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Latest Gear Live Videos
i-Caught Takes YouTube to Prime Time
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Internet,
i-Caught is another example of how the Internet is influencing the “real” world. Beginning August 7, ABC is launching a newsmag for YouTubers which will feature breaking news stories and investigations, political issues, celeb sightings, and Internet hoaxes. With anchor Bill Weir, the program plans on taking original videos and some from other viral sites.
“The watershed event that changed newsgathering was the London terror attack in 2005,” said Executive Producer David Sloan. “There were people on that subway who did not know if they would live or die, but they got out their cell phones and started shooting.”
The network is looking for the juciest of clips such as Hoff’s drunken hamburger feed and Michael Richard’s tirade at The Comedy Club. We suggest before they begin airing the show that you go out with your video cam and start looking for your 15 minutes of fame since ABC is still taking submissions.
Read More 
| ABC
Gallery: i-Caught Takes YouTube to Prime Time
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Lomak Assists The Physically Impaired
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop, Peripherals,
The New Zealand-based Lomak (Light Operated Mouse and Keyboard) is a fine device that can be used with any application for those who have trouble with a standard mouse and keyboard. Its pointer emits a beam of light that can be controlled by hand or attached to a head, then directed at the input device with no additional software needed. The 2007 IDEA Design Awards liked it so much that they gave it a gold medal. Check with Lomak for price and availability.
Read More | Lomak
Gallery: Lomak Assists The Physically Impaired
Alright guys, it looks like our friend Morgan Webb is up to something. You all know her as the queen of television video game reviews on X-Play…but we know a little more. The rumor is she is up to something new, and that it will be happening very, very soon. In fact, check out the link below for the countdown timer. Any guesses? Leave them in the comments.
Read More | WebbAlert
Gallery: Morgan Webb’s WebbAlert?
If you are a bookworm, then Shelfari is the site for you. An online networking site for readers, writers, and publishers, you can find out about other books you might choose to read with others that are into the same topics. A virtual bookshelf, the site allows you to join a group with a preferred author, post your faves, or start your own book club. You can then add to your list and embed it in your blog, website, or social networking site, and send out invitations to others. The service is now in beta and is free to join.
(Thanks, Stace)
Read More | Shelfari
Gallery: Join the Shelfari Book Club
iplayer Offers Streamed Viewing
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Internet, Misc. Tech, Movies, Music,
Netgem has launched its iplayer, which allows download of subscription-free programs for as far back as a week for up to 30 days of HD playback. The device originated in 2003 as an IMP (integrated media player,) but now includes one touch recording, podcasts on TV, streaming radio, media sharing from your PC, music and video capture, PC exporting and auto-upgrades.
According to Screen Digest data, 520.2 million pieces of content were streamed in 2006, mostly for free. They believe this amount will jump to 2.3 billion by 2011. Contact Netgem if you would like to register for the iplayer, which is now is by invitation only, but will expand by the end of the summer. Frankly, we think Netgem should get together with Netflix, in light of its recent troubles.
Read More | iplayer
Gallery: iplayer Offers Streamed Viewing
Sharkrunners Game Tracks Great Whites
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Science, Video Games,
In honor of the Discovery Channel’s 20th Anniversary of Shark Week, area/code has designed Sharkrunners. Running into one of the creatures corresponds to a real one’s whereabouts and movements since the game is based on real world telemetry data from actual great whites. Gamers choose a team and control their ships, and are contacted by e-mail or SMS when one is spotted. GPS units attached to the sharks allows observation only. No tossing chum and/or destroying the fish is permitted. Sharkrunners was designed for purely educational and entertainment purposes only. We think this is a pleasant diversion, but wish they had embedded the theme from Jaws whenever one is spotted.
Read More | Discovery Channel
Gallery: Sharkrunners Game Tracks Great Whites
Save Food and Lodging Fees By CouchSurfing
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Transportation,
It’s vacation time but you don’t have enough funding to go past the back yard. If the Charity Guide isn’t quite your idea of how to spend it this year, consider becoming a member of CouchSurfing. Although the site has been up since 2004, it now has 218 countries involved and over 260,000 members that will assist you in saving on those pricey hotel and meal costs. Create a profile as completely as possible on the site, chat it up with some of the discussion groups, and request a destination. After your options appear, find out more details by talking to your host, seeing pictures of her/his home, and make plans to literally crash on someone else’s couch.
Read More | CouchSurfing
Gallery: Save Food and Lodging Fees By CouchSurfing
Find iPhone Battery Life with Death Watch
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Internet, Portable Audio / Video,
Those clever folks at PC Magazine have devised an iPhone Death Watch for those of you who are worried about your new toy’s battery and are already fretting over its expiration date and possible withdrawal while you exchange it. Simply enter the date of purchase and the calculator will tell you when to plan for the end and its subsequent replacement.
Apple claims that after 400 charges, an iPhone retains only 80%. Since this was all the info the mag could get out of the company, they just used one of their own to estimate how long between charges, added in the length of trickle charging over a USB port, and came up with 1.5 days. They also stretched the amount of charges to 450, multiplied the two together, and voila, the Death Widget was born. If you get too paranoid about the countdown and take the issue too seriously, we suggest that you take off another couple of days to account for all that calendar reassurance.
Read More | PC Magazine
Gallery: Find iPhone Battery Life with Death Watch
Netflix Stock Plummets
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, Internet, Movies,
If you are a Netflix devotee, you may have noticed that the site was down for over 12 hours this week, but what you may not be aware of is the fact that their stock price hit the lowest it has in over two years. Lowering monthly fees by $1.00 and thereby losing profits is one of the company’s attempts to compete with the mega-giant Blockbuster. Yesterday their stock dropped to $15.62 then rebounded to $16.10 (a loss of 6.8%) as an indication of stockholders’ distress. Statistics also indicate that last month they had a decrease of 55,000 subscribers since April. They may lose even more profit as they invest in new tech to allow online movies that can be viewed on TV via high-speed Internet connections.
The company has had its share of problems since Blockbuster offered the option to swap DVDs at their stores instead of waiting for the mail. We love Netflix for its originality and are not thrilled with the fact that they may be knocked down because of that glorious concept known as competition. We have watched our neighbor video stores crumble because of Blockbuster’s large scale takeover efforts and hope that the beleaguered rival can take a bite back and retain its standing.
Read More | MSNBC
Gallery: Netflix Stock Plummets
Glenn Close and David Shaw to Launch FetchDog
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Smart Home, Internet,
What do celebs do when they aren’t acting? The latest trend seems to be erecting websites, at least in Glenn Close’s world. She and husband David Shaw are in the midst of creating FetchDog, a site that contains canine news, forums, images, health, training, and behavior reports, a breed selector tool, and blogs, including one written by Ms. Close. They are also offering a catalogue for dogs and their owners. FetchDog has not yet launched, but you can sign up with your e-addy to get on their announcement list. This is surely a sign of things to come, with celebrities hawking their wares online, but we figure it is a step up from the likes of Heidi Klum and Paula Abdul with their jewelry on QVC’s Website.
Read More | Fetchdog
