YouTube Hits 1 Billion Subscriptions: Here Are 7 Geeky Good Ones

YouTube crossed the 1 billion subscriptions mark today and if some of those aren’t yours – you’re missing out. Subscription to YouTube channels is a great way to make use of the service, especially on mobile devices.

Have you got some favorite YouTube subscriptions? I do, and I thought I’d share them here. If you’ve got some good ones to recommend to ReadWriteWeb readers let us know in comments so we can subscribe and watch them while exercising and folding laundry.

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Below you’ll find links to and descriptions of my favorite 7 channels on YouTube, along with the company’s new widget that makes it easy to subscribe with a click.

Talks @ Google

Famous authors and others come and speak to Google staff and the videos are run in this channel. Sometimes famous Googlers speak to each other. Good stuff, long videos. For example: Clay Shirky.

Gartner Videos

Garnter is the world’s biggest analyst firm and the company frequently posts interviews with big company execs at conferences. Depending on your perspective, these videos can be very valuable, or very boring with hints of interesting tidbits. Example: Yvonne Genovese Discusses Pattern Based Strategy

The Liam Show

Liam Kyle Sullivan loves shoes and I love him for it.

Lockergnome

Chris Pirillo’s Lockergnome is crazy prolific and not going to change your life – but it’s fun. It’s pretty remarkable how this tech geek has built a publishing empire that may have reached its pinnacle with nearly continuous live streaming video of hiself answering questions and talking about nerdly pursuits.

O’Reilly Media

Everyone’s favorite tech book publisher and event company publishes good videos from events and occasional webcasts. Great for a deep-dive into the most cutting edge web technology.

Porter Novelli

This big firm runs PR for SXSW and hosts all kinds of really interesting smaller technology events. Mobile social media and augmented reality have been recent topics.

Social Data Revolution

Andreas Weigend is a deep thinker about social data online and he scores great interviews on the topic. He’s got a PhD in Physics and was the Chief Scientist at Amazon.com through 2004. His videos are highly recommended.

Steve Gillmor

Steve Gillmor combines years of experience as a tech reporter with great access to leading engineers, executives and thinkers and a willingness to push the envelope far into what the future may (or may not) look like online. His YouTube channel is mostly filled with video of his hour-long weekly show the Gillmor Gang. There are plenty of perspectives not included, but if you’re interested in some of the most innovative perspectives in Silicon Valley, this is a great show to watch.

Those are 7 of my favorite YouTube channels to subscribe to. If This Week in VC and Mixergy had channels on YouTube, I’d subscribe to those there too (there’s still iTunes!).

Update: Leo Laport posts explains in comments below that only a fool’s list of geeky YouTube channels would neglect his Twit channel, so check that out. I would be willing to revise the list above and put Twit in place of the Liam Show, but only if Leo is willing to perform the Shoes song himself.

Andrew Warner also pointed out that Mixergy does have some short videos on YouTube as well.

What are your favorites? I think we all could use some more geeky suggestions.

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YellowBird Brings 360-Degree Video to YouTube

YellowBird, a Netherlands-based video technology startup, just had its interactive, 360-degree video player approved by YouTube for integration into YouTube’s channels. With the new player, you can now not only watch immersive, 360-degree YouTube videos, you can also navigate the video by dragging your mouse. As TechCrunch rightly described it last year – it’s like Google Street View for video.

The first YouTube video with this technology is live now, in a campaign designed for Doritos.

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You can see the Doritos video by clicking here: www.youtube.com/doritosuk. On this heavily customized YouTube channel, the main video plays a 360-degree version of Professor Green’s new video “Coming to get me.” Even if you don’t know or care who that is, the video is worth checking out for the experience alone.

As with Street View and other 360-degree technologies, you simply click and drag your mouse to choose which direction you want to go within the video.

YellowBird says its original player was customized specifically for this project into an embeddable widget which also contains social networking links, a 2D (unwrapped) version of the video and a link to buy the album from inside the player.

About yellowBird

The company builds 360-degree experiences like this one for Doritos by using special software that stitches video data together combined with a player for navigating the through the video created.

Co-founder Rafaël Redczus has been interested in 3D technology since 1999, when he developed a method for creating a still 3D image which attracted interest from clients like Volkswagen, Four Seasons (Japan), Ritz-Carlton (Hawaii), the Netherlands Railway and others. He and the company’s other co-founder Marc Groothelm met in 2005 and later went on to form yellowBird itself in March 2009.

One more thing, in case you haven’t noticed – yellowBird has one of the funniest domain names we’ve seen in tech in a long, long time: yellowbirdsdonthavewingsbuttheyflytomakeyouexperiencea3dreality.com.

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TechBuzz: Join us For a Live Video Q&A Session on Vokle

The good people over at the live  town hall platform Vokle invited yours truly and regular Mashable, Gizmodo and Wired contributor Shane Snow for a little live video Q&A session on their site today. If you want to tune in and ask us questions about this week’s technology and social media news, tune in here at 11am. We have also embedded the chat and video below for your viewing pleasure.

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If you want to participate and ask a question (either on live video or regular text chat), just click the big red “join event” button. You can use your Twitter credentials to sign in.

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Google Releases Goo.gl, Their URL Shortening Service, To The Public

URL shorteners are all the rage.  With the rise of social media like Facebook and Twitter, there is a greater need than ever before for users to find a way to make their links shorter so as to leave more room for actual text in their updates.  And now even Google has their own shortener, [...]

MM169: New iOS 4.2 Features, Twitter 2.0, Samsung Galaxy Tab

It’s been another intersting week for Apple and especially the iPad and iPhone (again) as we had the lucky chance to have a sneak peak at iOS 4.2, which is coming to the iPad, the iPhone and the iPod Touch in November. That said, there were definitely some surprises that Steve Jobs didn’t mention, including being able to print wirelessly from your iPhone and iPad with iOS 4.2! And that’s just the beginning. We show you exactly what you will get with this power packed upgrade and if November could only come faster. If you own an iPad, thanks to AirPrint and AirPlay, the way you view multimedia (videos, TV, movies, audio, etc) will literally be changed… for the good! Check out the Moxie Mo’s review of iOS 4.2. Speaking of change, Twitter announced this past Tuesday that they’ve completely redesigned and basically gave Twitter a facelift – not only is the site and logo completely redesigned, but there are so many new features and keyboard shortcuts, that your head will spin from all the excitement. Yes, video and photos will now be embedded INTO the Twitter timeline, but that’s not all – just wait until you see what the new Twitter is capable of and why this will keep it as one of the most popular and used social networks for quite some time. If you’re on Twitter and want to stay moxie, you have to follow the Moxie Mo Show on Twitter (please) – the Moxie Mo would love to have you as a friend on Twitter! Last but certainly not least, Samsung just announced today (Thursday …

Author: jeffmccord
Duration: 343
Published: 2010-09-17 08:05:23
MM169: New iOS 4.2 Features, Twitter 2.0, Samsung Galaxy Tab

India Government Unveils Android Tablet Prototype Cloud Computer predicts $10 to 1.2 Billion People

NEW VIDEO WITH SPECS HERE www.youtube.com PLEASE SHARE AND EMBED UPDATED GLOBAL NEWS WORD ON THE STREET RUMOR IS TO BE ANDROID BASED India Government Unveils Android Tablet Cloud Computer $10 may go to 1.2 Billion People in India Computers Internet Computing Breaking Global News Worldwide World Unnamed prototype possible code name Karma unnamed device prototype dropping to $20 and possibly getting as low as $10. Android Linux-based computer tablet Web browser multimedia player PDF reader Wi-Fi camera cameras webcam video conferencings2GB of RAM and on the cloud plus memory card and USB ports utilizing YouTube for education and social networking Indian Institute of Technology co-design motherboards Low Cost access –Cum-Computing Device Unveiled by Shri Kapil Sibal 17:31 IST The Union Minister for human Resource Development, Shri Kapil Sibal unveiled a low cost computing-cum-access device, here today. The price of the device exhibited today is expected to be around $35 per piece, gradually dropping down to $20 and ultimately to $10 a piece. Since this effort of continuous reduction in price and enhancement in capabilities would require a constant endeavour for R&D, IIT Rajasthan and some other IITs and technical institutions are setting up research teams to cover a wide range of issues in achieving our ultimate goal in terms of price and quality. The three cardinal principles of the Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality could be served well by providing …

Author: SBARTSTV
Duration: 215
Published: 2010-07-24 05:39:26
India Government Unveils Android Tablet Prototype Cloud Computer predicts $10 to 1.2 Billion People

MySpace Has been a "Calamity for News Corp," Michael Wolff

www.beet.tv Michael Wolff, who has written a much talked about book about Rupert Murdoch and the rise of News Corp, sees MySpace in a downward spiral. In this interview with Beet.TV, he calls the acquisition of the social media site a “relative calamity for News Corp.” because the giant media company “knows nothing about technology.” On stage with Andy Lack, the head of multimedia for Bloomberg, he said the valuation of MySpace would be somewhere around $600 million, about the purchase price. Andy Plesser, Executive Producer

Author: BeetTV
Duration: 157
Published: 2009-06-15 15:08:37
MySpace Has been a “Calamity for News Corp,” Michael Wolff

Sprint 4G App Challenge accepting Android submissions

With Sprint (NYSE:S) continuing to roll out its 4G WiMAX network across the U.S., the operator launched its first Sprint 4G App Challenge, calling on developers to create applications that leverage next-generation data speeds as well as the unique features of smartphones like the Android-based HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Epic 4G. Sprint is accepting submissions now through Nov. 5, and will recognize the most impressive entry in each of five categories: Entertainment, Gaming, Productivity, Social Networking and Multimedia. Submissions will be judged based on four criteria–creativity, intuitive navigation, functionality and design–and winners in each category will walk off with a $50,000 grand prize, an HTC Evo 4G with one year of Sprint service and a one-year membership to the Sprint Professional Developer Program (including 250 hours in the Virtual Developer Lab).

Sprint recommends that developers learn more about building 4G applications by checking out the Sprint Applications Developer Program website, which includes resources on developing for an Android handset and maximizing the Sprint 4G network as well as the HTC EVO 4G and Samsung Epic 4G’s hardware and software capabilities. Sprint adds that developers who submit 4G App Challenge submissions by Oct. 20 will be eligible to receive one free admission to this year’s Sprint Developer Conference, taking place Oct. 26-28 in Santa Clara, Calif.

For more on the Sprint 4G App Challenge:
- read this release

Related articles:
Sprint issues 4G developer guide in advance of HTC Evo
Sprint adds GetJar’s free mobile apps catalog
Sprint expands open location platform

Nielsen: iOS users download twice as many apps

Fifty nine percent of all American smartphone owners download mobile applications each month according to new research issued by The Nielsen Company, which adds that 9 percent of feature phone owners downloaded an app in the last 30 days as well. Games remain the most popular application category among U.S. subscribers, with 61 percent of smartphone users and 52 percent of feature phone users playing a game in the past 30 days. Weather is the second most popular app category, used by 55 percent of smartphone owners and 39 percent of feature phone owners–navigation and mapping apps are third, used by half of smartphone owners and 30 percent of feature phone owners. Nielsen notes that while all categories of apps are more popular on smartphones than on feature phones, the gap is even wider in categories like Maps/Navigation, where increased computing power, touchscreen interfaces and larger screens translate to a more satisfying user experience.   

Social networking giant Facebook is the most popular application across most operating systems: Fifty percent of iOS users have accessed the app within the last 30 days, compared to 45 percent of BlackBerry users and 32 percent of Windows Mobile users. Facebook is the second most popular app among Android users (45 percent)–only Google Maps ranks higher, and just barely (46 percent). Other popular apps across multiple platforms include The Weather Channel, YouTube and Pandora.

Nielsen reports that iOS device users download twice as many applications from Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store as their counterparts download from Google’s Android Market or Research In Motion’s (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry App World–moreover, App Store customers say that for every two free applications they download, they pay for one premium app, with Android and BlackBerry owners downloading more than 3.5 free apps for each one they purchase. Also noteworthy: BlackBerry owners are the least likely to convert from a free “lite” app to the full premium version.

Fifty seven percent of feature phone owners and 40 percent of smartphone owners cite searching app stores as their preferred method of discovering new mobile software, followed by recommendations from family members or friends. Ratings and reviews are also critical factors behind user download decisions: Eighteen percent of app consumers tell Nielsen that consumer feedback is “extremely important,” 36 percent say ratings and reviews are “very important” and 34 percent say they are “somewhat important.”

For more on the study:
- read this NielsenWire blog entry

Related articles:
Distimo: Games still dominate App Store downloads
Gartner: Mobile game revenues to top $5.6 billion this year
One quarter of game developers now creating mobile titles

Free apps dominate Android Market, but at what cost?

Android keeps growing, and so does the number of free applications in Google’s Android Market–free apps now make up 60 percent of the digital storefront’s inventory, up 3 percent since May, according to new data issued by app store analytics firm Distimo. By comparison, Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile boasts the smallest percentage of free apps at 22 percent, with free apps making up 26 percent of both Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store for the iPad and Research In Motion’s (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry App World. Distimo offers multiple theories to explain the scarcity of premium Android apps: For one, developers in only nine countries are presently able to distribute paid applications via Android Market–moreover, paid apps are available in only 14 of the 46 countries that Android Market serves. Distimo adds that consumers must register for a Google Checkout account in order to download paid applications, except in locations where operator billing is available.

The challenges inherent in distributing and selling premium applications via Android Market have no doubt slowed developer interest in the platform. But Bloomberg reports that with consumer interest in Android exploding, an increasing number of developers are writing apps for the OS anyway, confident a major payday looms in the future. PopCap Games, creator of titles like Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, plans to introduce its first Android games later this year: “Even though we are not making any money on Android right now, we have pretty high hopes for it,” PopCap’s director of mobile business development Andrew Stein said. “There’s really no reason why users shouldn’t consume and buy content to the same extent on an Android phone as they are on an iPhone.”

Even so, developer frustration with Android is at an all-time high–in recent weeks, a series of prominent developers have publicly vented their problems with the platform. The most scathing comments originated via mobile software engineer Joe Hewitt, the developer responsible for social networking giant Facebook’s wildly popular iPhone application: “Android tools are horrendous, OS is hideous, but the absence of big brother telling me what to do gives it a slight edge,” he recently wrote on Twitter. Hewitt’s previous tweets include comments like “The more I work with Android the more it reminds me of Windows… as in, it’s really flexible, agnostic, and developer-friendly, but also really sloppily designed,” “Android fragmentation will hopefully stabilize within 2 years, and if not, at least people upgrade phones much more often than computers” and “Once a day or so it hits me that I am writing Java, and I cry a little.”

eBay Mobile product manager David Beach is a bit more complimentary, writing on his blog that “Creating an open source mobile platform was one of the smarter things Google has done. It’s too bad that they haven’t done that great of a job doing it. Android has succeeded despite Google. In fact it’s safe to say that Android is successful for one primary reason. The iPhone is only available on AT&T. If the iPhone was on Verizon a year ago, Android would be nowhere near as popular. But since this has yet to happen, Android has become a huge market that isn’t going away.” Beach concedes that it’s time for iPhone developers to begin writing for Android as well, but adds a number of caveats, among them the absence of human interface guidelines, a surplus of OS versions and handset models and Android Market’s clunky consumer experience. “There are some good things,” Beach adds. “Don’t get me wrong. In fact over the past nine months, I’ve sort of fallen in love with Android and all its quirks. It’s a tough love, but love nonetheless.”

Last but not least, Digital Chocolate founder Trip Hawkins pinpoints arguably the most significant reason why Android Market is so short on premium applications: Google’s commitment to allowing consumers to return a downloaded app within 24 hours for a full refund. Calling the refund policy “senseless and lazy,” Hawkins writes “When so many other things on the app store are already free and everything else is free for 24 hours, why would anyone pay for a game? Google defends this policy because they don’t want to police the store. I could understand this if Google were a new startup with a small staff incurring startup losses. But we are talking about Google! If Apple and others can pay attention to what is in their app store, surely Google can also do so. Google has ignored this problem and may remain in denial until 2011, when the widening deficit in their app quality compared with Facebook and Apple should finally motivate them to fix the problem.” It’s your move, Google. -Jason