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.

Sponsor

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.

Discuss

Digitizing Audio, Scores, and Iconographic Materials

——————————————————– Digitizing of Audio, Scores, and Iconographic Materials ——————————————————– The LIM has worked with major music archives and institutions in order to preserve cultural heritage and music-related materials. The LIM can provide comprehensive support and experience for treating magnetic tape, vinyl records, and other audio storage media, either analog or digital. For images and iconographic materials, such as scores, photos, stage maps, and so on, the LIM can provide quality scans and image post-processing. Digitized materials can be organized and classified into multimedia databases. Finally, the LIM can also design and implement the hardware and software solutions for multimedia archives. Among others, the Archivio Storico Ricordi, the Bolshoj Theater, the Discoteca di Stato, broadcasters including Italy’s RAI and Switzerland’s RSI, and the Teatro alla Scala have all relied on the cooperation of the LIM for digitization needs.

Author: LimUnimi
Duration: 138
Published: 2010-09-15 13:10:27
Digitizing Audio, Scores, and Iconographic Materials

MediaApp-Moovida.mp4

Moovida Media player The application that plays all existing audio and video formats! Moovida is a free efficient and light multimedia center. The software is completely optimized for low performance PC. It doesn’t require much memory resources and operates perfectly in family computers!

Author: MediaApp
Duration: 62
Published: 2010-09-15 12:28:34
MediaApp-Moovida.mp4

Funeral Maker Pro

Create Powerful, Personal & Professional Presentations with Funeral Maker Pro. Harness the technology of the future, traditions of the past and techniques of the pros with presentation software and multimedia content powered by MediaShout and Memories by Design.

Author: MediaComplete
Duration: 121
Published: 2010-09-16 15:10:59
Funeral Maker Pro

Nokia touts simplified development via enhanced Qt SDK

Nokia (NYSE:NOK) issued an enhanced Qt software development kit promising a 70 percent reduction in the number of lines of code required to write apps for the company’s Symbian smartphone portfolio. Qt–a cross-platform app development framework–offers a complete toolkit touting an abbreviated workflow, simplified software creation and intuitive UI libraries; according to Nokia, the Qt SDK also enables developers to effectively future proof their apps by adapting their software to run on emerging mobile platforms like MeeGo, leveraging those operating systems’ additional features and APIs. The Nokia Qt SDK also features the Qt Simulator, allowing developers to test their apps on a computer. The SDK is available for download here.

In related Nokia news, the handset maker will make over its Ovi Store content marketplace to incorporate a new look and feel promising a more integrated user experience–in addition, the company touted a series of developer enhancements including new pricing options. According to Nokia, the upgraded Ovi Store will simplify and accelerate application search and discovery; the store will also introduce in-app purchases, enabling developers to deliver expanded pricing options like subscription models, micro-transactions and ‘try and buy’ offers giving consumers the flexibility to download a free, lite version of an application for subsequent upgrade to a more feature-rich premium edition. Nokia adds it will improve operator revenue share on Ovi Store purchases made after Oct. 1, but did not offer specifics.

According to Nokia, Ovi Store developers now reach roughly 175 million Symbian-based smartphones worldwide. The store’s footprint spans across 190 countries and boasts relationships with 91 mobile operators. Nokia notes that more than 50 Ovi Store publishers have reached the 1 million download benchmark, with some topping more than 40 million downloads to date.

For more on Nokia’s Qt SDK:
- read this release

Related articles:
Nokia signing Ovi apps for free
Nokia promises improved Ovi Store with N8 release
Nokia’s Ovi Store now averaging 1.7 million downloads per day

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

Apple loosens the reins–will its reign continue?

There are some mysteries that seem destined to remain unsolved: Who built the pyramids? Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? Why do they call it Grape Nuts when it contains neither grapes nor nuts? But another of life’s great riddles–How Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) determines which iOS application submissions earn its official stamp of approval–reached an unexpected resolution last week when the computing giant finally published its App Store Review Guidelines, providing developers with rules and examples across a series of iOS software subjects like user interface design, functionality, content and technology restrictions. The guidelines are so direct and blunt you can’t help but wonder whether Apple CEO Steve Jobs typed them up himself: Highlights include “We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don’t need any more Fart apps,” “If your app doesn’t do something useful or provide some form of lasting entertainment, it may not be accepted” and (my personal favorite) “If your App looks like it was cobbled together in a few days, or you’re trying to get your first practice App into the store to impress your friends, please brace yourself for rejection. We have lots of serious developers who don’t want their quality Apps to be surrounded by amateur hour.”

Other shoot-to-kill offenses, according to the App Store Review Guidelines: Apps that create alternate desktop/home screen environments or simulate multi-app widget experiences; apps that alter the functions of standard switches (e.g., Volume Up/Down and Ring/Silent switches); submissions that duplicate apps already for sale in the App Store, particularly if there are many of them; and apps deemed “defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited, or likely to place the targeted individual or group in harm’s way.” (Apple notes that professional political satirists and humorists are exempt from the latter restriction–earlier this year, the App Store rejected NewsToons, a political caricature app submitted by editorial cartoonist Mark Fiore, but reversed its decision after Fiore won a Pulitzer Prize. Exactly how Apple will determine what constitutes a “professional” satirist isn’t clear, however.) 

The App Store Review Guidelines also address the inherent subjectivity of the approval process–long story short, if you think your app is likely to run into trouble, it probably will. “We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line,” Apple states. “What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, ‘I’ll know it when I see it.’ And we think that you will also know it when you cross it.” Jobs’ stance on adult content is well known: During an April email exchange with a customer, he wrote “We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy [an] Android phone.” Jobs also has no patience for tattletales: “If your app is rejected, we have a Review Board that you can appeal to,” the App Store Review Guidelines state. “If you run to the press and trash us, it never helps.”

Which makes it all the more interesting that Adobe Systems is earning a reprieve. After all, in the wake of Apple’s April update of its iPhone developer agreement to mandate that all applications must be written to run directly on the iOS platform, effectively banning cross-compiler translation tools like Adobe’s Flash Professional Creative Suite 5, Adobe platform evangelist Lee Brimelow publicly called out Apple in a much-publicized blog entry, ranting “This is a frightening move that has no rational defense other than wanting tyrannical control over developers and more importantly, wanting to use developers as pawns in their crusade against Adobe… Speaking purely for myself, I would look to make it clear what is going through my mind at the moment. Go screw yourself, Apple.” But last week, Apple unexpectedly lifted the ban: “We are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code,” Apple said in a statement. “This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.” The changes to sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 of the iOS Developer Program license will enable developers to design and build apps in Flash, then convert their efforts to Apple-approved code–the revisions do not mean consumers will be able to access Flash-based web content via their iPhone and iPod touch devices, however.

Here’s a new mystery: Why the change of heart? Or at least, why now? Jobs’ aversion to Flash is known to all, and it’s difficult to imagine him rethinking his stance. Apple credited its decision to remove the Flash ban on developer feedback–more likely, you can chalk it up to the rumored Federal Trade Commission antitrust inquiry to determine whether the company’s actions threatened competition by forcing developers to focus on one platform to the exclusion of others. No matter what happened, Adobe was quick to applaud Apple’s decision: An Adobe blog post titled ‘Great News for Developers’ explains the move has “direct implications for Adobe’s Packager for iPhone, a feature in the Flash Professional CS5 authoring tool. This feature was created to enable Flash developers to quickly and easily deliver applications for iOS devices. The feature is available for developers to use today in Flash Professional CS5, and we will now resume development work on this feature for future releases… We’re hearing from our developer community that Packager apps are already being approved for the App Store.” And what’s great news for developers is also positive for Apple, especially with Google’s rival Android OS surging: A more hospitable, more transparent App Store is a proposition that’s going to be tough for developers to resist. Apple’s moves are above all about maintaining iOS’s status as the development platform of choice–that’s no mystery. -Jason

Adobe debuts HTML5 Pack for Illustrator CS5

Adobe Systems introduced an HTML5 Pack for its Illustrator CS5 vector graphics software, promising developers tools to make it easy to design, deliver and optimize content for mobile devices and the web. According to Adobe, the HTML5 Pack (available for free download here) enables users to leverage the latest HTML5 advancements via enhanced integration between Illustrator CS5 and Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 software–graphics generated by Illustrator will now display directly in compatible browsers, and Illustrator may also be used to create CSS code for styling of HTML content.

Also featured: Multi-screen authoring tools that take advantage of HTML5, CSS3, SVG and Canvas. Adobe adds that the HTML5 Pack’s SVG and Canvas enhancements simplify the creation of interactive web content, also enabling users to build Illustrator-based web widgets generated by dynamic vector art for data-driven web workflows, as well as map artwork appearance attributes from designer to developer tools by exporting from the Illustrator Appearance Panel to CSS3.

For more on the HTML5 Pack for Illustrator CS5:
- read this release

Related articles:
Adobe to add phone, tablet support to Dreamweaver
Adobe issues Creative Suite 5 despite Apple’s iPhone block

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