Category Archives: Video

Twitter brings photos and videos to the forefront, improves search

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Hello Twitterverse! Today I have some exciting news to share with you. Twitter has teamed with Photobucket to introduce an integrated photo-sharing service for all users. The company will be releasing a feature that allows you to easily upload a photo and attach it to your Tweet directly within Twitter.com. Additionally you’ll be able to easily do this from all of the official Twitter mobile apps, too. If you don’t own a smartphone the company’s working with mobile carriers to figure out a way to send photos via text message. And here’s the best part. Twitter is rolling out “a completely new version of Twitter search” the brings tagged photos and videos into the mix. For example, if you upload, attach, and tweet a picture from a shuttle launch and include the hashtag #launch, you will be brought to all of the most buzzed-about tweets, pictures, and videos relevant to that specific hashtag. Relevant and expansive photo and video clouds are just a click away. In addition, the revamped search engine promises to deliver more relevant Tweets when you search for something or click on a trending topic.

So when can you expect to see all these new features hitting the social network? The improved search engine is being rolled out today, the Twitter.com photo upload service will make its way to users over the next several weeks, and the mobile apps will see an upgrade that’ll bring these enhancements “soon.” Jump after the break to see the new search+photo services in action.

[Via Twitter] Continue reading Twitter brings photos and videos to the forefront, improves search →

NVIDIA previews the future of mobile gaming with quad-core “Kal-El” processor

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In this simple game named “Glowball” chip manufacturer NVIDIA demonstrates the bright future of mobile gaming by highlighting the world’s first mobile quad-core processor codenamed “Kal-El.” It’s a quad-core processor with a 12-core NVIDIA GPU that supports 3D stereo and allows for true dynamic lighting rendered in real time and brings more interactivity to a 3D environment. Watch the stimulating demo above to get a sense for the breathtaking games that will one day make it to our iPads and other mobile devices.

[Via NVIDIA]

Teaser trailer: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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Here’s our first look at the US remake of the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It’s based on the best-selling crime novel by Swedish author Stieg Larsson, which has already been turned into a feature film by Danish filmmaker Niels Arden Oplev. David Fincher is helming the US version, and he’s partnered with Social Network composer Trent Reznor and Karen O (Where The Wild Things Are). In the same vein as The Social Network trailer (for that Fincher collaborated with the Scala and Kolacny Brothers to cover Radiohead’s “Creep”), Reznor and Karen O were commissioned to create an eerie reimagining of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” for the Dragon Tattoo trailer. Though there is no dialogue, the mysterious landscape is set for this three part tale of intrigue. Rooney Mara (The Social Network) stars as Lisbeth Salander alongside Daniel Craig, Robin Wright, and Stellan Skarsgård.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo releases wide December 21, 2011.

Playing For Change is back

Music, Video, , , ,

By filming and recording dozens of musicians from around the world, filmmaker, producer and PFC founder, Mark Johnson captures stunning musical collaborations that seamlessly blend diverse styles of music into powerful performances, expanding on the journey that made Playing For Change one of 2009’s most unusual cultural phenomenons.

And that it was. The culturally-infused rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” still remains one of my favorites music videos of all time. And this version of “Gimme Shelter” is next in line. As you may already know, “Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music.” Support the cause and purchase the brand new PFC collection. Playing For Change 2: Songs Around the World contains 10 tracks consisting of covers and original songs plus 10 music videos. And if you still haven’t introduced yourself to this phenomenal worldly mix, make sure to check out the original collection too.

[Via Playing For Change]

Music video: Kid Cudi – “Marijuana”

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This latest video from the lonely stoner is a cut off his sophomore record Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. “Marijuana” was directed, shot and edited by Transformers star Shia LaBeouf and produced by Lorenzo Eduardo. Tour Amsterdam with Cudi and his crew in the video floating above. And remember kids, despite how cool Cudder makes it all look, smoking is bad for you.

Update: Cudi updated his fans concerning the “MANIAC” short film. On his Tumblr he shared, “MANIAC is a short film inspired by the song. It is not a music video and it has no reference to the song content. It will be scored by Dot and I as a film with all new music. Directed By Shia LaBeouf for Grassy Slope and Ragin4Dayz Productions.” A short teaser is embedded after the break; expect the short to hit the ‘Net this Halloween. Continue reading Music video: Kid Cudi — “Marijuana” →

Doc Brown explains the Zelda timeline in mind-bending fashion

Hilarity, Video, , , , , ,

Have you ever tried to piece together every legend of Zelda? Link has been on so many quests spanning the original Legend of Zelda (1986) to the upcoming Skyward Sword (due out later this year). Doc Brown, time travel extraordinaire, is here to help us make sense of it all in this fan-made short film. 4th dimensional thinking required.

*Note: You might want to skip to about a minute in because that’s where the mind-bending fun begins. Also worthy of note, how amazing is Link’s Marty McFly impression!?

[Via Kotaku]

Trailer: 50/50

Movies, Video,

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in the upcoming film 50/50, an original story inspired by personal experiences. It’s a story about friendship, love, survival and finding humor in unlikely places when Gordon-Levitt’s character gets diagnosed with cancer. Says the synopsis, “50/50 draws its emotional core from Will Reiser’s own experience with cancer and reminds us that friendship and love, no matter what bizarre turns they take, are the greatest healers.” Reiser penned the script, and co-star Seth Rogen explains the inspiration behind the movie:

“As shocking, sad, confusing and generally screwed up as it was; we couldn’t ignore that because we were so ill-equipped to deal with the situation, funny things kept happening. Will got better, and when he did, we thought the best way to pull something good out of the situation was to get him to write a screenplay. Ideally we wanted to make a film that would be as funny, sad, and hopefully as honest as the experience we went through. As soon as the script was completed, it quickly became a passion project for all of us. It helped us come to terms with Will’s struggle as well as our own experiences.”

50/50 comes to theatres September 30, 2011.

Google is ready to infiltrate your wallet

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This week Google announced their newest vision of the future. “Make your phone your wallet.” On the surface, it’s that simple really. Google wants to improve the overall shopping experience and make transactions more streamlined for consumers and businesses alike. In essence, consumers will be able to run the Google Wallet app on their smartphone and use it to store credit card information on the device. Built-in NFC (near-field communication) technology, people will simply tap their phones on compatible readers at retailers and in seconds a transaction can take place. No fiddling for cash or plastic cards. In addition, Wallet will be integrated with Google Offers. If you sign up for Offers today (a Google service that is currently in beta), you will receive a new offer–deals on products and services at local or online businesses–in your inbox. Offers can also be manually searched for and saved in your Google Account. Accumulated offers are automatically synced with Google Wallet; so if you have an offer at Subway to save money on a sandwich, during your checkout the offer will instantly be applied during the transaction. It’s all seamless. In addition to storing credit cards and offers, Wallet can also save loyalty cards and gift cards that can then be used at matching retailers. Wallet will automatically redeem offers and earn loyalty points for consumers at checkout. Worried about security? Google says that all credit card information is securely stored on devices and Wallet enforces a PIN to be entered upon every transaction. Also, the required NFC antenna in phones is only activated when the screen is powered on so if you’re walking down the street with your phone sleeping in your pocket the secured data cannot be tampered with (and remember, a PIN is required to access the data).

Next let’s talk about partnerships. As you should know, Google is all about open ecosystems so their ultimate goal is to make the Wallet and Offers services ubiquitous in the retail space. But you have to start somewhere, right? The search giant has partnered with Citi Mastercard, First Data, Sprint, and a handful of retailers including Subway, Macy’s, Walgreens, and Toys ‘R Us to begin their field testing in San Fransisco and New York. At first the Google Wallet app will only work on the Nexus S 4G, the NFC-equipped Sprint smartphone. As NFC starts to expand to more devices, Google is open to bringing the app to more devices in the future. They even went on to say they’d be willing to share the app with other OS makers including Apple and RIM. It was specified that phones without the NFC chip can utilize Wallet so long as they have an NFC sticker ’round back. Google plans to release the app into the wild on a broader scale sometime this summer.

Here are a few more details that came out of the announcement. Initially the app will only accept Citi MasterCard or Google Prepaid Card; the latter can be funded from any of your existing plastic credit cards. Google Wallet will immediately be accepted at the hundreds of thousands of PayPass-enabled retailers nationally and globally. All consumers have to do is tap their phone to a PayPass terminal and the transaction will take place, available offers used and loyalty points acquired. For more information, check out the full press release after the break as well as video testimonials from the launch partners.

As is usually the case with Google, this is just the beginning. The company envisions a future where Wallet “will be the one thing that holds everything you need to carry” including boarding passes, tickets, ID, and even keys. It’s a future we’ve all been anticipating. Google’s dreaming big here, and it all starts with forcing commerce to fully trust and embrace the information highway. Unlike Google’s failed social service, Wallet might just be the wave of the future.

[Via Google 1, 2] Continue reading Google is ready to infiltrate your wallet →

Windows Phone Mango update to bring over 500 new features this fall

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Today Microsoft previewed the next major release of Windows Phone. Codenamed Mango, the update will bring more than 500 new features to the growing platform. It aims to make the mobile operating system “smarter and easier” by injecting new life into the communications, apps and Internet experiences. In order, shall we?

Communications: (1) Deeper social network integration: In addition to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds are now integrated into contact cards. (2) Threads: Now you can easily switch between SMS, Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger within the same conversation. In other words, conversations can be had across various messaging platforms. For example, if you begin a conversation with friend at home over Facebook chat you can continue this conversation when you’re on the go via SMS and the back-and-forth banter will be streamlined in the same conversation window. (3) Groups: You can group contacts into personalized Live Tiles to see your friends’ latest status updates from the home screen and quickly send a text, email or IM to a whole group. For example, you can create a “family” group and store your parents and siblings inside a Live Tile. From there you can easily converse with them under one roof or check their social status updates. (4) Linked inbox: Now you can see multiple email accounts in one linked inbox. Also, email now supports threading and calendar Facebook events. (5) Hands-free messaging: Built-in voice-to-text and text-to-voice support enables hands-free texting or chatting. If you’re listening to music and receive a text the phone will read the incoming message aloud to you. Then you can speak a reply and the phone will convert your speech into text and send it off.

Apps: (1) Multitasking: It’s been a long time coming–with Mango you can quickly switch between apps in use and allow apps to run in the background. (2) Improved Live Tiles: Live Tiles pinned to the home screen can hold more information and allow you to get real-time information from apps without having to open them. For example, if there’s an HDTV you’ve been saving up for you pin a Best Buy product page to your home screen and it will live there as a dynamic Live Tile. Instead of just sitting there as a simple bookmark, the Live Tile will animate and inform you when the TV is in stock and how far away it is for pickup. (3) App Connect: Apps can be tied tightly together to search results and Hubs to make for a smarter and more intuitive experience. For example with Bing Vision (more on this below) you can scan a book, see information about it, and with a single tap jump into the Amazon Kindle Store and purchase the book there and start reading.

Internet: (1) Internet Explorer 9: The updated browser supports HTML5 and full hardware acceleration. Unfortunately Flash and Silverlight support still isn’t here yet. (2) Local Scout: This new integrated service provides “hyperlocal search results” and recommends nearby restaurants, shopping and activities in an easy-to-use guide. When you enter Bing search, you can click the new Scout icon, the phone will automatically determine your location, and then it will provide you with information directly related to where you are instantly. Data is separated into the following categories: eat+drink, see+do, shop, favorites, and highlights. (3) Bing Vision: Also in Bing search you will find the icon for Bing Vision, another new integrated experience that allows you to capture a tangible product and get more information about it. It’s like Google Goggles, but it’s limited to barcodes, QR codes, book, DVD, and music covers. What’s neat is that the decoding process is nearly instant. Once you’re inside Bing Vision, the phone’s camera is turned on and all you have to do is point it at a product and results are revealed (pricing, availability, and relevant apps to learn more about the product at hand). (4) Quick Cards: When searching for a product, movie, event or place in the browser, you will see a quick summary of relevant information, including related apps, presented to you. For example, if you search “Pirates of the Caribbean” you will be presented with movie times at local theatres, plot synopsis, a means to purchase tickets, etc.

With Mango Microsoft plans to expand the Windows Phone ecosystem through new partnerships with Acer, Fujitsu, and ZTE and support for additional languages. The following handset manufacturers are confirmed to deploy Mango devices: in addition to the aforementioned new partnerships, Samsung, LG, HTC, and Nokia. That’s right, the first batch of Nokia phones following Microsoft’s strategic alliance with the Finnish company will run the Mango update. Developers will soon be able to get their inventive hands on the free Windows Phone Developer tools featuring Mango (within the next 24 hours, Microsoft promises). And when can consumers expect to see the update hit their Windows Phones? It pains me to say that Microsoft plans to unleash Mango as an over-the-air update this fall. Why the dreadful wait? Beats me. At least fragmentation is being avoided. Microsoft says that all existing Windows Phone 7 devices will receive the update in due time, and all future handsets will come loaded with the latest version on board.

Jump after the break to watch Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore demonstrate a bunch of the new features described here. As exciting and forward-looking as they may be, the wait until autumn is a wrench in the system. By the time Mango is released who knows what kind of magical dust will be spewing from Apple’s latest creation that will be iOS5.

Update: A curious commenter asked about copy and paste functionality. This long-awaited feature was added to Windows Phone 7 back in late March under the update codenamed NoDo. It goes without saying that it will carry over to all devices that receive the Mango upgrade.

[Via Microsoft] Continue reading Windows Phone Mango update to bring over 500 new features this fall →

Teaser: The Muppets

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We knew they were coming… It’s time to meet The Muppets, circa 2011. Jason Segel stars in this modern-day take on Jim Henson’s 1976 creation. Flight of the Concords‘ James Bobin is at the helm and Nicholas Stoller co-wrote the script with Segal. The trailer plays out like a cheesy rom-com with Segal and Amy Adams, but the situation gets turned on its head a little more than halfway through. Enough talk, enjoy!

Disney’s The Muppets lands in theatres November 23, 2011.