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- Make retro movies on 35mm film with the LomoKino toy video cam (Yahoo! News)
- Retail Startup Unites Tumblr, Content and Emerging Design (Mashable)
- T-Mobile surprises subscribers after testing 'Presidential Alert' system early (Digital Trends)
- GameStop, Acer Android tablets get prepped for holiday shopping (Appolicious)
- Social media aggregation comes to Occupy Wall Street (Digital Trends)
- Nook Tablet Rumors Do Little to Address Content Issue (ContributorNetwork)
- United and Continental plan to roll out in-flight Wi-Fi during 2012 (Digital Trends)
- HBO GO released for Roku, limited to specific providers (Digital Trends)
- Opinion: Ultrabook first impressions: Thin is in, and finally practical (Digital Trends)
| Make retro movies on 35mm film with the LomoKino toy video cam (Yahoo! News) Posted: 04 Nov 2011 06:57 PM PDT |
| Retail Startup Unites Tumblr, Content and Emerging Design (Mashable) Posted: 04 Nov 2011 04:59 PM PDT The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. [More from Mashable: 3 Ways Content and Commerce Are Colliding In Online Retail]
Name: Of a Kind [More from Mashable: Typography Inspiration: 10 Terrific Tumblr Blogs] Quick Pitch: Retail startup sells limited-edition clothing and accessories exclusively on Tumblr. Genius Idea: Of a Kind, the first store to be built on blogging platform Tumblr, is celebrating its one-year anniversary later this month. The startup has amassed a loyal following among consumers looking to acquire design goods outside of the mass market. Each week, founders Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo unveil two items they've commissioned from two emerging designers, such as the Clove Scarf by Louisa Parris ($195, above). Items tend to be priced between $60 and $175, and come in runs of 20 to 35 on average. Content plays a big part in Of a Kind's sales strategy. Mazur and Cerulo dish up a lot of information about the designers whose goods they sell on their site, taking readers behind the scenes of the creative process in one post, and examining their favorite eateries or movies in another. "Consumers really connect with the storytelling aspect," Cerulo contends. But Mazur and Cerulo attribute a greater share of their success to the Tumblr community, some 35,000 users of which now follow Of a Kind on Tumblr. The community has been a great fit for Of a Kind because it's populated by early adopters -- people who are the first to acquire new gadgets, or the first to know the next big band or chef, says Mazur. These people also want to be first in discovering great design. Tumblr's built-in subscription options have also helped Of a Kind develop a steady customer base. Twenty-five percent of all sales have come from repeat customers, according to Mazur. Not that Tumblr hasn't had its drawbacks. When the platform was experiencing frequent outages earlier this year, Of a Kind went down with it, and so they were forced to build a backup system that keeps the site up when Tumblr goes down. Site design in general has been a challenge within the limitations of Tumblr's platform -- something that has again become apparent as the company prepares to launch a redesign in the next couple of weeks, says Mazur. Soon, designers featured on the site will be able to make pieces from their regular collections available for purchase, giving both parties greater opportunities for revenue.
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. This story originally published on Mashable here. |
| T-Mobile surprises subscribers after testing 'Presidential Alert' system early (Digital Trends) Posted: 05 Nov 2011 02:13 PM PDT
Occurring on early Friday, a handful of T-Mobile customers were treated to a test of the Personal Localized Alert Network (PLAN) that occurred before any scheduled public test. Originally reported by Lance Ulanoff over at Mashable, the test involved a startling noise that played on his HTC Radar 4G that was similar to the alert siren heard when the Emergency Broadcast System is tested on a television, likely taking T-Mobile customers by surprise. Upon checking the screen of the HTC Radar 4G, Ulanoff discovered the words "Presidential Alert" as well as "Test" sent in the format of a text message. T-Mobile issued a statement on late Friday that apologized for the mistake and mentioned that the test was supposed to be distributed to a small group of beta testers. While all phones aren't going to work with PLAN due to the lack of the circuitry required to function, the FCC hopes that cell phone manufacturers will use compatibility as a selling feature when debuting new models of phones. The government doesn't expect the alerts to become frequent, although living in a major city will likely increase the probability of receiving Amber Alert texts from local authorities. This article was originally posted on Digital Trends More from Digital Trends FCC to debut emergency alert system for cell phones New document reveals which carriers are collecting the most data and for how long |
| GameStop, Acer Android tablets get prepped for holiday shopping (Appolicious) Posted: 05 Nov 2011 08:00 AM PDT |
| Social media aggregation comes to Occupy Wall Street (Digital Trends) Posted: 05 Nov 2011 01:41 PM PDT
Since the launch of the leaderless Occupy Wall Street movement approximately seven weeks ago, tracking ongoing events in New York City has been difficult due to the limited media coverage as well as the massive size of the protest. The events on Wall Street have also spawned additional protests in several major U.S. cities including Denver, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis and San Diego. Keeping tabs on the latest development has now become simpler with the launch of Occupationalist, a social media aggregator that combines constantly updated content from Tumblr, Twitter, Google Video, Meetup.com and Foursquare into a single page. The site was constructed by members of a program called Boulder Digital Works which appears to be affiliated with the University of Colorado. The accelerated program involves graduate studies around entrepreneurship, Web technology and creative skills in relation to media and business design. The 60-week program offers courses in interactive design on platforms like tablets and smartphones and the cost of the entire program is $25,000 for tuition. This article was originally posted on Digital Trends More from Digital Trends Coming soon: Update Twitter from your Facebook Pixable adds Twitter, videos to its photo-curator application Twitter introduces image galleries, slights outside developers |
| Nook Tablet Rumors Do Little to Address Content Issue (ContributorNetwork) Posted: 05 Nov 2011 07:50 AM PDT Contribute content like this. Start here. COMMENTARY | The Nook Color is probably one of the best selling Android powered tablets, but the tablet has several limitations when it comes to multimedia. With the release of the Kindle Fire rapidly approaching, Barnes & Noble is going to have to do something drastic to keep their product relevant. Not just relevant through the holiday selling season, but relative to the point of just existing. Just like every other great coming technological gadget, there is of course no shortage of rumors that a Nook Tablet is coming soon. Leaks always seem to happen, but eventually everybody should wonder if the leaks are designed to increase buzz about a movie or product. Still, Barnes & Noble needs to make a change, and if the specifications turn out to be correct on the Nook Tablet, it could be well worth the $250 investment. If the rumors are true, the Barnes & Noble offering will be a little more expensive than the Kindle Fire for a little more performance. While Apple and the iPad series remain the kings of the tablet PC realm, the smaller tablets with flexible options could take a bite out of the market. Considering the Kindle Fire is priced at $199, and the Nook Tablet is rumored to be around $250. Of course, that means the successful Nook Color would probably see a cut in price, probably to the sub $200 level. Price means a great deal moving forward, as well as what content the device supports. Of course, everything is based purely on speculation, because no official announcement will come until Monday. Until then Nook fans will have to wait in order to see if a new device is coming their way. Still, the Nook Tablet will have to offer a significant upgrade to the Nook Color for owners to upgrade to a device that essentially does the same thing (while adding Netflix and Hulu support). The whole point of the Kindle Fire is the Amazon digital catalog of movies and television shows. Barnes & Noble seems outmatched in the world of content, and no degree of technical improvement is going to change that. |
| United and Continental plan to roll out in-flight Wi-Fi during 2012 (Digital Trends) Posted: 04 Nov 2011 09:19 PM PDT
Announced out of Chicago earlier today, United Continental Holdings announced a partnership with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring in-flight Wi-Fi access to passengers of over 300 United and Continental flights starting around the middle of 2012. The satellite-based Wi-Fi technology will eventually cover the entire fleet of planes by the end of 2015. According to officials at the company, Panasonic's Ku-band satellite technology offers faster speeds than air-to-ground connectivity which is the technology used by Gogo Inflight Internet service. Some of the companies that use Gogo's service include U.S. Airways, American Airlines, Delta, AirTran and Virgin America. United Continental Holdings didn't indicate any pricing model for the Wi-Fi service as of yet. Costs for Wi-Fi service on flights typically range from about $10 to $50 for laptop access and between $5 to $20 for access on a mobile device like a smartphone. JetBlue is one of the few airlines that offers free Wi-Fi access, however users are limited to instant messaging, email and light Web browsing. Southwest doesn't provide full Internet access on flights, but the Wi-Fi equipped planes allow travelers to connect to a portal that includes games, shopping and a flight status tool. It's surprising that more airlines aren't offering free Wi-Fi service to attract more customers and fill typically empty seats. This article was originally posted on Digital Trends More from Digital Trends Google promotes Web journalists – as long as they have Google+ profiles Comcast continues losing cable subscribers to cord-cutting New releases from Yahoo, including its Flipboard clone Livestand |
| HBO GO released for Roku, limited to specific providers (Digital Trends) Posted: 05 Nov 2011 11:20 AM PDT
Earlier this week, Roku rolled out an update that offered access to the HBO GO application. Assuming that a Roku owner is currently subscribed to an approved provider, users can download the application and watch the latest in HBO original programming. However, HBO doesn't provide any method to subscribe directly to the service due to existing relationships with cable and satellite companies. A Roku owner must be subscribed to HBO through Verizon FiOS, Cox, Charter, ATT U-verse, Dish Network, Massillon Cable/Clear Picture, WOW!, Suddenlink or RCN to gain access to the programming. This method of access goes against how some of the public views the streaming device as a way to ditch expensive cable or satellite service. It's very possible that both Comcast and DirecTV don't view the Roku box as a significant force in the market yet. The company has targeted three million Roku boxes sold by the end of the year, but that number pales in comparison to approximately 57 million Xbox 360 consoles sold. However, only twelve percent of Roku owners actually discontinue cable or satellite service according to an interview with CEO Anthony Wood last year. That leaves about 2.6 million Roku owners that still subscribe to those services each month. This article was originally posted on Digital Trends More from Digital Trends Xbox 360 dashboard update adds 50 new web streaming and cable TV partners Microsoft expected to add greater TV features to Xbox today – but there’s a catch TNT, NBC and TBS bring full-length TV episodes to iPad for free Fox delaying online broadcasts of television shows for 8 days |
| Opinion: Ultrabook first impressions: Thin is in, and finally practical (Digital Trends) Posted: 05 Nov 2011 05:45 AM PDT
I got my first Ultrabook in yesterday – an Asus Zenbook UX21E-DH71 (don't get me started on naming). This is the 11.6-inch Intel Core i7 version, and Asus is putting itself on the map with two screen sizes (adding a 13.3-inch), two processors (the i5 and i7), and two SSD configurations (128GB and 256GB). That boils down to a whopping five model numbers. It sounds complex, but remember the iPod comes in two colors, three memory sizes, and two radio configurations, which should equal 12 configurations… but suddenly my head hurts. The Ultrabook is Intel and Microsoft's answer near term to the iPad, and it is also likely why Steve Jobs wasn't a huge fan of Intel at the end. If you were to think that an Ultrabook is basically a MacBook Air running Windows, you'd be close. The hardware specs and prices are on top of each other, at least for these initial Asus products. The difference is, you get a Thunderbolt port on the Air (which can output to DisplayPort and then converted to HDMI Video) and a mini-HDMI port out of the Asus line, and ironically (given Apple's music focus) the Asus has a better Bang and Olufsen sound system. Of the Ultrabooks I've seen so far, the Asus line looks the closest to the MacBook Air line in terms of lines, but it differs a bit in finishes. In short, this is one of the thinnest and nicest Ultrabooks on the market, including the Air, but with prices ranging from just under $1,000 to $1,500 for the top-of-the-line version, it is also one of the most expensive. Upcoming products from others (which aren't as well turned out) will start closer to $800. Typically, it is easier to price under Apple than on top.
ExperienceI've only had this for a few hours as I write this, but as with all SSD-based products, boot and suspend time on this laptop are fast. The power supply on this product is very small, and weighs in around 6 ounces. But I'd prefer a version that had more battery life and a larger screen, suggesting I'd like the 13.3-inch version of this product a bit better (it has two more hours of better battery life, too). While the i7 in this product is nicer than an i5, given this is a very small product, it is likely more than adequate. Trading off the i7 down to an i5 while shifting to a larger screen with a larger battery drops the estimated price about $100. The advantage to an 11.6-inch product is that it will fit in many purses. Since I'm clearly (as far as I know) not in that demographic, this advantage had my wife drooling over this 11.6-inch product more than I did. Since I regularly travel with laptops, my preference is full-size video ports, because then I can use standard cables to connect to the TVs in hotel rooms. (Though, I must admit, on my last several trips I just watched Netflix off of the screen). The wireless TV options have all, so far, been more trouble to travel with than a cable, so the fact that none of the Ultrabooks has this as an option yet isn't missed. I don't miss the lack of an optical drive anymore either, and have one portable drive for the rare occasion that I have to load something from disk. Most everything is downloadable now. I've also noticed over this last year that even though the notebooks I carry are getting lighter, my backpack isn't. This suggests the laptop isn't my biggest weight problem, it is the tendency to put everything but the kitchen sink in my backpack. Now I'm looking for something smaller that will help me avoid that tendency.
Suggested improvementsI actually love (go figure) this new Ultrabook. But I can see some areas where improvement is needed. I don't like to have to use dongles, and would prefer a full-sized HDMI port. While the power supply is tiny, it doesn't have the same attention to quality as the rest of the product (not an uncommon problem with both Macs and Windows products) and likely could be much thinner and flatter. I'd also like to see about twice the battery life. I would even accept a higher carry weight and a bit more thickness to get it, that way I could leave the power supply in my room or in the office in the first place. Finally, I'd really love to see a screen that worked better outdoors, because a light laptop like this is more likely to go outside with me. The screens on virtually all shipping laptops (outside of those built for the military) wash out in the outdoors. As is, this product represents a strong alternative for those who like the Air but want Windows. With some small tweaks, it could actually be better than the Air, and I'll bet we will see products shortly that are.
Ready for showtimeOther than that, thin is in. I'll report on other products as they come to market. Asus is actually kicking a little butt here. The Zenbooks would form an impressive line from a tier one vendor, so they represent an outstanding line from a tier two.The first generation of Ultrabooks also seems to avoid the growing pains that initially hobbled the Air. When the MacBook Air came out it was a crippled product, using a 1.6GHz processor that immediately throttled down to 800MHz to keep the product from melting or ironing your leg (initial products ran incredibly hot). This current generation (from all vendors including Apple), isn't crippled anymore. That makes them an acceptable alternative to a larger notebook, particularly because they won't burn your legs anymore. And just like that, suddenly I'm an Ultrabook fan. Guest contributor Rob Enderle is the founder and principal analyst for the Enderle Group, and one of the most frequently quoted tech pundits in the world. Opinion pieces denote the opinions of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of Digital Trends. This article was originally posted on Digital Trends More from Digital Trends How Apple turned the fountain of youth into a fountain of cash Hands-on with Intel’s Ultrabooks, a stopgap toward the next generation of laptop |
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