Month: November 2010

At a short event today, MySpace and Facebook announced a new mashup initiative that lets you login to MySpace using Facebook Connect. Upon visiting MySpace.com, you will now see a login box with the text, “Mashup your Facebook Likes and public profile info to connect with all the entertainment you love for up-to-the-minute news, photos, and more.” The login box highlights the Facebook login feature and you have to click another link to login with actual MySpace credentials.

Clicking Learn More provides the following details:

To help save you time setting up your profile (and give you more of the things you love), we can pull your interests (like movies, music, and celebs) and public profile info (name, email, gender, birth date, and photo) from Facebook and automatically add and follow them on your MySpace profile. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to edit it later!

Dan Rose, VP of Partnerships and Platform Marketing for Facebook, says “There’s nothing different about this implementation than any other Facebook Connect implementation or any other implementation of the Facebook Like button across the web.” In addition, money has not exchanged hands in this deal. MySpace CEO Mike Jones says “We think this is a complimentary offering to Facebook and other social platforms.”

Rose goes on to highlight that MySpace as an entertainment platform and Facebook as a social platform are two different things that compliment each other. While it seems like MySpace is conceding to Facebook as a social network, things may turn out to be a little more complicated than that.

While this move may push more content from Facebook to MySpace, it remains to be seen if more users will actually start visiting the MySpace site on a regular basis. What do you think?

via AllThingsD

Android users have been anxiously anticipating the next update of the mobile operating system. Android Gingerbread, previously thought to be version 3.0, will actually be version 2.3. At the recent Web 2.0 Summit, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that Android Gingerbread would be coming in the next few weeks.

Android Gingerbread is supposed to be packing some pretty slick features. Near-field communication (NFC) will allow you to check-in and/or make payments by tapping or bumping your phone at a location. In addition to other more basic enhancements, there has also been talk of face recognition. Android and Me says we will see more powerful motion processing, like a Wii controller:

In Gingerbread, Google is planning to add several new sensor fusion APIs including quaternion, rotation matrix, linear acceleration and gravity. It sounds confusing, but developers will finally be able to leverage the benfits of the gyroscope working together with the accelerometer and magnetometer.

On a related note, the Android Market will be closed to developers for 6 hours this Friday as it receives a major update. Consumers will still be able to use the Market, but developers will need to take this time to make sure their apps meet the new features and requirements to be listed in the Market.

Follow us through the jump for the full email, but the new requirements now include a “feature graphic” of 1024 x 500 resolution, a 512 x 512 high-res icon, two screenshots (increasing to 8 in the future), and a link to a promotional YouTube video.

Woz then moved on to the topic of Android saying that Android smartphones, not the iPhone, would become dominant, noting that the Google OS is likely to win the race similarly to the way that Windows ultimately dominated the PC world. Woz stressed that the iPhone, “Has very few weak points. There aren’t any real complaints and problems. In terms of quality, the iPhone is leading.” However, he then conceded that, “Android phones have more features,” and offer more choice for more people. Eventually, he thinks that Android quality, consistency, and user satisfaction will match iOS. via Engadget

That Jay-Z guy sure has some nice websites. He recently partnered with Bing to launch a promotional site for his book Decode, which includes a location-based scavenger hunt. Jay-Z’s Hits Collection Vol 1. is just as Flashy, pun intended.

The site puts different eras of Jay’s life to music. As you browse through each one, a video introduces a different track and a related quote is displayed. You can view Photos, Videos, Discography, and Milestones for that particular era. While a BUY NOW button is featured at the top of the site, there is Twitter integration along the bottom.

Tweets is Watching! You add your voice by connecting to Jay’s site via Twitter OAuth. You can then choose an era to tweet about, compose your tweet and send it. This will post a link to the era you choose to your stream. Clicking the Share button near the bottom left makes it easy to share the site on Facebook.

The site is simple, but media rich and eye-catching. Definitely a good example of a direction an artist may want to go to give their fans with a nice web experience. You can just sit back and enjoy the experience while Jay-Z walks you through it in the background.

It’s been a long hard road full of twists, turns, Apple, Google, and the government. Finally, iPhone users can rejoice and install the free and official Google Voice app for iPhone. According to TechCrunch, it was well worth the wait:

Yes, the app is real, it’s approved, and it should be live at this link. The official Google Voice for the iPhone is here. And it’s wonderful. Yes, it was even worth that insane wait.

As a Google Voice fan and phone-carrying member of #teamandroid, I can’t imagine what life would be like without Google Voice. The iPhone app is free and faster than what’s currently available. It’s also pretty, like most iPhone apps tend to be.

If you’ve used GV on Android or elsewhere, everything should seem familiar. The main difference is that you have to manually start the app to make a call because it’s not able to take over the Phone application. Incoming calls come through just as any other forwarded call.

Are you excited about Google Voice for iPhone?

via TechCrunch, Google Voice Blog

While most are feeling pretty let down by Apple’s “huge” Beatles announcement today, Google launched a service called Hotpot which might make up for it. It provides personal recommendations for local businesses based on what you and your friends think, solving a major problem with finding new places or businesses.

For example, if I’m in a new city, I might chat with the concierge at my hotel and explain to him the kinds of places I like so he can give me personalized recommendations, or I’ll ask my friends for local recommendations because I value their opinions and we have similar tastes. But finding trusted advice is hard; wouldn’t it be great if there was a way for me to get these recommendations all the time, everywhere I go?

The service aims to make “local search results for places on Google more personal, relevant and trustworthy.” The three main ingredients at work here:

• Google Places – provides detailed information on 50 million places around the world.
• Your Recommendations – Hotpot learns what you like based on your reviews, providing recommendations for places you might like.
• Friends’ Recommendations – You probably trust your friends, so Hotpot keeps their opinions in mind and lets you see what they think.

The Hotpot web application works a little like GetGlue, making it easy and quick to provide ratings, reviews, and comments. It’s also integrated into the latest update for Google Maps on Android 1.6 and above, providing a widget for quickly reviewing nearby places.

Now you can write and publish ratings and reviews from your mobile phone. We make it quick and easy with a new rating widget designed for rating places on the go. Install it from your homescreen by going to Menu > Add > Widgets > Rate Places. You can also post ratings and reviews directly from any Place page. So, when you polish off the crispiest carnitas taco you’ve ever eaten, you can pull out your Android phone to celebrate the event and give that taqueria the public love it deserves.

Hotpot sounds a bit like other similar services, but is a bit more automated and may have an addictive quality for rating things. Does Google Hotpot look like something you would use? Is it too much like Yelp?

via Google LatLong, Google Mobile Blog

In his latest interview at the Web 2.0 Summit, Google CEO Eric Schmidt brings along an “unannounced product” that he seems very proud of. Presumably, this is the Nexus S, which is considered by most to be the Nexus Two. The first question from the hosts is “Is that THE device?!” Which Schmidt evades by repeating that it’s an “unannounced device” that he carries around with him.

The feature that Schmidt is demonstrating on this mystery device is related to location. It makes it easy and more secure to verify your location for the purposes of making mobile payments. You physically tap your phone on a physical surface with an embedded chip at the location you’re checking into. As the hosts put it, it’s “bump for everything.” The feature, which Schmidt says is called “Tap and Pay,” could offer a secure method for replacing credit cards. Schmidt also says that Android Gingerbread is coming in “the next few weeks.” The action starts around 50 secs in the video below.

via Engadget

Facebook’s live event today, did notdisappoint. Speculation of a Gmail Killer from Facebook has been making the rounds for a minute. While Facebook has launched what looks like an extremely useful method for communicating with your friends and colleagues, Mark Zuckerberg was careful to say that it is “not a Gmail killer.” The project, previously codenamed “Titan,” aims to be something simpler and more social. Zuckerberg went on to say that Gmail is a great product.

Yes, Facebook users will now get an @Facebook.com “email” address based on their current Facebook username, but this isn’t really email. They barely mentioned email throughout the presentation and IMAP integration with your existing email account is still in the works. Facebook is providing a seamless way to integrate your SMS, Email, IM, and Facebook messaging in one place. email is only one ingredient.

Today I’m excited to announce the next evolution of Messages. You decide how you want to talk to your friends: via SMS, chat, email or Messages. They will receive your message through whatever medium or device is convenient for them, and you can both have a conversation in real time. You shouldn’t have to remember who prefers IM over email or worry about which technology to use. Simply choose their name and type a message.

Your Social Inbox is modeled after chat. Rather than entering a subject line and hitting a send button, you just type your message and hit ENTER. Your inbox isn’t a list of random messages or threads, but simply a list of your actual friends and what you’ve discussed.

Relatively soon, we’ll probably all stop using arbitrary ten digit numbers and bizarre sequences of characters to contact each other. We will just select friends by name and be able to share with them instantly. We aren’t there yet, but the changes today are a small first step.

This doesn’t seem to be the exciting and dominating email service that many tech bloggers were drooling over, but more of a useful tool for organizing your social world. A messaging system that works along with your standard email account to help you keep everything in order.

What do you think? Are you excited about Facebook Mail?

via Facebook

Rumor has it that Facebook is launching a Gmail Killer. Codenamed “Project Titan,” this won’t be your standard Facebook messages with something like POP tacked on, but a complete rethink of your email inbox. The invites sent out for today’s event hint strongly at something related to mail or messages, featuring Facebook’s inbox icon on what appears to be a postcard. Jason Kincaid lays things out nicely:

Facebook has the world’s most popular photos product, the most popular events product, and soon will have a very popular local deals product as well. It can tweak the design of its webmail client to display content from each of these in a seamless fashion (and don’t forget messages from games, or payments via Facebook Credits). And there’s also the social element: Facebook knows who your friends are and how closely you’re connected to them; it can probably do a pretty good job figuring out which personal emails you want to read most and prioritize them accordingly.

So, basically, Facebook could be trying to do the same thing Google tried to do, except in reverse. Rather than jamming some social into your email, they will jam some email into your social. This could also explain the fight over contacts between Google and Facebook. Email is a hot commodity. AOL and Yahoo are both examples of high-profile companies taking heavy damage by losing email users. AOL announced plans to update the email interface this past weekend while Yahoo updated their mail product earlier this year. If implemented well, Facebook Email could have a serious impact on Google.

Facebook’s closed nature is both a blessing and a curse for a potential email product. As Craig Newmark points out, because it’s so difficult to fake an identity on Facebook, they could end up with the “most personal, and spam-free email available.” On the flip side, they could end up with something too rigid for the average email user to deal with.

The question is whether this is really what people want. Will they offer a service that is as flexible as your standard email account, or will their be restrictions related to its social networking ties? What are the privacy implications? We all saw what happened with Google Buzz. Does anyone really want to change email addresses?

What do you think?

Just when you thought you had your Black Friday all mapped out, looks like many shoppers will be adding another stop to their list. Toys R Us will be carrying a $140 Android 2.1 Tablet created by Sylvania. A far cry from the usual $500 price range you might be expecting to pay for a fancy new tablet.

The device is a no-frills, 7-inch tablet running Android 2.1 that apparently made its debut this week. It doesn’t even have an official name beyond “Sylvania 7″ MID Tablet Wireless Mobile Internet Device.” But according to specs posted online, it includes a touch screen with 800-by-480 pixels, 512MB of RAM and 2GB of Flash memory, expandable up to 16GB via a micro SD card.

For $140, I’m pretty sure these bad boys are going to sell out pretty quick, so make sure you get in early. You can also grab the same device at Kmart for $10 more.

via PCMag.com, Black-Friday

Windows Phone 7 On Sale Now

Windows Phone 7 went on sale in the US this week. For everyone who favors a Microsoft product over the iPhoneys, Wackberrys, and Blandroids, your day has come. Even as a hardcore #teamandroid member, I have to admit these Windows phones look good. The live tile interface is also interesting and, according to Microsoft’s commercials, will keep you from ignoring your friends and family. On a related note, Windows Phone 7 comes with Slacker Radio, which had the online radio service trending as curious users tried to figure out what it was.


via Engadget

Opera Mobile Comes to Android

Android Smartphones Continue to Dominate

According to Gartner, worldwide mobile phone sales grew 35% in the third quarter of 2010. Smartphone sales jumped 96%. The cause is most likely falling smartphone prices and increased visibility in the mobile market. I don’t recall seeing nearly as many smartphone commercials on TV as we see now. You can even get a prepaid smartphone from your local Walmart. Gartner’s take on the numbers leans toward iPhone and Android strategies as the means for success in the current mobile market. Either you diversify and innovate quickly, or create one seriously awesome and focused device. The numbers also show that one in 5 mobile devices sold are smartphones, while one in four are running Android.

via Wired

RIM Soars with Announcement of Tablet Under $500

With the announcement that the BlackBerry PlayBook (which I still think should have been called the BlackPad) will be priced “less than $500,” RIM rose $3.44, or 6.3 percent, to $58.44 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading on the 10th. There are going to be a gang of new tablet devices coming for the holidays. The iPad has the obvious head-start, but the average consumer may opt for a competing product based on price alone. Will the BlackPad Playbook challenge the iPad? Hard to tell. What do you think?

via Bloomberg

Rumors about a sequel to Google’s Nexus One phone refuse to die. Allegedly, Samsung was supposed to be releasing the Nexus Two at an event on Nov. 8th. Samsung denied that they had a Nexus Two in the works, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t working on the sequel to the Nexus One.

According to Engadget, the phone pictured in this post is the Nexus S. It’s a ” Gingerbread-running Google phone from Samsung” and is “the presumed sequel to the HTC-produced Nexus One.” See? Samsung isn’t making the Nexus Two…it’s called the Nexus S.

Of course, it’s hard to say if these images are real or we’re just seeing what we want to see. It’s believed that the photos of this new Android phone have been doctored, but only to add Google branding to the phone. Android and Me speculates that Samsung orchestrated the leak to keep the buzz going.

There is some evidence besides this photo, though. Phandroid noticed an interesting section on the Best Buy website that referenced the Nexus S:

Best Buy’s published a section on their mobile site saying that the “Pure Google” Nexus S is available only at Best Buy this holiday season. A link to pre-order it doesn’t work, and there’s a bad image with the alternate text field showing “Nexus S for T-Mobile.”

Best Buy has since removed the information from their site and, while Google Cache would be the go-to solution to get a glimpse of the deleted page, it appears that the page in Google’s cache has been altered. Luckily, the Phandroid folks took a screenshot.

Even if this is the real deal, it looks like a re-branded Galaxy S phone, which seems pretty boring on the surface. The real excitement would be in getting a phone with the latest version of Android and without all the crapware and carrier skins. What do you think? Will there really be a “Nexus Two?” Do you care?

Avid’s Pro Tools is getting a major upgrade tomorrow. It’s probably the most well-known audio creation, editing, and production software and is featured in most major studios. The main drawback for Pro Tools has been the startup cost and system requirements.

Currently, you need a decent computer, an external audio interface, and the software itself installed on the computer. Now, with Pro Tools 9, they are changing the game by removing the need to have an extra piece of hardware. Pro Tools 9 makes things a bit more open by providing a software-only solution that will run on Avid audio interfaces, third-party audio interfaces, or no hardware at all if you’re on a Mac or PC. This significantly lowers the bar even further for those of us running home studios.

In addition to spreading across more computers, Pro Tools will be including more professional grade plug-ins out-of-the-box and makes collaborating with others much easier. The new Pro Tools and Pro Tools HD software will be available worldwide Tomorrow and will run you about $599 USD.

via Avid Newsroom

Back in September, everyone gasped as Apple launched the social network Ping, built inside of iTunes. Of course, the excitement quickly dissipated as everyone realized Ping wasn’t social at all. It was an information silo and didn’t even appear ready for the masses. Facebook and Apple even got into it, resulting in Facebook blocking Ping from full integrating with Facebook. A block that is still in place to this day.

All is not lost, though. Ping is finally starting to show itself to be somewhat social and possibly even useful with deep Twitter integration. From the Twitter Blog:

Starting today Ping, iTunes’ new social network for music, and Twitter are making it even easier for people to share music discoveries with their friends by putting Ping activity, song previews and links to purchase and download music from the iTunes Store right in their Tweets on Twitter.com.

The integration goes both ways. Once you connect your Twitter account to Ping, your activities in Ping will be automatically tweeted to your Twitter followers. I put “automatically” in bold to remind you to check your settings in iTunes and adjust accordingly. You may not want every minute activity you do broadcasted to Twitter.

On the Twitter end, these tweets from Ping will include special links that show you more detail about the song or album right alongside your Twitter stream. You can view the details and even play previews without leaving the Twitter website. I knew this new Twitter was going to end up being useful for something.

What do you think about Twitter integration in Ping? Will it prompt you to give Ping another look? Are you already using Ping? Tell us about it.

via Twitter Blog, TechCrunch

Last night, the Boxee Box by D-Link officially started shipping. Boxee started off as software you could install on your computer which gave you access to online shows and videos. Rather than visiting a bunch of diferent web sites, Boxee pulls in all that content and stuffs it into a beautiful and easy to navigate interface. The Boxee windows client came out last June and Boxee announced the Boxee Box at the end of last year. Earlier this month, we got word that the Boxee Box would be launching on the 10th of this month and now it’s here.

Many of us have been watching more and more TV online and Boxee feels they are the best way to do it:

Tons of Movies and TV Shows, Netflix, VUDU and Hulu Plus

There is a whole generation out there for whom Movies and TV shows are synonymous with Netflix and Hulu. We have some good news for these users. Both Netflix and Hulu are going to be part of the Boxee Box.

If you’re like us, you are a Netflix member instantly watching unlimited TV episodes & movies, and you want to rent new titles from a service like VUDU. It’s a killer combo and both will work great for you on Boxee.

If you opt for a Hulu Plus account, you’ll be able to watch Hulu content on your Boxee Box. Netflix is coming by the end of the year. Early on, Boxee and Netflix didn’t get along so well. Hulu wasn’t too happy about its content showing up on Boxee, so they blocked the service early on. Now that Boxee has morphed into an actual piece of hardware, they’ve called a truce.

Unfortunately, Hulu is still blocking access to their free content for Boxee users and this block seems to have had unintended consequences. Many Windows 7 and Mac OS X users have been greeted with an error telling them that they’re trying to access the service “from Boxee” when they’re obviously not. According to Engadget, it seems that the problem has been fixed, but Hulu will need to think really hard about this whole Boxee blocking procedure. They are doing well for the time being, but can’t afford to lose any eyeballs.

Today at the NewTeeVee conference in San Francisco, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar revealed that Hulu has made $240 million in 2010 alone.

The online streaming service is flourishing: Hulu is projecting revenues of $240 million in 2010, more than double the company’s $108 million earnings last year. What’s more, the service now boasts more than 30 million monthly users, and Kilar said the number of Hulu Plus subscribers–its $9.99 monthly plan–is already “ahead of plan.”

When asked why Hulu Plus has ads, Kilar says they thought about going ad-free. After talking to 5,000 people, they found that users would rather a lower monthly cost with ads. I don’t blame them, I don’t even notice the ads anymore.

At around the same monthly cost as Netflix, Hulu Plus doesn’t seem to be offering as much value right now. Kilar did mention Netflix, though: “Hulu, Hulu Plus, and Netflix have all been consciously designed to be different and not a substitute for pay TV services in the living room.” Could they be working together?

Speaking of Hulu Plus, you can get it on your PS3 today. PlayStation hinted at the launch last week and it is now a reality. You could previously access some Hulu content via the Playstation Network.

How does this change from what was already available? Well, you no longer need to have a PlayStation Plus subscription to gain access and you don’t have to wait for an invitation from Hulu either. Beginning today, Hulu Plus is open to all PlayStation Network members in the U.S.

To get started, grab the free app from the PlayStation Store and visit www.ps3.com/hulu.

via Fast Company, Playstation Blog