There’s been some discussion lately regarding a lack of originality in the blogosphere and the recurring debate of bloggers are/aren’t journalists. While Mari and I are content to let others hash this out (for now), we’ve been busy removing feeds rather than adding. And we don’t want to get stuck in a rut – not only are we blog readers in search of inspiration, but we also need to stay current for our day jobs. So where are the good technology blogs we might not know about or sites that deserve a second look?
Where to Find FiOS
Wondering if Verizon’s FiOS is available in your area? Look no further than the FiOS wiki. If you click on the states listed you’ll see a detailed accounting of counties or townships where the Verizon service is available. Of course, I live in Upper Merion Pennsylvania and FiOS isn’t actually in my neighborhood, but it … Read more
FCC Fines Companies $6 Million for DTV Violations
A number of companies racked up fines today for violating FCC rules tied to the digital TV transition. According to Jeff Baumgartner, the FCC put out $6 million in fines targeted mainly at retailers who did not correctly label TVs with analog-only tuners. A couple of companies got hit on interstate shipping rules and a … Read more
Roxio Toast Update Process Problematic; TiVo Desktop 2.6.1 Released
The fun continues with Roxio Toast. As many us have experienced, there’s been a persistent OS X TiVoToGo issue related to audio/video synchronization. Well, I finally had a few free minutes to install the update and it didn’t go so well (see above). After deleting portions of the prior Toast application install (v8.0.3), the new … Read more
Blockbuster: Yet Another Set-Top Box?
Because we just don’t have enough set-top boxes to choose from, Blockbuster will be tossing their hat into the ring. According to the Hollywood Reporter: The home video giant is developing a set-top device for streaming films directly to TV sets and is expected to announce the offering sometime this month. The device is believed … Read more
Flickr Video Arrives
Flickr‘s long rumored video feature has arrived. I’ve gathered the details that Webware, Techcrunch and Wired have outlined:
- 90 second clips maximum – nothing longer initially at least.
- 150MB size maximum
- Uploads for Pro users only for the time being at least ($25/year for pro membership)
- Anyone can view the videos although you can still control the privacy of the videos like you do with photos.
- Videos show up alongside photos
- Videos can be shared, embedded individually or as part of sets.
- Video includes tagging, geotagging
- Search videos by tags, and descriptions
- Uploads directly from camera phones.
- Upload from web, uploadr, e-mail or API
- Option to view videos full screen.
- API for third party developers – yeah!
- Licensing options including creative commons.
- Support for English, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese.
- 700 kbps
- 12 FPS, keyframe every 12 (fixed)
- Scaled within a 500×500 box with aspect maintained
- Audio is 44.1 kHz, steroe, 44kbps
- 2pass VBR, 700 kbps
- Photostreams are now coined MediaStreams to better describe the collection of photos and video.
Question of the Day: How to Swipe Flash Video?
Earlier this week, Simon left a comment wondering how he might archive an Amazon Flash video. Like most problems, there are a variety of solutions. And my preferred method for simply grabbing Flash video (versus a Flash animation) found on an Amazon, YouTube, etc is via the free Real Player. While there’s a Mac OS … Read more
CTIA Goodies
In my old age, I’ve become much more selective in the conference schwag I choose to fly home with… At the Sprint press event featuring Samsung, I performed a Rock Band guitar duet with NPD analyst Ross Rubin and all attendees left with a stereo Bluetooth headset (MSRP $80). I’m not sure how MagicJack makes … Read more