathys van Abbe. He's the founder of Mobypicture (our Mobypicture API profile), which has just celebrated its 500th developer.
[yahoo] Lil Wayne begins 1-year jail term in NYC gun case (AP)
Tue, 9 March 2010 11:48:35 GMT - AP - After saying goodbye on concert stages and online video streams, Lil Wayne had nothing to add as he was sentenced Monday to a year in jail for having a loaded gun on his tour bus.
[programmableweb] US Army Launches Apps for Army Contest, Offers $30,000 in Prizes
Tue, 9 March 2010 5:08:21 GMT - The US Army has joined the ranks of government agencies courting developers by announcing a new competition called "Apps for the Army" (A4A). The competition aims to promote some fresh ideas and practical web and mobile applications for use within the military: [...]
[VideoNuze] Will Nasty Fee Fights Fuel Consumers' Cord-Cutting Interest?
Mon, 8 March 2010 18:21:32 GMT - Another weekend, another high-stakes fee fight between a multi-billion dollar media company and a multi-billion dollar cable operator. This time around it was Disney's WABC station in the New York City market in a standoff with Cablevision, which has 3.3 million subscribers there, with the Oscars broadcast the main hostage (WABC, which was pulled late Saturday night, came back on the air at 8:44pm subject to an initial agreement between the companies). This fight, like recent ones between Time Warner Cable and News Corp, Cablevision and Scripps, plus others, is a no win PR situation for its combatants, and in my mind will lead to one inevitable result - heightened consumer disgust with the hyper-corporatized TV business, where CEOs who are paid tens of milli [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Oscar Night Irony
Mon, 8 March 2010 1:59:39 GMT - On the heals of Livestream's open letter to the industry about piracy of live streamed content, it wasn't long before a quinticential example pops up. While ABC initially cut off access to Cablevision during their dispute (access was restored at approximately 8:45PM EST, disgruntled viewers are turning to the web for their OSCAR content. In [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Cablevision Sends Viewers to the Web on Oscar Night
Mon, 8 March 2010 0:00:35 GMT - UPDATED: Disney and ABC have apparently reached an agreement "in principle." Access to ABC was restored on the Cablevision network at approximately 8:45 PM EST approximately 30 minutes into the Oscars broadcast. The months long public battle between ABC and Cablevision over retransmission rights fees came to a head today when ABC pulled the plug [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Community Gets Renewed; Announcement Goes Viral
Sat, 6 March 2010 1:04:13 GMT - NBC's Community will be back for another season and Executive Producer Dan Harmon took the opportunity to capture his announcement to the cast and upload it to yfrog. It's since been picked up by Brian Stelter in The Times Media Decoder column and the news is all over Twitter.
[VideoNuze] VideoSchmooze is Coming on April 26th - Save the Date
Fri, 5 March 2010 19:08:37 GMT - Be sure to save the date - April 26th - for the next "VideoSchmooze" Broadband Video Leadership Evening. Once again the location is the gorgeous Hudson Theater in Times Square, NYC and the time is 6-9pm. The evening will include cocktails/networking and a panel discussion I'll moderate. The topic is "Money Talks: Is Online Video Shifting to a Paid Model" in which we'll explore the trends influencing paid options (e.g. TV Everywhere, paid mobile video apps, Netflix, etc.) and how these are balanced against free ad-supported online video. I'm finalizing the panelists and early bird registration will go live soon. Once again, I expect 200-250 industry executives, making VideoSchmooze a premier networking and educational opportunity. An added bonus of this Video [...]
[VideoNuze] Comedy Central Pulls Out of Hulu - Was This Really a Surprise?
Fri, 5 March 2010 19:03:51 GMT - This week brought news that Comedy Central was pulling its programs, including its hits "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report," from Hulu on March 9th. Both had been available on Hulu since the summer of 2008 in what Comedy Central had initially positioned as a test. Both will still be freely available at ComedyCentral.com. The Daily Show in particular had been enormously popular on Hulu since launch, so in this respect losing it is a setback for Hulu. Still, Comedy Central's decision should come as a surprise to nobody. As I've been saying since I wrote "The Cable Industry Closes Ranks" in November '08, a bright line is being drawn in the broadband world between programs that consumers currently pay for and those that they don't. The ind [...]
[VideoNuze] Magazines are Keen on Video; iPad in Central Role
Fri, 5 March 2010 18:42:09 GMT - Following up on my post last week about the Wall Street Journal's new "Digits" video series, in which I reiterated my belief that online video is a huge new opportunity for print publishers, this week brought news of new video initiatives from a number of magazines. As reported by AdAge, Sports Illustrated is launching a new 5 times per day news program called "SI Inside Report," among other video projects. Six new employees have been brought on to support the initiative, which has to be a rare instance of new hiring in the magazine industry. Elsewhere, Conde Nast is continuing to ramp up for the iPad; as the NY Times reported this week it will offer iPad versions of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Glamour. Conde plans to experiment with different [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Jon Stewart Takes on Chatroulette
Fri, 5 March 2010 15:44:51 GMT - "This is an internet site that will very quickly become a repository of 5% curiosity seekers and 95% free floating dongs. But I'm sure you can make even that sound like news." (via) The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Breaks Richman on the Importance of Distribution
Thu, 4 March 2010 17:30:38 GMT - In the must read department, Break.com CEO Keith Richman points out in an Ad Age article that even in today's long tail, hyper-syndicated media environment distribution and marketing are still critical: At the very least, I think it is fair to say that even if content is king online, then distribution and marketing are the "crown [...]
[onlinevideowatch] VideoNuze Interviews (hey that rhymes)
Thu, 4 March 2010 16:30:41 GMT - Our good friend, Will Richmond, over at the must-read VideoNuze got the chance to interview a few industry heavy hitters at thePlatform's recent customer gathering. Courtesy of thePlatform's addition of social media tools into their player, we can bring them to you here.
[lightreading] Boxee's Ronen: The DVR Is Dying
Thu, 4 March 2010 16:07:00 GMT - Boxee's chief smack talker becomes the bajillionth person to declare that a technology in nearly every American living room is 'dead' [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Livestream Issues Open Letter on Piracy
Wed, 3 March 2010 20:42:44 GMT - Today, live streaming provider Livestream issued an open letter on their blog, announcing their Zero Tolerance policy on piracy. In a nut shell, they've got a zero tolerance policy on piracy. The open letter, which we obviously support wholeheartedly, was written by CEO Max Hoat to inform their customers, advertisers, partners, policy makers and competitors [...]
[lightreading] New TiVo DVRs Built for Web & Cable Content
Wed, 3 March 2010 0:00:00 GMT - TiVo's Webbed-up 'Premiere' line is going retail, but RCN and Virgin Media are likely the first MSOs to get a taste of the new platform [...]
[lightreading] Netflix Cheers Cablevision's PC-to-TV Play
Wed, 24 February 2010 22:15:00 GMT - Netflix says what's good for MSO's digital TV and Internet subs could be great for its own 'Watch Instantly' video streaming service [...]
[lightreading] MSO Taking the MPEG-4 Plunge
Tue, 23 February 2010 12:00:00 GMT - Zito Media, an MSO run by former Adelphia exec James Rigas, hopes to get the most bang out of its limited bandwidth as it upgrades to digital [...]
[lightreading] TidalTV Targets Ads for Set-Tops, TV Everywhere
Fri, 19 February 2010 21:20:00 GMT - After getting a fresh splash of cash from Comcast's VC arm, TidalTV looks to bring ad targeting to set-tops and broadband video services [...]
[lightreading] TiVo: Cable Should Love It Some IP
Thu, 18 February 2010 19:35:00 GMT - TiVo, still no fan of tru2way, says an upstream IP path to cable headends and metadata can remedy the ills of the retail set-top market [...]
[lightreading] Is SDV Poised for a Comeback?
Thu, 4 February 2010 14:10:00 GMT - Comcast may revive its interest in switched digital video now that its big analog reclamation project is well underway [...]