Bluetooth is a really versatile technology, and despite the fact that it has been out for years, we’re still seeing new stuff come out that uses it. That’s where this latest example comes in from TENQA. → Read More
The Qualcomm FLO TV is slowly taking shape. First we saw early concept art, which was followed by our exlucisive shots of the interface. But the just last week we saw a leaked photo and learned that it was manufactured by HTC. Today though, the retail packaging has been spotted. So…really the only thing left is the actual product announcement, which can’t be that far off. Hopefully. → Read More
Did you know that Failblog serves up 22 million video views per month, and Engadget gets at least 2.3 million monthly views for its gadget videos, while Joystiq gets another 2 million? All three blogs use Viddler, which is now selling ads directly for its top content providers though its just-launched Viddler AdWorks. Advertisers can see a directory of the top three dozen video producers on Viddler and buy ads on their videos (overlay, pre-roll, and post-roll).
Viddler is selling ads against 30 million views a month collectively from those top producers, out of a total of 36 million views for all the videos uploaded to Viddler. Failblog, which puts up videos of pratfalls and people acting stupidly, on its own accounts for 73 percent of Viddler’s video ad inventory, and is a big reason Viddler’s total views have gone from 10 million in January, 2009 to 36 million in August, 2009. After that, the most popular Viddler producers are Engadget and Joystiq, which are both owned by AOL, followed by niche video like WineLibraryTV (142,424 monthly views) and Gary Vaynerchuk’s personal marketing videos, which get only 27,070 views per month). → Read More
Twitter has just announced a new feature that is sure to excite anyone who has been waiting for the site to offer an alternative to its Suggested User List. Appropriately called ‘Lists’, the new feature will allow anyone to make a list of other Twitter users and label it appropriately (for example, I could make a list called ‘TC Staff’), then share that list with other members. Twitter writes that the feature is still in limited testing, but that it will eventually be rolled out to all users.
By default any lists you create will be public, though you’ll also be able to hide them. If you choose to leave them publicly viewable, other Twitter users will be able to hit a button to “Follow this list” so they can add everyone at once. This is a big deal — until now the only convenient way to start mass following people on Twitter has been to use its own curated SUL. → Read More
Like many of you, my knowledge of Greenpeace begins and ends with that one Seinfeld episode, the one where the NBC executive, so in love with Elaine, freaks out and joins the organization in order to impress her. That is to say I don’t really understand the “point” of the organization, or who appointed it the protector of the environment. But, it is, somehow, so let’s roll with it. Good news for HP and Apple: Greenpeace hates you two a little bit less today! Break out the champagne! → Read More
Bad news, sports fans. Well, to be specific, DJ Hero fans. Anyhow, it looks like you won’t be able to use the turntable controller on any other video game. Why you’d want to use the turntable when playing, say, Street Fighter IV, I don’t know. → Read More
The “WiFi Body Scale” from French company Withings records your weight and BMI and automatically uploads it to a secure website, which would be a lot easier to make fun of if it weren’t for Wii Fit, which does that stuff but doesn’t upload it anywhere. → Read More
I’ve heard good things about The Jay Leno Show recently, which might be why he’s improving NBC’s TiVo stats. Previous seasons NBC saw nearly 70% of its viewers timeshift during the 10 p.m. time slot. Leno has managed to improve that to only 46%, with 20% of those people watching the show at 11 p.m. instead. That number is actually great considering CBS and ABC have been running 65% and 63% respectively over the last two weeks Leno has been on the air. Maybe I should watch this show… → Read More
Earlier today, we passed on word of a rumor that the Sprint Touch Pro 2 would be seeing a price cut from the oh-so-absurd price of $349 (after a $100 mail-in rebate, mind you) down to the much more reasonable $149. It sounded great! With Verizon’s Touch Pro 2 already at that price, it certainly didn’t sound too good to be true – but it was, for the most part. Turns out, the original source got the details wrong. While Sprint will begin offering the Touch Pro 2 for $199, that’s not the price you’ll see – that is, unless you work at a big ol’ corporation with 100+ lines of service. → Read More
Seems our compatriots across the sea will have the Amazon Kindle as soon as next week. “Reliable sources” have confirmed that the publishers involved signed non-disclosure agreements, adding weight to our previous suspicions that the e-book reader would be available in Britain this fall. It’s all quite a cloak-and-dagger event.
Amazon’s current wireless provider, Qualcomm, seems to be the one that will handle the magical spells wireless solution that gives Kindle owners access to an entire library in their pocket. → Read More
If you’re reading this, you clearly use the Internet. And if you use the Internet, you clearly know Google AdSense. It’s pretty much everywhere (even on this site in places). But as much as Google would like you to believe they are serving up ads that users want to click on because they are relevant, these are still ads, and most people do not want to click on them. OneRiot’s new product, RiotWise, has an interesting spin on relevant ads.
You see, RiotWise’s ads are only ads in the sense that someone is paying to place them in a certain highlighted position on the page. But in fact, all of these “ads” are content. And I don’t mean content like the homepage of a website, I mean stories/posts/articles about a particular topic. Just as with Google, these are served up via keywords being searched for. But unlike Google, advertisers aren’t bidding on keywords. Instead, content producers strike a deal with OneRiot to place their content in an emphasized (but clearly labeled) place in their realtime feed. → Read More
AT&T announced today that they are teaming up with Terrestar to release a smartphone with satellite capabilities. Previously, satellite phones were limited to just voice calls, or the occasional tethering (that didn’t work very well). → Read More
So Apple wasn’t so integral in that whole Light Peak thing after all. Rumors that Apple was integral in the design Light Peak process seem to be false which could put a damper on Apple’s plans to implement the technology in its new hardware. → Read More
German streaming video startup make.tv has filed for insolvency. The platform for live video streaming and hosting of transmitted programs will be available until mid October and then switched off. Make.tv was just in the process of pitching for €2.5m in a third round of financing. An email informs all partners that, well, the partnerships are over and make.tv will not be available any more for live transmissions from barcamps or trade shows. Live coverage from today’s eco Kongress 2009, a high ranking summit by the association of German Internet enterprises (eco), appears all to have been canceled. At least there is no video stream, either on the eco or the make.tv website. → Read More
I’m a fan of USB mini-monitors. They’re super handy if you’re a photoshop’r or to house Tweetdeck, but they can also get a little expensive and sometimes cost more than full size LCD monitors. But these from DoubleSight are little more on the affordable side. Plus, there is a webcam add-on for the larger model and everyone loves webcams. → Read More
German Last.FM clone Simfy has won a new round of financing – to re-launch itself as a clone of Spotify. Music Networx, a German online distributor of live music and a portfolio company of VC firm Earlybird, has invested an undisclosed sum to finance Simfy’s upcoming relaunch as well as the introduction of a flatrate music pricing and a mobile version. Here’s how it’s played out so far: The music streaming and sharing website gives the Last.FM model an interesting twist: Other than the original, or the recently deceased German Roccatune, you can’t just go to Simfy’s website and listen to as much music as you want. → Read More
The worldwide recession looks to have taken a bite out of sales of Intel’s Classmate PC, a computer that was supposed to bring the power of, um, computers to the developing world. Since governments have been devoting resources (read: money) to fighting the recession, they have less money to buy “superfluous” items like computers for kids. → Read More
We have Internet access in planes now (Virgin America offers it in the US, for example), so why not on boats? That’s what one of Japan’s biggest telecommunications companies, KDDI, thought and now gives us a device that will allow ship passengers to enjoy wireless broadband Internet while being out on the water. → Read More
Have you gotten your Google Wave invite yet? Just kidding — they’re not out yet. The team (which is based in Australia) decided to push them out later today so they could be up to deal with issues surrounding the massive influx of new users. And judging from the response on the web, “massive” is also the perfect word to describe the anticipation for the service.
Ever since it was unveiled at Google I/O this past May, it seems that everyone wants to know everything about Wave. And yesterday, when it was revealed that a big roll-out to more than just developers was around the corner, interest spiked again. Since then, the term has not left Twitter’s Trending Topics area. But there is always a downside to so much hype, and I’m pretty certain we’re going to see it in the coming days and weeks with Google Wave too: Backlash. → Read More
In an effort or “re-engage customers as a serious bookseller,” Borders is offering free Wi-Fi powered by Verizon in over 500 stores. Fair enough. Might be a nice little treat for those dudes who sit in the anime aisle reading book after book or the weird guy who is totally angry at the latest of Atlantic Monthly and willing to tell everyone about it near the cafe. It will, in short, make the Borders experience just that more varied and magical. → Read More
San Francisco, CA
