Advection.NET's team keeps up with streaming industry news by reading dozens of sites and skimming hundreds of articles every day for news about online video and digital video services. We Twitter about the most interesting news we notice, and with a little help from Yahoo's Pipes, we share the latest digital video news right here, covering streaming media such as Windows Media, Flash, or Silverlight; media players; DRM; and more.

Follow us on Twitter here ... Follow Us on Twitter

Streaming Media and Online Video News Streaming Video News RSS Feed

This page pulls from the latest feeds every five minutes, so feel free to check back often. If there's a streaming related feed we should add, get in touch.

Open All Close All

[engadget] Ricoh GXR gets acessorized, 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 12:14:52 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 launched a site dubbed the MSN Video Player in the U.K. Thursday that aims to be something of a U.K. version of Hulu, featuring TV shows like Peep Show, League of Gentlemen and Doctor Who. It's pretty standard fare, as far as British online TV content is concerned. In fact, [...]
[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 [...]
[readwriteweb] What Do Social Media Marketers Know About Tech? SURVEY RESULTS
Fri, 12 March 2010 5:35:57 GMT - First, we'd like to thank all 596 survey respondents and the many Open Thread commenters who gave such interesting and valuable feedback in our recent post "Should Social Media Experts Be Required to Know Their Tech?" Over the past couple days, we've been able to put together a decent picture and identify some knowledge gaps and points of confusion for many would-be social media experts. But first, let's address why some of the RWW staff - and many of our readers, some of whom must hire social media experts - feel it's important for even the most marketing-oriented of consultants to have a rudimentary understanding of the workings of the Web, including its ecosystem of companies and applications. Sponsor You will always need to know more about the Web. Konq [...]
[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 [...]
[slashdot] Zeus Botnet Down But Not Out
Fri, 12 March 2010 5:20:00 GMT - harryjohnston writes "The Register points out that the takedown of a significant number of Zeus command-and-control servers, which we discussed earlier, was a short-lived victory, as about one-third of the affected servers were back on the net in less than 48 hours." Adds itwbennet: "Just hours after network connectivity to Troyak was severed the ISP peered with a new upstream Internet service provider named Ya. The next step will be to 'de-peer' Troyak from its new service provider, either an ISP named Nassist or its upstream provider, Hurricane Electric, said a researcher familiar with the matter. 'We have taken some of their territory, they are trying to out flank us,' the researcher said via IM. 'We are going to win this one — we have 'em boxed in.
[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).
[engadget] Android's American market share soars, WinMo pays the price
Fri, 12 March 2010 4:11:00 GMT - Mobile manufacturer and platform market share stats for the US are in for the month of January thanks to comScore, and as usual, they tell a fascinating (and somewhat unpredictable) story of what's actually going on at the cash registers. Motorola -- which has long since fallen off its high horse on the global stage -- still maintains a commanding presence in the American market by representing some 22.9 percent of all subscribers, though that's down 1.2 percent from October 2009; that's particularly interesting in light of the Droid's success, and a possible sign that smartphones still aren't on the cusp of dominating the phone market overall. Samsung recently touted the fact that it had held onto the States' overall market share crown, though Sammy was und [...]
[gizmodo] Mario's Still Fun, Even Ultra-Simplified, Extra-Pixilated 8x8 Form [DIY]
Fri, 12 March 2010 3:40:00 GMT - Before listening to the explanation for this project, I couldn't figure out what was going on, but once I realized that the 64 flashing squares on the Arduino-powered display would let me play Mario, it was time to get supplies. More » [...]
[engadget] HMK 561 electric bike concept seats you on the battery, makes you significantly more attractive
Fri, 12 March 2010 3:04:00 GMT - Most electric bikes are fairly sordid affairs, little more than an ordinary bicycle with a motorized hub, a strap-on battery pack and regenerative braking capabilities (if you're lucky). Not this HMK 561 electric bicycle concept, which took home an iF Design Award for some seriously forward thinking. It's not just the stylish forward rake of this juiced cruiser that's innovative, it's the frame -- composed completely of a conductive carbon fiber weave that allows the bike's body to not just pass electricity to the motors, but actually store it like a giant capacitor. Factor in integrated lights and a pinch of that aforesaid regenerative braking at each axle, and you've just about got the bicycle of our dreams. Oh, and did we mention a prototype has already b [...]
[engadget] AMD to finally take on netbook space with new Fusion chip... next year
Fri, 12 March 2010 2:06:00 GMT - We've always said AMD should go after the gaping hole between netbooks and thin-and-lights by releasing a low-power platform with solid graphics abilities, and it looks like the company's finally coming around -- AMD's John Taylor just told us that the chipmaker will be releasing a netbook-class Fusion CPU / GPU hybrid codenamed "Ontario" with integrated DX11 graphics sometime next year. If Ontario sounds familiar, it's because we've seen it leaked in the past -- it's a part of the "Brazos" platform built around the low-power Bobcat core. Of course, AMD has been promising Fusion chips of all stripes for years now without a single shipping part, so saying that a Fusion chip will get it into the netbook game in 2011 is mildly amusing -- while AMD's definitely [...]
[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 [...]
[readwriteweb] 6 Thoughts About Location Madness
Fri, 12 March 2010 1:00:52 GMT - Location based social networks - are you over it already? It feels like location is all we ever hear about anymore, especially this week leading up to SXSW. We're excited about location too; see our enthusiastic write-ups What Twitter's Geolocation API Makes Possible and The Era of Location as Platform Has Arrived. But it's getting a little ridiculous. We offer below a few thoughts to consider about all this location madness. Sponsor That Phrase: "Location, Location, Location" You're going to hear journalists use it far too much. Want to know where it came from? Language sleuth William Safire investigated for the NYT last year and concluded that the phrase was probably first used in a 1926 real estate classified ad in the Chicago Tribune: "Attention salesmen [...]
[yahoo] Web will be 'critical' revenue source for Times: publisher (AFP)
Fri, 12 March 2010 0:53:41 GMT - AFP - Charging online readers will give The New York Times a critical second revenue stream but the print newspaper will be important for "many years to come," publisher Arthur Sulzberger said Thursday.
[engadget] Talkin' Windows Phone 7 Series gaming with Microsoft at GDC
Fri, 12 March 2010 0:52:00 GMT - We already got a look at Microsoft's little XNA show-and-tell as relates to Windows Phone 7 Series, but our colleague Andrew Yoon over at Joystiq had a chance for longer sit-down with Xbox Live general manager Ron Pessner and XNA Game Studio manager Michael Klucher at GDC today, and he's been kind enough to share the interview with us. The main topic of conversation was the company's plans regarding Xbox LIve and, specifically, how it would be integrating it into Windows Phone 7 Series. And believe us, there was plenty to discuss -- including the sweet science of porting games from Zune HD to 7 Series phones ("it's 90, 95 percent code reuse... in an hour or couple of hours, we're taking games that were written for Zune HD and putting them on the phone"), the [...]
[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 [...]
[engadget] Caption Contest: 3D is a mind blow, everyone can agree on that
Fri, 12 March 2010 0:21:00 GMT - What do b-boys, random celebrities like Mark Sanchez, Andy Samberg and Hillary Duff, and the Black Eyed Peas have to do with 3DTV? We're not sure either, but that didn't stop Samsung from mixing them up during its "worldwide launch event" yesterday in NYC. Check the video (embedded after the break) for the above revelation about 3D from the JIMP troubador himself, but what was going through the heads of our friend Jimmy C and the BEP when this picture was taken? Chris: "And see, just by turning this knob to the right, we can give Avatar a plot." Richard Lawler: "If everyone starts wearing these, we're going to need new outfits." Nilay: "Fascinating. You say this is called a 'lady lump?'" Joe: "What? Bono beat us to it?" Joanna: "That Neytiri, she's a handfu [...]
[engadget] OptiTrack mixes motion capture with a virtual camera for delicious, Avatar-esque results
Thu, 11 March 2010 23:48:00 GMT - We knew virtual camera systems are starting gain traction, particularly in the world of cinema and within James Cameron's little set of toys, but it's pretty wild to see one in action. NaturalPoint is showing off its OptiTrack motion capture system at GDC, a budget-friendly multi-camera setup (if $6k is your idea of budget-friendly), but it also has a prototype of sorts of its upcoming virtual camera system. The camera's orientation and movement is actually tracked in the same way a motion capture suit is, and if you're in the same tracking space as a motion capture actor you can do "real" camera work with a live 3D rendered preview of the action. The shoulder-mounted camera has controls for virtual tracking and dolly moves, along with zoom, and has zero pro [...]
[readwriteweb] Plancast iPhone App is Live & It is Good
Thu, 11 March 2010 23:25:13 GMT - Plancast, the plan-sharing startup with big-name angel investors and "future as platform" aspirations, has just had its iPhone app accepted into the iTunes store. The app was built by contracted star developer Leah Culver. It's simple, functional, attractive and useful. It's going to be very good for SXSW and probably beyond, if the service continues to stick with users as it has so far. Here's the iTunes link and below you can see some screenshots. Sponsor I'm posting my plans at Plancast.com/marshallk. You can see who's coming to our SXSW party Sunday night with NPR, PBS and more here on Plancast. See also: Hot Potato also has a new iPhone app just released today (iTunes link) which may come in handy for discussing the events that you attend via Plancast [...]
[engadget] Unreal Engine 3 up and running on webOS, and we've got video!
Thu, 11 March 2010 23:20:00 GMT - Palm just showed us the Unreal Engine 3 running on webOS, which apparently took a couple weeks to port over to the platform using that fancy new PDK. It runs at a pretty smooth clip, with just a tiny bit of artifacting in our enemy's death animation. As an added bit of wow factor, Palm has it currently setup to demonstrate the game at 1 fps when in card view. Like most touchscreen shooters, this doesn't really solve the problem of simulating dual analog sticks, but it's still a fun and good looking engine for a mobile device. We're still unaware of any games that have been built for the mobile engine, which has now been shown for iPhone, Tegra 2, and will be headed to the iPad as well, but we have to assume we'll be seeing some before too long. Check out the [...]
[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 [...]
[engadget] iPhone SDK 3.2 showing first hints of multitasking for third-party apps?
Thu, 11 March 2010 23:01:00 GMT - Naturally, we need to first disclaim this noise by saying that rumors of third-party multitasking capability in the iPhone are as old as the iPhone SDK itself. That said, it's hard to ignore a new reference to a "multitasking dialog box" buried deep within the iPhone SDK 3.2 beta that -- while not new to beta 4 specifically -- we're told didn't exist in 3.1.3. Now, the wildest possible speculation would have us believing that this is the very first by-product of a new multitasking system for developers that's being developed for the platform, presumably destined for an appearance in OS 4.0 when it's introduced along with new hardware this summer -- but it's just as likely that Apple will continue to keep the iPhone's multitasking capability to itself, a func [...]
[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 (LINK?), the Australian Broadcasting Company's iPlayer equivalent. The one-day head start that online Aussie fans are getting probably won't do [...]
[readwriteweb] SXSW 2010 for Publishers
Thu, 11 March 2010 23:00:00 GMT - A ReadWriteWeb Guide Ever since its inception, the Internet has blurred the boundaries between author and audience. Whether you're a blogger, a pillar of the printed word, a podcast coinnaseur or a developer dealing with the latest CMS, navigating the next step in Internet publishing can be a feat. So, hit up these 10 events at SXSW Interactive 2010 to say goodbye to Gutenberg and hello to the interactive, multimedia, real-time, crowdsourced and community-funded future of online publishing. Sponsor This is part of a series of ReadWriteWeb guides to SXSW Interactive 2010. If this guide isn't your cup of tea, be sure to check back for more information soon! ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income Wanna ditch that desk job for the cubi [...]
[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.
[engadget] Switched On: Thumbs up, thumbs down at TiVo Premiere
Thu, 11 March 2010 22:30:00 GMT - Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. TiVo's announcement of TiVo Premiere represents the most significant user interface overhaul for the device in years. Based on Adobe Flash and optimized for the high-definition screens that are likely to be paired with CableCARD programming, the new user interface blends together live, recorded, and broadband content. That presentation is more akin to what we've seen from Windows Media Center, and less like TiVo's Series3 that segmented programming sources by type. TiVo has also beefed up its search capability, bringing it up to par with that of its only significant retail DVR competitor, Digeo's Moxi. The new interaction widens the user experience gap between TiVo and your [...]
[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.
[gizmodo] Scosche reviveLITE II Charges iPods, Lights Nights [Chargers]
Thu, 11 March 2010 21:53:36 GMT - If you were comforted by the first revieLITE, an iPod charger/nightlight combo from 2008, you'll be even more thankful for the sequel: the ReviveLite II has a slimmer footprint, an additional USB port and still protects you from night terrors. More » [...]
[engadget] HP rolls out 'Let's Do Amazing' ad campaign
Thu, 11 March 2010 21:31:00 GMT - We'd already gotten word of HP's new $40 million "Let's Do Amazing" ad campaign earlier today, but the company has just now rolled out its first series of ads to give us some indication of how all that money is being spent. Somewhat curiously, for an ad campaign partly intended to reintroduce the HP brand to consumers, the ads stray pretty far beyond HP's consumer products (including a trip to a UPS sorting facility and the Venetian's IT department), but we do at least get to see Dr. Dre extol the benefits of HP Beats audio -- not to mention a little beatboxing from Rhys Darby of "Flight of the Conchords," who serves as the host of the ads. Head on past the break to check out the Dre ad and HP's introduction video, and hit up the link below for the rest of t [...]
[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 [...]
[engadget] Cellphone inventor Marty Cooper uses a Droid.... and a Jitterbug
Thu, 11 March 2010 21:04:00 GMT - Sure, you read reviews and take recommendations from friends before you buy a new cellphone, but have you ever stopped to consider what the inventor of the cellphone uses on a daily basis? C-SPAN has, and recently took the opportunity to ask the man himself, Marty Cooper, that very question during a wide-ranging interview. While Cooper said that he has used an iPhone previously, he recently passed it on to his grandson in favor of a Motorola Droid, which he says he chose because he wanted to get more experience with Android. But that's not all, Cooper also revealed that he carries a Jitterbug as well for when he just wants to make phone calls. Surprising for a pioneer of mobile technology? Not exactly, as Cooper actually co-founded Jitterbug with his wife, w [...]
[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 [...]
[engadget] Darkworks SDK transforms 2D games into 3D games, no 3D TV required
Thu, 11 March 2010 20:33:00 GMT - Well, wouldn't you know it? 3D seems to be the topic of conversation here at GDC , and Paris-based Darkworks is making a splash by announcing the availability of its TriOviz for Games SDK. In short, this magical software concoction is a post-process effect that allows standard 2D games to be transformed into 3D masterpieces... and you don't even need to buy a 3D television. We were briefed on the tech here at the show, and we're told that the magic happens in the software and the glasses, and unlike existing 3D technologies, other users around the house will still be able to watch you play in 2D without all those blurred edges. In other words, existing titles (for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC; sorry Wii owners!) can have a 3D experience added in, and we're [...]
[engadget] JooJoo hits the FCC, reveals NVIDIA Ion, 3G card
Thu, 11 March 2010 20:07:00 GMT - Well well. We'd always suspected that the JooJoo tablet was hiding something extra to run HD video and Flash, and it's just hit the FCC with full documentation and a teardown confirming that there's an NVIDIA Ion GPU paired with an Atom N270 packed inside. We're also seeing a 3G card in there, although it's unclear whether it'll be active or installed at launch -- we've been told the 3G version won't be ready until sometime later this year, but things have been changing fast, so that may be in flux as well. There's also a picture showing it running Windows, but we're assuming that's just for testing purposes -- we'd also bet it'd be an easy little hack. But back to Ion for a second: our experience with first-gen Ion netbooks has been one of decreased perform [...]
[yahoo] OnLive taking videogames into the Internet "cloud" (AFP)
Thu, 11 March 2010 20:02:54 GMT - AFP - California startup OnLive plans a June 17 launch for a service that streams videogames over the Internet, meaning players can avoid buying expensive consoles or packaged software.
[readwriteweb] Battery Ventures Rakes In $750M, Is VC Funding Over the Hump?
Thu, 11 March 2010 20:00:00 GMT - Longtime technology innovation investment firm Battery Ventures increased its capital to over $4 billion Thursday as the firm announced the securing of its ninth fund at a value of $750 million. Startups and entrepreneurs may be able to look at 2010 with high hopes as Battery's fund, one of the largest seen in the last year, comes after a period of decline in venture funding. Sponsor Battery Ventures, which operates out of Boston, Silicon Valley, and Israel, has been investing in tech innovation since 1983. The firm has helped several Internet companies launch initial public offerings (IPOs), such as the early search engine Infoseek, the web app platform Akamai, and analytics provider Omniture. In a press release Thursday, Battery partner Tom Crotty expresse [...]
[techcrunch] AOL Launches Lifestream As New Standalone Product. This Is What Google Buzz Should Have Been
Thu, 11 March 2010 19:48:45 GMT - Aol launched Lifestream, a social aggregator and publisher, as part of their AIM platform at TechCrunch50 Last Fall. Since then it has gained nearly 2 million users, say Aol. Based on that success Aol is now launching Lifestream as a standalone product at lifestream.aol.com. Like Friendfeed, Lifestream aggregates a number of third party social networks - Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Foursquare, Delicious, Digg, Flickr, YouTube, etc., so if you follow a Lifestream user you'll see all of the content that user publishes on those networks, and Lifestream automatically pulls in content from people you already follow on those various social networks, so you don't have to create yet another new friend list. Lifestream isn't yet integrated with Google Buzz, but Aol s [...]
[engadget] PlayStation Move: everything you ever wanted to know
Thu, 11 March 2010 19:31:00 GMT - Sony dropped a lot of knowledge on us yesterday, at long last replacing rampant speculation with some cold hard facts -- and even a name! -- for its new PlayStation motion controller. The PlayStation Move is being described as a "platform" and a "virtual console launch" by folks at Sony, and we think they mean it, so prepare for a motion-controlled ad war later this year, as Microsoft and Sony set themselves up for a real three-way fight with Nintendo for your physical living room activity of the gaming variety. While some of the high-level Wii-like functionalities might be obvious, follow us after the break as we walk through the nitty gritty of everything we know so far about Move. Gallery: PlayStation Move press photosContinue reading PlayStation Move: ev [...]
[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 [...]
[engadget] DARPA looking to develop iPhone and Android apps, App Store
Thu, 11 March 2010 19:09:00 GMT - Sure, in the past we've got a hearty chuckle out of initiatives that involved Redfly terminals and Clippy variants, but the question remains: how can we get cutting-edge tech into the hands of soldiers faster? We've recently come across some RFIs for DARPA projects aimed at developing apps and an App Store for Android and the iPhone OS, with two in particular -- Mobile Apps for the Military (DARPA-SN-10-27), and Transformative Apps (DARPA-BAA-10-41) -- catching our eye. The agency is calling for apps for battlefield, humanitarian, and disaster recovery missions, including command and control, mission planning, surveillance, reconnaissance, and language translation. Of course, if you start taking commercial smartphones out to the field there's the small matte [...]
[engadget] HTC Incredible out in the wild once more, Verizon color scheme alive and well
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:41:00 GMT - Android Forums is alight today with fresh HTC Incredible chatter -- a phone every Android fan on Verizon is desperately waiting for -- and we've managed to glean a few more pictures and possible specs out of the mess. It looks like we can expect a half gig of RAM with about 320MB available (roughly the same as what you find on the Nexus One) and an 8 megapixel cam, but interestingly, the phone's Snapdragon core is apparently underclocked to 768MHz, almost certainly a battery-saving measure on HTC's part; fortunately, the Sense-powered Android 2.1 firmware is still said to be "blazing fast." It measures 117.5 x 58.5 x 11.9mm -- just a hair narrower, shorter, and thicker than its Nexus One doppelganger, small enough of a difference so that we think it'll be vi [...]
[techcrunch] Google Cuts Milo At The Knees With Its Blue Dot Specials
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:34:28 GMT - Google just launched a new feature on the mobile version of Google Product Search which could take local shopping search startup Milo out at the knees. Whenever you do a Google product search from a mobile phone, blue dots will appear next to items which are in-stock at nearby stores. The image at right is from a search I just did for "HDTVs." The blue dots are subtle, but they certainly distinguish those results. Google has partnerships with Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm to show local inventory, and it is inviting other merchants to apply to participate as well. Highlighting local inventory in product search results is exactly what Milo does, although it works on the Web as well as mobile. Milo will have to try to keep one ste [...]
[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 [...]
[readwriteweb] Google's Mobile Product Search Now Shows Real-Time Local Inventory
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:15:01 GMT - Google just announced that the mobile version of Google Product Search can now tell you if a certain product is in stock at nearby stores. Currently, Google is only working with a handful of retailers, including Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and West Elm, but the company is actively looking for more partners. To see these results, just browse to Google.com on your mobile phone (Android, WebOS or Android), click the "more" link and then "Shopping." The local inventory will be updated in real time and is currently only available for users in the U.S. Sponsor Google obviously thinks that providing the best local results possible is the future for a large number of its services. Now that most modern mobile browsers can forward your location dat [...]
[engadget] Novothink rolls out Solar Surge iPhone / iPod touch charging case
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:15:00 GMT - It's not November '09 as originally promised, but Novothink has now announced that its Solar Surge charging cases for the iPhone and iPod touch are finally available. Those will run $79.95 for the iPhone 3G/3GS version and $69.95 for the iPod touch version (second gen only, it seems), which are each available only in black or white at the moment (additional colors are "coming soon), and should add between four and eight hours of talk time, or up to 20 hours of additional audio playback. That's, of course, when the charger is fully charged, but Novothink says you can still expect to get between 30 and 60 minutes of talk time after two hours of exposure to direct sunlight.Novothink rolls out Solar Surge iPhone / iPod touch charging case originally appeared on [...]
[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 [...]
[techcrunch] SecondMarket: Facebook And Zynga Dominate Transactions In February
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:03:34 GMT - In January, private company stock marketplace SecondMarket published data on private company stock sales that they helped complete in 2009. And February's report showed the transactions that took place in January, which showed a strong demand for consumer products and services startups. The majority of transactions in January were sales of Facebook stock. SecondMarket just released its February report, which you can download here. Transactions more tripled in February, from $13 million in sales to $43.8 million in sales last month. A full 48% of the transactions were sales of Facebook stock, compared to 38% in January. And last month, we reported that sales are being completed for as high as $40 per share (or a $17.6 billion valuation). But we learned this w [...]
[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; [...]
[readwriteweb] Making Blogger Blogs Prettier: Google Launches New Template Designer
Thu, 11 March 2010 18:00:00 GMT - Most hosted blogging platforms offer their customers a set of standard templates with relatively few options for customizing these sites. Starting today, however, bloggers on Google's Blogger platform will be able to take full control over the layout of their sites thanks to Google's new Blogger Template Designer without having to edit a single line of HTML and CSS code. The Template Designer will give Blogger's users the ability to change the layout, fonts, colors and background images of their blogs through an easy to use WYSIWYG editor. Sponsor For now, the Template Designer will only be available through Blogger in Draft, Google's experimental section for new Blogger features. Features Every template allows users to choose different body layouts with [...]
[techcrunch] Barnes & Noble Uses Crunchies Endorsement On In Store Nook Posters. We Want One.
Thu, 11 March 2010 17:50:49 GMT - We were somewhat sad when Barnes & Noble sent their PR firm to accept their award for the Nook for Best Gadget of 2009 at the Crunchies in January. Traditionally only Apple blows off the awards, and we've always been able to work around that. But apparently Barnes & Noble are at least aware that they won the award. They are using it to promote the Nook on in-store posters, we learned recently. We sent TechCruncher Laura Boychenko over to the local Barnes & Noble last night with strict instructions to rip one of the posters off the wall and run like hell back to the office with it. She failed in her task, but did take a few pictures and a video and promised to ask Barnes & Noble for one of the posters for our office. Less dramatic, but just as [...]
[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 [...]
[engadget] Dolby issues Axon SDK to bring surround sound to online console / Mac gamers
Thu, 11 March 2010 17:00:00 GMT - Dolby's Axon surround sound technology isn't exactly new (it's already used on a number of PC titles), but to date, it has yet to make a stand in the online console and Mac gaming sectors. All that changes today at GDC, with the aural company introducing an Axon software development kit that will make it possible for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and OS X titles to integrate the technology. According to the company, this here solution provides improved audio chain processing (noise suppression and echo suppression), surround sound voice chat over stereo headsets, 5.1 playback and support for any stereo headset. We're told that the ports should be available for devs starting in April, though only time will tell how long it takes for your Xbox Live experience to go [...]
[techcrunch] Evri Acquires Radar Networks In Semantic Search Consolidation
Thu, 11 March 2010 16:50:51 GMT - After shopping itself around to all the major search engines, Radar Networks finally found a buyer in another semantic search startup. Today, Evri is announcing that it will be acquiring Radar Networks, along with its core technical team and its main product, Twine. Rumors surfaced yesterday on ReadWriteWeb that Evri was being acquired, but that is not the case. Evri is the acquirer.
[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...
[engadget] Sony's ultra-compact concept camera gets slightly less mysterious
Thu, 11 March 2010 16:42:00 GMT - We didn't exactly get the best look at Sony's new ultra-compact concept camera at PMA last month, but the company is now thankfully starting to reveal a few more details about the "DSLR quality" camera. Still nothing in the way of specs or an actual working camera, of course, but Sony has provided a few screenshots of the camera's menu system that at least provide a few tidbits of information. Most notably, it seems that the camera will employ a touchscreen interface, with most of the main controls handled by a menu on the side of the screen, and it looks like the camera will have a RAW + JPEG shooting mode, which should no doubt please more serious photographers. Hit up the link below for a few more screenshots. [Thanks, Julien]Sony's ultra-compact concept [...]
[engadget] OpenGL 4.0 arrives, brings more opportunities for general purpose GPU action
Thu, 11 March 2010 16:06:00 GMT - What's a Game Developers Conference without some sweet new tools for developers to sink their teeth into? Khronos Group, the association behind OpenGL, has today announced the fourth generation of its cross-platform API spec, which takes up the mantle of offering a viable competitor to Microsoft's DirectX 11. The latest release includes two new shader stages for offloading geometry tessellation from the CPU to the GPU, as well as tighter integration with OpenCL to allow the graphics card to take up yet more duties off the typically overworked processor -- both useful additions in light of NVIDIA's newfound love affair with tessellation and supposed leaning toward general purpose GPU design in the Fermi chips coming this month. Lest you don't care that much a [...]
[techcrunch] Perseids, John Hughes, And G.I. Joe Are Trending Topics On Wikipedia
Thu, 11 March 2010 15:46:40 GMT - Google has Google Trends, Twitter has trending topics, and now so does Wikipedia. Pete Skomoroch, a Senior Research Scientist at LinkedIn and blogger at Data Wrangling, built a trending topics page for Wikipedia. The homepage ranks the top-25 Wikipedia articles with the most pageviews over the past 30 days, as well as the fastest rising articles in the past 24 hours. Some of the most popular Wikipedia articles in the past month include ones on the Perseids meteor shower, Danish physicist Hans Christian rsted, director John Hughes, and G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra. These are quite different than the types of search trends you would find on Google trends or realtime trending topics on Twitter.
[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 [...]
[engadget] T-Mobile webConnect Rocket available March 14, already blowing minds in Philly
Thu, 11 March 2010 15:14:00 GMT - It looks like T-Mobile's webConnect Rocket USB modem will be released right on schedule, even if you currently have to be in Philadelphia to enjoy those HSPA+ speeds (then again, if you're in Philadelphia you probably deserve a break). Accordingly, folks jumping on that March 14 release date can expect to pay $99 with a two-year contract that entitles you to monthly charges of $50 for 5GB or $20 for 200MB -- with a $0.20 / megabyte overage charge. Fun! Additionally, the kids at Mobile Burn got their hands on a unit for a review and were generally quite impressed with consistent download speeds ranging from 1780Kbps to 2797Kbps "on a couple of [DSLreports.com] East Coast servers." Hell, after moving to a location with "prime, perfect signal (-51dbm)" things p [...]
[engadget] $92 MD500 Android tablet from Hott actually looks pretty cool
Thu, 11 March 2010 14:52:00 GMT - At this point we really need another tablet like we need another hole in the head, but when this one could cost around $100 and still look quite good, well, it's worth talking about. It's the Hott MD500, an Android device with a 4.8-inch, 800 x 480 screen and plenty of OS customizations to make it rather more media-friendly, including the ability to "play every codec" according to the guy doing the demonstration. We'll believe that when we see it, but it is shown playing a 720p clip from the cinematic masterpiece Tokyo Drift without too much trouble. The somewhat iPhone-esque design looks very nice and is much smaller than a comparable Archos 5. The price is $92 to distributors without any flash memory and, since you can get a 4GB microSD card for a few buck [...]
[engadget] Opera Mini 5 on Android mini review
Thu, 11 March 2010 14:25:00 GMT - Opera's Mini 5 beta finally hit Android in the wee hours of this morning and, while writing about what it looks like is nice, we thought a little walk-through to demonstrate the impressive speed of the thing was worthwhile. So we have a short video for you below, with a comparison against the stock Android browser, plus some impressions of just how it is to use. So, click on through, won't you?Continue reading Opera Mini 5 on Android mini reviewOpera Mini 5 on Android mini review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments [...]
[engadget] TiVo returning to the UK thanks to partnership with Virgin Media
Thu, 11 March 2010 14:01:00 GMT - It looks like TiVo's freshly minted Premiere hardware will soon be setting sail eastwards as The Daily Telegraph is reporting Virgin Media's next generation set-top box will be built around it. Loyal readers of Engadget HD will already be aware that TiVo and Virgin hooked up last November and this latest news relates to the first hardware to be spawned from that relationship. According to TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, the Premiere will "heavily inspire the development work" going into Virgin's next TV appendage, which may or may not mean that the cable company will simply rebadge the well-received new boxes. What's assured though is much greater integration with online content, with search linking you out to Amazon, BBC's iPlayer, YouTube or good old standard broadca [...]
[techcrunch] Motally Brings Mobile Analytics To Smartphone Games
Thu, 11 March 2010 13:58:41 GMT - As mobile gaming takes off, developers will need in-depth analysis to determine consumer behavior with their games and adjust their games accordingly. Motally, which provides user-action tracking services for the mobile web and apps, is expanding its product base today offering a targeted analytics service aimed towards mobile games on the iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms. The service is currently in private beta, but developers will be able to sign up to use the service. Motally's game-oriented analytics platform allows publishers to track in-game data including where users drop out in-play and which levels users interact with most. Motally also allows for the dynamic changing of the game's design, allowing developers to measure the impact of change [...]
[digg] Tracking When, Where and How People Have Sex in Real-Time
Thu, 11 March 2010 10:00:03 GMT - Part Twitter, part Google Maps, IJustMadeLove.com is the brainchild of Cyprian Ciekiewicz, a 26-year-old programmer in Poland who got the idea for the site in May. While driving home one night, he started wondering what it would take to create a Web site with flashing notifications representing where people have exchanged bodily fluids.
[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 [...]
[cnet] Windows Phone 7 won't kill Zune HD
Thu, 11 March 2010 0:36:52 GMT - But Microsoft is telling game developers to concentrate on the phones.
[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 [...]
[NewTeeVee] Got a Question for the FCC Chairman? Tell YouTube!
Wed, 10 March 2010 23:50:21 GMT - It's hard to top having Barack Obama as a live-chat guest, but that isn't stopping YouTube, who is following up their user-generated interview with the President with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Next Tuesday, Mar. 16, Genachowski will be answering user-submitted questions to topics like Access and Affordability, Mobile and Wireless and Security and Privacy. So [...]
[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 [...]
[NewTeeVee] Vid-Biz: FCC, Kyte, Microsoft
Wed, 10 March 2010 21:00:59 GMT - Cable Firms Seek FCC Help in Fee Disputes; several major cable companies and a public interest group asked the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday to intervene in disputes over transmission fees. (Washington Post) Kyte now Offering Broadcast-Quality Live Video Streaming Backpack; the LivePro backpack, made by LiveU, will be released at SXSW. (TechCrunch) Microsoft Launches Free [...]
[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.
[NewTeeVee] The Ultimate Music Video Jukebox, via Flash on Android
Wed, 10 March 2010 20:00:04 GMT - The folks behind the music video jukebox Sonicswap are at it again, this time launching what could soon be every Nexus One user's best friend. Tunevision compiles music video playlists based on your Last.fm, iTunes or Sonicswap usage data -- users can also start from scratch by simply entering a few [...]
[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 [...]
[NewTeeVee] OK Go Exits EMI For Own Label: Hopefully, An Embedding-Friendly One
Wed, 10 March 2010 18:57:42 GMT - For want of an embed code, the band was lost...to their own independent label. Viral music video experts and indie rock band OK Go, after publicly squabbling with EMI over the lack of embedding on their YouTube music videos, have left the label to create their own. This new label, Paracadute Recordings, will take over [...]
[NewTeeVee] Tribeca Film Fest to Offer Virtual Premium Access
Wed, 10 March 2010 17:15:44 GMT - The Tribeca Film Fest, the festival co-founded by Robert De Niro, is going virtual, according to a post on its blog, offering film fans around the country a chance to engage online with the films and filmmakers being feted. Beginning April 23, those who purchase a Virtual Premium pass will get "full backstage access" to the [...]
[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...
[NewTeeVee] YouTube Is Starting to Monetize Mobile Video
Wed, 10 March 2010 15:53:29 GMT - YouTube has started to serve ads on mobile phones, but you may not even notice them. The online video platform is now serving display ads on m.youtube.com in the U.S. and Japan, according to a blog post, and will sell banner ads on a full-day basis. Today's advertiser is Mazda, which bought [...]
[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 [...]
[NewTeeVee] Enjoy Video on the iPad Hands-Free, Thanks to Quirky
Wed, 10 March 2010 0:43:44 GMT - The consequence of Apple trying to create an entire new genre of gadget? We all have to figure out how we're gonna use it. The iPad commercial, first spotted during the Academy Awards last Sunday, featured no shortage of happy users resting the device on their laps... But how do you physically get into that [...]
[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: [...]
[yahoo] TiVo 4Q loss widens, 1Q to miss Street view (AP)
Mon, 8 March 2010 23:07:58 GMT - AP - Digital video recorder pioneer TiVo Inc. said Monday that its fourth-quarter loss widened as higher expenses, especially in research and development for new products, more than offset an increase in revenue.
[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.
[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 [...]
[onlinevideowatch] Doritos Canada Launches New Videos
Thu, 25 February 2010 17:03:36 GMT - Doritos Canada has launched a new series of viral videos on their YouTube channel as part of a marketing effort to name their new "unidentified" flavor. Unsurprisingly, some are funnier than others. Head over and enjoy a few. My favorite, so far, is Hot Sexy Doritos Lady.
[onlinevideowatch] White House Summit on Health Reform Live
Thu, 25 February 2010 16:38:24 GMT - WhiteHouse.gov is live streaming today's bipartisan summit on health care and making the embed code available. So watch below: JOIN THE LIVE CHAT VISIT WHITEHOUSE.GOV [...]