YouTube's test lab is working on AudioSwap and Stream

TestTube, the testing lab for Youtube (This is where YouTube engineers and developers test out recipes and concoctions that aren't quite fully baked and invite net surfers to tell them how they're coming along) is currently working on two interesting ideas. AudioSwap and Streams. Lets get you a brief on these.

1. AudioSwap: Users can use AudioSwap to swap the audio on your videos with officially licensed music. So now if you already have YouTube videos you have an option to swap/replace your existing Audio / sound to an better soundtrack. YouTube states that they have made arrangements with artists and record labels so that you can add their songs to your YouTube videos. In my opinion though as of now they have limited number of soundtracks, but its worth checking out.
For more details.. Click here

2. Streams : Join Streams to chat with others who are watching the same video you are. You can crate your own streams. Well the ideal is something very common, many a times we see something online and are desperate to share it to our friends or are desperate to talk about it. Imagine a specific content on a page which is viewed by many visitors and you also haveing an option to talk or chat on the same page... well YouTube is running this test on 'Stream' via TestTube.

With Streams, you can create a YouTube room to watch and interact with other users while sharing videos. Everyone in the room can add videos from their Favorites, QuickList, or by pasting in links, and make a running commentary as the videos play.
For more details.. Click here

Friends you views and comments are valuable to us, please post them below..

New version of Orneta's Scissors and Notepad released for Windows Mobile.

Orneta's Scissors Mobile 2007 allows Cut, Copy and Paste with Outlook Mobile SMS, E-Mail, Tasks, and Contacts using the Edit Menu for Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Mobile 5.0 based devices; without using a touch-screen! The MarkEdit engine is designed to work the way users expect, providing a simple interface with powerful features.

more details here


Orneta's Notepad Mobile 2007 by Orneta enables Outlook 2007 Text Notes and Voice Notes Synchronization between Windows Vista and Windows Mobile 6 Standard and Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone via Windows Mobile Device Center 6 (32-bit and 64-bit) and Microsoft ActiveSync.

more details here

New revolutionary browsing for Windows Mobile phones

Microsoft Live Labs recently announced the limited public availability of Deepfish, a preview of a technology that can be used to improve mobile browsing. Deepfish provides users of mobile phones or other small screen devices a full ‘as designed’ view of websites on their mobile device. Because the site looks as you would expect it to on your desktop, pages are easier to navigate than the typical experience with mobile browsers today.

Deepfish’s unique architecture retrieves the information needed for a particular view, significantly reducing that time to load. To optimize for faster load times, Deepfish takes a snapshot of the selected page reduced to fit on the mobile screen and sends that view to the mobile device.The interface lets people zoom in and out on the parts of a web page that interest them in an intuitive way, making it easy to use these large screen formatted pages on a mobile device.

With Deepfish, Microsoft is providing limited access to the technology preview on a first-come, first-serve basis. To experience Deepfish technology yourself, please:

Visit the site

More information on Deepfish is available here

To get download you must register here

Beat RapidShare restrictions by using this application

By now we all are aware of the time restriction on rapidshare for non premium users. It is a pain when we need to wait about an hour after we finished download file from Rapidshare. But for premium accounts thats not a problem at all. Here's another software that can trick Rapidshare so we (non premium users) can use it to continue or download multiple files from Rapidshare at the same. Here's the link to download the application. Click here

Important Note: By the way this file is password protected. The last time i released the password on my blog, my mails were flooded with questions and queries and more tricks.

So this time i intend to share it in a controlled way (hehehe hope so) if you are interested in testing/using this application, please mail me ur mail id and i would send u the password and the instruction to use...

By the way my previous post on Grabber (full Version) here, which if always free to use.

Do post in your views and comments... and enjoy free downloading

What are Google gadgets and how can one use it ?

Well... good question and a simple answer. Gadgets powered by Google are miniature objects made by Google users / code developers or general google lovers like you and me. These codes offers cool and dynamic content that can be placed on any page on the web or your blog.
Examples of Google Gadgets are to-do list, currency converter, calculator, games, etc..
One can add these gadgets to their Google personalized homepage and, if they have Google Desktop installed, they can also add gadgets to their computer's desktop.
A complete list of Google Gadgets is available here

By adding these Gadgets one can enhance your own website/blog and also reach more people with your content. You can now use Google Gadgets to make your webpages even more interesting and useful to your visitors. For instance, you can add your city’s current temperature or a quote of the day to your own page. Gadgets can be quick and simple, like the countdown gadget which is really cute and simple

How to create a Poll in Orkut, simple steps.

Orkut users now have the ability to create polls within their forums, allowing users to rate anything and everything..

Just click a button in your favorite community, type in your question, and add pictures (if you like), and its done! community members can vote and leave comments on your question of choice.

Follow the steps to set up a poll on your forum
Click on the "create polls" link near the top of your forum... verify that you are human.....type in a polling question...insert an image (optional)......select your language ...Add in the choices....decide how many options are available as well as who can vote (whether community members or everyone on Orkut)...select how long a poll should last...After your done, simple hit the create button (near the bottom) and your brand new poll should appear.

To view the polls in a forum, simply click on the "view polls button on the side
Info gathered via googleblog.blogspot.com

Enhanced IM capability now in AOL web mail beta

AOL will soon upgrade the beta version of its latest Web mail service. Following Gmail, Yahoo it plans to include an expanded integrated instant messaging capability. AOL also recently announced a new Vista-compatible instant messaging client and toolbar. While AOL's Web mail has included a basic instant messaging functions since 2004, the upgraded mail beta will allow users to have instant message conversations without leaving Web mail.

They'll also be able to choose between sending a message via mail or instant message. The buddy list in the new Web mail will also highlight frequent contacts. Web mail users will see and be able to access their AOL instant messaging buddy list within the Web mail interface and conduct instant message conversations in a window that appears on the Web mail page.

In addition to the new integrated messaging and mail features, AOL also has plans to launch a Vista-compatible AIM 6.1, which will become available very soon for free download. An additional new features is when a buddy signs off, users can opt to send either an offline instant message or a text message to the buddy's cell phone. Users will also be able to restrict which buddies can send messages to their cell phones.

A clone of YouTube better then YouTube

This is a brand new video-sharing site where you can insert the url of a video you’d like to share, and get feedback from other users. One of the features on the site dubbed “Challenge” is aimed at holding contests to get the ranking of a video, and posting videos for the voting purpose. Anyone can commence the challenge. Also users can export the challenges to personal profiles on sites such as MySpace, Piczo etc. The site is crowdrules
So an obvious question would be if YouTube also has voting option whats so different about it in CrowdRules ? Well as per Crowrules, YouTube is just for fun and they have designed CrowdRules as a contest-oriented question and answer site with videos. The voting on YouTube and other video sites can be gamed, so the results aren’t reliable. By keeping the voting honest, CrowdRules allows people to get meaningful ratings and rankings on anything.

If you’d like to get more focused with the results you’re getting for videos on CrowdRules, you can create a “crowd” around a given video clip. It functions like a group, where sharing interesting things occurs with trusted friends whose opinions you value.

All in all, CrowdRules offers an interesting take on the consumption of online videos, actually CrowdRules lets anyone leverage the collective intelligence of the crowd. Even if you don’t participate within their community, it’s a pretty good place to find interesting videos without having to sludge through unnecessary clips.

One thing missing though is adding prize or gifts... nevertheless its a new take on the online video market.

A Virtual Keyboard in your pocket

Technology breakthrough often surprises us all, well heres the latest one, a virtual laser keyboard. The Virtual Laser Keyboard (VKB) uses both infrared and laser technology to generate an invisible field and project a full-size virtual QWERTY keyboard on any surface.You can use the VKB (Virtual PC Keyboard) with both your laptop and PC or with a compatible mobile device, Smartphone and PDA. The VKB reacts exactly like a real keyboard. you can then type away accompanied by simulated key click sounds. It really is true future magic at its best.

You'll be turning heads the moment you pull this baby from your pocket and use it to compose an e-mail on your bluetooth enabled PDA or Cell Phone. With 63 keys and and full size QWERTY layout the Laser Virtual Keyboard can approach typing speeds of a standard keyboard...Welcome to the world’s first laser beam keyboard in your pocket!

FastStone Image Viewer releases its beta 3.1 version

FastStone Image Viewer which is one of the fastest, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor has released its latest 3.1 beta version. It has a nice array of features that include image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping and color adjustments.

Its innovative but intuitive full-screen mode provides quick access to EXIF information, thumbnail browser and major functionalities via hidden toolbars that pop up when your mouse touch the four edges of the screen.

Other features include a high quality magnifier and a musical slideshow with 150+ transitional effects, as well as lossless JPEG transitions, drop shadow effects, image frames, scanner support, histogram and much more.

* Common image formats support, including loading of JPEG, JPEG2000, GIF, BMP, PNG, PCX, TIFF, WMF, ICO, CUR, TGA and saving to JPEG, JPEG2000, TIFF, GIF, PCX, BMP, PNG, TGA
* Digital camera RAW formats support, including CRW, CR2, NEF, PEF, RAF, MRW, ORF and DNG
* Full screen viewer with Select - Zoom support
* Crystal clear and customizable magnifier
* Simple and effective red-eye removal

...more details at www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm

The economic benefits of mobile phones

In a recent report published by McKinsey's the value of mobile phones in developing markets is quantified. It is shown that the economic impact of mobile phones is significantly higher than the direct value to the mobile operators. This is because of a number of factors, but predominantly because of the productivity gains generated by users of mobile phones. The report then concludes that governments and regulatory bodies could amplify these gains by simplifying rules and deploying strategies to smooth the roll-out of mobile phones.

This report emphasise experiences that we have in developing economies where regulatory hurdles (and lack of capital) are the two most important factor that delay the roll-out of financial services on mobile phones in developing countries. Some of the regulatory questions that we often get confronted with are the following:

• How does financial products relate to Know Your Client requirements?
• Are special reporting and documentation required?
• What are the responsibilities of the Mobile Operator? and
• Can a Mobile Operator elect to block specific services on their (regulated) network?

Resolution of some of these questions have taken so long in the past that projects sometimes stop or turn into marginal projects. It is the interest of all (including governments) that regulatory dispensations are made lighter and the deployment of mobile based solutions are made easier.

In this regard the work that CGAP and the Worldbank is doing to make recommendations to streamline the regulatory dispensations should be commended. We at Fundamo are in full support of their efforts and contribute as best we can to help establish a facilitating environment for mobile banking and services.

Now bloggers can talk to their site visitors via land phone for Free

Imagine a small cute widget on their website which would allow free voice interaction between you and your website visitor and that too through your normal phone/mobile phone and THAT too for FREE.... hmmm !! am i joking ?? nope.. check out this new release



What Jaxtr's latest released beta does is it allows the call to be initiated from a website. Also, both parties are called from Jaxtr, so there are no call tolls. And phone numbers are not communicated to either party, moreover this would be free of cost. Now how to go about it?
Jaxtr users places a widget on their website (mine is above.. not activated yet). Others can then call the user by entering their own phone number. The caller’s phone rings, and then the other party’s phone rings. Then you have a phone conversation. Jaxtr also allows people to send the publisher a text message or just send them a voicemail directly (text messages and voicemails are administered on the Jaxtr site, not on your phone). Jaxtr never discloses the call recipient’s phone number so you can install a widget without ever exposing personal information. Users can also block callers or specify on a per-caller basis which callers can reach them live and which get routed to voice mail.

Next question.. whats the catch ?.. as of now not all countries(though many) are active, countries like China, India not on list :-(

Jaxtr is a free service but has some more limitations. Currently, users can receive 100 minutes of calls per month. After the limit is reached, calls are routed to the voicemail service instead.

After a first call is successfully initiated, Jaxtr provides the caller with a unique, permanent number, which they can use to call the same person in the future. Local toll rates apply, of course.

Go crazy with the widget above. Do give it a try... also post in your views/commenst

Simplest way to download youtube videos

Now its possible to download YouTube videos the easy way. Either put kiss in front of the youtube.com video URL in the address bar, or go to the site and enter in the full URL there. and the result : video on your hard drive. The idea is to 'kiss' keep it super simple

Eg: Just in front of the youtube.com domain name, insert the word ‘kiss’. If the Youtube URL is youtube.com/watch?v=tRTk0RPXtW4 then to download you got to typr http://www.kissyoutube.com/watch?v=tRTk0RPXtW4 , Press ‘Enter’ key and it will bring you to the main site. Click on the download link provided to save the video to your computer.

Co-operation or Exclusivity

Two totally different initiatives in the US this quarter related to mobile banking is of special interest. Two companies have launched (or rather announced) two initiatives that is diametrically apposed in terms of the underlying strategy.

Firethorn announced an agreement with Cingular where the Firethorn Java application will ship with every Cingular mobile phone. Revenue generated via mobile banking and payment transactions will be shared with Cingular and in turn, Cingular will effectively block (or at least make it difficult) for other suppliers downloading their own proprietary Java applications onto Cingular handsets. Firethorn is confident that they will conclude similar agreements with other mobile operators soon. This is a totally closed and proprietary approach. Will it work?

Obopay is a service provided to any person with a mobile phone. A subscriber to Obopay is able to download a Java application to any mobile phone. This enables a subscriber to transfer money from any Obopay customer to another, do some rudimentary payment and enquiry services and withdraw cash or pay (using the obopay pre-paid (debit) card) at ATM's or POS's. The importance of this approach is that it is totally "open" in the sense that it is suppose to run on any mobile operator and work on any ATM. This is of course the most logical way given what happened in the past with the Internet economy... but is it the logical way in payments and banking?

It would be interesting to be able to roll forward in time to understand which of the two approaches win, as it will tell us a lot about the power balance in mobile banking. Consumers are of course very important. It is their decisions and preferences that have catapulted small companies into the limelight in the Internet economy. But, then, the Internet is much more open than is the case with mobile (at least at this stage). Mobile operators have much more control over what happens on their handsets and their network. As a matter of fact, Cingular have indicated that they do not see their network as an "open network".

So what will happen? I believe that the role of banks, their ability to take their own decisions and stay in touch with their own clients will play a mega-role in which model wins. Not only banks per se, but also other organisations and bodies in the banking domain. It would be interesting to track what VISA, Mastercard and clearing switches (like Swift) do, as these organisations will ultimately influence who will win.

Google acquires the technology from Gapminder

Gapminder a Stockholm-based non-profit venture for development and provision of free software that visualise human development. It wants to "make the data more accessible and easier to use for instant visual analysis." They developed a tool called Trendalyzer "that turns boring (...) statistics into attractive moving graphics" and used it to visualize. Googlers found about the organization last year, when Gapminder gave a very interesting presentation at Googleplex. After hosting their visualization tool on Google's servers for almost a year, Google decided to acquire the technology from Gapminder.

Gapminder and Google share an enthusiasm for technology that makes data easily accessible and understandable to the world. Gapminder’s Trendalyzer software unveils the beauty of statistics by converting boring numbers into enjoyable interactive animations. We believe that Google’s acquisition of Trendalyzer will speed up the achievement of this noble goal. Trendalyzer’s developers have left Gapminder to join Google in Mountain View, where Google intends to improve and scale up Trendalyzer, and make it freely available to those who seek access to statistics.

Where could we the technology used by google ? Well... a better Google Trends, enhanced statistics for all Google services, or maybe a cool integration with Google Earth

Is the Ultra Smart F700 here to beat the iPhone ?

This Samsung's silder phone features a 5 Megapixel camera, HSDPA, EDGE, Wi-Fi. The triband GSM phone has a 2.78 inch touchscreen display supporting 262k colors and a resolution of 240x440 pixels. It is powered by a proprietary Samsung OS with a unique drag and drop system for menu navigation and media playback with also a full QWERTY keyboard.

Content and Mobile Payments

Today content on mobile (ringtones, pictures, etc) are mostly paid for by utilising the billing systems of the mobile operators. This approach is probably the only mechanism that allows content providers and mobile operators to effectively collect the millions that is spent on this industry every month. Unfortunately, utilising the billing system to collect for non-telecommunications (and especially ad hoc) services leads to many problems:

• The billing systems are not effective mechanisms to collect payments. In other words it costs a lot of money to collect what is often small amounts. This is because of many factors, but primarily because of built-in distribution costs in the collection of the value in the mobile phone accounts (independant if it is pre- or pos-paid). It is expensive to collect the money in these accounts because of the established commission structures.
• Billing systems are not geared to cater for effective management of disputes. This also means that it is expensive to deal with complaints for content services that consumers lodge.
• Payment activation by the consumer is also often cumbersome and often different from one service to another. (For instance, send the following code via SMS to the following number, or enter the code that we sent you via SMS on a WAP session or the Internet, etc etc.)

This situation will get more complex and problematic in future as more sophisticated content services are being invented and delivered to subscribers. Mobile TV and other services based on broadband is a case in point.

Mobile payment schema's offer elegant solutions to solve the problems listed above. This is because it is possible to provide much more cost-effective payment solutions as well as proven rigid and intuitive support for disputes and complaints. The ability to give immediate feedback on payment activity also adds to cost-reduction and customer satisfaction.

AniSimb 2.0

AniSimb its a freeware app written with Python for S60 by _virtual_machine_ to use animated operator logos.
If you want to make new animations in 2nd edition version:

• Animations are stored in \system\apps\AniSimb\logo\anim_folder, where
  “anim_folder” stands for the name you want for the animated logo.
  
• Create 97×25 pixels images with your animation, save every frame as PNG
  with sequential numbers (000.png, 001.png,…).
  
• Every frame needs a “mask” with black (for transparent area) and white
  (for visible area) colors, save it as PNG and sequentially
  (_000.png,_001.png,…).

Support Phones:
S60 2nd edition phones compatible.

Download

AniSimb 2.0 for Symbian Series 60

You need to install Python for S60 (PyS60) before installing this app

Source By phonesymbian.com

The latest 32 GB Solid State Drive launched by SanDisk

SanDisk has introduced a 32-gigabyte, 2.5-inch Serial ATA (SATA) interface model, broadening its solid state drive (SSD) product line for the portable computer market. Coming just two months after SanDisk introduced a 1.8-inch SSD for ultra-portable laptops, the 2.5-inch SSD is now available to PC manufacturers as a drop-in replacement for hard disk drives.

Previously, large capacity flash-based drives had been used primarily by the military, aerospace and telecom industries, which demanded high performance and reliability under challenging environmental conditions. But now the declining cost of NAND flash memory has made SSD a viable and economically attractive alternative to existing technologies in a wider variety of applications, including mobile PCs aimed at enterprise and consumer users.

Another advantage of SanDisk SSD is its extremely low power consumption rate compared to the hard disk drive: 0.4 watt during active operation versus 1.0 watt. This is particularly important to extend the battery life for the benefit of enterprise road warriors.

The vast majority of laptop computers manufactured today use 2.5-inch hard disk drives. The SanDisk 2.5-inch SSD fits in the same internal slot as 2.5-inch hard disks, so laptop manufacturers can switch to the SanDisk SSD without altering their hardware designs.

The 32 GB, 2.5-inch SanDisk SSD is available now to computer manufacturers, with initial pricing of $350 for large volume orders.

Now share your desktop via internet

If you are looking for an efficient, easy and free way to connect securely to a computer at another physical location to take control of its screen, mouse and keyboard, CrossLoop enables you to do just that.. for Free. CrossLoop enables you to see the screen and control the mouse and keyboard on a remote computer using an encrypted connection which utilizes the Blowfish 128 bit algorithm. All that needs to be done is download the CrossLoop application and run it at both computers that shall take part in the process.

The host, that is the computer that sends it screens to the other computer, has to setup an access code and the computer that wants to join has to enter that access code to be able to establish the connection. A random access code is generated when you click on the Host tab. This service is really worth it.. do give it a try..


Link: http://www.crossloop.com/

High Definition(HD) now brought to Digicams

Micron Technology recently announced that they've developed a two CMOS sensor that brings 720p high-definition video capture to consumer-level digital cameras, thus bringing HD to digicams. The sensor, which fits into a 1/2.5-inch optical format, can capture 720p video at 60 fps. It can also take 15 still photos in a rapid sequence.

The MT9P401 is a 5-megapixel sensor designed for "hybrid cameras".The sensor also enables a 15-frame burst mode. Mass production of the sensor is expected in the third quarter of this year. Another sensor, the 8-megapixel MT9E001, which is now in mass production, is capable of 720p video at 30 frames per second, with a 10-frame burst mode at its highest resolution.

Official Press Release

GCash in other Markets?

I have absolute respect for the results that have been achieved by dedicated people in the Philippines to deploy excellent solutions. In many ways the solutions deployed by Smart Communications (Smartmoney) and Globe (GCash) have set benchmarks for other organisations to follow. Recently, GCash started a concerted drive to bring GCash in the same or similar format to other markets. I believe that the implications and challenges associated with this should be highlighted.

GCash is a Structured SMS, predominantly closed payment solution, focused on a large under, or un-banked population in the Philipines. It provides for the creation of an electronic wallet that some-one can access with their cellphone by sending "code-words" in open SMS commands. The solutions security is based on a "M-PIN" (that is often stored on the cellphone in the open), limits in terms of transactions and the local Philippine Identity document. The operation in the Philippines is connected via participating banks in many other countries. These banks provide a mechanism for people in these countries to send money to electronic wallets in the Philippines. It must be noted that these banks do not operate e-wallets, nor are the G-cash functionality available in these countries.

The problem with proposals to deploy GCash in other countries (as it was done in the Philippines) are the following, and prospective clients/partners, should consider these carefully prior to engaging with Globe:

Regulatory complexities
The GCash deployment as is currently deployed operates under a special Central Bank dispensation (resolution 116 of 2005). Although the Central Bank of the Philippines should be applauded in giving the regulatory backing for a very good solution, this is not a given in other countries. As a matter of fact, it is most likely that this dispensation would not be given in many countries as the situation is totally different from one country to another. In regulating banking type solutions, a Central Bank should consider specific market realities, the potential risk, impact on other players etc. To assume that, because the Central Bank of the Philippines have allowed a GCash solution, other Central Banks would do the same, is a big folly. One should also take cognisance of the role, strength and maturity of banks in other markets and their right to objecting in other markets.

The role of banks (and Credit Card Associations)
The relative strengths and ability to innovate of banks in relation to mobile operators differ significantly from one country to another. The Philippine market with two very strong and innovative mobile operators is not a blueprint for every market. As a matter of fact, this is probably quite unique. It is our experience that one should consider a total eco-system of payments when deploying mobile banking. Banks in general will not allow a Mobile Operator to deploy a GCash type solution without a strong (and often effective) reaction. Participation by banks to send money to GCash in the Philippines should however be supported and banks should consider participating and assisting GCash in this way. (This should not be confused with deploying a GCash type solution in country)

Support considerations

It has been shown over and over again that remote support of technology solutions is something totally different to operating a solution in country. The fact that GCash is being operated successfully in the Philippines does not mean that it can be replicated into another country. As a matter of fact this is highly unlikely. The skills required to support and maintain multiple different technology solutions, in different time-zones with different languages, require a totally different organisation, set-up, managed and organised in a totally different way. We at Fundamo for instance, have well defined support roles, service levels measurements and escalation mechanisms in place. The version management of our software is carefully documented and controlled so as to ensure that we know exactly which version of which module is in production with which client. Evaluating operational excellence does not say anything about ability to provide technical support.

Security dispensations
It is unlikely that the security dispensation deployed at GCash will be acceptable to other markets (and specifically to mature banks). The fact that the M-PIN remains resident on the phone after the SMS has been sent, that the M-PIN is often in the clear will not be acceptable to many banks. Security management that is heavily dependant on the availability of a general Identity Document can also not be deployed in many countries where this is not the case.

Consumer behaviour
Philipino’s are famous for their SMS ability. Manila is often referred to as the SMS-capital of the world. The willingness and ease with which Philipino’s adopted a keyword paradigm based on open SMS’s for mobile payments will not necessarily be replicated in other markets. It is our experience that (especially when payments and money are involved) that consumers requires usability one level up from SMS’s. Prompt’s like “Are you sure”, more intuitive inputs and online support (like “invalid account number”) are critical to ensure adequate adoption. Porting a solution that works in the Philippines “as-is” without due consideration of consumer behaviour cannot be recommended.

Even if a client is interested in deploying a GCash like solution (e-Wallet, with an exemption from the Central Bank), a solution provider should be used with a track record in deploying solutions in different countries and time-zones. We at Fundamo have relevant expertise, an understanding of different behaviour in many countries and the ability to deploy legal solutions given different central bank dispensations. It is important to deploy mobile banking solutions with a proper understanding of local realities as well as what is possible with technology.

YouTube banned in Turkey following court order

YouTube, the popular video-sharing web site from Google was banned in Turkey afetr an Istanbul court oder, over a video deemed insulting to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. The ban followed a week of what the media in Turkey dubbed a "virtual war" of videos between Greeks and Turks on YouTube and came as governments around the world | including France | grappled with the freewheeling content now readily posted on the Internet.

The largest Internet provider in Turkey, Turk Telecom, immediately complied with the ban and cut off access to the site. Visitors to the site in Turkey on Wednesday afternoon were greeted with the message first in Turkish and then in English: "Access to www.youtube.com site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/384 dated 06.03.2007 of Istanbul First Criminal Peace Court."

In a written statement, YouTube said they were working to prevent the offensive video from ever re-appearing on their site, noting that they regretted the court decision despite the fact that they had removed it.The statement said, We, as YouTube, always try to be careful on such sensitive matters. YouTube faced a court-ordered national ban in Brazil for several days in January after footage of a model cavorting in the sea with her lover kept reappearing on the site.

The Economics of Mobile Banking

The truth of the matter is that mobile banking can only be successful if it makes business sense in the long run, and that means business sense for most (or all) stakeholders. Obviously this is only going to be possible if mobile banking can lead to more efficiencies that can be translated into direct benefits. Fortunately (for people like me working on mobile banking solutions) improvements in efficiencies are easy to demonstrate: replacement of expensive cash systems, improvements in back office processes, removal of the constraints of time and place (meaning people don't have to travel and stand in queues) etc. All of these things lead to direct benefits to participants in the mobile banking eco-system.

The challenge is is two-fold: To demonstrate this to potential investors in mobile banking solutions and to ensure that the ultimate solution does not have an economic barrier to one of the stakeholders:

Demonstrate the benefits
It is important to be able to build suitable business models to demonstrate that a positive business case exists. We at Fundamo have refined our approach to this having worked in many markets and different realities. We have build powerful business modeling tools and have learned that models should take cognisance of the different realities from one country to another. They key is to start with the different sources of revenue to prospective investors. These are typically the following: subscription, transaction fees, treasury benefits, interchange fees, commissions and cost savings. The contribution of each differs significantly from one scenario to another.

Ensure all participants benefit
I have seen other solution providers in this industry making fatal mistakes by deploying solutions with impossible cost barriers. These barriers implies that it is impossible for one of the participants (say for instance the mobile operator) to support the initiative in the long run. In some instances it is assumed that the subscriber would be prepared to pay more for almost the same service. It is therefor important to evaluate the proposed mobile banking solution from the perspective of all participants in the solutions eco-system. Every-one should get a slice of the revenue or benefits, enough so as to entice them to make behaviour changes.

An updated version of AnyDVD, CloneDVD released by SlySoft.

SlySoft have been busy again updating their range of DVD backup tools. The company released new versions for AnyDVD and CloneDVD. The latest version of AnyDVD, version 5.9.5.8, includes the following changes over the previous version:

* New: Added support for new versions of the Sony Arccos protection to the option to remove "Protection based on unreadable Sectors"
* Change: The option to remove unreferenced and blank cells in the AnyDVD ripper is now disabled by default
* Fix: Error with Nero Recode and Macrovision RipGuard protected DVDs
* Updated ElbyCDIO access layer
* Some minor fixes and improvements
* Updated languages
* Fix: Setting Autostart did not work on 64-bit OS
* Fix: Discs could accidently be identified as Arccos protected, which made them unplayable
* Fix: the option to "Remove CD Digital Audio Protection" did not work
* correctly with older CD-ROM drives
* Updated ElbyCDIO access layer
* Some minor fixes and improvements

And the changelog for CloneDVD v2.8.9.7 is here:

* New: Time Maps are always recreated, as they are sometimes destroyed on the source disc
* New: Updated ElbyCDIO for better 64 bit support
* Fix: CloneDVD could hang when playing the "successful" sound
* Some minor changes and improvements
* Updated languages

Acrobat 3D 8 will be available in Beta version by March

The Adobe Company has announced soon release of the Acrobat 3D beta version, a program of implementing 3D-models in PDF documents. The eighth version has a lot of new features, in particular, optimization of models for further sending by email (it is said, that 150 MB CAD file can be turned into 1MB PDF one ), addition of such information as size, annotations, information about developer .

Much attention is paid to the protection from copyright - while being viewed in Acrobat Reader models will be displayed without detail, in the form of mosaic.
However, depending on the developers willing, empowered persons will be able to view detailed version as well. But the extraction from Acrobat Reader won’t be available. The new version of Acrobat 3D will help to solve the problems of formats incompatibility, because it can export Cad-files into commonly used formats, as STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data). A demo version of Acrobat 3D 8 is appointed at the end of March. It will be compatible with Windows Vista.

Sony Ericsson, turning mobile phones to remote control

Nokia when announcing the N80, went as far as saying that: "With simple to use yet advanced UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) technology, the pioneering Nokia N80 can be used to tap into the digital home network, acting almost as a remote control, enabling secure and convenient access to compatible PCs, audio equipment and TVs."

However, the key words here are "acting almost as a remote control..." In other words, not quite a remote control - yet! Now Sony Ericsson, with its new patent, seems to have come up with obvious idea of making your mobile phone an actual remote control, capable of switching TV channels, calling up and controlling a TV programme guide, operating your DVD or VCR - in other words, everything you'd want a remote control to control.

Sony Ericsson's idea is even more ingenious, though, as they anticipate the remote contorl user interface being implemented as a 'skin', which can be downloaded onto the phone either from the device itself or from a web-ste. In other words, the user interface you see on the phone can be changed according to the device you want to use simply by downloading a new interface either from the web, the phone network, or the device itself.

Archos's latest Gadged, the 604 (30GB) Wi-Fi Player

Archos Company is one of the main manufacturers of peripherals for laptops and desktops in Europe. Archos 604 Wi-Fi presents a 4,3 inches touch screen display convinient for naviagion on the net by means of stylus or even fingertips. This multifunctional device comes with 802.11g wireless interface permits to access media, navigate the web, send and receive instant messages, connect to a home network for files transfer or playing of content directly from the network.

Archos media player features a fair storage capacity (30GB), enough to stock up to 120 hours of video or approximately 25 films in DVD quality. The resolution (720 X 526 pixels) is perfect for photo or video viewing. Playable video files formats include MPEG4, WMV, AAC/H.264, MP4, Quick Time, MPEG2 and VOB. Archos 604 also presents some functions that make it more comfortable for video content. These are slow motion, video editing and adjustable screen size. The display is not as shiny as of its predecessor because of the touch screen-stratum, intended for shock protection and glare purposes. The touch screen-layer perceptibly reduces the quality of the picture. The colors are a bit dim and less bright.

Speaking of dimensions 604 Wi-Fi is a bit bigger and weights more than its twin brother Archos 604: 5.2x3.1x0.7 inches and 10.23 ounces. The difference in measurements is due only to the presence of the Wi-Fi antenna.

Cisco Systems to buy out a social networking website.

Networking and communications technology giant Cisco Systems will acquire the technology asset of Tribe.net, which is a social networking website that is lost and forgotten in the jungles of the Internet. The announcement was made by individuals close to the company.

The deal will allow Cisco Systems to gain a technology with the help of which several large companies will be able to develop MySpace or YouTube - like services. This will allow bringing their clients together on-line. The deal is considered unusual since it is rather odd to see a company with about 38,000 employees that provides networking equipment for big enterprises to buy Tribe.net, which is owned by a company of eight employees.

Tribe.net has been pushed aside by such giants like MySpace and Facebook.If Cisco acquires Tribe.net it will continue its way to become a consumer-oriented company. The company looks further to the days when consumers spend most of their time in on-line communities.

Now watch CBS, ESPN, Fox Mobile, MTV and NBC on your Mobile

A new live mobile TV product from Verizon Wireless is now officially available. The subscription-based service, provided through Qualcomm's wireless network, is being offered initially in 20 markets. Eight 24-hour channels will display live and time-shifted programming from CBS Mobile, ESPN, Fox Mobile, NBC 2Go and NBC News 2Go, in addition to Viacom's MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Most mobile video services offer programming on an "on demand" basis, allowing users to select from a limited collection of videos from various TV networks and exclusive mobile channels.

The new Vcast service, delivered by MediaFlo, includes a live feed of MTV. This makes the Viacom-owned network the first to simulcast its TV programming 24/7 to a mobile platform.MediaFLO is Qualcomm’s new technology to broadcast data to portable devices such as cell phones and PDAs. Broadcast data will include audio and video streams, individual video and audio "clips", as well as information such as stock market quotes, sports scores, and weather reports. The "F-L-O" in MediaFLO stands for Forward Link Only, meaning that the data transmission path is one-way, from the tower to the device. The MediaFLO system transmits data on a frequency separate from the frequencies used by current cellular networks.

In the United States, the MediaFLO system will use frequency spectrum at approximately 700Mhz. It is a competitor to the Korean T-DMB standard and the European DVB-H standard. A dedicated V CAST Mobile TV Web site will feature a customized program listing grid, a search feature to discover programs by keywords, content information and previews, and editorial and community features, as well as service information and support.

The service also includes optional parental control features, consistent with existing multimedia standards, which will be accessible from the Options Menu to allow parents to set ratings for TV and movies.

NewsGator releases a new beta version

NewsGator has released a new beta version that makes use of AJAX to speed things up a bit. For example, when you click on the settings tabs in Newsgator Classic, you're directed to a new page. In Newsgator Beta a window pops up on your screen and disappears when you click close. The page doesn't need to refresh every time you switch feeds or mark items read.

But Newsgator still takes longer to load feeds than Google Reader. And I've grown rather fond of my river of news. Otherwise, the new beta looks and behaves remarkably like Newsgator Classic. While this is great if you've been using Newsgator for a while, it doesn't seem to offer many new compelling features that would convince me to switch back.

MSN Mobile Beta is now available

MSN Mobile Beta is now available for those with a Windows Mobile Treo to take advantage of. So whats included in the all-new MSN Mobile beta? Well.. You never know when you'll need quick access to information, now it’s even easier to find the information you need with these mobile web services.

Windows Live Mail
Don’t miss out on email just because you’re away from your PC. With Windows Live Mail for mobile, it’s fast and easy email on the go right from your mobile device.

MSNBC News
Stay in the know on the go with the latest news headlines from MSNBC. You'll find full-length articles and images formatted especially for your mobile device.

Windows Live Search
Find friends, facts, and answers while you’re out and about. Windows Live Search for mobile connects you to the information you need when you want it and delivers it right to your mobile device.

MSN Entertainment
Get local movie times, celebrity gossip, and more right on your mobile device.

Local
Find pizza in Pittsburgh or mufflers in Memphis. Use your mobile device to find what you’re looking for, get directions from where you are, and connect instantly by phone. You can even save your results for the next time.

MSN Weather
Forecasts change. Luckily, your info does too.

MSN Money
Make your money work for you. Get the latest news, as well as planning, investing, and tax tips from the experts at MSN Money. Plus, get instant stock quotes and check on your portfolio throughout the day.

FOX Sports
Get news, stats, player info, and more – any time of the day.