Month: August 2010

Shopkick Invades Foursquare Territory

Shopkick is like a more focused version of Foursquare. While Foursquare lets you check-in to places and share your location, Shopkick is all about going shopping. The iPhone application detects that you’ve entered a supported shop. As you browse through the store, you get alerts for potential rewards or Kickbucks. Scanning items in the store helps you find more special offers. Shopkick has some major partners, including: Best Buy, American Eagle Outfitters, Macy’s, and the Sports Authority. They also have the Simon Property Group, which runs just about every major mall in my metro area (Atlanta). via Business Insider

Apple’s iAds Not Working Out So Well

Only a handful of the original 17 iAd partners have actually launched ad campaigns via iAds. Many sight the primary problem as Apple’s tight control over the creative process. It’s simply not something many advertisers are used to. Some executives say this has made the creation of the ads laborious and the process is taking 8 to 10 weeks from brainstorm to completion, two weeks longer than usual in some cases. With packages starting at $1 million and competition heating up in the mobile advertising space, Apple is going to need to streamline this process. via WSJ

Xbox Live Launches for Windows 7

Microsoft is set to launch over 60 game titles for Windows 7 devices, with new offerings appearing every week in the Xbox Live Marketplace. These include classics like Castlevania, Halo: Waypoint, Star Wars, Crackdown, and Guitar Hero. Every game works on a try before you buy basis, so you can evaluate them before you make a commitment. Live on WP7 offers full avatar integration with customizations. Overall, the prospects for gaming on Windows 7 devices look promising. via Engadget

Google’s Chrome Web Store Launches Dev Preview

In preparation for their official launch some time in October, Google has opened up the Chrome Web Store to developers. The goal is to make sure that the store is filled with useful applications by the time the launch date rolls around. If you’re a developer, you can access the preview here and start creating and uploading apps. The Chrome Web Store will be similar to others, except that Google only charges a 5% processing fee and allows developers to keep the lion’s share of the sales. via Mashable

Amplify Cranks it Up To 11

Amplify let’s you share things you find on the web and discuss them. It’s not a new concept, but Amplify remixes it just enough to make things interesting. They are also the only service I’m aware of with a Javascript bookmarklet that actually works on Android. Yesterday, they released a bunch of features that take the site to the next level:

• Live Feeds – the Amplify site now updates in real-time. No more refreshing, but it’s also not the hectic fire hose of FriendFeed.
• Mentions – now, you can direct your comments to a specific user and receive alerts when people talk about/to you. They work just like Twitter @mentions or Facebook tagging.
• Conversations Feed – simple way to keep track of comments relevant to you.
• Eavesdropping – easily add Amps to your Conversations Feed so that you can follow what people are saying.
• Action Feed – quickly see the latest actions on the stuff you’ve posted.
• Email Management – Amplify wants to get out of your email inbox, but you still might want alerts for certain items. Now, you can toggle email alerts on a post-by-post basis.
• Permalink Alerts – direct links to specific items will now alert you when they have new comments.
• Microblogging and Direct Messaging – limits on these are now doubled, from 500 to 1000 characters.

Following Facebook’s Places announcement popular location service Foursquare saw a spike in user signups. This comes according to a Tweet by Fourqsquare co-founder Dennis Crowley: “Just heard from The @HarryH that today was @foursquare’s biggest day ever in terms of new user signups.” @HarryH is the Twitter account for Foursquare’s lead engineer Harry Heymann.

While many see Facebook’s entrance into the location game as competition for Foursquare, others see a different side of things. Foursquare now has the same problem that Twitter did in the early days: people just don’t see what the point is. They don’t understand why they’d want to share their location. They probably don’t even understand what a check-in is. Facebook Places will change that and this rush of Foursquare sign-ups is evidence.

Thanks to the Places API, Facebook is currently serving as a platform for services like Foursquare and Gowalla. And thanks to their 500 million users, Facebook is introducing the concept of location to millions of new users. It shouldn’t be surprising that some of those users are now interested in Foursquare after yesterday’s announcement (and subsequent tidal wave of press).

Foursquare is currently sitting at about 2.8 million users, so we can expect that to hit 3 million pretty soon. This doesn’t mean that Foursquare or any other location service is in the clear. Facebook has a lot of clout and a huge network. They will start stepping on toes and Foursquare is going to have to stay on theirs to stay relevant and successful.

One major difference between Facebook Places and Foursquare is the question of identity. Sharing your location is serious business and you probably don’t want the entire of the Internet knowing where you are right now. With Foursquare, identifying who these people are that want to know your location is a challenge. On Facebook, it’s easier to tell who is who and you can rest a little easier.

Facebook Places still has a way to go as well. As with any new Facebook feature, there will be a backlash. The opt-in/opt-out process for Facebook Places is pretty confusing. Most users are currently in a state of limbo regarding checkins. Remember that your Facebook friends can check you into a venue. Once they do that, you will get a notification asking what you want to do. You can A) Accept the check-in so you have nothing to do with it or B) Say “Not Now,” which won’t check you into the venue, won’t show anything on your wall, but your name is still linked in your friends’ News Feed.

There are already various posts that talk about how to protect your privacy on Facebook Places and the fire storm is surely just beginning. Once things calm down, it will be interesting to see what moves the major location players make to keep things interesting.

Google is launching a few new features for Google Docs and Google Sites that aims to make them just a bit more useful. Most notably, Google Sites is getting a much-needed horizontal navigation feature and Google Docs spreadsheets get spell check.

It seems like every time you turn around, Google is updating something or adding a feature to something else. They recently added a Labs feature that upgrades search in Gmail so that you also get results from Google Docs and Google Sites as well as a “did you mean” recommendation if you make a mistake. According to Google, their “multi-tenant infrastructure” is what allows them to release new features so often and seamlessly. They claim 50 launches in the first half of this year alone with no intentions on slowing down.

Today we keep up the innovation with several new updates in Google Sites and Google Docs. We’ve improved Google Sites with several highly-requested features including horizontal navigation, global footers, and a new section for deleted items.

Google Sites also gets better integration with Google Docs with “quick links to open Google Docs that are embedded in a site.” A new Deleted Items section makes it easier to get at things you thought you didn’t want. You have 30 days to recover these items before they are gone for good.

I don’t know where the web would be without spell check and I find it odd that Google is just now adding the feature to Spreadsheets. This new feature is available in your Tools menu.

Correct spelling is an essential part of document creation and today we woild liek to annnounce that spelll chceking is now available in Google spreadsheets.

When you run the spell check, cells with misspelled words are outlined in red. Once you click the cell to edit it, the incorrect words show up with red underlines. Clicking Next takes you to the next problem cell and it continues through all your cells and sheets in this way.

Other Docs features include:

• Automatic linking – type something that looks like a link and it becomes a link (Ctrl-Z if you want to undo the link)
• New Page Sizes – New sizes now include Executive sized page (7.25” x 10.5”)

via Official Google Enterprise Blog: New features in Google Docs and Google Sites, The Next Web

Intel Corporation is set to acquire security and antivirus company McAfee Inc. for about $7.68 billion through the purchase of all the company’s common stock at $48 per share. The deal has been approved by both boards of directors, but won’t close until “after McAfee shareholder approval, regulatory clearances, and other customary conditions specified in the agreement.”

“With the rapid expansion of growth across a vast array of Internet-connected devices, more and more of the elements of our lives have moved online. In the past, energy-efficient performance and connectivity have defined computing requirements. Looking forward, security will join those as a third pillar of what people demand from all computing experiences.” — Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO

McAfee, the world’s largest dedicated security technology company, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel. They will report to Intel’s Software and Services Group, which is managed by Renée James, Intel senior vice president. McAfee has enjoyed double-digit, year-over-year growth and nearly 80 percent gross margins last year. They made about $2 billion in revenue in 2009. James explains why this is a good move for Intel, saying:

“Hardware-enhanced security will lead to breakthroughs in effectively countering the increasingly sophisticated threats of today and tomorrow. This acquisition is consistent with our software and services strategy to deliver an outstanding computing experience in fast-growing business areas, especially around the move to wireless mobility. McAfee is the next step in this strategy, and the right security partner for us. Our current work together has impressive prospects, and we look forward to introducing a product from our strategic partnership next year.”

This represents one in a series of purchases by Intel in a plan to influence companies that rely on silicon. These include gaming, visual computing, embedded device and machine software and now security. McAfee has also made recent acquisitions in a move into the smartphone market, which makes this an even more lucrative deal for Intel.

It remains to be seen whether this will cause problems in the future, with Intel manufacturing the very chips the McAfee software is made to protect. This could give Intel an unfair advantage over the competition.

via TechCrunch, ZDNet, Electronista

It looks like all the speculation was correct. At a press event which was streamed live, Facebook finally announced their location initiative. It’s called Facebook Places and, while it shares some of the same features, it’s not the same as a Foursquare or Gowalla. In fact, Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, and MyTown representatives were at the event.

First and foremost, Facebook Places comes with a developer API which allows easy integration with 3rd party services. It seems that the best course of action for Facebook in implementing location was to be very careful about privacy. To this end, they have basically outsourced the “fun” parts of location to 3rd party services via the API.

Within Facebook, you can to check you and your friends into a place. Yes, you can check your friend into a venue. Facebook Places is closely tied to tagging, so that users can build a story about where they are, who they’re with, and what they might be doing. Leveraging their existing features, Facebook can now give you a clearer picture of what your status may have been at a certain time at a specific place.

Unlike tagging a friend in a photo, the Facebook Places API will ask you if it’s okay to tag you at a location first. You can authorize the location tag, or deny it. Your location check-ins follow your privacy settings, so only your friends will se where you are unless you have your defaults set to “Everyone.”

One interesting feature of Facebook Places is “People Here Now.” This is only visible for a limited amount of time and will show you other people checked in to the same location as you. This is similar to the venue pages on Foursquare. Find interesting people who you don’t know wherever you happen to be. Of course, you can choose not to be shown in this section at all.

As far as third-party integration, when checking in on Foursquare, Gowalla, MyTown, or Yelp, you will now be able to also check-in on Facebook. MyTown completely revamped their application so that it would work with the new Facebook API.

While it looks like Facebook thought about privacy while designing Places, you can also tell that they wanted it to be as open as possible. Expect to see some privacy backlash in the near future. Many of the privacy settings are there, but we all know how easy those are to find. Also, some options are just not available. For instance, when a friend checks you into a place, you can say “Yes” or “Not Now.” There is not a “No” option.

To get started with Facebook places, grab the new iPhone app or visit http://touch.facebook.com in your mobile HTML5-enabled browser.

via The Next Web, Facebook Blog

GigaOM reports that Verizon has unleashed an iPad app that will allow FiOS subscribers to watch live TV on their tablet devices. Verizon is set to launch this new app early next year, assuming all content partners fall in line. This comes shortly after the announcement that Verizon will broadcast the first NFL game on 3D TV.

There is one major limitation to this new service, though. The software for the iPad is based on the same stuff you find in the set-top boxes connected to the TV’s for the FiOS service. This allows the iPad to authenticate with Verizon and give subscribers access to the service just as it would work for a television. The bad news is that this works by limiting the subscribers range to their local wireless network within their own home. Yes, you read that right, you can watch TV on your iPad as long as you stay in the house.

Verizon CIO Shaygan Kheradpir calls Verizon’s service “cloud TV” and says all the technical work necessary to make this work has already been completed. The last piece of the puzzle is getting content partners comfortable with having their stuff on a device that is not a television.

Time Warner, who has been at the fore-front of services like this in the past, helped develop the application and is one of the content partners. In a demo, Kheradpir showed off live video from CNN on the iPad. While Time Warner is on board, Verizon will wait until other partners are on board before launch.

Verizon had another trick up its sleeve in a video-on-demand service which will allow subscribers to buy and rent videos and watch them across multiple devices and platforms. The service lets users buy content via their set-top box or Verizon.com, which they can download and watch on up to 5 different devices. The service is expected to launch with Droid X, Droid 2, Windows Mobile 6.5 devices, and Blackberry Storm support.

With this new service comes an update of its media manager service. Users get 70GB of cloud storage to keep these purchases and rentals. As the user adds more services, they can increase their storage. This cloud storage is the key to the services.

via Verizon to Put Live TV on the iPad

According to Digitimes, smartphone shipments for 2010 will top 280 million units. This is 57% higher than in 2009. This bumps smartphones up to 20.3% share of the overall handset market according to Digitimes Research analyst Luke Lin. What’s more interesting is Android’s growth.

Android’s share of the worldwide smartphone market has risen from less than 5% in 2009 to 13.8% in the first half of 2010 and is projected to reach 24.5% in the second half to become the second most popular smartphone platform, according to Lin. Shipments of Android-based smartphones are estimated to jump 561% from a year ago to more than 55 million units in 2010.

Even as Android pushes to become the second most popular smartphone platform, developers are also choosing Android as their development platform of choice. There is a major flaw in this setup, though. While Android grows in popularity and developers grow its app market, many developers are losing money. One major problem is that you can’t even buy Android apps in some countries. Pingdom puts it best:

You can only pay for apps in 13 out of the 46 or so countries where Android phones are available. For those of you who like stats, 13 in 46 works out to less than 30%. Contrast this with Apple’s App Store, which supports paid apps in 90 countries. This is a huge advantage iPhone developers currently have over Android developers.

Not only is there a problem of not being able to pay for apps, but because people who want to pay for Android apps can’t pay, piracy begins to run rampant. The longer Google waits to rectify the situation, the worse off Android developers are. As frustrated users get better and better at piracy, they will be less likely to ever want to pay for apps again.

Even users who can pay for apps sometimes run into trouble. In order to pay for an app, users have to use a credit card and go through Google Checkout. The process is pretty clunky. It is rumored that PayPal and Google may be in talks to handle Android payments via PayPal, who knows a little something about online payments. By integrating with PayPal, Google gives developers an alternative way to get paid. This could be good for Android development as well as to make it easier for customers to pay. Google and PayPal have declined to comment and it’s still possible no deal will ever be made.

At GDC Europe, Google’s new game developer advocate Mark DeLoura and Chrome developer advocate Michael Mahemoff talked about Google’s app store and gaming within the Chrome browser. The Web store for Chrome is set to launch in October with a goal of making it simple to distribute, find, and monetize browser-based games.

The store itself works just like many other app store you’ve seen. You can browse/search through titles, check out user reviews and ratings, and buy the games via Google Checkout. One difference between an Apple App Store or the Android Market is that there is no approval process. More interesting is the fact that Google isn’t looking to monetize this app store by taking a cut of the sales. They simply charge a 5% processing fee. Usually, developers only take home about 30% of their app sales.

This is a very interesting change, because it means that developers now have a strong incentive to develop and promote the Web versions of their applications over their native counterparts. Google may make less money from this in the short term, but if it helps the Web win out over native apps then it’s a decision that will pay off for Google in a big way. — TechCrunch

Leveraging the speed of the Google Chrome Web browser, they demoed some pretty interesting games. Not really because of the games themselves, but because of how they highlighted what’s possible inside of a Web browser these days. Google’s Pac-Man stunt is just the tip of the iceberg. Quake 2 ported to HTML5 is truly amazing to think about if you’ve been on the Web for a while. It has really come a long way.

One side-effect of Google’s push into games and the development of an app store for the Web could be a push for more general HTML5 applications. As it stands, developers have to choose which platform to develop for. Android and iPhone dominate the market, but which do you invest in? On the same note, the initial investment for an HTML5 app is around zero and the learning curve is minimal.

Instead of trying to develop for a specific platform, developers could choose to create a compelling HTML5 web application. This would cover all the bases and exempt you from having to deal with startup costs and approval processes. If you can do Quake 2 in HTML5, the possibilities for a simple Web application are endless.

Wired says the Web is dead, but the browser remains the one common denominator. It exists in one form or fashion on every computer and mobile device out there. The app store market is booming, but when it’s no longer shiny and new, we may see developers turning back to the Web for fun and profit. Google’s app store could aid in that transition.

via 1up

The BlackBerry Torch was supposed to be a step in the right direction for Research In Motion (RIM), who has experienced a dip in revenue over the past year. Despite a Torch media event to create buzz for their latest device, it seems it won’t be RIM’s savior. According to analysts at RBC Capital Markets and Stifel Nicolaus, RIM only moved 150,000 Torches over the weekend. While 150k is nothing to sneeze at, it pales in comparison to other phone models. For instance, Apple sold 1.7 million iPhone 4 units in the first three days.

The Torch provided features that were severely lacking in earlier RIM products, but it may be too little too late for the business-oriented mobile device company. Features like a multi-touch screen, slide-out keyboard, and 5 megapixel camera are almost expected these days.

Even the new Blackberry OS 6 may not be enough to sway customers into a new device. Many may simply be waiting for the OS upgrade on their current devices rather than buying something new and very different from what they have now. OS 6 is supposed to roll out over the next few months, bringing more advanced features to the existing hardware. Updates will include better integration with social networks, as well as with external media like iTunes and Windows Media Player.

According to The Street Insider, Goldman Sachs called the Torch’s August 12th launch “underwhelming.” This seems to have spurred RIM to slash the price from $199 with a two-year contract down to $99. Definitely not a good sign. What is also underwhelming is the hardware under the hood. iSuppli and UBM TechInsights found that the Torch relies heavily on parts used in earlier RIM products. UBM points out that the brains of the unit, supplied by Marvell Technology Group, operates at a speed of 624 megahertz. This is well below the 1Ghz speeds which seem to be the norm in the latest smartphones.

In addition to problems with the Torch, RIM faces battles overseas as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and India protest it’s security practices. While Saudi Arabia has decided that banning BlackBerry data entirely is not a solution, they still face opposition from India, United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia among others. These nations feel that their inability to watch BlackBerry data transmissions is a security threat. The Obama administration even became involved in the debate.

via WSJ

You read that right. Lycos, the search portal from about a decade ago, is apparently still alive and kicking. Today, they were sold by Daum Communications of Korea to Ybrant Digital of India for about $36 million. Daum initially purchased Lycos for $95 million back in 2004. Before that, in 2000, Lycos was acquired by Terra Networks for $12.5 billion. This most recent transaction shows a huge decrease in value for Lycos, but also a reasonable price for Ybrant.

Lycos came into being back in ‘94, the same year Bone Thugs-n-Harmony dropped their first hit album “Creepin on Ah Come Up.” If you don’t know either name, please get off my lawn. They went public soon after in 1996 and took full advantage of the dot-com boom, acquiring sites like Tripod, Angelfire, and Wired.com, then selling to Terra Networks. It wasn’t just a search engine, but a comprehensive portal of just about everything web you could think of: blogging, hosting, games, social networking, and e-commerce. They had the whole enchilada.

Even though their value has dropped by almost 50%, Lycos claims 12 to 15 million monthly unique visitors in the United States, on average. They are also one of the top 25 Internet destinations worldwide with a reach of nearly 60 million unique visitors around the world.

Over the past few years, Ybrant has acquired Australian ad network company Max Interactive, Israeli ad firm Oridian ($13.5 million), US-based DW Net Ventures LLC / MediosOne ($4 million), Serbia-based Seenetix for its flagship bulk emailing product VoloMP ($2.2 million) and US- based Pennyweb Inc ($10 million) and Argentina based ad network DreamAd.

According to Daum, they are not simply dumping Lycos, which they say has been profitable, but want to focus on domestic business. From Ybrant’s earlier acquisitions, it looks like the Lycos brand fits nicely within their strategy.

“Brand Lycos needs no introduction, we are excited to bring in the Lycos properties into our fold,” said Suresh Reddy, chairman and CEO of Ybrant Digital in a press release. “The quality of content and tools offered by Lycos has always attracted the best of the consumers across the world. Our goal is to combine the benefits of Ybrant’s global network with what Lycos has to offer in creating a compelling global destination for our advertising clients worldwide. Coupled with our offerings for advertisers, we do present new products to our local users worldwide.”

via Mass High Tech, Medianama

The New York Times reports rapidly growing online television and video site may be gearing up for an Initial Public Offering. According to “people briefed on the matter,” the offering could value the company at around $2 billion.

According to those involved, who shall remain anonymous as talks get underway, Hulu executives have already been discussing a public offering with investors and we could see the IPO as early as this fall.

Despite how insanely popular the site is, Hulu is in a difficult position. The site simply doesn’t turn enough profit. This results in content providers pulling content, unhappy with their investment. Hulu then loses viewers, as we say when The Daily Show and Colbert Report were pulled from the site.

Because advertising revenues alone are not hitting the mark, Hulu launched Hulu Plus. This is a $9.99/month subscription plan is supposed to allow users to see a broader range of content, gaining access to full seasons of many popular shows. In addition, these premium users can get access to Hulu on almost any device, including iPads, smartphones, laptops, and internet-enabled TVs.

While this additional stream of income seems like the next logical step, Hulu has stiff competition in the online subscription arena. Namely, Netflix offers a $9.99/month plan which includes a DVD as well as unlimited access to a huge collection of movies and TV shows that you can watch instantly online via multiple devices.

Hulu was founded 3 years ago as a joint venture between the News Corporation, the Walt Disney Company,NBC Universal and the private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. Their goal was to compete with YouTube and other free video sites. YouTube remains the king of online video with 144.5 million viewers in June, but has also struggled in turning a profit. Hulu’s numbers dropped to 24 million in June from 43.5 million in May.

Part of Hulu’s struggle may be that they simply don’t have enough content, while YouTube can to leverage user-generated content. An IPO would be the most significant event in Hulu’s lifetime, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough to turn things around. As the NYT states, the IPO market is “widely regarded as soft” and offerings from companies like GM could thwart Hulu’s attempts at a successful IPO.

Google Launches Chrome to Phone and Voice Actions

At their mobile event yesterday, Google launched two features for mobile that aim to make life easier and illustrate the changing landscape of the web. Chrome to Phone and Voice Actions both enhance and extend your mobile device. Chrome to Phone makes it easy to shift things from your computer to your mobile, like when you’re in the middle of reading Black Web 2.0, but have to step out. Voice Actions give you the power to free your hands and just tell your phone what to do. It’s like voice dial on steroids and it works on any Android 2.2 device, I was able to search what does dr dre look like today? and get an answer.

If you had previously been playing with the Chrome to Phone beta, you may need to uninstall the Chrome extension and the Android app and start from scratch to get things working.

Twitter Working with TweetMeme For Official Tweet Buttons

When we all heard that Twitter was coming out with its own set of sharing buttons, the immediate question was, “What about Tweetmeme?” As it turns out, Twitter and Tweetmeme are working together on this latest project. The Twitter Buttons enable publisher’s to offer a simple way for their content to be shared, while also optionally suggesting users that visitors should follow.

Google and Verizon Propose Net Neutrality Rules

At first, the NYT came out saying that Google and Verizon had made a backroom deal on net neutrality where Google would simply turn a blind eye and let Verizon do whatever they wanted on their network. This first story was quickly deemed false by both Google and Verizon.

A short time later, the real joint policy proposal for an open Internet was published. While the proposal is nowhere near what was originally thought, many were still unsatisfied and some even outraged. The attacks came from every side, many misrepresenting the facts. Google was forced to answer these claims and dispel the myths.

iPhone Users Have Better Love Lives Than Android Users

This comes from OKCupid data analyzed by Gizmodo. The post is actually interesting in that it shows how taking a quality photo instantly makes you more attractive online. This isn’t just good for getting a date, but also key in presenting yourself or your brand online. Besides using a quality camera, the primary take-aways from the post are:

• Don’t use the flash – it makes you look 7 years older
• Control your foreground – be the focus of the photo and let everything else fade/blur. You will either need some image manipulation skills, a camera that lets you control the aperture, or just make sure you are way closer to the camera than anything else.
• Take your photo in the afternoon – while the data doesn’t explain why photos taken at this time seem more attractive, it could be due to lighting.

Facebook is set to launch an official live streaming video channel called Facebook Live. Today at 3PM PST (6PM EST), actress America Ferrera will visit Facebook headquarters and use Facebook Live to talk about her new movie, “The Dry Land,” a Sundance Film Festival entry.

The new Facebook Live channel will incorporate Facebook’s real-time Live Feed technology to facilitate interactions between the viewing audience and the speaker. Facebook Live offers a feature similar to CNN Live’s use of Facebook Connect, which streams Facebook status updates in a sidebar to the right of the live video of a news event, most notably used for President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Facebook says that this same technology will be used to create a “viral News Feed” story within the new channel. This is actually the same technology that Facebook used to stream the recent F8 conference, but now it’s official. Facebook Live will also offer an Ask a Question feature, which allows you to submit a question to a moderator within the channel. RWW believes this specific Q&A feature may be “brand-new and exclusive to Facebook.”

Facebook live is powered by Livestream.com, which we touched on in our coverage of Procaster last year. You may wonder why Facebook wouldn’t go with a more well-known player like Ustream, but it may simply boil down to their goals. Livestream seems more focused on quality and call themselves “the most powerful live broadcast platform on the internet.” Other players seem more focused on the social aspect.

Because it works via Livestream.com, Facebook Live can be embedded on any website with a bit of code. This gives website owners and publishers the ability to leverage official content from Facebook. For instance, an entertainment blog might want to catch Justin Beiber live, or a technology blog might want to catch an interview with a Facebook engineer.

It would seem like this event would be way more exciting if they kicked off the launch with a Q&A session from Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook team, or something else a little more relevant to technology. I have to agree with RWW in that we’re “geeks, nerds, techies and engineers” and the other 500 million or so users probably want to see Ferrera.

via Facebook Launching Official Live Streaming Channel: Facebook Live.

Update – It looks like Facebook live isn’t as original as we thought. Vokle, which we covered early on and then again when they went public, has been offering similar functionality for a while. A statement from Vokle CEO Robert Kiraz summarizes it best:

Though this is a proactive move for livestream, which is powering the live service, there are a certainly suspect similarities to what we’ve been doing since our launch; particularly the “ask a question” and screening features.

However, the scope of what we’re looking to achieve is via many-to-many video interactions and actual dialogue. Our central purpose is to humanize the web and make it a warmer, more personal place – something that appears to be philosophically lacking in this latest alliance.

Nonetheless, it’s an exciting time to be in the live streaming space, and we all look forward to changing the landscape of how people communicate online.

Our phones are capable of doing so many things, many of which we haven’t a clue about because we haven’t worked that out yet. If we really sat down and thought about how hard it is to execute some of the simplest things on our phones, we might be amazed. In order to simplify how we interact with our devices, Google has launched Chrome to Phone and Voice Actions.

Voice Actions

Communicating with your phone should be as easy as communicating with another person. It is still a phone, after all, made (mostly) for voice conversations. Their initial investment in voice search has definitely paid off with 25% of searches from Android 2.0 devices being done via voice. Voice activated dialing and voice commands have been around for a while, but Google is attempting to take this type of control to the next level with Google Voice Actions (get it here). You can initiate calls to contacts and businesses, make a note to yourself, pull up a map, send a text or email, and even tell your phone to play a certain artist/song/album. Here are the commands currently available:

• send text to [contact] [message]
• listen to [artist/song/album]
• call [business]
• call [contact]
• send email to [contact] [message]
• go to [website]
• note to self [note]
• navigate to [location/business name]
• directions to [location/business name]
• map of [location]

This feature only works on Froyo 2.2 and will be pre-installed on the Droid 2 phone from Motorola. Other phones that have just been updated will need to install the following apps to get access to the new features:

• Voice Search (this app includes Voice Actions)
• Google Search widget
• music apps (e.g. Pandora, Last.fm, Rdio, mSpot)

I’ve been playing with Voice Actions on the Evo and I have to say that I’m extremely impressed and also extremely disappointed. Just as with the voice-to-text feature that was already available, you often get server errors. I can’t really tell if it’s a connectivity issue specific to me or something on Google’s end. The primary issue is that you have to keep repeating yourself rather than the software saving what you said and trying to submit it again.

Chrome to Phone

Have you ever been looking at something on your computer and decided you wanted to take it with you? It would be great if there was an easy way to just zap stuff from your computer to your mobile device, but that ability just hasn’t existed until now with Chrome to Phone. Chrome to Phone puts a button on your browser that lets you seamlessly hand things off to your phone.

How many times have you looked up directions on your computer and immediately wished you’d just done it on your phone? Every wished you could cut and paste something to your phone? Dial a phone number? Chrome to Phone makes it all happen.

Suppose you’re reading an interesting article on your favorite news website and need to leave for an urgent appointment. Simply click the extension icon in your browser to send the link to your phone and the device’s browser will automatically open the link, ready for you to view on the go. Chrome to Phone also works seamlessly with Google Maps. Say you’ve looked up an address or driving directions on your desktop. Clicking the extension icon in your browser will push the information to the Google Maps app on your phone. YouTube videos work the same way with the extension. You can also select a phone number on a web page and send it to the dialer on your phone. Selected text can also be automatically copied from your browser and sent to your Android clipboard for later viewing.

Remember that you need the Chrome extension as well as the corresponding Android app for your phone.