Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
More friends are more fun. Gmail welcomes your AIM® friends
What's new on Gmail?
Just launched!
Note: AIM, colored labels, group chat and rich emoticons only work in the latest version of Gmail, currently available for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2. Please upgrade your browser to take advantage of these new features.
More friends are more fun. Gmail welcomes your AIM® friends.
Just launched!
Note: AIM, colored labels, group chat and rich emoticons only work in the latest version of Gmail, currently available for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2. Please upgrade your browser to take advantage of these new features.
More friends are more fun. Gmail welcomes your AIM® friends.
Now you can talk to your AIM® friends using an integrated chat list right inside Gmail. Learn more ».
Friday, November 30, 2007
What's new on Gmail? Group chat
What's new on Gmail?
Just launched!
Chat just got better with group chat and new emoticons
Group chatChat with multiple people without multiple windows. Invite your friends to a group discussion. To start a group chat, click 'Group chat' from the 'Options' menu when chatting.Learn more »
Just launched!
Chat just got better with group chat and new emoticons
Group chatChat with multiple people without multiple windows. Invite your friends to a group discussion. To start a group chat, click 'Group chat' from the 'Options' menu when chatting.Learn more »
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Google Earth now has flight simulator
Google is like the Tesco of the internet; slowly expanding into every market and edging closer to total world domination with every second. Short of all the geeks in the world collectively deciding to go outside and do something constructive (never happen), there is no real way that the God of Search Engines can be stopped - it's reached critical mass now.
Ok, maybe I exaggerate, but it still stands that Google has just expanded once more, devouring yet more of our free time.
In a new update to Google Earth, a free 3D map of the entire planet, several new features have been added. While the Google Sky add-on is nice enough, it's the Google Flight Simulator which is the most interesting addition.
Marco Gallotta first uncovered the hidden feature, which is activated thusly according to Marco himself;
"Once you've started it all up, explored Google Sky a bit, then all you have to do is hit Ctrl+Alt+A (if you're running OS X it's Command+Option+A; some people have reported that Ctrl+A or Ctrl+Windows+A work when the standard Ctrl+Alt+A does not)."
A dialog box will then pop which offers the choice between two planes; an F16 Fighter or a SR22 four-seater. The hidden simulator even comes with full joystick support and a save option which remembers your last position. Eager pilots can choose any runway in any airport to take off from and start smashing their planes into the ground needlessly. That's all flight simulators are good for, right?
So, there you go - Google Earth finally has a use, but what's your favourite game secret ever? Are you a fan of The Dopefish or is The Cafe of Broken Dreams in Fallout 2 more to your tastes? Let us know in the forums.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Look, no hands
This car can drive itself from A to B. It's taking part in the Darpa Grand Challenge, a Pentagon contest for inventors to come up with self-driving vehicles - and the ideas are already starting to be used in today's cars.
On a quiet university campus across the water from San Francisco, an enthusiastic bunch of young computer boffins are working on what could be the car of the future.
No-one at the wheel
The car in action
"Sometimes we talk to it as if it's an unruly child," says co-team leader Ben Upcroft.
Another member of the team jumps out of the front seat, crosses the road and presses a red button on a box in his hand. "The RAV4 is going autonomous," he says into a radio.
The car moves, slowly forward, like a learner terrified of touching the accelerator. The steering wheel is turning. It is driving itself. The speed is frustratingly slow, and from time to time the car veers towards the verge.
But what's impressive is that no-one is sitting inside.
On a quiet university campus across the water from San Francisco, an enthusiastic bunch of young computer boffins are working on what could be the car of the future.
No-one at the wheel
The car in action
"Sometimes we talk to it as if it's an unruly child," says co-team leader Ben Upcroft.
Another member of the team jumps out of the front seat, crosses the road and presses a red button on a box in his hand. "The RAV4 is going autonomous," he says into a radio.
The car moves, slowly forward, like a learner terrified of touching the accelerator. The steering wheel is turning. It is driving itself. The speed is frustratingly slow, and from time to time the car veers towards the verge.
But what's impressive is that no-one is sitting inside.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Technology on Bangalore Street
How our IT ppl using technologies effectivly every where. Here is a sample, techie transfers fund for a penalty from his laptop nearTrinity Circle in Bangalore on last Tuesday.
Friday, July 6, 2007
New Seven Wonders: Voting closes, but will Taj make it to elite list?
WAH TAJ! There was a frenzied last-minute rush by Indians to do their bit to see the Taj through to the list.
WAH TAJ! There was a frenzied last-minute rush by Indians to do their bit to see the Taj through to the list.New Delhi: The Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Rome and Peru's Machu Picchu are leading contenders to be among the new seven wonders of the world while uncertainty loomed over the status of the Taj as a massive poll drew to a close on Friday midnight with votes already cast by
more than 90 million people, organisers say.
The winners of the Internet poll to pick seven 'new' wonders of the world are due to be revealed at Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday, the date aptly being 07.07.07. The official declaration ceremony is scheduled to begin at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon between 0030 and 0100 am (IST) on Sunday and will continue till 0345 hours.
Also in the top 10 are the Acropolis in Greece; Chichen Itza pyramid in Mexico; Eiffel Tower in Paris; Easter Island; Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Taj Mahal in India and Jordan's ancient city of Petra.
In India, there was a frenzied last-minute rush by Indians to do their bit to see the Taj Mahal through to the elite list.
"The voting picked up like anything since Friday morning. In fact, there is such a rush of votes that we are not being able to give the exact figure, as it is changing every moment and we are not in a position now to collate the data through servers as it might create problem for the voters," said R D Bhatnagar, vice-president of I Media Corp, the official partner of the N7W Foundation in India.
The winners of the Internet poll to pick seven 'new' wonders of the world are due to be revealed at Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday, the date aptly being 07.07.07. The official declaration ceremony is scheduled to begin at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon between 0030 and 0100 am (IST) on Sunday and will continue till 0345 hours.
Also in the top 10 are the Acropolis in Greece; Chichen Itza pyramid in Mexico; Eiffel Tower in Paris; Easter Island; Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Taj Mahal in India and Jordan's ancient city of Petra.
In India, there was a frenzied last-minute rush by Indians to do their bit to see the Taj Mahal through to the elite list.
"The voting picked up like anything since Friday morning. In fact, there is such a rush of votes that we are not being able to give the exact figure, as it is changing every moment and we are not in a position now to collate the data through servers as it might create problem for the voters," said R D Bhatnagar, vice-president of I Media Corp, the official partner of the N7W Foundation in India.
Latest New in Google.
New outfit allows agencies to outsource Google and Yahoo local ...DM News, NY - 5 hours agoBy Giselle Abramovich A new local SEM service, gohooLo, has launched to help businesses execute local search ad campaigns on Google and Yahoo. ...
Real EstateBoulder County Business Report, United States - 15 hours agoThe new venture will employ more than 30 workers. It will have estimated revenues of $15 million to $18 million this year. GOOGLE'S NEW DIGS: Google Inc. is ...
CNet News.com Blog
Researcher spots China's new nuclear sub on Google EarthWorld Tribune - 20 hours agoA satellite image of China's new nuclear ballistic missile submarine is available on the Google Earth Internet site. A satellite image of China's new ...China's new missile submarine seen by satellite Reuters IndiaSatellite spots secret sub MSNBCGoogle Earth shows Chinese nuclear sub CNet News.com Blog6abc.com - NEWS.com.auall 17 news articles »
New Ask, Google search platforms are comparedBizReport - 1 Jul 2007However some tech writers say Ask's new portal is better. Google's Universal platform offers results from blogs, product sites and news hubs mixed together ...
Canada.com
New York VC Solicits Unlocked IPhone Blog AdsWired News - 23 hours agoCurrently, Wilson’s blog is the number one result on Google for the term “unlocked iPhone,” so the VC could be in for a windfall of ad dollars if those ...Valley iPhone users praise their new devices despite glitches Arizona Republicall 169 news articles »
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Mexican tycoon is the new richest man in the world
Mexico City: Has Bill Gates been knocked off the world's pinnacle of wealth? A respected journalist who operates a financial-news website in Mexico says it's quite possible.
According to Eduardo Garcia's latest calculations, which first appeared Monday on his Sentido Comun (‘Common Sense’) site, Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim climbed into the No. 1 spot with a fortune of $67.8 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2007.
Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp founder Bill Gates has an estimated wealth of some $59 billion, Garcia said.
Slim controls Mexico's largest fixed-line telephone company, Telefonos de Mexico, or Telmex, and owns other businesses in sectors from construction and music to restaurants and cigarettes. Garcia says Slim's current wealth represents nearly 8 percent of Mexico's total Gross Domestic Product.
In April, Forbes magazine reported that Slim had overtaken U.S. investor Warren Buffett to become the world's second-richest person, with holdings of $53 billion.
But according to Garcia, Slim took over the No. 1 spot as early as late March, with a fortune surpassing Gates' by about $1 billion. Garcia attributed Slim's latest rise to a 26.5 percent second-quarter bump in share prices for America Movil SA, the largest wireless service provider in Latin America, which Slim controls. Garcia's estimate of Gates' latest worth is based on a 5.7 percent rise in Microsoft shares during the same period.
Garcia acknowledged that his second-quarter calculations do not include possible gains in Gates' holdings outside of Microsoft, which according to Forbes represent more than half of the software mogul's fortune. He also noted that he does not take into account Slim's holdings outside of his numerous companies.
''I say that Slim is No. 1 because I have the latest figures of Forbes,'' Garcia said. ''When Forbes revises their numbers, OK, then we'll have to wait and see.''
In a statement Tuesday, Forbes did not comment on Garcia's calculations but said its next valuation of Gates' wealth will appear in September, in the annual Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans. A calculation of Slim's worth will be published next March, the magazine said.
Slim spokesman Arturo Elias Ayub told The Associated Press that Slim does not pay much attention to such lists.
''As he has said many times himself, he is not in any competition,'' Ayub said. ''He is dedicated to working in philanthropy and creating jobs in Latin America ... and the truth is he is not in a race to see who wins first or 10th or 15th place.''
According to Eduardo Garcia's latest calculations, which first appeared Monday on his Sentido Comun (‘Common Sense’) site, Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim climbed into the No. 1 spot with a fortune of $67.8 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2007.
Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp founder Bill Gates has an estimated wealth of some $59 billion, Garcia said.
Slim controls Mexico's largest fixed-line telephone company, Telefonos de Mexico, or Telmex, and owns other businesses in sectors from construction and music to restaurants and cigarettes. Garcia says Slim's current wealth represents nearly 8 percent of Mexico's total Gross Domestic Product.
In April, Forbes magazine reported that Slim had overtaken U.S. investor Warren Buffett to become the world's second-richest person, with holdings of $53 billion.
But according to Garcia, Slim took over the No. 1 spot as early as late March, with a fortune surpassing Gates' by about $1 billion. Garcia attributed Slim's latest rise to a 26.5 percent second-quarter bump in share prices for America Movil SA, the largest wireless service provider in Latin America, which Slim controls. Garcia's estimate of Gates' latest worth is based on a 5.7 percent rise in Microsoft shares during the same period.
Garcia acknowledged that his second-quarter calculations do not include possible gains in Gates' holdings outside of Microsoft, which according to Forbes represent more than half of the software mogul's fortune. He also noted that he does not take into account Slim's holdings outside of his numerous companies.
''I say that Slim is No. 1 because I have the latest figures of Forbes,'' Garcia said. ''When Forbes revises their numbers, OK, then we'll have to wait and see.''
In a statement Tuesday, Forbes did not comment on Garcia's calculations but said its next valuation of Gates' wealth will appear in September, in the annual Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans. A calculation of Slim's worth will be published next March, the magazine said.
Slim spokesman Arturo Elias Ayub told The Associated Press that Slim does not pay much attention to such lists.
''As he has said many times himself, he is not in any competition,'' Ayub said. ''He is dedicated to working in philanthropy and creating jobs in Latin America ... and the truth is he is not in a race to see who wins first or 10th or 15th place.''
Friday, June 1, 2007
Microsoft Surface Computing
Microsoft Surface computing
Published: May 29, 2007 | Updated: May 29, 2007
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The launch of Microsoft Surface marks the beginning of a new technology category and a user-interface revolution. Surface, Microsoft’s first surface computer, provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural hand gestures, touch and physical objects. Surface computing breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology, changing the way people interact with all kinds of everyday information — from photos to maps to menus.
We will offer on this site regularly updated versions of the media kit, which includes press releases, background material and images. Please visit frequently to receive the latest news and information about Microsoft Surface.
Feature Stories
| • | Look What’s Surfacing at Microsoft (May 29, 2007) |
Press Releases
| • | Microsoft Launches New Product Category: Surface Computing Comes to Life in Restaurants, Hotels, Retail Locations and Casino Resorts (May 29, 2007) |
Broadcast Quality Video
| • | PressPass Broadcast Room (registration required) |
Product Information
| • | Microsoft Surface Fact Sheet (.doc file, 36 kb) |
| • | Microsoft Surface FAQ (.doc file, 39 kb) |
| • | Microsoft Surface History (.doc file, 41 kb) |
Executive Biographies
| • | Pete Thompson, General Manager, Microsoft Surface Computing (.doc file, 27 kb) |
| • | Mark Bolger, Director of Marketing, Microsoft Surface Computing (.doc file, 31 kb) |
| • | Jeff Gattis, Director of Product Management, Microsoft Surface Computing (.doc file, 30 kb) |
| • | Nigel Keam, Software Development Lead and Architect, Microsoft Surface Computing (.doc file, 28 kb) |
| • | Lu Silverstein, Product Manager, Microsoft Surface Computing (.doc file, 28 kb) |
Microsoft Surface Photos
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Thursday, May 31, 2007
Sivaji the boss
Sivaji: The Boss (Tamil: சிவாஜி) is a forthcoming magnum opus Tamil language film, directed by noted director, S. Shankar. It stars Rajinikanth, Shriya Saran, Prakash Raj, Vivek and Suman in the lead roles with Nayantara, Manivannan, Raghuvaran and Shankar himself in other pivotal roles
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Google Buys Antivirus, Anti-Spam Company
Google Buys Antivirus, Anti-Spam Company
Is the security software that protects against malware and spyware by quarantining Internet sessions from the rest of the system destined for Google's toolbar?
Google is adding an antivirus and anti-spam solution to its arsenal with the acquisition of GreenBorder Technologies Inc.
Google did not return press inquiries by deadline but GreenBorder, a Mountain View, Calif.-based security company, posted a statement on its Web site, telling users that it has been bought by Google. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"We will continue to support our existing customers through the end of their current subscriptions," the statement added.
GreenBorder, which was founded in 2001, offers consumer and enterprise-level security products, protecting against viruses, spyware, and Trojans. The company's products, though, stand apart from many of its competitors because it does not fend off malware by guarding against new virus signatures or types. Rather, it basically quarantines Internet sessions -- e-mail and Web browsing -- and when the user is done, the software essentially discards everything. The Internet sessions is secluded from previous sessions, as well as from the rest of the system.
A green border is wrapped around the page to let users know that it's working.
There had been some talk online in the past few years of how well the technology would work as part of an Amazon, Yahoo, or Google toolbar.
However, there has been some concern from GreenBorder users in recent weeks.
One user logged onto the GreenBorder user forum on May 16, questioning why products have been unavailable. "I dropped by GreenBorder's site today (I wanted to see if a new version was on offer), and saw the concerning message that products are no longer available for sale or download," he wrote. "No mention of this in our users forum. What's happening??"
GreenBorder provided little information about its sale to Google beyond a few prepared statements. "GreenBorder has stopped offering its products for sale. We're not going out of business, and we'll continue to support our existing customers," the company said.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish-water eco-system on the East Coast of India
Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish-water eco-system on the East Coast of India, 60 kilometres north of Chennai City. The lake has a length of 60 km and a breadth of 0.2 to 17.5 km. It has a high water spread of 460 sq. km and low water spread area of 250 sq. km. Pulicat Lake is a shallow lake with an average depth of one metre, it is connected with an estuary mouth with a width of 200 metres. Pulicat Lake is drained by three larger inflows and many minor inflows. The lake is about a million years old.
The lagoon is an important habitat for 65 different fish species, 30 varieties of terrestrial and aquatic birds and small mammals and reptiles. Flamingoes are the most frequent visitors to the lake, about 15,000 of them visit every year. Pelican, Kingfisher, Heron, Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) and Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) are some of the other birds that show up at Pulicat Lake every year. Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalu) and Whistling Teal (Dendrocygna javonica) live there as well.
Under the fish species you find Milkfish (Chanos chanos), Sea Mullet (Mugil cephalus), Goldspot Mullet (Liza parsia) as well as Indian Catfish (Plotosus canius).
Lake Pulicat has also a rich and divers fauna, 49 species of Phytoplankton, 88 species of Zooplankton as well as 12 different Macro algae are found. The border vegetation consists of different species of Seagrass Halophila sp., Siringodium sp. and Halodule sp..
Pollution from pesticides, sewage, agricultural chemicals and industrial effluents are gradually becoming the major threats.
CReNIEO (Centre for Research on New International Economic Order) is especially committed to the weaker sections of the Indian society (women, children, fishermen and tribal communities) with a focus on natural resource management at Pulicat Lake.
Ten video sharing services compared
The number of video-sharing sites has shot through the roof recently, as dozens of companies try to become the Flickr of the online video world. To this end, many video services have started offering new features like editing and remixability in an attempt to snatch a piece of the ever-expanding online video pie. But for the average user--who just wants to post a video on the 'net and share it with some friends--there are already too many options out there. All one really wants to know is, which site is going to work, with the least amount of hassle?
I took 10 of these sites out for a test drive, and picked some winners. If you want to post, watch, share, or edit video online, this post's for you.
To test each service, I uploaded my demo reel (a 15MB Sorenson 3-encoded Quicktime file) to each site and compared video quality, site interface, community features, and functionality. Where applicable I also tried to embed the resulting video in a Wordpress page. Many of these sites are still in beta, and their functionality could change in the coming months, but if you're looking to post and share video today, this is the current state of things.
Eyespot
Appeal: Easy-to-use video uploading and remixing.
Interface: Bright and colorful. Tagging, forums, groups. Not a lot of community features.
Editing: Trim beginning and end, reorder clips on a timeline, add music and photos.
Sharing: Post to a group, invite a friend to the service (but not directly to your clip).
Verdict: Uploading straightforward and painless. But: 25MB filesize limit too small. Mashup features fall short of Grouper's "groovies," and it's not even in the same ballpark as Jumpcut when it comes to mixing and editing. Not a lot of reason to use Eyespot, in its current incarnation.
Google Video
Appeal: It's Google.
Interface: Typically clean and sparse Google layout. Uploading requires you download the Google Video Uploader. Allows you to add plenty of metadata, including a transcript. You can monetize your content by assigning a sale price to each clip (you can also give users a "day pass," giving them access to the content for a limited time, but not ownership).
Editing: None.
Sharing: See below.
Verdict: Google Video requires a "video verification" process, where your submission is reviewed to ensure it conforms to Google's technical standards and legal policies. This process "may take several days," so check back for an update.
Grouper
Appeal: YouTube with a file-sharing application built on top.
Interface: For full functionality, requires an application download. Windows Media Player-based (converts other formats). Ratings, tagging, groups, RSS feeds.
Editing: Create mashups of your videos and photos, set to music ("groovies").
Sharing: Post direct to myspace, friendster, eBay. Download to hard drive, iPod.
Verdict: "Groovies" are easy to create and could be very popular. But: File-sharing application seems half-baked (and is undifferentiated from existing options). "Groovies" will prove much more popular if they can be built online without having to download the app. E-mail registration system was a pain; had to do it twice to get confirmed. After several hours, my file was still unavailable, as the service was still "upload processing."
Jumpcut
Appeal: Create, edit, and remix video online.
Interface: Slick interface feels more like an application than a web page. Scales all videos to a larger size than other sites, but videos don't autoplay and there is no indication of what portion of the video has already been downloaded.
Editing: Bar-none the best editing options of the bunch. Splice your footage, reorder the shots, add music, photos, transitions, even effects--think iMovie in an online interface. Very, very slick.
Sharing: Email to a friend, embed in a web page (worked flawlessly in Wordpress).
Verdict: Playing with Jumpcut's features, you immediately understand that the future of online video is here. No current competitor can touch it. But: Get too effects crazy and your video slows down. Jumpcut doesn't re-render your files with every remix--which leaves the original video quality intact--but playback of edited files is not perfectly smooth. Don't throw out iMovie just yet.
Ourmedia
Appeal: "The Global Home for Grassroots Media."
Interface: Slow, confusing, and messy. Requires an Internet Archive account, and the integration of the two services is convoluted. Keeps your content in its native format, which is both good and bad--it doesn't recompress your video, but it requires its users to have several different players installed correctly. Creative Commons licenses built-in.
Editing: None.
Sharing: RSS feeds, email to a friend, direct link to files from your own site.
Verdict: Going forward, a good place to upload your media if it is socially-conscious or activist by nature. Also works as an online repository for video/audio storage. But: One of the most difficult sites to upload video to. Current "alpha" version falls far short of potential--wait for the next version.
Revver
Appeal: YouTube with monetization--if people watch your video (and the embedded ad), you get paid 20% of what the advertiser pays Revver. If they click on the Revver link at the end, you split the proceeds 50/50.
Interace: Quicktime-based. Requires you to download a client for uploading content. Tagging, emailing, rating, playlisting.
Editing: None.
Sharing: See below.
Verdict: Offers a unique revenue-sharing model that may appeal to content owners and producers. But: Uploading process is convoluted (the promised drag-and-drop functionality was nowhere to be found). After trying to upload my file using the Revver client twice, my video was still listed as "unavailable." I later received an email from Revver stating that my submission may contain unauthorized material that requires clearances--which is true. Because Revver and Google Video are the only sites in this roundup that let you monetize your content, we'll be back with an update comparing the two.
Videoegg
Appeal: Lets you painlessly upload video of any format to the web and post it to other sites or share it with friends.
Interface: Requires you download an application in order to upload. The download seamlessly embeds in your browser to give you drag-and-drop functionality.
Editing: Basic trimming of beginning and end points.
Sharing: Post direct to eBay, Blogger, and Typepad. Creates a simple URL, lets you email the video, and gives you javascript and html code for embedding in your own pages.
Verdict: Painless experience. If you only need to post and share video with friends, Videoegg just works. Flash 8 video quality is pretty decent. But: Video didn't embed properly in other pages (Wordpress).
Vimeo
Appeal: Flickr for video.
Interface: Nice and clean, uses a flash wrapper to play native formats. No download required, simple and easy uploads. Tagging, commenting, voting. Nice player with a volume control and no burned-in logo.
Editing: None in the current version.
Sharing: Post to Flickr, send to del.icio.us, download originalfile, embed in your MySpace profile or blog, create an RSS feed.
Verdict: Good video quality. Embedding the video in Wordpress worked flawlessly. But: Light on community features, and weekly storage cap of 20 megs is too limiting.
vSocial
Appeal: "The fastest, easiest way to upload, watch and share your favorite video clips."
Interface: All Web 2.0'd-out. Big fonts, AJAX, tagging, rating, reviewing, RSS feeds, creative commons licenses.
Editing: Offers "edit this video" functionality, which I couldn't test (see below). Can also create "Video Rolls," which are customized playlists generated from your selected criteria.
Sharing: Embed in your own page, MySpace, Typepad, Blogger, del.icio.us, Flickr, Blog It! (write a post on your own blog about a video without leaving vSocial).
Verdict: Lots of community features. But: Didn't live up to their "fastest" or "easiest" claim--I never successfully got a video uploaded (tried three times). Quality of existing clips is less than stellar--everything's resized to 320X240. Your mileage may vary, but even with a Quicktime file that uploaded to other sites without a problem, I never got vSocial to work.
YouTube
Appeal: The video-sharing site everyone's already heard of. Mindshare-winner by a mile.
Interface: Tabbed pages feature ratings, favorites, flagging, tagging, and commenting. Create playlists, subscribe to other's uploads, subscribe to tags. The player only features a mute button (rather than level control), and full-screening the video opens a new window and starts playback over.
Editing: None.
Sharing: Embed in other websites, including Friendster, eBay, Blogger, MySpace.
Verdict: Easy to use, no major issues. Decent video quality, audio sounds compressed. Video embedded in Wordpress fine (but was off-center). But: No progress bar for uploading. Fairly lengthy "processing" delay before you (or anyone else) can watch your video.
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
For posting: If you just want to get a video clip online and share it with friends via email or on your own blog, Vimeo wins for its speed, ease-of-use, and simple playback functions. It also lets users download the original file, and features some light community features (note that a new version is launching very soon). One of the few sites I used that I never had a problem with. Alternate choice: Videoegg.
For viewership: If you want to step up to more community features and get widespread viewership of your viral clip, YouTube gets the job done with a lot less hassle than vSocial or Grouper.
For editing: If you want to alter your video online in any way--through editing, remixing, or combining your clips with those from other users--then head on over to Jumpcut and don't look back. Jumpcut really offers the first leap forward in online video sharing, and is worth a look even if you have no use for editing features (its full-fledged community is launching "very soon"). Alternate choice: none, yet, although Motionbox looks to be a potential competitor.
For this roundup, I left out more services than I reviewed. This is because many of them are mere YouTube clones, at least in their current state (e.g., CastPost, ClipShack, Dailymotion). Others, like Dabble and the aforementioned Motionbox, are not yet publicly available. You're welcome to check out a list of 40 video sharing sites at eConsultant, all of which I at least glanced at. TechCrunch also has some great coverage of the developing online video scene. Finally, please add your own experiences and comments below, and feel free to disagree with my choices.
I took 10 of these sites out for a test drive, and picked some winners. If you want to post, watch, share, or edit video online, this post's for you.
To test each service, I uploaded my demo reel (a 15MB Sorenson 3-encoded Quicktime file) to each site and compared video quality, site interface, community features, and functionality. Where applicable I also tried to embed the resulting video in a Wordpress page. Many of these sites are still in beta, and their functionality could change in the coming months, but if you're looking to post and share video today, this is the current state of things.
Eyespot
Appeal: Easy-to-use video uploading and remixing.
Interface: Bright and colorful. Tagging, forums, groups. Not a lot of community features.
Editing: Trim beginning and end, reorder clips on a timeline, add music and photos.
Sharing: Post to a group, invite a friend to the service (but not directly to your clip).
Verdict: Uploading straightforward and painless. But: 25MB filesize limit too small. Mashup features fall short of Grouper's "groovies," and it's not even in the same ballpark as Jumpcut when it comes to mixing and editing. Not a lot of reason to use Eyespot, in its current incarnation.
Google Video
Appeal: It's Google.
Interface: Typically clean and sparse Google layout. Uploading requires you download the Google Video Uploader. Allows you to add plenty of metadata, including a transcript. You can monetize your content by assigning a sale price to each clip (you can also give users a "day pass," giving them access to the content for a limited time, but not ownership).
Editing: None.
Sharing: See below.
Verdict: Google Video requires a "video verification" process, where your submission is reviewed to ensure it conforms to Google's technical standards and legal policies. This process "may take several days," so check back for an update.
Grouper
Appeal: YouTube with a file-sharing application built on top.
Interface: For full functionality, requires an application download. Windows Media Player-based (converts other formats). Ratings, tagging, groups, RSS feeds.
Editing: Create mashups of your videos and photos, set to music ("groovies").
Sharing: Post direct to myspace, friendster, eBay. Download to hard drive, iPod.
Verdict: "Groovies" are easy to create and could be very popular. But: File-sharing application seems half-baked (and is undifferentiated from existing options). "Groovies" will prove much more popular if they can be built online without having to download the app. E-mail registration system was a pain; had to do it twice to get confirmed. After several hours, my file was still unavailable, as the service was still "upload processing."
Jumpcut
Appeal: Create, edit, and remix video online.
Interface: Slick interface feels more like an application than a web page. Scales all videos to a larger size than other sites, but videos don't autoplay and there is no indication of what portion of the video has already been downloaded.
Editing: Bar-none the best editing options of the bunch. Splice your footage, reorder the shots, add music, photos, transitions, even effects--think iMovie in an online interface. Very, very slick.
Sharing: Email to a friend, embed in a web page (worked flawlessly in Wordpress).
Verdict: Playing with Jumpcut's features, you immediately understand that the future of online video is here. No current competitor can touch it. But: Get too effects crazy and your video slows down. Jumpcut doesn't re-render your files with every remix--which leaves the original video quality intact--but playback of edited files is not perfectly smooth. Don't throw out iMovie just yet.
Ourmedia
Appeal: "The Global Home for Grassroots Media."
Interface: Slow, confusing, and messy. Requires an Internet Archive account, and the integration of the two services is convoluted. Keeps your content in its native format, which is both good and bad--it doesn't recompress your video, but it requires its users to have several different players installed correctly. Creative Commons licenses built-in.
Editing: None.
Sharing: RSS feeds, email to a friend, direct link to files from your own site.
Verdict: Going forward, a good place to upload your media if it is socially-conscious or activist by nature. Also works as an online repository for video/audio storage. But: One of the most difficult sites to upload video to. Current "alpha" version falls far short of potential--wait for the next version.
Revver
Appeal: YouTube with monetization--if people watch your video (and the embedded ad), you get paid 20% of what the advertiser pays Revver. If they click on the Revver link at the end, you split the proceeds 50/50.
Interace: Quicktime-based. Requires you to download a client for uploading content. Tagging, emailing, rating, playlisting.
Editing: None.
Sharing: See below.
Verdict: Offers a unique revenue-sharing model that may appeal to content owners and producers. But: Uploading process is convoluted (the promised drag-and-drop functionality was nowhere to be found). After trying to upload my file using the Revver client twice, my video was still listed as "unavailable." I later received an email from Revver stating that my submission may contain unauthorized material that requires clearances--which is true. Because Revver and Google Video are the only sites in this roundup that let you monetize your content, we'll be back with an update comparing the two.
Videoegg
Appeal: Lets you painlessly upload video of any format to the web and post it to other sites or share it with friends.
Interface: Requires you download an application in order to upload. The download seamlessly embeds in your browser to give you drag-and-drop functionality.
Editing: Basic trimming of beginning and end points.
Sharing: Post direct to eBay, Blogger, and Typepad. Creates a simple URL, lets you email the video, and gives you javascript and html code for embedding in your own pages.
Verdict: Painless experience. If you only need to post and share video with friends, Videoegg just works. Flash 8 video quality is pretty decent. But: Video didn't embed properly in other pages (Wordpress).
Vimeo
Appeal: Flickr for video.
Interface: Nice and clean, uses a flash wrapper to play native formats. No download required, simple and easy uploads. Tagging, commenting, voting. Nice player with a volume control and no burned-in logo.
Editing: None in the current version.
Sharing: Post to Flickr, send to del.icio.us, download originalfile, embed in your MySpace profile or blog, create an RSS feed.
Verdict: Good video quality. Embedding the video in Wordpress worked flawlessly. But: Light on community features, and weekly storage cap of 20 megs is too limiting.
vSocial
Appeal: "The fastest, easiest way to upload, watch and share your favorite video clips."
Interface: All Web 2.0'd-out. Big fonts, AJAX, tagging, rating, reviewing, RSS feeds, creative commons licenses.
Editing: Offers "edit this video" functionality, which I couldn't test (see below). Can also create "Video Rolls," which are customized playlists generated from your selected criteria.
Sharing: Embed in your own page, MySpace, Typepad, Blogger, del.icio.us, Flickr, Blog It! (write a post on your own blog about a video without leaving vSocial).
Verdict: Lots of community features. But: Didn't live up to their "fastest" or "easiest" claim--I never successfully got a video uploaded (tried three times). Quality of existing clips is less than stellar--everything's resized to 320X240. Your mileage may vary, but even with a Quicktime file that uploaded to other sites without a problem, I never got vSocial to work.
YouTube
Appeal: The video-sharing site everyone's already heard of. Mindshare-winner by a mile.
Interface: Tabbed pages feature ratings, favorites, flagging, tagging, and commenting. Create playlists, subscribe to other's uploads, subscribe to tags. The player only features a mute button (rather than level control), and full-screening the video opens a new window and starts playback over.
Editing: None.
Sharing: Embed in other websites, including Friendster, eBay, Blogger, MySpace.
Verdict: Easy to use, no major issues. Decent video quality, audio sounds compressed. Video embedded in Wordpress fine (but was off-center). But: No progress bar for uploading. Fairly lengthy "processing" delay before you (or anyone else) can watch your video.
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
For posting: If you just want to get a video clip online and share it with friends via email or on your own blog, Vimeo wins for its speed, ease-of-use, and simple playback functions. It also lets users download the original file, and features some light community features (note that a new version is launching very soon). One of the few sites I used that I never had a problem with. Alternate choice: Videoegg.
For viewership: If you want to step up to more community features and get widespread viewership of your viral clip, YouTube gets the job done with a lot less hassle than vSocial or Grouper.
For editing: If you want to alter your video online in any way--through editing, remixing, or combining your clips with those from other users--then head on over to Jumpcut and don't look back. Jumpcut really offers the first leap forward in online video sharing, and is worth a look even if you have no use for editing features (its full-fledged community is launching "very soon"). Alternate choice: none, yet, although Motionbox looks to be a potential competitor.
For this roundup, I left out more services than I reviewed. This is because many of them are mere YouTube clones, at least in their current state (e.g., CastPost, ClipShack, Dailymotion). Others, like Dabble and the aforementioned Motionbox, are not yet publicly available. You're welcome to check out a list of 40 video sharing sites at eConsultant, all of which I at least glanced at. TechCrunch also has some great coverage of the developing online video scene. Finally, please add your own experiences and comments below, and feel free to disagree with my choices.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Read MS Word document using PHP
Hi All,
I need to read a msword document using PHP, if any one has idea how to read the word document with and without formating, let me know.
Thanks,
jp
I need to read a msword document using PHP, if any one has idea how to read the word document with and without formating, let me know.
Thanks,
jp
Now Gmail - Increased attachment limit-- 20 MB!
What's new on Gmail?
Just launched!Increased attachment limit-- 20 MB!
Now you can start sharing more of those home videos, large presentations and files you just can't seem to get smaller. We have doubled the allowable attachment size to 20 MB to make your Gmail space even more useful. Learn More
Gmail Theatre Presents...
Check out the Gmail features you know and love as you have never seen them before. Gmail Theater presents an ensemble cast of engineers in Attack of the Spam, The In-Boxer, The Isle of Lost Emails, and Chat in the name of Love. Watch all the videos on YouTube.
It's a Gmail party and everyone is invited!
You can still invite your friends to enjoy Gmail's spam protection, 2.8 GB free storage and other great features, but now you can also just tell them to visit http://www.gmail.com/ and sign up without an invitation.
Just launched!Increased attachment limit-- 20 MB!
Now you can start sharing more of those home videos, large presentations and files you just can't seem to get smaller. We have doubled the allowable attachment size to 20 MB to make your Gmail space even more useful. Learn More
Gmail Theatre Presents...
Check out the Gmail features you know and love as you have never seen them before. Gmail Theater presents an ensemble cast of engineers in Attack of the Spam, The In-Boxer, The Isle of Lost Emails, and Chat in the name of Love. Watch all the videos on YouTube.
It's a Gmail party and everyone is invited!
You can still invite your friends to enjoy Gmail's spam protection, 2.8 GB free storage and other great features, but now you can also just tell them to visit http://www.gmail.com/ and sign up without an invitation.
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