Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
Adobe Incorporates Flash in TVs
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet,
Adobe Systems has unveiled a new version of Flash designed for TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other electronics. Referred to as “The Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home,” the platform allows viewers to see TV and Internet content on the same screen. YouTube will also be available. According to comScore, Flash is used for powering about 80% of online videos. Adobe says that the devices will be available in the second half of the year.
Read More 
| xchange
Advertisement
Time Warner Cable Backs Off From Metered Service
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Broadband, Corporate News, Internet,
After users loudly complained both online and off, Time Warner Cable has announced it will stop their proposed metered broadband services. Interestingly enough, even Twitter, the site of few words, was used to argue the case. There were so many complaints that Congressman Eric Massa tried to push for legislature to ban “unfair pricing structures.” We suspect that this will not be the end of it, but its about time the little people won one.
Read More | Consumer Affairs
YouTube and UMG to Create Vevo
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Music,
The Universal Music Group and YouTube are working on a new media service. Vevo will feature all of UMG’s videos on one site by using YouTube’s “leading edge video technology and user community.” Launching later this year, there will be access to UMG’s catalog of music videos and will include professional, artist and user generated content. Tunes can be accessed through the Vevo channel and a branded embedded player.
Read More | Pocket-lint
Latest Gear Live Videos
A Stockholm court found the 3 founders and one “patron” behind The Pirate Bay guilty of collaboration to violate copyright laws. They were sentenced to a year in jail and must pay $3.6 million in damages to media companies. The site allows free exchange of movies, music, games and software with its 3.5 million users but does not host them. As yet, there is no order to shut down the site and the defendants plan on appealing the judgment.
Read More | CNN
When two of her husband’s work trucks were burgled in Georgia, Mary Chapman went to Facebook instead of the police. She messaged her friend who in turn forwarded it to another who thought she had seen something strange. Within a few hours, they had found the teenage suspect, confronted him and settled the problem by downgrading the charge after he apologized. The police hadn’t even come up with a name.
Others are also using the social network site for crimes. In the UK, a man started “Find the Sale RAPIST,” with images from a security video to help find a man who assaulted his girlfriend and has attracted 7,277 members. And a web designer who found a wallet was contacted by its owner through Facebook.
Read More | ABC News
If Ashton Kutcher is correct, this is the year of Twitter. Almost everything you wanted to know about it but are too embarrassed to admit can be found on TweetMeUp. There are tips, tricks and links to free downloads such as the TweetMyBlogWP plugin and the Twitter info pack. The home screen refreshes every two minutes and news is also included on the site. And of course, you can find all the information on Twitter.
Read More | TweetMeUp
YouTube Symphony Orchestra Goes On Tour
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Music, Videos,
Those who say social networking sites have no redeeming qualities haven’t heard of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. Less than 100 were chosen from more than 3,000 submissions and participated in a 3 day workshop before playing at Carnegie Hall last night. Next they will be going on a worldwide tour. Check out the official site to see who won as well as the full performance.
Read More | YouTube Symphony
muveeMix is upgrading to shwup. In addition to making videos, you will be able to upload photos and videos in your own album for friends and family and create slide shows. In return, they can do the same. More upload capacity, new styles and music tracks have been added, and you can put your creations on Facebook or other social networking sites. If you have not yet signed up, it is free and a fun way to become a novice muvee maker.
Read More | shwup
Want to IM without leaving your site? Hab.la is a fun, free application that allows you to chat with visitors on your website. Messages show up in a minimized box embedded in the lower right corner of your browser and if you are signed in, it displays “click to chat.” Connect using GTalk, Jabber, Aim or other IM. Installation is simple and customizable. Head over to the site to get a more detailed overview of the app.
Read More | Hab.la
Microsoft to Discontinue Encarta
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Microsoft, Software,
Those of us who remember the happiness of finding Encarta included in our early PC purchase are somewhat saddened by the announcement that it will soon no longer be available. The software will cease after June and most sites will shut down by October 2009. Japan will cut theirs off in December. Microsoft commented, “People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past.”
We know they mean Wikipedia, yet the concept of one disc replacing an entire set of encyclopedias was certainly high tech at the time. And the better images used by Encarta will definitely be missed.
Read More | MSN
