Cloudtrade: Mobile content sharing
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
CloudTrade is a new mobile media sharing platform that’s offering 1GB of storage for free. You can share music and video with your friends and upload all your stuff over mobile. The above video shows how it works, but in a way that makes us ant to cry. Since when do girlfriends laugh at you for doing pilates?
It’s mostly mobile web based and has a weird advertising model that makes you do a puzzle to download the media. Kind of ingenious.
Via Mobilecrunch
Nextar I4-BC, a GPS and Reversing Camera System Combo [GPS]
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Nextar’s I4-BC device wraps up a widescreen GPS system and one of those neat reversing cameras in one gizmo. Great: more family rows averted, with no getting lost en route and no backing into the gatepost as you leave. You hook up the camera on your automobile, and when you begin backing up its display auto-switches from navigation to the rear view, with a range up to 13 feet. Its got all the standard GPS functions, a 4.3-inch widescreen, text-to-speech for street name instructions and an SD card for MP3 playing. Of course, systems like this are built-in to some cars, but this isn’t a bad little combo for your older automobile. Costs $499.95. [Red Ferret]
HP offers unlimited on the web storage with ‘Upline’
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
And Hewlett Packard, ladies and gentlemen, becomes the first company to offer unlimited on the internet stor — oh, really? Okay. And Hewlett Packard joins a long line of competitors offering unlimited on the web storage with its new Upline service. It costs $5 per month for one user, $7 per month for a family of three, or $9 […]
And Hewlett Packard, ladies and gentlemen, becomes the first company to offer unlimited online stor — oh, really? Okay.
And Hewlett Packard joins a long line of competitors offering unlimited on the web storage with its new Upline service. It costs $5 per month for one user, $7 per month for a family of three, or $9 per month for three business licenses (expandable to 100).
It only works on Personal computers and doesn’t handle file versioning, virtual drive or right-click integration, and it won’t back up any files that are open. It does offer password-protected file sharing, automatic watch folder/file-type backup each 15 minutes, and access to your files wherever you have an internet connection.
I don’t really see this taking off any more than every other online backup service out there. For my money, I like Amazon’s S3 service and Jungle Disk. It basically sees your Amazon S3 bucket as a drive on your personal, making it really easy to just drag files to it or save things directly to it.
Plus, you only pay for what you use. It’s a little tedious to set up, so these offerings like HP’s Upline service do have their place for less-savvy users who need automatic file backup and are diligent enough to keep everything in the correct watch-folders.
via TechCrunch
Company Dares Giz to Try Beamz Laser System Risking Editor’s Life, Soul [W
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Today I was extremely harsh with the Beamz Laser Music system. So acid, it seems, that the public relations company that represents the product contacted me about it:
Jesus: Ouch! - you really nailed us on the beamz video. Okay, you don’t like the video - I get that. But that’s not being fair to the product itself.
Of course, we do think the beamz offers plenty of opportunity for creativity and I’m hoping you’ll see that when you get the product. It isn’t meant to be a traditional musical instrument because that takes so much training for people to master. The beamz was conceived and created by a highly-skilled Hollywood musician and songwriter whose goal was to grant the average music lover to experience the passion of making music.
Without a doubt, everyone who sees the beamz in person and uses it, totally adores it. The beamz was a big hit this weekend at its first major public event - Celebrity Fight Night. You can find pics of the beamz at the event here.
Jesus, it’s easy to knock us for a video you don’t like - but I’d rather you see and use the beamz, then give us a fair review based on the merits of the product - not based on whether you like the video.
So, as the PR agency representing the beamz, I am offering you the chance to borrow a set of beamz for a product review. Are you willing to do that and give us a fair shot?
Matt Silverman
Director of Public Relations
R&R Partners
And here’s my reply:
I wasn’t knocking your product for a video I don’t like. I was criticizing your product because I think the concept is flawless from the start, grants for no creativity whatsoever, and because, having play an instrument for a good part of my life, there’s no room for expresion in your product. I’m sorry, but it is a technological gimmick, no matter if people have fun or not trying it.
In any case, I would put aside my judgement of the concept and give it a fair test opportunity.
So yes, even if I risk my soul and mental sanity in the process. Hopefully, it will arrive soon—and leave even earlier—but I’ll give it, like everything else we test, a fair shot.
In the meantime, you can check the completely absurd and grotesque video and leave your view here.
PSYCO BOOM BURNSXCORE Trop Cool
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Programme de réincertion mes amis, on accepte =)
Glu to Develop and Publish the Price Is Right and Family Feud Mobile Games
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Glu signed a deal with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) to bring two popular games shows your mobile phone. The agreement 
gives Glu a multi-year and exclusive rights contract to develop mobile games based on The Price Is Right and Family Feud franchise. The games will be released in North and Latin America.
Drew Carey took over hosting The Price Is Right from Bob Barker recently. The Price Is Right is the longest-running game show in
TV history. Family Feud, which has local versions has aired in over 42 countries.
“The Price is Right and Family Feud are the gold standard of game show brands, and we are delighted to announce our partnership with FME to bring these brands to mobile,” stated Jill Braff, senior vice president of global publishing, Glu. “With Glu’s strong marketing and deep carrier relationships, we look forward to bringing these widely-recognized brands to a broad audience of loyal fans.”
“Glu is a natural partner to bring these world-class brands to the mobile phone,” stated Jason Turner, senior director of Interactive for FremantleMedia Enterprises in North America . “Their ability to deliver a regionally tailored, quality game play experience is unmatched.”
There isn’t any time frame for the release of these games so keep reading MobileCrunch for updates.
Via Mobilecrunch
EU Lifts Restrictions on In-Flight Cell Phone Use
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
The European Union (EU) decided to lift restrictions on in-flight cell phone use this day. Passengers flying over European airspace will be able to talk, text and send e-mails with their cell phones. In-flight service may be available this year on some airplanes using European GSM technology. Most other countries around the world prohibit in-flight mobile use because of the fear cell 
phones may disrupt a plane’s instruments, although there is tiny proof handsets actually interfere with a plane’s capability to safely fly.
The EU’s plan will allow cell phone users to make and receive calls through an onboard base station once the plane reaches 10,000 feet when other devices like music players and laptops are permitted. The cost for in-flight service has to be decided. There’s concern that passengers speaking on their cell phones might be irritating to other passengers so something has to be worked out so close quarters calling doesn’t interfere with everyone’s personal space.
“Almost everybody will want to use this service. We hope that also some people will still use the aircraft as a moment of tranquility and not interrupt other passengers,” EU spokesman Martin Selmayr stated.
I don’t fly much but I would like to see other areas of the world open up mobile phone usage while flying. Many passengers get nervous when flying and talking or texting on a phoned might help keep nerves calmer. I don’t want to sit close to someone who is loudly yakking away but rules can be set in place that’ll lower this possibility. In-flight calling might make air travel less stressful when there are delays or cancelation. If there’s a cancelation or delay that comes up while in the air, a passenger can seek a hotel room or other accommodations before landing. Unless it can be proven that cell calls are a danger, there’s no reason to ban them from flights.
Via Mobilecrunch
The Boring Ultimatum: Microsoft threatens Yahoo!
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Just an update for those of you keeping score in the Microsoft vs Yahoo! potential merger/buyout/hostile takeover — I’ll keep this as short as possible. Microsoft sent a letter to Yahoo! basically saying “We’ve repeatedly tried to buy your company. You have three weeks to sell. If you don’t, we’ll just buy a bunch […]
Just an update for those of you keeping score in the Microsoft vs Yahoo! potential merger/buyout/hostile takeover — I’ll keep this as short as possible.
Microsoft sent a letter to Yahoo! basically saying “We’ve repeatedly tried to purchase your company. You’ve three weeks to sell. If you don’t, we’ll just purchase a bunch of your stock.” Yahoo! sent a letter back to Microsoft basically saying “Your offer is weak, we’re not selling although your initial offer was 62% above our market value. Make a decent offer and we’ll sell. Please don’t buy our stock.”
Yahoo! should just sell. It’ll get more money than if Microsoft purchases out a bunch of its stock and replaces its board members. It’s going to happen either way. Get it over with and then we have the ability to be done with this and continue to use Google to search for stuff.
Full letters from Microsoft and Yahoo! after the jump…
Microsoft to Yahoo!
April 5, 2008
Board of Directors
Yahoo! Inc.
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089Dear Members of the Board:
It has now been more than two months since we made our proposal to acquire Yahoo! at a 62% premium to its closing price on January 31, 2008, the day prior to our announcement. Our goal in making such a generous offer was to create the basis for a speedy and ultimately friendly transaction. Despite this, the pace of the last two months has been anything but speedy.
While there has been some limited interaction between management of our two companies, there has been no meaningful negotiation to conclude an agreement. We understand that you have been meeting to consider and assess your alternatives, including alternative transactions with others in the industry, but we’ve seen no indication that you’ve authorized Yahoo! management to negotiate with Microsoft. This is despite the fact that our proposal is the only alternative put forward that offers your shareholders full and fair value for their shares, gives each shareholder a vote on the future of the company, and enhances choice for content creators, advertisers, and consumers.
During these two months of inactivity, the Internet has continued to march on, while the public equity markets and overall economic conditions have weakened considerably, both in general and for other Internet-focused companies in particular. At the same time, public indicators suggest that Yahoo!’s search and page view shares have declined. Finally, you’ve adopted new plans at the company that have made any change of control more expensive.
By any fair measure, the big premium we offered in January is even more significant this day. We believe that the majority of your shareholders share this assessment, even after reviewing your public disclosures relating to your future prospects.
Given these developments, we believe now is the time for our respective companies to authorize teams to sit down and negotiate a definitive agreement on a combination of our companies that will deliver better value to our respective shareholders, creating a more efficient and competitive company that will provide greater value and service to our customers. If we’ve not concluded an agreement within the next three weeks, we will be compelled to take our case directly to your shareholders, including the initiation of a proxy contest to elect an alternative slate of directors for the Yahoo! board. The substantial premium reflected in our initial proposal anticipated a friendly transaction with you. If we’re forced to take an offer directly to your shareholders, that action will have an undesirable impact on the value of your company from our perspective which will be reflected in the terms of our proposal.
It is unfortunate that by choosing not to enter into substantive negotiations with us, you’ve failed to give due consideration to a transaction that has tremendous benefits for Yahoo!’s shareholders and employees. We think it is critically important not to let this window of opportunity pass.
Sincerely,
Steven A. Ballmer
Chief Executive Office
Microsoft Corp.
Yahoo! to Microsoft
Dear Steve:
Our Board has reviewed your most recent letter with regard to the unsolicited proposal you made to acquire Yahoo! on January 31, 2008.
Our Board carefully considered your unsolicited proposal, unanimously concluded that it was not in the ideal interests of Yahoo! and our stockholders, and rejected it publicly on February 11, 2008. Our Board cited Yahoo!’s global brand, large worldwide audience, significant current investments in advertising platforms and future growth prospects, free cash flow and earnings potential, as well as its substantial unconsolidated investments, as factors in its decision.
At the same time, we have continued to make clear that we’re not opposed to a transaction with Microsoft if it is in the ideal interests of our stockholders. Our position is simply that any transaction must be at a value that fully reflects the value of Yahoo!, including any strategic benefits to Microsoft, and on terms that provide certainty to our stockholders.
Since disclosing our Board’s position with respect to your proposal, we’ve presented our three-year financial and strategic plan to our stockholders, which supports our Board’s determination that your unsolicited proposal substantially undervalues Yahoo!. Those meetings with our stockholders have also provided us an opportunity to hear their views.
We have continued to launch new products and to take actions which leverage our scale, technology, people and platforms as we execute on the strategy we publicly articulated. Today, in fact, we are announcing AMP! from Yahoo!, a new advertising management platform designed to dramatically simplify the process of buying and selling ads on the web.
Finally, our Board has been actively and expeditiously exploring our strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value, a process which is ongoing. All of these actions have been driven by our overarching commitment to maximize stockholder value.
Our Board’s view of your proposal has not changed. We continue to believe that your proposal isn’t in the ideal interests of Yahoo! and our stockholders. Contrary to statements in your letter, stockholders representing a significant portion of our outstanding shares have indicated to us that your proposal substantially undervalues Yahoo!. Furthermore, as a result of the decrease in your own stock price, the value of your proposal today is significantly lower than it was when you made your initial proposal.
In contrast to your assertions about the effect of general economic conditions on our business, Yahoo!’s business forecasts are consistent with what we outlined in our last earnings call. As you know, we recently reaffirmed our Q1 and full year guidance, which is a testament to our capability to perform in line with our expectations despite the current economic environment. In addition, our three-year financial and strategic plan which we have made public demonstrates significant potential upside not previously communicated to the financial markets. This plan has received positive feedback from our stockholders, further strengthening the view that Yahoo! is worth well more as a standalone company than the value offered in your proposal, and would be even more valuable to Microsoft. Your own statements have made clear the strategic importance of Yahoo!’s substantial assets and abilities to Microsoft.
We regret to say that your letter mischaracterizes the nature of our discussions with you. We’ve had constructive conversations together regarding a variety of topics, including integration and regulatory issues. Your comment that we’ve refused to enter into negotiations to conclude an agreement are particularly curious given we have already rejected your initial proposal, nominally $31 per share at the time, for substantially undervaluing Yahoo! and your recommendations in your letter and the media that you’re considering lowering the value of your proposal. Moreover, Steve, you personally attended two of these meetings and could have advanced discussions in any way you saw fit.
As to antitrust, we’ve discussed with you our concerns. Any transaction between us would result in a thorough regulatory review in multiple jurisdictions. As a follow up to a recent meeting among our respective legal advisors we had on this topic, and at your request, we provided to you on March 28 a list of additional information we would need to further our understanding of the regulatory issues associated with any transaction. To date, you have still not provided any of the requested information.
We think about your threat to commence an unsolicited offer and proxy contest to displace our independent Board members to be counterproductive and inconsistent with your stated objective of a friendly transaction. We’re confident that our stockholders comprehend that our independent Board is best positioned to objectively and knowledgeably evaluate our Company’s alternatives and to maximize value.
In conclusion, please allow us to restate our position, so there can be no confusion. We’re open to all alternatives that maximize stockholder value. To be clear, this includes a transaction with Microsoft if it represents a price that fully recognizes the value of Yahoo! on a standalone basis and to Microsoft, is superior to our other alternatives, and provides certainty of value and certainty of closing. Lastly, we’re steadfast in our commitment to choosing a path that maximizes stockholder value and we’ll not allow you or anyone else to acquire the company for anything less than its full value.
Very truly yours,
Roy Bostock, Chairman of the Board
Jerry Yang, Chief Executive Officer
Screw Personal Graphics: Watchmen World Gets Built for Real [Watchmen]
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Just when we thought we were going to get a sensory overload thanks to Tony, Bruce, Hulk, and Indy, here comes Watchmen to kick our eyeballs again. Like JJ Abrams’ Star Trek, director Zack Snyder is actually building big sets instead of depending entirely on 3D graphics and green screens.
Just when we thought we were going to get a sensory overload thanks to 
And I can’t be more grateful for that decision. I don’t know about you, but the idea of having these strange (anti)heroes walking around a “real” 1985’s New York, Ozymandias’s big Karnak, Mason’s garage, Dr. Manhattan’s nuclear lab, the Comedian’s tacky bachelor’s pad, and Rorschach’s jail—all full of the retro gadgets, technology and the dirt of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ comicbook masterpiece— has me excited.
If the movie is as good as his take on Frank Miller’s 300, Snyder’s Watchmen is going to be one for the books. [Watchmen via Superherohype]
CrunchArcade: PSP games bought on Network Store decrypted, can be played on any
April 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Flickr’d Seems some clever coders (or hackers, whatever you want to call ‘em) have figured out a way to decrypt PSP games purchased from the PlayStation Network Store. The code can only be applied to PSP games that work on stated PSP (like, if you purchase a PSP game then you can decrypt it […]
Seems some clever coders (or hackers, whatever you want to call ‘em) have figured out a way to decrypt PSP games purchased from the PlayStation Network Store. The code can only be applied to PSP games that work on said PSP (like, if you purchase a PSP game then you can decrypt it using your PSP), but once the game has been decrypted, it can be played on any PSP running a custom firmware.
I have to say, once you hack the PSP and have access to its massive library of [largely] so-so games, the system becomes a lot more valuable. This weekend I’ve been playing the Grand Theft Auto games, biding my time until GTA IV comes out, as well as Final Fantasy Crisis Core, which, I know is good, but I feel a little weird playing the prequel to a game that came out when I was 11. I’m a lot more likely these days to throw a controller across the room then figure out how to beat Emerald Weapon or how to properly breed a golden chocobo.
We’re probably a bit overdue on a “how to hack your [system]” feature here. I’ll put it on my list of things to do.
