19 new stories on The Next Web today |  |
- U.S judge orders Twitter to hand over information on Wikileaks activists
- Use your iPhone to create 3D facial models with Trimensional
- First Major MENA Investment in 2011 Focused on Social Gaming
- More iPad 2 rumors. Kevin Rose tells us what we already knew.
- HD 1080p MX Goggles: 007 Bond Gear
- Slacker Radio is now unlimited for Canadian listeners
- Video: iHealth blood pressure monitoring and data syncing for iPad and iPhone
- Video: CES 2011 -LG to launch 3D TV on mobile without need for glasses.
- Study shows that Netflix bandwidth could get very expensive for Canadian viewers
- TNW Interview: GM’s Pod Car From the Future at CES 2011
- Grindr: (Probably) Not Your Father’s Geosocial Network
- TNW Interview with Skype at CES: The next generation of video and why the Kinect is so cool
- CES 2011: Love to run? Check out Nike Plus’ new GPS powered watch.
- The TNW Microsoft week: The gifts of CES
- Smoovie: Create brilliant stop-motion videos, then publish with ease
- Video: CES 2011- A look at the iPad rivals
- Microsoft promises future PC support for Kinect
- Samsung’s social media savvy baby monitors
- Vermont’s new Internet initiatives hope to boost rural communities
- WordPress.com growing fast. Over 6 million new blogs in 2010, pageviews up 53%
| U.S judge orders Twitter to hand over information on Wikileaks activists Posted: 08 Jan 2011 01:23 AM PST
Twitter must disclose any data associated with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, but also Bradley Manning (the U.S Army private who leaked confidential cables) and other key members of the Wikileaks organisation. The information the court expects to be handed over include “subscriber names, user names, screen names, mailing addresses, residential addresses”. Twitter has responded to the requests, a spokesperson commenting:
Kara Swisher, editor of the popular AllThingsD blog spoke with Twitter CEO Disk Costolo last night at CES in Las Vegas, the executive touched on the issue but wasn’t able to specifically detail any information about the case. However, he did note that he disliked government mandates to keep things quiet, also pointing out Twitter’s desire to provide a way for people with useful information to connect. Salon is reporting that the documents concentrate on three individuals connected with the Collateral Murder video, a video leaked to Wikileaks that showed a U.S helicopter pilot shooting unarmed members of the press in Baghdad. The report also notes that Wikileaks intends to contest the order. The Justice Department has not commented on the issue, you can also find below a copy of the order (via Salon): |
| Use your iPhone to create 3D facial models with Trimensional Posted: 07 Jan 2011 10:09 PM PST
The app is marketed as a fun way to take 3D images of yourself (your face), to share with friends and family but, you might reserve the urge to share after seeing how disturbing and creepy they are. It's however really cool technology even if its purpose of sharing with friends is questionable. The back-end of the app is what's most interesting here and as far as we know, it's something very new in mobile app technology. The app creates a 3D rendering when a user takes an image in the dark using the camera within Trimensional, users simply crank up the screen brightness and take a snapshot. The end result is a 3D scan that can be morphed to display the image as a full colour 3D model or as one of the additional and very trippy-looking modes; wireframe, polygons and points. The images can also be spun around using the touch screen to view various angles of the object. This is a powerful little app although I don't believe it's able to do what I'd first imagined it would. For starters, I was hoping the app would export files that could easily be imported into 3D modeling software such as Cinema 4D. Instead, you only have a jpeg still image to work with. I’m sure there is a way to somehow apply the jpeg to a polygonal model and build from the image but that’s beyond my expertise. And if you know of way, please let us know. Trimensional is available for .99 in the app store and it’s only compatible with the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch (4th generation). |
| First Major MENA Investment in 2011 Focused on Social Gaming Posted: 07 Jan 2011 09:19 PM PST
This marks the first major investment in the region for 2011 which could be the year for Social Gaming to explode in the Middle East. Announced in a press release, IV Holdings part of Accelerator Technology Holdings (ATH) announced their recent investment in Gate2Play a company that’s currently enabling payment and support solutions for micro-transaction based businesses. This addition to IV Holdings’ portfolio brings it up to 8 companies them being Jeeran, Content Syndicate, Media Scope, IdealRatings, ShooFeeTV, and Oasis500 with the latter being a Jordanian based early stage startup investment & incubation fund lead by Usama Fayyad Yahoo!’s former chief data officer and executive vice president of Research & Strategic Data Solutions. “If we take only the gaming industry I would say the market size is around USD $55 million” said Gate2Play CEO Muhannad Ebwini, former GM of OneCard (an online prepaid voucher service) when asked about the size of the market they plan capitalizing on. “Today we are around 20 employees between Amman and Cairo, our plan is to reach 50 employees by end of 2011″ added Ebwini. But gaming isn’t the only industry Gate2Play specializes in according to its founder, “we are focusing on all online merchants and not only games”. Gate2Play provides online payment and a value-added services platform for online services in MENA including social media, community building, contact center support and other value-added services to help other entrepreneurs monetize even faster. The other company announced is Wizards Productions, a regional browser-based social gaming development house specialized in localizing popular global games for regional players. Some of their recent hits are ‘Arabian Hitman’, ’Arabian Mafia’ and ‘Sahara’. Founded and led by 4 avid gamers (former Maktoob employees) Wizards Productions attempts to fill in a large gap that has been getting attention from investment funds and incubators recently due to the market’s low barriers to entry and relatively high return rates. The investment in the two companies signals a rising tide of social gaming in the region previously dominated by the likes of giant German game development company Travian, and regional gaming power houses like Jabbar owned Tahadi.Image, AMEInfo |
| More iPad 2 rumors. Kevin Rose tells us what we already knew. Posted: 07 Jan 2011 08:47 PM PST Kevin Rose? Yes. Kevin Rose. The Digg creator posted on his blog tonight that, apparently, he has some inside information about the iPad 2. What he doesn’t tell us is his source, which isn’t very surprising. What he did tell us is, essentially, what we already knew:
Now, I said essentially. The reason for that? We postulated, back in late November, that the refresh would actually come in January. We were told that Apple had 2 events to be held in the first quarter of 2011, and we figured that an iPad refresh in January would likely fit the timeline. In fact, that thing about the display? Digitimes talked about that in November as well. Though we’re still fairly certain that it won’t be a true Retina Display, you can almost bet on something that will run 720p video in full resolution. So what do you think, loyal lovers of TNW? Do you agree with Boris’ points about what the new iPad will hold? Will we see the iPad in January, still? Or will Apple let the hubbub of the Verizon iPhone 4 die down first, then give us a new iPad in February? Let us know in the comments.Post Image |
| HD 1080p MX Goggles: 007 Bond Gear Posted: 07 Jan 2011 07:57 PM PST
The MX goggles unveiled this week at CES 2011, were designed for the hardcore thrill-seekers that enjoy hazardous activities like downhill biking, motocross and ATV. These goggles provide a sweet alternative to strapping a cam on your helmet, an endeavor that will likely not end well. Topping the previous Liquid Image Impact Series goggles, these new MX goggles sport a 136 degree (full field view) wide angle lens, so riders are able to capture everything within their line of sight. There are various modes to capture action including ; 12 megapixel interpolated camera mode (still photos) and two video modes that record HD video in 1080p (30 frames per second) and 720p (60 frames per second). Overall the camera specs are pretty exciting when you consider the $400 price tag. The footage is stored on a micro SD/SDHC card (up to 32 GB) and it comes with a 4GB card within the box. Video isn't the only thing you can do with these MX goggles, taking still images and protecting your eyes from debris are two more reasons to treat yourself to this 007 bond-like gear. Users additionally have an option to import footage and images directly into the desktop PC using the high-speed cable that ships with the product. The only drawback with these goggles is within the battery life. It's powered by a lithium battery that will give users only an hour and a half of juice which might be rather challenging during an outdoor Motocross session. The MX goggles are slated to ship Oct 2011 and as we'd mentioned, they will retail for $400. What do you think, are these wearable cameras worth the price tag? I'm admittedly more of a gadget geek than a sports fan but the idea of embedding wearable cameras is intriguing to me. The idea is so compelling to me that I'd actually consider trying ATV if I had the ability to watch the P.O.V footage later in high-definition. |
| Slacker Radio is now unlimited for Canadian listeners Posted: 07 Jan 2011 05:13 PM PST  Slacker Radio, an Internet radio service available on a wide variety of mobile handsets including Android, iPhone and Windows Mobile 7, is now offering their service unlimited to Canadians for free. Since Slacker Radio launched last year, Canadians were limited to a free 30 day trial that required Canucks to upgrade for $3.99 after the first month. So this new announcement means the free version no longer expires –it's unlimited. The Slacker Radio service brings users millions of songs by thousands of artists that stream directly through the mobile app. Listeners can browse over 130 programmed radio stations to discover new music or even create their own personalized stations. "Turning Canada on to personal radio earlier this year was a giant milestone and the ability to expand the free Slacker Radio experience beyond the 30-day trial period is another exciting step forward" – Jonathan Sasse, SVP of Marketing.
One of its coolest updates is on-demand music. Slacker Radio will now give users on-demand streaming that allows users to choose music from the Slacker Radio libraries. This is a big change from the previous format where users selected radio stations and let Slacker Radio choose the tracks for you. On demand will however be limited to those who purchase paid subscriptions. And lastly, the new iPad app will support the on-demand update, artist bios and images, full lyrics and full-size album art within a gorgeous interface. Image: Guy rocking out, Mashable, Mobile Syrup |
| Video: iHealth blood pressure monitoring and data syncing for iPad and iPhone Posted: 07 Jan 2011 05:06 PM PST If there’s one thing that might help alleviate the US healthcare issue, It could be technology like the iHealth- A home blood pressure monitoring and data syncing system for iPad , iPhone and iPod touch, debuting at CES this week. Although iHealth is currently aiming for the upper end of the market — retailing at $99.95 — for the health conscious it could be a great health monitoring system. Taking not only blood pressure, but general fitness, calorie consumption and daily tabs on other bodily needs, the iHealth aims to be a complete health monitoring system. This would largely result in sickness prevention, fewer trips to the doctor and less demands on doctors and the health care system in general. It will be available in the next several weeks from Apple retail stores in the US. What do you think? Answer to healthcare reform or idealistic gadget? |
| Video: CES 2011 -LG to launch 3D TV on mobile without need for glasses. Posted: 07 Jan 2011 03:25 PM PST One of the most exciting things I’ve seen here at CES so far (Bear in mind I’ve only been here for a couple of hours) is the prototype of LG’s 3D TV on mobile without the need for 3D glasses. Whilst the rest of CES seem to be marveling at Panasonic’s 3D TV, also without the need for glasses, the news that LG is to incorporate not only 3D TV, but the ability to record video in 3D on such a small screen is an innovative step in a consumer market where more media than ever is being made and consumed on mobiles. |
| Study shows that Netflix bandwidth could get very expensive for Canadian viewers Posted: 07 Jan 2011 03:08 PM PST
While paying some of the highest wireless rates in the world, Canadians also deal with limited bandwidth caps from Internet providers such as Rogers Cable and Bell Sympatico. In Canada, Internet billing is often setup on a pay-as-you-go plan meaning that if a user goes over the allotted amount of gigabytes in their plan, they're getting hit with additional charges. And now, with the launch of Netflix in Canada, the bandwidth consumption of Canadians may dramatically change. Credit Suisse's study focuses on how consumers may be affected by emerging video content providers on the web, using Netflix as its example. Consumption-based caps have already been rolled out by U.S content providers like Comcast that a have limited the bandwidth cap of 250GB per month. And, that's a considerable amount of bandwidth considering that major Canadian Internet providers such as Bell Sympatico roughly charge $36 for 2GB with the option to add on another 80GB for $10. In Canada, this new scheme of content-based pricing has been in place since 2008 and with the new adoption of services like Netflix, consumers will need to be aware that it's possible to use a few GB's per hour while video streaming from Netflix. The result of the study as stated in the quote below, highlights that based on the Rogers data pricing, using 20 GB of data to stream standard definition video from Netflix would be an increase of $12 per month.
For Canadians, these new online content services mean an increase in plans and bandwidth — bad for consumers and great for those companies who own the pipes. As Forbes points out, in 2009 Time Warner attempted to implement a similar content-based pricing scheme in North Carolina until "residents collectively freaked". Perhaps it's time for Canadians to do a bit of "freaking out" themselves.Forbes, Image: Man |
| TNW Interview: GM’s Pod Car From the Future at CES 2011 Posted: 07 Jan 2011 03:00 PM PST
It sounds like science fiction and eerily similar to the traffic scene in "Minority Report." After the debut of GM's mini concept vehicle at CES on Thursday, this vision of transportation might not be so far from reality. The EN-V is a two-seat electric vehicle that incorporates the dynamic stabilization technology of the Segway. There are three models – the Jiao (Pride), the Xiao (Laugh), and the Miao (Magic). The car, which has a top speed of about 25 mph, is powered by a lithium-ion battery that can be recharged by a standard wall outlet, and can go roughly 25 miles between charges. The EN-V is autonomous and features collision avoidance systems that can detect pedestrians as well as other vehicles. It can be remotely retrieved from parking spots, and even has a "platooning" feature, which allows it to coordinate with and follow other vehicles when traveling on city roads. Built for urban areas, the energy efficient cars are designed to alleviate traffic congestion and parking frustration. In fact, GM says that six EN-Vs can fit into a single parking space designed for a traditional vehicle. So what's preventing these tiny bubble cars from hitting the streets? After the demo, I sat down with with Chris Borroni-Bird, the Director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts for GM, to try to find out. What needs to happen in order for these cars to be a reality? It seems like EN-V concept would generate a lot of interest, especially since you mentioned in the presentation that these would be more affordable than standard cars. CBB: Yes, that's right. Since the EN-V is 3 or 4 times lighter than a traditional vehicle, the battery required to propel it isn't very big and the wireless communications technology is also inherently affordable. Really, it's not the vehicle per se that's the challenge, it's finding a place where we could introduce this where we don't have to necessarily worry about it co-existing with cars. Would you need to get an entire city to agree to use them? Because that might be difficult. CBB: I think that if we could find a test bed, or even just a closed off zone, it would be enough for people to say "I get it now, this could be real." It doesn't have to be very large, it could be a small area of a city, or a little island, or a tourist resort of some kind, but if we could find some place where we could test this, then I think the benefits would be compelling. And from a test bed like that, we could also see what we could transfer to an existing city. Could elements of this concept be introduced sooner? CBB: Of course. I mean, you could imagine shared electric vehicles being introduced in Los Angeles very soon. Not necessarily as small as this, but perhaps conventional vehicles such as small electric cars that are networked together. Sounds similar to an updated version of Zipcars? CBB: Not exactly. Imagine that they could be smaller and networked together, and I think you can begin to see more of the integration. Today's public transport offers very few opportunities for integration because they are large mechanical stand-alone devices. But small electric vehicles could be easily parked or charged at train or bus stations and networked together to share schedules. Then those cars could be shared really easily, because they could drop one person off and go pick another person up. CBB: Right, and they could even be owned by the public transport system; it could be a form of public transport that provides personal mobility. And that's where it gets very exciting because normally we think of personal mobility and public transport as two completely independent things, almost at opposite ends of the spectrum. But this blurs the distinction: you could have personal mobility that's publicly owned. For example, what if a public utility, instead of buying a bus, bought a fleet of these vehicles for the same amount of money? Buses are a huge capital investment with a fixed route and schedule. When people move to a different part of the city, they have to work out a whole new route. The whole process can be very complicated. But the EN-V vehicles can be deployed with so much more flexibly. Plus, the concept is much more energy efficient, considering that most buses run on diesel, and aren't even fully occupied most of the time. After the interview, I was treated to a drive around the convention center parking lot in the Xiao (Laugh) model. While it felt a bit like being inside of a giant Scrubbing Bubble, the ride was super smooth and the car can swivel and turn on a dime. And if the EN-V ever does go into production, I know I would choose a little pod car over a crowded, stuffy subway in a heartbeat. |
| Grindr: (Probably) Not Your Father’s Geosocial Network Posted: 07 Jan 2011 02:52 PM PST
In this context, I recently had the chance to interview Grindr CEO Joel Simhkai. Grindr claims to be the largest all-male, location based social networking tool in the world. I hope you'll find that this interview offers a fascinating case study as to why location based networking might just be a little different from web based networking – and that one size might not necessarily fit all.
Tell us a little bit about how you got started with Grindr. What’s the vision for the service? The idea came about because I started getting frustrated with all the other dating websites and with the idea of "Why is location not a higher priority?" You can search based on city, but what about the guy that's in the same room, building, or across the street? The technology to solve this issue wasn’t available. Then the second generation iPhone came out in June 2008. Three major changes were announced — one was GPS, another was the App Store, and the last one was iPhone SDK which was the software language to write these apps in an easy way. These three innovations allowed us to create Grindr. I wanted to create a service that makes it easier to meet the people around you – that was my vision for what Grindr could achieve. What sort of usage is the app seeing? How big is the Grindr community? We have over one million users in 180 countries worldwide – quite amazing growth since we launched just under two years ago. Our users spend a little over an hour each day on Grindr, logging in an average of 8 times, and about 270,000 of our users log on every day. See the attached fact sheet for a list of our top countries and cities around the world. What’s the revenue model? We have Grindr, our free version, which earns revenue from advertising. We also have our premium subscription version, Grindr Xtra, with extra features like push notifications, profile swipe, no ad banners, and more guys viewable (200 vs. 100 in the free version). We also earn revenue from Grindr parties – the venues pay us for a party kit and we promote the event to our users via broadcast messages within the app or banner ads. Anyone interested in advertising on Grindr can send an email to advertising@grindr.com and we’ll be in touch. Can you talk a little bit about what Grindr offers its members that they couldn’t find on services like Facebook Places, Foursquare, or Skout? Grindr is unique in that it is the largest all-male location based social networking tool in the world. The app is all about meeting new people around you – you can instantly see other gay men in your area and chat with them. We offer a simple approach that is largely intuitive and universal – you don’t need to speak English to use Grindr, and there is no need to create an account. You can go to any major city in the world and instantly meet locals – just log on after the plane lands and start chatting. We are also always working on evolving the Grindr experience with new features and new versions. Can you talk a little about how you prioritized each of the major operating systems: iOS, BlackBerry, and Android? Have you noticed differences between how people use each version of the app? The technology to create Grindr started with the 2nd generation iPhone, which is why we started with iOS. Apple has done an amazing job making it easy for developers to create apps, giving us the tools needed and the infrastructure for payments, location services, etc. We began developing for BlackBerry because of user demand and the market share for BlackBerry devices. While the BlackBerry operating system is not as advanced as Apple’s iOS, our BlackBerry users love being able to type on a keyboard when chatting and having an app that truly runs in the background. Grindr for Blackberry is still in beta testing, so we won’t have data on how people use other versions until they are released to the public. We know there is also a high demand for an Android version of Grindr. Our goal as a company is to be able to provide the Grindr service to everyone – men, women, gay, straight, anywhere in the world. Everyone wonders to themselves, “who and what are around me?” This basic universal question is the driving force behind our innovations. What’s next for Grindr? We are working on bringing the Grindr service to everyone with a straight/lesbian version of Grindr – no set release date yet, but you can sign up with your email at Grindr.com to be notified when it is released. This version will have several key differences from Grindr, and as such will be packaged differently to cater to the differences in the way men and women interact with each other. We also currently have several projects in the works based on the feedback we receive from our users at Grindr.com/suggest and through chatting with our users at parties. In future updates, new features will be added to expand the Grindr experience, and we also want to expand Grindr to other platforms. We are in the final stages of beta testing for Grindr for BlackBerry devices, and BlackBerry and Android users can sign up at Moregrindr.com to get the latest updates on new developments. You can check out Grindr on their website and in iTunes.Feature Image |
| TNW Interview with Skype at CES: The next generation of video and why the Kinect is so cool Posted: 07 Jan 2011 02:34 PM PST
And consumers seem to be responding well. When Skype released the 2-way video calling feature for their iPhone app, they received 4 million downloads and hosted over 1 million video calls in the first 24 hours. At CES this year, Skype has made 4 major announcements. First, Skype purchased social and mobile savvy video streaming service Qik for a rumored $100-$150 million. With such an expensive acquisition, it’s clear Skype is gearing up for serious mobile supremacy. Skype announced its partnerships with Panasonic and Sony this week to introduce Skype-enabled Blu-ray Players. In addition, Sony and Vizio have introduced Skype-enabled Sony BRAVIA and VIZIO VIA TVs, which will be available in late 2011. With these new Blu-Ray Players and webcams, consumers can make Skype voice and video calls from their living room couches, without having to purchase a Skype-enabled HDTV. Yesterday, Skype launched group video calling for consumers and enterprises, allowing people to see each other more, no matter where they are. Now out of beta, Skype’s Group Video Calling feature is offered as a part of the new Skype Premium add-on. Also announced yesterday was Skype’s partnership with Verizon: Skype mobile with video will soon be available on the Verizon 4G LTE Mobile Broadband Network. Verizon customers will now be able to make Skype video calls with front and rear facing cameras on a wide range of Android-based smartphones on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. We caught up with Skype’s GM and VP Jonathan Christensen at CES this week to ask him about the future of video on mobile devices and why he thinks the Kinect is so cool for the future of video. Could we have augmented reality based Skype calls soon? Watch our interview to find out. |
| CES 2011: Love to run? Check out Nike Plus’ new GPS powered watch. Posted: 07 Jan 2011 02:23 PM PST
Nike’s “running technology” has come a long way since their iPod savvy sneakers featured embedded pedometer-like accelerometers in 2006. Thanks to a partnership with GPS technology company TomTom, Nike’s new Sportwatch includes built-in GPS and a USB port so you can download all of your running information with a simple plug-in. The screen features a backlit LED screen with large, easy-to-read numbers. So now you can wear whatever shoes you want! Doh! The watch debuts April 1 and will cost from $199 to $299. |
| The TNW Microsoft week: The gifts of CES Posted: 07 Jan 2011 01:37 PM PST
This has been a massive week for the world of Microsoft As a note, we missed a weekly recap or two over the holidays due to a general dearth of news and constricted schedules. Expect the TNWmicrosoft weekly roundups to be here every Friday for the forseeable future. Right, now let’s get to the news: Surface 2 Is RealYes, the sequel to the first Microsoft ‘Big Ass Table’ is real, and is decidedly svelte. Now merely four inches thick, with better inputs, mountable in various orientations and supporting a slashed priced tag, Surface 2 is the real deal. Oh, and it is going on sale late 2011. For a mere $7,600 expect to see these little bad-boys popping up all over the place in early 2012.
Kinect Posts Big SalesNumbers speak louder than words: 8,000,000 Kinects in 60 days. Let’s say that again: Microsoft has sold 8 million Kinects in just 60 days, or around 133,00 a day since it came out. Even better? Microsoft has promised PC support in the future. The Kinect is the fastest selling gadget ever, so expect to see Microsoft tout bigger numbers when new milestones are hit. Hotmail Hits Some Rocky WatersLast weekend a grip of Hotmail users logged into the email service only to find their inboxes empty. Needless to say, controversy ensued and Hotmail ate a plate of crow while trying to solve the problem. It turned out to be a hardware kink, and all data was restored to the impacted users. All told some 17,355 users had the problem. It is now sorted, but raised the age-old questions of whether the cloud can be trusted. Windows 8The only thing more elusive than Windows Phone 7′s sales numbers are details on the next version of Windows, but this week was a good one as we learned of two new Win8 related code names: Jupiter and Mosh. Mosh is a tiled interface that should be used on tablets and the like while Jupiter is something radically different that we have yet to pin down exactly, though we do have our suspicions. To put it bluntly, Win8 is going to evolve via leaks over the next year so get ready for a blizzard of often half-cocked and hard to parse details. Windows Phone 7Oh Windows Phone 7, it seems like we can never stop covering you. This week the WP7 app marketplace cleared 5,500 applications and the phones were pledged by Ballmer to be making the trip to the world of CDMA in preparation for sale on Sprint and Verizon. While both of those facts are not surprises at all, they are both crucial: WP7 will be open for purchase to a massive new audience and it will have the apps to entice curious testers. The phone line continues to go strong, in other words. There was even more, so if you are still hungry head to /Microsoft and just read backwards. That is all for now, more as it comes.Top Image Credit |
| Smoovie: Create brilliant stop-motion videos, then publish with ease Posted: 07 Jan 2011 01:05 PM PST
Smoovie, is stop-motion editing software that creates brilliant videos from a group of still images. If you've never heard the term stop-motion, it refers to a technique we've seen in movies like Star Wars. Remember the At-At walkers in Empire Strikes Back? Gumby and Robot Chicken come to mind as well. That's stop-motion. We've also included a few examples at the end of the post. Getting StartedTo get started creating a movie, Smoovie gives users two possible choices; import a group of photos or use the Mac's i-Sight camera to capture images on the fly. Choosing to import images from a digital camera can be done by simply dragging the images into the editor or by accessing iPhoto or Aperture libraries.
Using Images & WebcamWe'll explain how to use the live camera but first we'd like to touch on how images are turned into movies, it'll give you a better idea of how it all works. Let's say we're making a movie with action figures using a make-shift tiny set. To begin the process, the action figure should be placed in point A. As an example, if we wanted to make the action figure fly, the first image you'd take would be the toy on the ground maybe extending its arms ready to take flight. Every picture you take thereafter would be a gradual string of images until the figure reaches point B where it'd be in full flight. The live cam can be used with iSight as we'd mentioned but it also supports third party video cameras and webcams that are Quicktime compatible. The use of the live stream from the camera enables you to see overlapping of the last frame on the screen. It's similar to panoramic mobile apps that use an overlapping feature to patch together a large landscape scene. In our action figure movie example, the last frame or picture you took of the figure flying would be overlaid on the live stream of the camera, allowing you see where the figure needs to be placed next. Remember the point is to use gradual steps to create the movie.
EditingThe user interface of the editor will display the movie in its entirety on a scene reel to the left of the app. This shows movie creators all of the images that make up the project in order. Movies can be played and watched on the fly using the built-in stop-motion player that Smoovie calls its virtual cinema. Smoovie's editor makes it easy to drag and drop frames to change the order, and gives users control over the aspect ratio and frames per section (1 to 30 frames). The aspect ratio can be tweaked to view the movie in either widescreen (16:9) or in standard format (4:3).
Publishing
The Bottom Line:Overall the interface of the virtual cinema within Smoovie is beautiful and the end results as you can see below, are pretty cool. The direct publishing to YouTube is a fantastic addition to the app which allows users to easily share movies with anyone in the world. This is definitely an app for everyone, adults and kids alike. Smoovie is $29 in the Mac App Store however, users can try it before they buy by downloading the free trial available on Open Planet Software's site. Image: Star Wars, Image: Storm troopers |
| Video: CES 2011- A look at the iPad rivals Posted: 07 Jan 2011 12:44 PM PST Apple’s iPad has been the dominant leader in the tablet computing market since its launch in 2010, but at CES 2011 there are over 100 tablets on display ranging from the Motorola Xoom to the Panasonic Viera. Both of these tablets are currently in prototype so it’s clear that although some of the new tablets have just as good, if not better features than the iPad, (Xoom has a camera on the back) they won’t be hitting retailers for quite some time. LG will also be bringing a tablet to retailers this year. |
| Microsoft promises future PC support for Kinect Posted: 07 Jan 2011 11:52 AM PST
Ballmer was asked the following question by the BBC: “Will you plug-in the Kinect to the PC, will you go for that in the near future?” Ballmer responded clearly: “We'll support that in a formal way in the right time and when we've got an announcement to make we'll make it.” When the Kinect does come to the PC, I am certain the current sales numbers that the Kinect has been boasting will be dwarfed. It is my opinion that there is a vast untapped market demand for a new, innovative interface for day-to-day computing. Microsoft sold 8 million Kinects in the first 60 days of its introduction. The video interview with Ballmer can be found below: |
| Samsung’s social media savvy baby monitors Posted: 07 Jan 2011 11:49 AM PST
But for the first time in baby monitor history, with Samsung BabyVIEW monitors, parents can share audio and video of their baby or infant with friends and family instantly on Facebook and Twitter using the device’s built-in SD card that allows video captured from the monitor to be easily uploaded. So now all those giggly, googly, awww moments can be instantly broadcasted across the Internets. It’s an adorable product, but I thank the technology gods that my parents didn’t own one of these when I was in diapers.
The monitors will be available in Spring 2011 with prices ranging from $199 – $299. |
| Vermont’s new Internet initiatives hope to boost rural communities Posted: 07 Jan 2011 11:26 AM PST Announced recently, the state of Vermont, located in the Northeast corner of the United States, is best known for its snowy mountains, delicious ice cream and Phish-loving hippies. The state is making notable headway to improve its economy by launching the “e-Vermont Community Broadband Project”, which will bring broadband and education to 12 rural communities.
The e-Vermont Community Broadband Project received federal stimulus funds to encourage broadband use in rural areas. As part of the project, not only will the towns receive broadband Internet but they will also receive digital tools and in-depth Internet training like ways to take full advantage of the Internet for creating jobs and innovative schools, providing social services, and increasing community connection. A few of the communities include Bridgewater, Calais, Castleton, Dover, Fairfield, Hardwick, Jay/Westfield, Middletown Springs, Moretown and Morristown, Vermont. Many of the towns are creating public access Wi-Fi zones in their town centers in order to promote their communities and provide visitors with information about local events, services, entertainment and hospitality.
e-Vermont is one of the few national broadband adoption initiatives focused on rural needs and it should be viewed as a national model. With the right tools and the proper education, the Internet can make a huge impact on the lives of rural community members, as long as they don’t spend too much time on Chatroulette. |
| WordPress.com growing fast. Over 6 million new blogs in 2010, pageviews up 53% Posted: 07 Jan 2011 10:48 AM PST
Automattic tells us that it has seen over 6 million new blogs sign up in the past year and that total pageviews for the year stood at 23 billion, up an impressive 53% from 2009. Media uploads also doubled to 94.5 terabytes of new photos and videos, while new posts were up 110% to 146 million. Meanwhile, mobile WordPress blogging is on the up. The company’s userbase for its mobile apps increased 700% to 1.4 million in 2010. We got in touch with Automattic after Royal Pingdom picked up on stats published in late December that revealed that the WordPress.com now accounts for half of all WordPress blogs around the world. The other half, of course, consists of self-hosted WordPress.org installations. As we reported 11 months ago when the hosted blogging service suffered downtime, it was hosting 9.2 million blogs at the time. Now the figure stands at 16 million. Over 6 million new blogs in a year is a pretty significant growth spike for the five year old hosted blogging service. Royal Pingdom notes that although a surge of users from Microsoft transitioning users of its Live Spaces blogs over to WordPress.com during 2010 can account for some of the spike, only half a million had actually ported over as of November. Automattic explained to us today that while the Microsoft blogs helped, most of this growth has been organic. One thing that’s not clear is how many of these new blogs were from brand new bloggers and how many were second, third or fourth blogs. Another possibility is users churning from other competing platforms. One thing’s for sure though, those who predict the death of blogging will have some time to wait yet.Image source |
Trimensional
Imagine a world where you can walk out the front door and find your car waiting to greet you. It drives itself, so you can spend the ride writing e-mails, catching up on paperwork, or even crocheting a lovely scarf. All around you, cars criss-cross seamlessly through intersections, automatically determining the most efficient way to keep the flow of traffic moving. When you arrive at your destination, your car drops you at the curb and then scurries away to park itself.
Skype has built the premiere global online platform that has carried us into the next phase of rich, digital communication. As we enter the age of video, equipped with our HD capable, dual camera smartphones, telecommunications companies like 
Last night at the 
Open Planet Software
To finalize the movie, Smoovie will give you the option to export the 
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