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NBC to Stream Olympics
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Internet,
Have you ever watched the Olympics only to find that they didn’t televise the event you wanted to see? No need to leave your computer this summer as NBC has made plans to stream the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games when they begin August 8. They estimate 4,000 hours of events which adds up to 200 hours per day. NBC’s SVP of Digital Digital Media Perkins Miller says that viewers can isolate events by sport or individual and can rewatch those that they want to see again. Over 17 different technology partners will be involved worldwide.
Read More 
| CNN
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Google has finally launched Lively to try to lure some of those Second Lifers away. The site utilizes avatars and 3D graphics like the other virtual game, and meeting rooms for characters. After the download, you can also display YouTube videos on virtual TVs and show photos in virtual frames. Engineering Manager Niniane Wang wants subscribers to create their rooms in their own interests.
“If you enter a Lively room embedded on your favorite blog or website, you can immediately get a sense of the room creator’s interests, just by looking at the furniture and environment they chose.”
Note that you have to have Windows Vista/XP with Internet Explorer or Firefox to subscribe. We can’t anticipate its success but we did notice that the demo on YouTube already has received over half a million hits.
Read More | Lively
Samsung is about to make their entry into the YouTube camera category with their SC-MX20. The camcorder has a 680 pixel CCD sensor with a 720x480 res, an aspect ratio of both 4:3 and 16:9, a 2.7-inch LCD display, a Scheider 34x optical zoon, and a swivel grip. It also features noise reduction tech, 3 hours of battery life, and Samsung’s Advanced Image Stabilization technology. Available in black, red, white, or silver, look for the SC-MX20 in August for $279.99.
Read More | Digital Trends
Latest Gear Live Videos
Phoenix WiFi Radio
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Misc. Tech, Music, Wireless / WiFi, USB,
It looks like AE isn’t the only company to jump on the Internet radio bandwagon. The Phoenix WiFi Radio scans automatically for access and you choose the one you want. Then you add in the time zone, and the gadget is set up to receive over 10,000 Podemus radio stations and 5,000 podcasts. It also features an alarm with snooze and sleep, 2 2W stereo speakers, a USB port for your MP3 player, and comes with 4 rechargeable batteries and AC adapter. Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, contact the company for price and availability.
Read More | Com One
Merriam-Webster to Release New Words
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet,
Merriam-Webster has announced over one hundred new words that will go into its 11th Edition Collegiate Dictionary. To determine which make the cut, they study the usage for sometimes decades before accepting them. Among the words are webinar, infinity pool, dwarf planet, Norovirus, and dirty bomb, but it is mondegreen that is our fave.
What is a mondegreen, you ask? According to M-W, it is a “noun defined as a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung” first coined by author Sylvia Wright in the 50’s when she admitted that she misunderstood song lyrics. We know that some of our personal mondegreens include those from “Blinded By the Light” and “Louie, Louie.”
To celebrate, M-W Online is calling for submissions of your favorites through July 25. Already available online, the 2008 print update of the Eleventh Edition will be in bookstores September 1.
Read More | Merriam-Webster
Potential Rogers iPhone customers livid at prices in Canada
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, Internet, Portable Audio / Video,
Check out the above clip from a Canadian new story, reporting on the price gouging going on with Rogers Wireless over in the Great White North. We feel their pain, as the Rogers iPhone 3G pricing plan is an utter rip-off. So much so, that some Rogers customers are even considering leaving their contracts behind with the company. For all the details on the plans, hit the video above, but the suckiest part is that you only get 400 MB of data on Rogers. That is nothing. Compare that to AT&T in the USA, where you get unlimited data with an iPhone plan.
Rogers says that their plans offer customers “high value bundles.” What? Potential customers have started a site over at Ruined iPhone to collect all the negative comments, and press associated with this story.
Click to continue reading Potential Rogers iPhone customers livid at prices in Canada
In our never-ending quest for the cheesiest online promotions, try this weird one. You can now send someone a Chi-Chi Gram. Choose between a cyclops, chicken or cougar, upload an image, and adjust the eyes and mouth. Choose some music, preview your artistic work, then e-mail it to a friend or anyone else you would like to annoy. We’re not sure this will help sell the salsa, but it’s worth a few minutes of time and you can pick up a recipe or two.
Read More | Chi-Chi's
Firefox Download World Record Confirmed
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet,
The word is out that Mozilla has officially set a record for the most downloads in a 24 hour period. The official number is 8,002,530 copies of Firefox 3 downloads.
“As the arbiter and recorder of the world’s amazing facts, Guinness World Records is pleased to add Mozilla’s achievement to our archives,” Gareth Deaves, Guinness’ records manager, said.
Microsoft has about 74% of the world market share for browsers while Firefox accounts for about 18%. We realize that this was conceived as a publicity stunt, but now that XP is retired, we expect that number will go up.
Read More | c/net
Fictionwise Offers Free eBooks
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Handhelds, Hot Deals, Internet, Misc. Tech,
After reading that Fictionwise is releasing 3 free Stephen King ebook novels for free with rebate if you pay with credit card or Paypal, we went more in depth and found that they are also offering others at no cost. Selections include the classic “Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne, “Ghost Rider: Stories” by Jonathan Lowe, and a sample of the Oxford Paperback Thesaurus ( 348 pages.) Join their club and there are more hot deals. Most books come in eReader, Mobipocket, and Microsoft Reader.
Read More | Fictionwise
EveryScape Goes Beyond Google Maps
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Corporate News, Internet,
A Massachusetts online company has released the beta Everyscape that takes Google mapping an extra step. When you hit their site, you click on a location and see not only the outside but the inside of tourist attractions, musical venues, museums, etc. Click again and you can get detailed info.
“While Google has focused their technology on building a better map, we wanted to do more and replicate the experience of actually being somewhere,” chief executive Jim Schoonmaker said.
The work is being done by “destination ambassadors” that use specialized equipment to map by the mile. It’s a nice idea that seems like it has a long way to go.
Read More | ABC News
