First Zune Phone Ad Surfaces

Where do crunchgear get this stuff. Here’s a Zune phone ad featuring Steve Ballmer. Can’t see him winning an Oscar, can you?

From the article
We’ve been dragging the ponds and dive bars of greater Seattle looking for more rumors and tips about the forthcoming ZunePhone, but things are quiet. We don’t like quiet. Here, then, is the first commercial for the ZunePhone, probably in response to the iPhone ad we saw at the Oscars.

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The quest for the perfect online ad

The online advertising space continues to change. The only thing that remains constant is that it will continue to grow rapidly. The potential marketplace for online advertising has barely been scratched.

From the article
On the Internet today, everybody knows you're a dog. In fact, legions of Internet companies also know your breed, your gender, your age, the neighborhood you live in, that you like pickup trucks, and that you spent, say, three hours and 43 seconds on a website for pet lovers on a rainy day in January. All that data streams through myriad computer networks, where it's sorted, catalogued, analyzed, and then used to deliver ads aimed squarely at you, potentially anywhere you travel on the Web.

Online advertising, to put it mildly, ain't what it used to be.

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Wordsource: A Social Dictionary

I can’t find myself getting that excited over this one. A dictionary site is just not exciting no matter what “features” it has. It is still just a dictionary site.

From the article
A new online dictionary and thesaurus launches today called WordSource. It’s main benefit over sites like Dictionary.com is the fact that the site is very cleanly designed and contains no advertisements. You can also look up a word by simply adding it to the URL (so word.sc/example will pull up the definition of “example”).

The site also has a number of social features, allowing users to upload photos that are relevant to the word, add tags, rate words, etc. Seems like a bit of overkill to bolt a social network onto an online dictionary, but there you go.

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Facebook Launches Facebook Query Language

A nice development. I wonder if other social networking sites will follow suit? I can see this being quite a popular feature for the developers amongst us.

From the article
FQL is an SQL-style interface to access the data that you can normally access through their API. The advantages over the normal Facebook API include reduced bandwidth and parsing costs, a reduction in the number of requests necessary and a single unified interface for all of your data. There’s a test console here that lets you run queries against your own Facebook account.

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Bye Bye MP3

The law suit victory for Alcatel-Lucent is going to have significant ramifications. It will certainly accelerate the push for a successor to MP3. Could Open Source really be the winner here? It would certainly make sense to go for a royalty free, patent free solution.

From the article
Alcatel-Lucent isn't the only winner in a federal jury's $1.52 billion patent infringement award against Microsoft this week. Other beneficiaries are the many rivals to the MP3 audio-compression format.

Backers of alternative formats have sought for years to replace MP3, which offers relatively lower quality sound than next-generation technologies -- including the nominal successor to MP3 itself, MP3Pro. Apple uses the MPEG industry standard, AAC; Microsoft uses its proprietary Windows Media format; and Sony has developed its own, largely ignored flavor. Open-source, royalty-free options, such as Ogg Vorbis, remain dark horse competitors. But none have displaced MP3, the first and most widely adopted format of all.

Now, with a cloud over the de facto industry standard, companies that rely on MP3 may finally have sufficient motivation to move on. And that raises some tantalizing possibilities, including a real long shot: Open-source, royalty-free formats win.

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The Market Shares of Online Feed Readers

Interesting reading. Personally I’m a huge Google Reader fan and haven’t really given the others a good try. I would be interested to hear what others have to see about the various readers.

From the article
Feedburner, that hosts more than 600,000, is in a good position to offer some statistics about feed readers. The most popular feed readers are web-based, so it's interesting to know how they stand. Feedburner decided to ignore the total number of subscribers, because it's pretty irrelevant, and looked at the number of posts that are actually read and at the number of clicks to the original site.

If you look at the number of clicks, the top 5 web feed readers are (it's interesting to note that Yahoo is the only one that displays only the titles):

1. My Yahoo 54%
2. Google 21% (Reader + Personalized Homepage)
3. Bloglines 11%
4. Netvibes 9%
5. Live.com 3%

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10 New Ways to Make Money Online

For all of you out there looking to make a buck or two this article has some ideas. Off course it only scratchers the surface since there are many more opportunities. The glaring omission is writing for Newsvine. You might not make enough to retire but you should get enough for a coffee or two.

From the article
So you want to ditch your corporate cubicle and join the ranks of web workers? But you have a mortgage, maybe a dependent or two, and a taste for Venti Mochas from Starbucks? You can make money in the new economy, though it might not be as easy or cushy as keeping your old economy job.

I’m not talking about advertising or affiliate marketing or selling your junk on eBay. Those are so last millennium! I’m talking about the new new economy.

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Bill Gates Likes to Lie About Vista

How does the saying go, Lier Lier Pants on Fire. I’m sure some people love Windows Vista but I’m yet to meet someone who does. It’s hardly made a ripple.

From the article
Earlier today, Bill Gates went on the Vista offensive saying that the new OS has been “well received.” That’s funny, I could have sworn earlier in the week, CEO Steve Ballmer was flipping out over piracy and slow Vista sales. Gates says PC manufacturers have embraced Vista and it’s currently helping boost sales for companies. True, but what about regular, off-the-shelf sales? Is Gates nervous about the future of Windows?

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iPod Video: Last Hope for Good Video Player?

There is nothing yet that really comes close to the iPod Video in terms of functionality and ease of use combined. The iPod is here to stay as the number one player for sometime yet. That said it still has plenty of room for improvement and the competition is catching up.

From the article
The Ipod video has dominated the hand held portable video player market for quite some time, I believe this is true mainly due to the fact that they hold all the cards when it comes to accessories, pricing, as well as usability and design is a key factor. Are they really the only nice video players out there though? Lets check.


The Competition

Throughout the times of the Ipod there has always been a suggested “Ipod Killer” Most notably being derived from companies such as Archos, with their Archos 504, as well as Creative, with their Zen Vision: M, and of course the Zune, the latest attempt by Microsoft. When I think of the portable video player market these are really the only ones I see as posing a threat. So I decided to look more into each specific one and to find a potential alternative to the popular video Ipod.

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Google Maps adds subway stops, building outlines to cities

Google maps just keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait until Google maps has the whole world covered. Anyway I like this latest development. Keep up the good work Google.

From the article
Google Maps has made things a little spicier for users who are looking up information on cities like New York, London, and San Francisco: outlines to show the footprints of buildings, and subway stops. Public transportation map mashups have been around for a while--take subway stop site Hopstop, which uses Yahoo Maps, for example--but this is the first time that Google has incorporated that data into its standard map search.

It doesn't look like this has spread to mobile platforms yet: I have Google Maps on my Helio Drift phone (oops, I called it a phone), and it does not have any building outlines or subway stops incorporated.

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Microsoft’s Digg Competitor : MSN Reporter

Everyone wants to be like Digg or try to knock Digg off their perch. I will give Microsoft’s offering a fair go when the release the English version.

From the article
Now that AOL has entered the social news arena with Netscape and Yahoo has incorporated various del.icio.us and Digg influenced services into its social media and search platform, it’s time for Microsoft to also enter the picture.

MSN is testing the MSN Reporter, a Digg style social news site which was developed by a Dutch MSN team in Q4 2006.

MSN Reporter is only available in three markets; Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, while allowing users to share, vote and blog about news stories on Windows Live Spaces.

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Many Web 2.0 Sites Fail to Link to Related Content

I guess it depends on what you are trying to achieve with your site. I think a good blog site should contain links to both relevant info within the site and to other external information. This balance should keep the user happy while achieving a “longer” visit to your site. The user may keep coming back if they know your site has good information but also links to other sites with good information

From the article
For all of their surging traffic, a lot of blogging, social networking, community and other Web 2.0 sites truly fail at keeping people on their site in the most basic way - by pointing people to related content within their walls. I can't understand why they're letting this traffic evaporate. The technology has been around for ages.

Amazon.com was one of the first sites I can remember that would point people toward relevant pages. Smart move. This keeps me shopping and often gets me to add another item or two to my shopping cart. They also point you to their advertisers in a very overt way.

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Joost’s Bandwidth Requirements

Joost rocks but gees it is bandwidth hungry. I’m going to have to upgrade my broadband plan if I’m going to watch Joost for any great lengths.

From the article
We've been asked a lot about how The Venice Project uses bandwidth, following articles at out-law.com and elsewhere based on the documents provided to our beta testers. We thought it was worthwhile explaining a bit more about what we've been doing here and how it compares to other forms of online video-based entertainment.

Full-screen video of any kind inevitably use a lot of bandwidth, and The Venice Project is no exception to this. The software downloads about 320MB per hour (as a maximum) and uploads up to 105 MB per hour. The more popular the content is on our platform, the more sources it can be pulled from and the less redundant data we send; that number can be as low as 220MB per hour of viewing. We've made what we think is a reasonable trade-off between the quality of the picture and the bandwidth usage, but this is full-screen TV-quality video - so there are limits on how low we can keep bandwidth usage while delivering good picture quality.

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YouTube AntiPiracy Policy Likened to 'Mafia Shakedown'

YouTube are on a hiding to nothing over this. I can see plenty more difficulties for them in the future and not just with the big media companies. Wait until the user revolt starts.

From the article
A C|Net article discusses reactions to YouTube's newly proposed antipiracy software policy. The company is now offering assistance for IP holders, allowing them to keep track of their content on the YouTube service ... if they sign up with the company for licensing agreements. A spokesman for Viacom (already in a fight with YouTube to take down numerous video clips) called this policy 'unacceptable', and another industry analyst likened it to a 'mafia shakedown.'

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AOL Now Supports OpenID

It would seem that OpenID is gaining some traction. Once a few more more of the big companies start to adopt it then it will really take off. I like the concept, Im just glad I’m not the one who has to try and implement it.

From the article
"On Sunday John Panzer announced that AOL now has experimental OpenID server support. This means that every AOL user now has an OpenID identifier. OpenID is a decentralized cross-site authentication system which has been growing in popularity over the last few months. AOL is the first large provider to offer OpenID services, and though they do not currently accept logins to their services with OpenID identifiers from elsewhere, they are apparently working on it.”

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Digital Neighbourhood Watch Plan

I think this is quite a good idea. There will need to be a lot of thought put into the implementation of it though and how to prevent the system from being abused. There needs to be a tight control and monitoring mechanism on the content that goes on these sites. Done properly this could really work well.

From the article
A neighbourhood watch for the digital age, utilising the power of social networking, has been proposed. Two lecturers in the US have suggested creating a network of Community Response Grids (CRG) in conjunction with the emergency services.

Citizens could leave text, video and photos on the site of emergencies, natural disasters and terror attacks.

A pilot could start later this year based at the University of Maryland, driven by 40,000 students and staff.

The idea of a nationwide network of 911.gov websites has been proposed by Maryland university lecturers Ben Shneiderman and Jennifer Preece in this month's edition of Science magazine.

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American Dream: Google and the Kid

This is quite a story. Good on him for preserving and thinking outside of the box. This sort of “innovative action” should appeal to the Google execs.

From the article
On February 11th, 2007 I'm getting on a plane to fly to Mountain View, California, headquarters of Google, Inc. Once there, I'm going to try to pitch an idea to them that I think fits right in with the Google spirit and business model; catch is, I don't have an appointment, they don't know I'm coming, and I'm literally going to be showing up at their door and hoping they give me a meeting.

And if they don't give me one? Then I'm going to sit in their lobby like a spoiled child in hopes that they'll change their mind. :) Every once in a while you have to give an idea a shot, or you spend your entire life passing up ideas that seem just beyond your reach.

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Firefox Tops 300 Million Downloads But Loses Market Share

Lot’s of downloads. I wouldn’t read too much into the market share. I’m sure it’s a temporary reversal. Wait until Firefox 3.0 then it’s market share will really take off.

From the article
Mozilla's Firefox Web browser, in all its versions, has been downloaded more than 300 million times since its initial release on Nov. 9, 2004, but last month for the first time in more than year, it lost market share.

In January, Firefox saw its share of the browser market drop to 13.67% from 14% in December, according to Web metrics vendor Net Applications. During this same period, Microsoft Internet Explorer reversed a year of consistent decline, to reach 79.75% market share, a gain of 0.11 percentage points from the previous month.

It's not clear from Net Applications' numbers whether Firefox lost market share to Microsoft or Apple. In January, Apple's Safari browser also gained market share, rising to 4.7% from 4.24% in December. Netscape, Opera, and other browsers all showed declines in January.

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Google Shifting Resources to YouTube Monetization

Very interesting. Must be more complex than they initially thought. I wonder what solution they will implement that will keep everyone (users and big media companies) happy. Watch this space!

From the article
Google is having quite a bit of trouble1 on the business side figuring out how to monetize YouTube and make it legit. Now it appears to be following up on the technology side, sending Shashi Seth, formerly product lead on search, to YouTube. His assignment? Monetization products.

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YouTube Hands Over User’s Info to Fox

Will this result in people thinking twice about posting copyright videos? It may not be Google’s policy to hand over user details in the past but it is clearly YouTubes policy and I guess seems they are owned by Google it’s now Google’s policy.

From the article
Three weeks after receiving a subpoena from the U.S. District Court in Northern California, YouTube has reportedly identified a user accused by 20th Century Fox Television of uploading episodes of the show 24 a week prior to their running on television. That user, named ECOTtotal, is also alleged to have uploaded 12 episodes of The Simpsons, some quite old. Apparently Google and YouTube were willing and able to identify the owner of the username ECOTtotal, acording to a report on InternetNews.com.

Some observers hoped when the subpoenas came to light that Google’s history of resisting US government subpoenas would lead to non-cooperation in this case. The moral high ground is clearly far smaller in this case, though. YouTube has handed over user names before upon request before it was acquired.

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No 'Second Life' for Microsoft's Vista

Yet more difficulties trying to access programs with Vista. This is not the first piece problem of this kind that has come to light with the new operating system. I’m sure it won’t be the last.

From the article
Although Microsoft recently threw a splashy launch party for Windows Vista in Second Life, those running the operating system may have had trouble enjoying the festivities.

According to a recent post on Second Life's official blog, some people running Vista can't reliably connect to the virtual world, where millions of people hang out as avatars, or 3D versions of themselves. Vista launched for consumers January 30 with fanfare that included a virtual concert in Second Life.

Second Life engineers are working to hammer out the technical problems, said publisher Linden Lab. Ensuring that Vista users can access Second Life could prove important to Linden Lab, which makes money selling virtual clothing, real estate and other goods.

"The changes that are currently in the First Look Viewer (a test version of the Second Life viewer) are an important precursor to any reasonable attempt for us to debug problems with running Second Life under Windows Vista," according to the Second Life blog posted February 9.

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How to: Escape Google’s Supplemental Index

Good article with some useful pointers. I wasn’t aware of any “supplemental index” before I read this. I’m going to adopt the recommendations here and hopefully I will see a better page ranking as a result.

From the article
Unfortunately, the Google Sandbox now has two levels. Yes, you still need a lot of trust to get your pages ranking. But before you start worrying about that, you need to worry about getting your pages indexed in the first place.

Because, of course, you’re not really indexed if most of your pages have gone supplemental!

What happened? Well apparently the Google Indexer got tired of her nickname “Loose Louise”, she’s born again and now very choosy thankyouverymuch about who she lets enter. Rumor has it she’s only interested in trusted sites that are after a whitehat, long term commitment.

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Time for a new view on measuring Web traffic

It is definitely time for a change. What is the answer? Measuring a web sites popularity has never been an exact science and figures can always be interpreted or presented in a number of ways.

From the article
At Yahoo's finance site, stock quotes update automatically and continually, the numbers flashing green and red as prices rise and fall. Wall Street investors can easily leave a single Web page up all day.

Ajax -- the software trick used on the page, Yahoo Inc.'s e-mail service and elsewhere -- is enabling flashier, more convenient sites. It's also contributing to Yahoo's decline in page views, a yardstick long used for bragging rights and advertising sales.

"These technologies have outgrown the metrics," said Peter Daboll, Yahoo's chief of insights and former chief executive of comScore Media Metrix.

Experts say the stubborn attachment to page views also may be keeping some sites from improving their usability.

Many Web sites and advertisers, however, continue to value page views, and MySpace officials say their users continue to return frequently even as the site requires full page reloads for just about everything.

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Web 2.0 And Politics: A Good Match?

I think the two can mix. Using the Internet when trying to get elected is essential these days. Done right it can be an effective and powerful tool for getting you message and profile out to millions. I like what Obama is trying to do.

From the article
You need to know how to socialize to be the president of a nation. You should certainly know how to work a room, and if that isn’t in your repertoire of strengths, you’ll need to do a great deal of feigning to pull off a successful meeting with your cabinet, the rest of the staff, and quite a few world leaders; this is especially the case if you’re the President of the United States. The country is in dire straights diplomatically today, and a few more meet-and-greets really wouldn’t hurt right about now.

But face-to-face gatherings alone aren’t going to cut it in the next race for the top job. That’s why Barack Obama, the presidential hopeful from the state of Illinois, announced the start of his own social network. It’s called My.BarackObama.com. It has many of the features you’d expect to see in popular places like Myspace and Facebook, with fundraising and events features that will span the entire grassroots effort behind the Obama campaign. From local “get out the message” stunts to Barack’s own public speaking sessions, you get to stay connected and meet people that share in the interests of Barack Obama’s campaign.

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Slashdot is preparing a Digg-like voting system

I like this move by Slashdot. It involves the user more and they feel as if they are contributing to the site. I can see this being a success and adds to what I think is already a great site.

From the article
Slashdot is working on Firehose, a feature which will enable Slashdot users to vote on stories.

The idea, according to the comments on the related Digg story, seems to be simply to add another dimension to Slashdot, and not to turn it from an editorial site into a Digg clone. This is a good move from Slashdot. By now it’s pretty clear that letting users vote on stories they like and bury the ones don’t like is not reserved only for Digg/Reddit and the clones; it’s a feature which is perfectly usable within any website, and Slashdot is simply one of the first internet giants to incorporate it.

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Pop-up Blocker Problem Found in Firefox

Bugger! Firefox is still the best browser out there though. Not that I have to worry as I’m using Firefox 2.0. Maybe it’s a deliberate ploy to get people to upgrade.

From the article
A flaw in the pop-up blocker of the open-source browser Firefox could allow an attacker to access local files, according to security analysts.

The flaw, however, does not affect Firefox 2.0, the latest version of the browser, but version 1.5.0.9, according to Beyond Security, which credited the find to Michal Zalewski.

The attack could occur if a user manually allows a pop-window to appear. The browser normally blocks access to local files, but when a pop-up is manually allowed, "normal URL permission checks are bypassed," Beyond Security said.
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Top 10 Reasons Why Movie Downloads Suck

I agree with number one in the list. Pricing is an issue. The downloaded version should be cheaper than the physical copy you can buy on DVD. I’m sure once they figure this out and prices drop a bit we will see the popularity of movie downloads take off.

From the article
Movie downloads suck. There are lots of reasons why they haven't caught on yet, and we have the Top 10 of them here. Sure, everyone's talking about movie downloads, but in reality hardly anyone is doing anything about them.

The idea of having a limitless selection of every movie ever filmed is compelling, but it's rife with so many gotchas that the majority of movie fans are staying away in droves. To put it into perspective, Ben Fritz at Variety offers a sobering stat: the total number of movies sold as downloads is less than the first day's sales of the DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. That really does suck, doesn't it?

Here are the Top 10 reasons why the idea of digital downloads of movies hasn't gained much traction yet:
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Microsoft Offers To Share Ad Revenue

I like it. I think developers should be rewarded for their efforts. How about the ad revenue sharing in addition to the small free or royalty that developers already get? Offer more cash and you will see some serious developing going on.

From the article
Microsoft on Wednesday launched an ad-revenue sharing program for developers building casual games that can be downloaded or played online through MSN Games.

Under the program, Microsoft will pay as much as 20% of the gross revenue, depending on the kind of game developed. The five most popular titles on MSN Games are expected to generate a total of $250,000 in ad revenue this year, Microsoft said.

Traditionally, casual game developers are paid a set fee for a downloadable title, or a small royalty for game subscriptions. Depending on the popularity of the game, ad-revenue sharing could be more lucrative.

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Look Left, Look Right, Remove iPod When Crossing

Is this guy for real. I had to read this article twice as I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Here’s hoping this bill never sees the light of day. It would sure keep the ticketers busy. I would say a high percentage of people are using some sort of device while crossing the street.

From the article
A New York lawmaker has had enough. In addition to banning use of iPod earphones while crossing the street, his proposed bill would also outlaw the use of cell phones, Blackberries, video games and other electronic devices that can be a dangerous distraction when crossing the street.

Walk, jog or bicycle across a New York street with an iPod plugged in your ears and you could get slapped with a $100 ticket under a new law proposed by a legislator from Brooklyn.
State Sen. Carl Kruger's bill would also outlaw the use of cell phones, Blackberries, video games or other electronic devices when crossing the street.

He cited the death of a 21-year-old man who was listening to music when he stepped off a curb and was hit by a bus in Brooklyn in September, and the death of a 23-year-old iPod listener last month.

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Google to charge businesses for Google Apps

Google is on to a winner here. Google Apps has proved to be hugely successfully now it looks like it will make them some money too. Sure there will be some to abandon it once they have to start paying but I think most will stay. The Google money machine rolls on.

From the article
Google plans to start charging soon for use of its set of web applications, Google Apps for Your Domain. The set of apps includes Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Page Creator, a start page, and will eventually add in the word processing and spreadsheet apps from Google Docs. According to an article in BusinessWeek, the company has been deluged with requests from businesses to use these services, and not just small companies, either.

The original goal of Google Apps for Your Domain was to present simpler service options for small companies that don't necessarily have the time or resources to pour into setting up more robust enterprise apps, such as a Microsoft Exchange server or Lotus Notes. The package allowed for server administrators to completely customize them under the company's own branding, making Google Apps look more like the company's own start page and e-mail. "Organizations can let Google be the experts in delivering high quality email, messaging, and other web-based services while they focus on the needs of their users and their day-to-day business," said Google VP Dave Girouard when the service package launched last August.

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Joost for Mac, Alpha today, Beta next week

Great news. Joost rocks and being able to get it on your Mac is a must. I’m sure there will be many people clamouring to get access to it.

From the article
All right Macheads, we got some seriously good news for you. Starting today at 8 PM GMT, which is about 12 noon in Silicon Valley, Joost is going to open its website to 100 NewTeeVee readers who have an Intel powered Mac and let them have an alpha version of Joost for Mac. You need to be registered on their website to get access to the alpha software.

Once you have tested and given your feedback, the company is going to release the beta product for rest of Mac users. Just to point out, I am personally in the queue as well, so I am right there with you in the line, waiting for my alpha software as well.

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Sports + TVGuide + Digg = RUWT?

Interesting concept and another way to involve the community. I like the concept and I'm sure it will do well. Haven't heard of anyone else doing something similar to this.

From the article
“Are You Watching This” (RUWT?) is a new sports fan site you can use to follow the most popular sports games on TV based on votes from the community and the real-time score of the game. It’s meant keep people from missing the really spectacular sports games as they develop. The main page consists of a TV schedule listing all the sports events across the different TV networks that you use to vote on upcoming games. The default feed is based on east coast time, but you can customize by postal code and cable provider within the US and Canada. Each game in the TV schedule tells you where and when it will be aired, a written preview of the match, lets you vote, and lets you “shout” your opinion to a comment thread. The site also tracks news, standings, and teams across 15 sports.

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Unreal 3 Engine to Skip the Wii

Fair enough. I agree with his comments regarding high-definition gaming. That's where the future is. Sure the Wii has captured peoples imagination because it's "different" but the fact is the graphics are not that flash.

From the article
Mark Rein, speaking with CVG, has stated that Epic's next-gen Unreal engine will never make it to the Wii. Touting the virtues of high-definition gaming, the 360, and the PS3, Rein said that their engine is simply not designed for Nintendo's hardware. He also quickly mentioned the upcoming deal between Epic and Square Enix:

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MySpace Worm Creator Sentenced

Let this be a lesson to everyone thinking of doing something similar. No matter how “innocent” you proclaim your actions to be you will get punished. I’m not sure how you can ban someone from the Internet though. If need be can’t they just go to an Internet café?

From the article
Remember Samy? The creator of the infamous worm was unfortunate enough to be the the target in MySpace's latest litigation. As was said in the earlier story, the script was "written for fun" and caused no damage. The source and technical explanation for the "attack" was not even released until after MySpace had patched the vulnerability. Apparently this was enough to get the 20 year old (19 at the time of writing the worm) three years of probation, three months of community service, pay restitution to MySpace and is also banned from the Internet.

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10 minimalistic blogs worth checking out

I like the minimalist approach. Some sites become so cluttered with “stuff” that it becomes difficult if not impossible to navigate and find what you are looking for. Minimal for blogs is perfect.

From the article
It’s slow news day, and it’s time for my usual slightly off-topic piece. I love minimal design. Every time I look at my own page it seems too cluttered for my own taste. The thing is, I’ve never really loved reading blogs until the trend of minimal design became predominant (at least when tech-related blogs are concerned). The absence of any superfluous elements enables the reader to completely focus on the content, which is what good blogs should be about anyway.

While we’re on the subject, I’d just like to touch on the theme of reading news in your RSS reader. I don’t do this. It’s boring. I like to look at my favorite sites. I like to interact with the rest of the content on the site, not just a standardized RSS feed. I offer full RSS feeds on this site, and I have nothing against people who never visit the site: it’s about information, anyway. But, sometimes blogs can be designed so well that they simply draw you to read more and more. I think that users who only look at their RSS feed reader are missing out on this.

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Unofficial Wii Commercial

This "unofficial" ad is great. Very funny. There is some very creative people out there.

From the article
This is one of the better commercials I’ve seen for a gaming system and it wasn’t even made by Nintendo, nor is it in any way official. Created at CGI house Super 78 during “down time,” it’s a perfect blend of impressive CG and tongue-in-cheek humor.

If I were Nintendo, I’d get a hold of the creators and put it on TV ASAP. Some might consider it a little unflattering, but it paints the Wii in an active light, which is exactly what’s so captivating about the system.

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iTunes isn't ready for Vista yet

I'm sure Apple still have plenty of time to sort it out. Can't see there being a huge stampede for Vista.

From the article
Apple has some advice for PC-based iTunes customers considering upgrading to Windows Vista: Wait!

In a support document updated Thursday, the company warned those customers that its digital music software has some compatibility issues with Vista, the latest version of Microsoft's flagship operating system. Among the known issues: Songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store may not play; contacts and calendar entries won't sync to customers' iPods; and customers could corrupt their iPod unless they eject it from Windows using iTunes.

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Top Digg User Interviewed About Digg Removing Top Users List

I can't see how this move by Digg will actually solve the "problem" with it at present. I think the problem is more deep than this and I feel some rework is required on the site. This is an extremly important time given the rumoured Digg killer site that Technorati are developing.

From the article
We have all read yesterday's post on TechCrunch about Digg removing list of top diggers. And what I actually wanted to publish here for you was an opinion from those users. And thanks to having Chrisek (Krzysztof Pajak, a financial auditor from Poland and top Digg user #10 currently) on my contacts list I have had a chance to discuss today's Digg news with him in Skype chat.

Svetlana: It's nice to see you online and thank you for agreeing to discuss the Digg news with me.

Chrisek: Hello, nice to talk to you as well.

Svetlana: So I wanted to ask about your opinion on Digg removing its list of top users?

Chrisek: I saw this coming, as did most of us. Just a shame it won't fix the problems Kevin Rose is blaming the top user list of creating… But then again, he did this in September, too. Should not have expected anything different now. It won't eliminate the perception of top diggers manipulating Digg. Why? Two reasons; they have to do with the fact that these diggers can still be solicited. When people can be contacted, there will always be the charges of manipulation.

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Does YouTube have a control problem?

It's a delicate balancing act for YouTube. They need to keep everything sweet with the big companies but at the same time they need to be nice to their user base. Failure to get this right could potentialy spell disaster for YouTube.

From the article
Victor Rook, an independent filmmaker for 24 years, woke up Friday, logged on to YouTube and found out that a major media conglomerate had accused him of copyright violations.

"This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material," YouTube wrote to Rook in an e-mail, which was obtained by CNET News.com. The trailer for his documentary was being pulled down as a result of "Viacom claiming that this material was infringing." Rook said not one frame or one piece of music from his film about a gay professional wrestler belonged to Viacom.

Rook's film clip was apparently removed in YouTube's effort to sweep the site of content owned by Viacom. (YouTube did not return an e-mail requesting more information about about why Rook's clip was taken down.)

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Net Neutrality and BitTorrent - No More Throttling?

Who out there hates to see sites/services throttled back? Oh all of you. Just what I thought. Here’s hoping that we have truly seen the end of throttling off BitTorrent. The Internet should be full speed all the time. Pipe Dream?

From the article
Will ISPs still be able to throttle BitTorrent traffic now that a significant proportion of it is legit? It's a tough question, especially for ISPs like AT&T (which agreed to run a neutral network in order to gain approval for its merger with BellSouth from the FCC). It's not just a problem for AT&T, though: 'ISPs that have made no such agreements may not need to worry about BitTorrent taking over their networks, but they do need to wrestle with the issue of how to handle it now that so many legal uses of the protocol are available.

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Can Technorati Challenge Digg with New Site?

This site sounds very promising. A number of sites have tried to compete with Digg but as yet no one has succeeded. If Technorati are behind this effort then it’s probably the best placed site to really challenge Digg. We wait with baited breath.

From the article
Steve Rubel managed to capture a screenshot of a new site called WTF (Where’s the Fire), before it was taken down. It appears to be the work of Technorati, the well known and trusted blog search engine.

Boy, I’m excited to see this move by them. Digg has become a very closed community, and it’s virtually impossible to have your site featured, if the top users decide they just don’t like you. Combine that with a very tech-focused audience, and Digg becomes less compelling as a resource for readers or those being featured.

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Microsoft Zune Phone In the Works

If this rumour is true then it hasn’t taken Microsoft long to get this organised. Off course if they make as bad a job of the phone as they have done of the original Zune then no body will buy it except for Gates himself.

From the article
We’ve just received a sound tip that Microsoft is working on its very own phone to be branded under the Zune moniker. Our tipsters inform us that Microsoft execs are in meetings today hammering out details of the device and developing strategies and timescales for its release.

Seeing as that the development has hardly started, little is known yet about the Zune Phone, but there are some details that seem solid thus far.

This is what we know:

It will be a smartphone that works homogeneously with the Zune marketplace. It will most likely not, however, run Windows Mobile. Rather it’ll make use of an interface similar to the current Zune, an interface that I consider among the best available on audio players—I’m sure it can transition to a phone easily.

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Market of Video Ringtones is Emerging

What a cool idea. I’m just imaging the sorts of clips I could have play on some of my friends phones. Shame that both parties need the specific software.

From the article
Video content is expanding vigorously - it can be found both on hard drives of our computers and on video sharing websites online. Evidently, the next stage for it should be going mobile. Only recently we mentioned Mobrl - mobile video website for users to share videos via their cell phones without their PCs.

Vringo - the new service among those officially launched at Demo 2007 offers a new way to enhance your mobile experience. The idea is rather simple: as Vringo user you choose what video clip will play on your buddy's phone when you call him or her. So with Vringo and your own imagination you will know how to amuse your friends.

So how does it actually work? Well, first of all we need to clarify one thing: you will need to have your friends among Vringo users - being their alone does not make any sense at all. Besides, it is necessary to have Vringo software installed on your phone.

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Google's Popularity Increases

Google goes from strength to strength while the competition struggles. Could it be that Google just offer better services that are simpler to use and just plain better. I think so.

From the article
While last year people complained that Google lacks stickiness or Yahoo has more popular services, a lot of recent reports from companies that measure Internet audiences show that Google gains more users than ever, and not only for web search.

Comscore reports that Google is the number two site worldwide in 2006, but grew 9 percent, unlike Microsoft and Yahoo, that only grew 5 percent in 2006 and occupy the first and the third position.

"Google's popularity has been driven in part by its international appeal as well as the rapid uptake of some of Google's applications beyond traditional Web search," said Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe. "Examples include the 40-percent year-over-year growth in visitors to Google Image Search, the 71-percent growth in visitors to Gmail, and the 62-percent growth in visitors to Google Maps."

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