Your Daily IT News |
- The Future of Mobile Payments
- Find Videos by Particular Location that were Recorded
- Apple’s App Store Reaches Its 15 Billion Download
- Fresh Ways to Share Video on Twitter
- Facebook Music Service Surfaces
- Navy Tests Bacteria Powered Hydrogen Fuel Cell
- Google Declares War On The .Co.CC Extension And Buries 11 Million Domains
- Blogger And Picasa To Get Overhaul Under Google+
- Medialets Releases New Development Kit
- Opportunity for Virtual Reality Combined with Landscape Imaging
| Posted: 08 Jul 2011 05:09 AM PDT We know that mobile payments are redefining commerce, but will our phones soon replace our wallets? PayPal seems to think so. The payments giant boldly predicts that the wallet will be dead by 2015. It's putting its money where its mouth is: it recently acquired mobile payments provider Zong for $240 million. PayPal isn't the only one getting into the game though. Google recently launched Google Wallet, the search giant's mobile payment system, and Visa recently made a strategic investment in Square, the mobile payments platform now worth more than $1.4 billion. Professional community service G+ decided to look deeper into mobile payment trends and created an infographic that tracks what experts and analysts believe will happen to mobile commerce in the next four years, including what will happen with near field communication (NFC). G+ also compared some of the current players in the mobile payment space. Check out the infographic, and let us know what you think is next for mobile payments in the comments.
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| Find Videos by Particular Location that were Recorded Posted: 08 Jul 2011 04:47 AM PDT Would you like to know if there are any videos on YouTube that were shot near a particular geographic location – say in your city or, if you zoom-in further, near your school? When you capture a video on a cell phone or digital camera that has GPS, the co-ordinates (latitude and longitude) are saved in the video itself and YouTube can extract these to determine the location of your video. Alternatively, if your camera doesn't offer the location feature, you can always geotag videos manually while uploading them to YouTube. The only little problem is that YouTube doesn't offer an easy for you to search videos by location but there are alternatives. For instance, if you are on Google Maps (or Google Earth), you can zoom-in to a specific area of the maps and then turn-on the video layer to see videos recorded at that location (see screencast). Google says that it displays only the "best videos" in the video layer or videos that have an average user rating higer than 3 stars. The other more comprehensive option for searching videos by location is Jotpix. Jotpix determines your current location from the browser and will automatically show local videos nearby or you can key in any address to see video around a specific location. Unlike Google Maps, Jotpix doesn't filter geotagged videos by ratings but you can limit your search by category as well as the date when the videos were uploaded. And as you move around the Google map, the search results will change automatically. Give it a try! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Apple’s App Store Reaches Its 15 Billion Download Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:36 PM PDT If you own an Apple iOS product and you’ve not downloaded around 75 apps, you’re really not pulling your weight. Apple has announced that it has pushed out its 15 billionth app since launching the app store in June 2008, just a month after announcing 14 billion downloads at its Worldwide Developer’s Conference. With more than 200 million iOS products in use worldwide – combining iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch – that works out at an average of 75 apps per device. Although Apple hasn’t released data on how many of those 15 billion apps were free, the company says that it has paid more than $2.5 billion in commission to developers to date. There are currently around 425,000 apps available in the App Store, according to Apple. Clearly, as someone who has little more than a handful on my iPhone, I really need to sample a few more. |
| Fresh Ways to Share Video on Twitter Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:30 PM PDT
This year — on Twitter at least — videos have taken a backseat due in part to the increasing popularity of photo-sharing services like Instagram and Picplz. Although video-sharing sites and apps are playing second fiddle at the moment, a handful of Twitter users swear by their video-centric tweets. "I share videos on Twitter because let's face it, sometimes you can't come across in just words," says comedianBradley Laborman, a frequent YouTuber and creator of BradmanTV. "Me tweeting, 'This HOT DOG is UH-MAZING,' is not as effective as me posting a quick video where I serenade the hot dog and scream to the sky how amazing it actually is." From a business perspective, company-made videos and user-generated videos have proven to be powerful marketing tools. For example, referral traffic from YouTube to the Shorty Awards website this year was higher than Google's referral traffic to the site because many nominees created video campaigns. "The scalability of making a great looking video clip is nuts in 2011 and will continue to get easier and easier," says Natan Edelsburg, supervising producer for the Shorty Awards and vice president of Sawhorse Media. "A year or two from now it will be irresponsible for everyone to write a press release or make a big announcement without complementing it with some kind of short video clip." Whether for business or personal use, indulge in these four video-sharing services that launched or added new features in this past year. In the comments, let us know which apps you use to share your own videos on Twitter or other social sites. 1. Socialcam Socialcam’s tagline is: “Shoot, tag and share it with your friends … instantly.” The app, which is tied to Justin.tv, lets you sign up with your Facebook account and then share videos on multiple outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and even Google+. In fewer than five minutes, I signed up on my Droid X, recorded a 34-second video, uploaded it and shared it. Had I recorded friends in my video, I could have tagged them even if they weren’t Socialcam users. "We hope tagging will insert a level of shareability that will wow everybody,” said Matthew DiPietro, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Justin.tv. "We built it very specifically for friends and family,” DiPietro added. “However, that's the exact same thing that Mark Zuckerberg was thinking about when he launched Facebook, and Facebook is a much more widely used platform now." 2. Viddy Laborman uses Viddy, an app that allows you to capture, “beautify” and share 15-second videos. “It’s basically the Instagram for video users,” Laborman says. “You shoot a video, you add a filter and you decide whether or not you want background music on the video.” The process is simple: Click the "Share" button in the middle of the navigation panel to upload a video from your gallery or shoot a new one. Trim the clip to your liking and apply effects using "production packages." Viddy’s iPhone app, which launched in April and has been downloaded 500,000 times as of May, it is compatible with iPod touch and iPad but requires iOS 4.1 or later. Viddy’s website says Android, Windows and BlackBerry versions of the app are in the works. 3. Screenr Web-based screen recorder Screenr launched in 2009, but the service recently added new features that address users’ concerns about sharing video comments via tweets. “Previously, comments on Screenr were tied to your Twitter account and forced you to tweet your comments,” Screenr said in a blog. “Users told us they often wanted to make comments without tweeting them. Now, Screenr has bulit-in commenting so your comments stay just on Screenr. And don't worry, there's also a separate Tweet button if you still want to tweet your comments.” To create a video, Mac or PC users can adjust the video frame to a size of their liking and then click record to walk viewers through an online activity. Screenr automatically provides a shortened link to the video to quicken the sharing process. 4. Zocial.tv If you like sharing trendy videos on Twitter, Zocial.tv is the site and app for you. Zocial.tv aggregates the most-shared videos on Twitter and Facebook, separates them into categories (i.e. music, sports, education) and creates top 25 lists sorted by today, yesterday, the week or month. The site’s sharing tool — powered by ShareThis — lets you share any of the videos on Twitter and other social sites. You also can +1 or “Like” a video. Using the Zocial.tv website (above), I shared a video that was already in the top 25 Thursday morning in themusic category. The Zocial.tv app is available for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and requires iOS 3.1 or later. |
| Facebook Music Service Surfaces Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:23 PM PDT
The social network launched its Skype-powered video chat service on Wednesday. Part of the process of getting started with the one-on-one video communication product is downloading and installing a program on the desktop. Eagle-eyed software engineer and researcher Jeff Rose was curious about what he was installing and how it interacts with Skype, so decided to look into the code of the desktop app. In it, he found that the installer supports not one, but two applications. One is called "Peep," which is related to the video chat client, and one is called "Vibes," which is apparently related to a music downloading app. Here's the code in question:
It seems clear that Facebook has something related to music downloading up its sleeve. Could it be an app for downloading your music and uploading it to the cloud? Could it be powered by Spotify? Or could it just be code that refers to a defunct or discarded product? Don't bet on Facebook's music app being called "Facebook Vibes," though. There's a reason why Facebook's video chat product isn't called "Facebook Peep." Still, we know Facebook has a music product coming soon, and now we believe it will do more than simply play your favorite tunes. What do you think Facebook has up its sleeve? Incoming search terms: |
| Navy Tests Bacteria Powered Hydrogen Fuel Cell Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:20 PM PDT
[Image courtesy of U.S. Navy Reserve / Tom Boyd] |
| Google Declares War On The .Co.CC Extension And Buries 11 Million Domains Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:08 PM PDT The recent Panda algorithm update should've been warning enough, but in case website developers weren't listening, Google is sending a more potent message. Reports are that over 11 million domains ending with the .co.cc extension have been kicked from Google search engine all together. And so it seems, as the war between the engines and spammers rage on, another extension has been relegated to the dark expanse of "nothingness". Normally you'd cry foul with a move like this, but if the data is accurate, these .co.cc domains are a major source of phishing attacks. Good riddance. The people who are legitimate content owners hosting on these domains need to think strategically when opting for "free". And as Matt Cutts, Google's head of search as pointed out, the right to banish any "free host" from the search engine remains the preserve of Google exclusively. It's only a pity that sometimes when these algorithm shake-ups occur, the good end up suffering for the bad also; according to the popular website eHow.com, it's lost significant traffic as a result of the Panda update. Other traditional information portals like the article directory, Ezinearticles.com have also taken a hit. Although Google hasn't indicated that it will restore these websites' initial positions in the SERPs, legitimate site owners can take comfort in the fact that once things settle down, rankings usually return. Spammers definitely won't go away anytime soon, nor will Google algorithm updates. The best any site developer can do is think strategically and plan for the long haul. Watch the video below to see more about spam and how it affects you as web user.
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| Blogger And Picasa To Get Overhaul Under Google+ Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:08 PM PDT Google is really starting to believe in itself as a force to be reckoned with. Reports are that in a plan to give it's products a more coherent message, the Blogger and Picasa names are to be retired in full swing with Google+. According to news sources, this move isn't based on an fundamental move to alter the workings of these services, but more to bring all Google's services under its corporate branding. Blogger will be renamed "Google blogs", while Picasa will be renamed "Google photos". The news sent a wave of anxiety over die-hard Youtubers who feared that their beloved video sharing hub would be renamed. Google, however, has made it clear that there are no plans to rebrand Youtube. The rebranding of these sites is not earth shattering or completely unexpected. After Google acquired JotSpot in 2006, it was rebranded as Google Sites in 2008. And shortly after it acquired the VOIP platform GrandCentral in 2007, it was rebranded as Google Voice in 2009. As the saying goes, "if you own something, you can call it what you want" and Google is living up to this mantra very well. These announced changes in many respects suggest that Google is looking to reaffirm its place a web giant, and move more and more away from it's core business. Will it succeed? Only time will tell. The competition is far more sophisticated and more funded than it once was. At any rate, the battles should be fun to watch. Watch the video below to see some analysis of the coming changes.
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| Medialets Releases New Development Kit Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:08 PM PDT Medialets, the masterminds behind the largest and most widely distributed mobile rich media advertising platform, have recently released their newest software development kit. The new Medialets SDK has been designed to add support for new rich media advertising functionality, new ad formats and new data capabilities all designed to bring rich media advertising to mobile users.
One particularly noteworthy addition to the SDK is a new HTML 5 based expandable ad, known as a Growable, that will grow and expand out of a normal banner ad. A new audio format is also available which will allow advertisers to run an audio ad without the need for an onscreen element and can even run while an audio app is backgrounded. Web developers should expect to see more of Medialets in the near future as they begin to partner with Adobe in an effort to integrate the Medialets ad platform into the Adobe creative suite. |
| Opportunity for Virtual Reality Combined with Landscape Imaging Posted: 07 Jul 2011 07:08 PM PDT A picture is worth a thousand words. That may be just a saying but to some of us, it is true. A picture can bring a thousand imaginations and interpretation, just like Mona Lisa painting. With recent technology, not only we can create a 2 dimensional image, we can also create virtual reality via application or websites. If the image shown is a full rotation of 360 degree, how much are words "valued"? What is virtual reality? According to Wikipedia, it is is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds. In this article I will try to explain what opportunity we can have if virtual reality, in a simpler technology like web can be applied to help technology startup increase users experience. Let's take Smarta Indonesia for example. Smarta Indonesia provide 360 degree Virtual Reality photo. In this technology, one room can be mapped 360 degree so that visitors can see the room's physical condition clearly. All you need are computer, browser, and enough bandwidth to access it. If the technology is applied to startups in house rental, selling, or hotel service, it will be a sell booster because it helps customers to see the real physical image without having to visit the place. Other than that, the technology can be applied to show panoramic view from a landscape. Urbanesia Bali by Urbanesia will be more interesting with this technology. Users can feel that they are on the spot without really being there. Of course the issue is technology limitation. Like shown by Smarta Indonesia on their website, VR 360 degrees works better when using Adobe Flash. Not to mention bandwidth issue is a problem in this country, and when taken to mobile realm it should be taken to consideration that not all cellphones have good quality processors and graphic card to accommodate such technology — other than problems on iOS platform, it is not compatible with Adobe Flash. But I'm sure that there must be a way to overcome this. Such technology is yet to be vastly adopted. Even in US, I don't think any websites apply this. So I think, it will be good for publication if a startup can adopt this. One thing for sure, consumers will like this. You won't miss it right? |
If tweets showcase 140 characters and pictures are worth a thousand words, where do videos fit into the grand scheme of visual pleasures?
References to a product called "Vibes" have been found in Facebook's code, and it could be related to the company's rumored music service.
Microbial fuel cells aren’t exactly new, but microbial fuel cells scouring the ocean floor? Now that’s an initiative we can get behind. The Naval Research Laboratory is currently toying around with a so-called Zero Power Ballast Control off the coast of Thailand, presumably looking for treasures dropped from the speedboat of one “Alan Garner.” Purportedly, the newfangled hydrogen fuel cell relies on bacteria to provide variable buoyancy, which allows an autonomous ocean sensor to move up and down water columns with little to no effort. Furthermore, it’s able to get its energy from microbial metabolism (yeah, we’re talking about hot air), and while it’s mostly being used to measure things like temperature and pressure, it could be repurposed for more seirous tasks — like mine detection. There’s no clear word yet on when America’s Navy will have access to this stuff, but if we had to guess, they’ve probably be using it behind our backs for the better part of a score.
As the most widely distributed rich media advertising platform for mobile devices, Medialets works with both publishers and brands to offer an effective way to deliver high quality, modern advertising to mobile systems. Offering access to over 20 billion monthly impressions, the new SDK allows third party rich media vendors, such as Google, to offer advertising campaigns to advertisers and publishers. Web developers can now take advantage of mobile based rich media advertising to tap into the growing pool of mobile device users.| You are subscribed to email updates from Your Daily IT News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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