YouTube Launches Antipiracy Tool in September

All the lawsuits are probably getting to YouTube. Being such a popular site is not necessarily a good thing in their case since they're always under the radar of the huge media companies. That's probably why they're now preparing to launch an anti-piracy tool "hopefully" by September. According to YouTube lawery Philip Beck,

“We hope to have the testing completed and technology available
by sometime in the fall, but this is one of the most technologically complicated
tasks that we have ever undertaken, and as always with cutting-edge
technologies, it’s difficult to forecast specific launch dates,” a YouTube
spokesman said.

According to Techspot, they will launch a video recognition tool that will allow copyright holders to provide them a "digital fingerprint" of their videos, which will then be used to scan all clips being uploaded. Hmmm, won't this make their upload process really slow? As copyrighted videos pile up, they'll have more and more "digital fingerprints" to check the upladed videos with. Then again, if they really have the "cutting-edge technology" they're talking about then they probably have solved this problem already.

I think this is a great step for YouTube. It will certainly free up a lot of disk space, with all the copyrighted videos off the site. If they do it properly, it'll be a good thing. But if it causes problems for people who upload legit videos, hmmm.

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All About the Sony Ericsson P1i

The P1i is Sony Ericsson's latest high-end smartphone. Technically, it's an updated version of the P990 but it looks very similar to the m600 (particularly the keypad). The specs are almost drool-worthy... 3g, wifi, and a 3.2 mp camera.

I know someone who has been waiting for this phone since forever. However, I am still a bit skeptical about this one. I do think that it looks great. It doesn't look as bulky and clumsy as it's predecessors. That's a good sign. The keyboard does make me nervous... it looks very hard to type messages on, with the whole crammed qwerty keypad situation.

Anyway, here's a barage of information and links about this smartphone... everything you ever wanted to know and then some more. Enjoy.

• Here's the trusty Cnet review of the SE P1i. They rated it 8 out of 10, which is a pretty good review. However, they did say that the keypad was hard to get used to. No surprises there.
• Mobile Review is another great review site. I must give you a warning though, their review of the P1i is very in-depth. It isn't something you can casually browse over. It is however, a great resource for detailed information about the phone's features and usage. They also have a whole lot of pics of the phone in every angle possible.
• Here's a nicely made presentation video. Of course, it's a promotional video and shows the P1i in the best light posible.

• Here's a great video review of the P1i by PhoneArena. In the short 4 minute review, the reviewer manages to discuss a lot of the important features as well as show how the actual UI works.

• Here's an interview of Jens Greve from Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications. He talks about the P1i and does a short demo too.

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All About the Nokia n800

Nothing interesting in the tech world to talk about today. Nothing that interests me, that is. So, I'm going to blog all about the Nokia n800. Sweet.

The Nokia n800 for those who don't know yet is not a cellphone. It's not even a pda. It's a portable internet device. That's it. But that's what makes this gadget so great. It does one thing and does it very well. Besides, everything we tech geeks need can probably be accessed through the internet these days, making this device very powerful.

If you're pondering on getting this gadget (I know I am), here are some very useful links for you...

• I always check Cnet first for reviews. They're pretty reliable in providing great overviews and their opinions are often unbiased. Here's their Nokia n800 review. There's even a video.
• Thoughtfix seems to me like an Nokia n800 expert. He has a blog dedicated to internet tablets and several Youtube videos about the n800. His online review is quite exhaustive but still easy to digest. Here's his intro Youtube video to the n800...
  

• The official Nokia n800 page is very useful too. It's got lots of info like an overview video as well a great presentation of all the features of their product.

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Color Your iPhone

If you'd like an iPhone but hate that it only comes in one color, you can now get yours in almost any color combination you might like from ColorWare. I said almost because technically, they only come in 29 colors which you can combine whichever way you want. But hey, that's a whole lot to choose from already. You could go crazy with your color combinations. They've got a nifty design studio that lets you try out different combinations before picking your favorite.

Ok, so it sounds great right? There's a catch of course. It's so damn expensive. This custom combination I did would cost the price of the iPhone plus an additional $219. Whew. I think I'll stick to the black and silver.

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Twitter Productivity Hacks

Aside from broadcasting to people you hardly know whatever you're doing or whatever you're thinking at a particular moment, Twitter can now do so much more. Thanks to integrations like GCal and Remember the Milk, Twitter is no longer just the micro blogging service we thought it was.

Remeber the Milk is a Twitter integration that reminds you of stuff you need to do.

Just send (Twitter user) rtm a direct message with the name of a task and
(optionally) when it's due. The task will be added to your inbox, and RTM will
remind you about it later.

pick up the milk

call jimmy at 5pm tomorrow

return library books in 2 weeks

(You can send a direct message on Twitter by posting an update with d rtm your message -- by SMS, IM, the web update box, or a third-party app like Twitterrific. So, you'd add a task with d rtm pick up the milk.)

GCal is a virtual calendar that lets you add events and appointments to your Google Calendar thru Twitter. Check Twittercal for more info on this.

To get started, just add gcal as your Twitter friend and grant it access to GCal. Now add any events by sending a direct message to gcal

d gcal meeting with paul tomorrow at 7pm

d gcal meeting with fred on monday, 25th of june at 9am

Source: Lifehacker.com

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iPhone Bashing

Even though Apple would like to make it out another way, not everyone is crazy about the iPhone. In fact, some people even loathe it. So much so, that they would create this... an iPhone hate page. I'm not an iPhone hater, quite the opposite actually. But I love what they did to the page... it's hilarious... pardon the profanity.

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Wii Multimedia Center

Every gadget from the iPhone to the Xbox 360 "Elite" to even our smart fridge wants to be a "media center". Let's admit it, we've gone media crazy. We can't live without our music, video and information... it has to be right there, ready for us whenever we might find the need for it.

If you've got a Wii, you can now also use it as an interface to your media library. The Wii Media Center X is developed by Red Kawa. According to their website,

"It allows you to stream certain types of pictures, music, videos and files from your computer (where the server running) to your Nintendo Wii. It runs on most major operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux."

Sounds great, right? However, their software is still currently in the alpha stage. If you want to download it and try it out, do it at your own risk. I'm going to wait for at least a beta version.

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Build a Portable Charging Station

Ok, I admit it... I'm a gadget freak. I live for the latest and greatest gadgets. But this obsession has an ugly secret. Messed up power cords. I don't know about you but I always get mine mixed up in an ugly knotted mess. I have almost a drawer full of these chargers. The old ones get mixed up with the new ones and it's such a chore finding the right one (Ok, I'm acting like such a baby... all this ranting has a reason you know... I'm getting to it, be patient.)

Jim Driscol has a brilliant idea. Just drill some holes in a toolbox, pop in your chargers, hide the ugly cords under the top lid, even add some stickers indicating which gadgets the chargers are for and voila, a portable charging station. I know this has been done before but never in such a straightforward, no-nonsense way. It's great. Of course if you're a girl you could make your own version using a makeup kit instead of a tool box... be creative.

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iPhone Nano Rumors

I am going crazy with all these Apple rumors. One of the more persistent ones is the iPhone Nano rumor. I'd just like to comment on the points made in the Gizmodo article about this rumored gadget...

• it'll be out before Christmas (ed. Almost every rumored gadget was predicted to be "out before Christmas"... Unfortunately, some of them do not even see the light of day.)
  
• it will combine iPod functionality with "rudimentary cellular capabilities" (ed. Say what? Can't they just say that it'll be an iPod and a basic cellphone in one? No need to confuse the vocab-challenged. Anyway, it doesn't sound that appealing to me.)
  
• "more resource-heavy internet browsing and email capabilities are not expected of the device" (ed. This thing is sounding less and less appealing.)
  
• it'll be cheaper than the iPhone (ed. duh) but more expensive than the Nano (ed. another duh)
  
• it might involve this "clickwheel dialpad patent" (ed. Looks nasty... and complicated... which is never a good combination.)

Let us be wary of which rumors we believe... this one sounds totally crazy. Then again, it could turn out to be true after all. I'd like to see how the public will react to a phone like this. It honestly sounds unappealing to me.

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New PSP Colors… Boring

I don’t get Sony’s new color choices. Since when did they decide to market their new PSP to little girls? These colors remind me of Barbie dolls and nail polish. I hate these pastel colors… and I’m a girl. I would have loved colors like blood red or hot pink, even bright apple green. For some reason, Sony decided to go all DS Lite on us. Not good… not good at all.

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WiiFit... Play Your Way to Fitness

I hate exercise. I'd much rather do something more entertaining like watch tv or read blogs than exercise. But the Wii is starting to change all that. I mean, playing WiiSports is just so fun that I forget that my muscles are starting to ache and I'm sweating like a monkey (how appealing, no?). That's why I can't wait for WiiFit, a recently announced Wii game that will not only help you exercise but monitor your health as well.

The WiiFit's activities and games revolves around a new controller they're calling the Wii Balance Board. Amazingly, aside from detecting pressure from you hands or feet, this board has the ability to measure your weight, balance, even your body mass index. (Well well well, this could be embarassing if you're playing with friends.) However, it does sound like a great idea since I'd much rather exercise in the privacy of my home that at a gym packed with strangers.

Among the various in-game activities are step aerobics, dance, yoga, and goalie defense. I'm excited to play the dance game. I was a huge Dance Dance Revolution addict years ago in the Playstation. I'm hoping the Wii version is just as fun.

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PSP Slim & Lite

After months of speculation over a certain PSP 2, instead, we get the PSP Slim and Lite! Hmmm, is it just me or does this updated PSP sound more like fat free milk than a portable gaming console?

Anyway, here's the lowdown...

• 5mm thinner and 3mm shorter than the original

• same 4.3-inch screen

• no more infrared port

• UMD door now flaps open instead of springing out (you'll understand this better when you see the video)

• same game command keys

• TV-out socket

• now charges via USB

• battery run at 4-6 hours depending on useage

• increased memory at 64mb

• will be in stores by September

Ok, so this wasn't the new PSP2 almost everyone in the tech/gaming world was hoping for. But as the saying says, if it ain't broken, don't fix it. I think the current PSP isn't broken yet. The current technology has not been maximized yet and rather than creating a whole new console, I like that they just chose to make the old one better.

My advice though, is if you already have a PSP, don't buy this one. It's not really worth it I think. But if you're really rich and can buy whatever you like, go right ahead and buy it. And in that case, can I have your old PSP? 'Cause mine is broken. Please?

Anyway, here's some eye candy in the form of the PSP Slim and Lite brought to us by T3.

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Unlocked iPhone from Expansys UK?

Apparently, Expansis UK is offering an "network-unlocked" iPhone for preorder. At least that what it says in the product description of the iPhone their website. Here's a screenshot of the aforementioned page...

Thomas Ricker of Engadget wonders if Expansis actually knows something we don't or if it's just wishful thinking. I can't help but think however, that all the speculation regarding this is all for nothing. It simply seems like a mistake, something the guys at Expansis UK might have overlooked. Oh well.

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Hide-a-pod... An iPod/iPhone in Disguise

The Hide-a-pod is a product (albeit fictional) that claims to keep your iPods or iPhones away from theft by encasing it in a (brown) Zune. Am I the only one who thinks that this is totally mean? Although, I can't help but laugh too.

This is from their FAQ...

Can I choose my Zune color?

Sorry, no. We only use brown Zunes for the maximum anti-theft protection.

Haha. I'm really sorry but although I love the Zune and am planning on getting one if the iPod does not release a 6th generation soon, I agree that the brown one looks terrible. The red one looks great though.

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Waiting for the Touchscreen iPod

Now that the iPhone is released and hype has died down a bit (well, just a little bit) I think now is just the right time to announce a shiny new 6th generation (touchscreen) iPod. It’s about time right? After all, the current 5th generation iPod has been around for a couple of years now. I honestly think that feature-wise, it’s being left behind other newer media players. I mean next to the Zune, the iPod’s screen looks tiny.

Anyway, as we’re waiting for the next gen iPod, let us satisfy our cravings with mockups. Yup, some Apple fans have all the time in the world. Mac Guides has organized all the touchscreen iPod mockups on the net into a gallery. How convenient. Here are my faves…

These series of pics come from one source (they were anonymously emailed to MacShrine.com) and they all look great. You still have the functionality of the clickwheel through the touchscreen but the the screen size is significantly increased. It's amazing how they all look so damned realistic. If Steve Jobs announces an iPod tomorrow that looks exactly like this I’ll be happy. I would have preferred a black version though, since the white in the picture seems too light and pristine looking.

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iPhone Reviews on YouTube

YouTube is crawling with people wanting to show off their iPhones. Of course, while some videos are total rubbish, some are pretty good reviews of the phone. If you still haven't bought the iPhone but are thinking of getting it at some point in time, you'd definitely want to watch the more constructive reviews to help you with your decision. I've gone through most of the videos for you so you won't have to put up with the crap that's out there. Here are the best ones so far...

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This review shows you most of the iPhone's great features like using the camera, texting, playing YouTube videos and websurfing through edge and wifi. It also shows how easy it is to navigate the interface using the multi-touch screen. However, if you want a pros and cons type review you won't get it here as the reviewer manages to concentrate on all the best parts of the phone without showing the negative.

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This is a great review of the iPhone from David Pogue of the New York Times. It shows you both the positive and negative along with loads of humor. It's short and simple. You'll be convinced (or not) in no time.

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No gadget review is complete without a stress test. In this video, the iPhone's ruggedness is put to the test. If you want to know if the iPhone will still work after being dropped on the pavement (several times), check this video out.

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