thattalldude's Pocket Blog

A Tip When You Need To Embed Less YouTube (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed Yesterday

Posted in AppScout (View Site) - Yesterday

Credit where credit is due. I found this on the Google Operating System site--"Unofficial news and tips about Google." Unofficial! Am I approaching maverick status yet? Let's say you want to embed a YouTube video on a website, but the best part of the video isn't right at the top. Adding to the anguish, you know your friends have the attention span of a ferret. They do don't they? You can add a tiny extra piece to the embedding code and your video will start exactly where you want it to start and your friends won't tune out.

Microsoft and RIM? I Don't Think So. (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed Yesterday

Posted in louisgray.com (View Site) by noreply@blogger.com (Mona) - Yesterday

By Mona Nomura of Pixel Bits (FriendFeed/Twitter)

There's speculation of a possible Microsoft-RIM marriage. It sounds appealing, but highly unlikely. Steven Hodson points out, Microsoft has never been in hardware. I agree hardware is a factor, but the bigger question is: can a MSFT-RIM team compete in the Mobile Market?


(Pie chart via jkOnTheRun. Thank You!)
In 2007, the mobile world was heavily Symbian dominated at 57.1% of the share. WinMo was 2nd, with 11.5%, followed by RIM at 8.9%. Currently, the leader board is Symbian = 57.1%, RIM = 17.4%, and WinMo = 12%. In just one year, RIM shot past Microsoft with a 126.4% growth rate.

Phenomenal.

If MSFT and RIM merged, they would take 29.6% of the market, and still be only half of Symbian - with two separate platforms. RIM's number one selling point is its push mail and server. As Electronista points out, server integration would be a potential nightmare. With iPhone's increasing momentum, would Microsoft and RIM risk potential loss while the integration takes place? Not to mention, RIM's co-CEOs are heavily involved. I highly doubt they would agree Microsoft taking over the solid system they built. And even if the merger isn't hostile, would it make sense for Microsoft to obtain two different platforms?

Then, there's the issue of software. Android is Open Source. Linux, is Open Source. Max OS X is Open Platform. Symbian-Nokia, announced in June they will go Open Source. I'm guessing Microsoft will eventually go Open Source. Possibly sooner than we all think, since Gates departed in June.

BUT

If Microsoft joins the Open Source game too late, RIM and WinMo would most likely be left behind. Why would anyone choose devices that aren't as flexible as Open Source / Platform ones? Would it make sense for RIM to join forces with anti-Open Source Microsoft? Especially since we're seeing tremendous growth rates?

I don't think so.

What I do know is this. The mobile market is changing, and this is only the beginning. Exciting times for us geeks! So what's your current phone? Are you waiting for a particular handset?

Read more by Mona Nomura at Pixel Bits.

Boondock Saints gets Blu-ray release date, can you say Veritas Aequitas? (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed Yesterday

Posted in Engadget HD (View Site) by Darren Murph - Yesterday

Filed under: Blu-ray

It's not often that we get jazzed enough to leap from our seats about a particular Blu-ray release, but we're brimming with excitement over this one. The 1999 cult classic Boondock Saints will be arriving well before Saint Patty's Day 2009 in high-def, as Fox Home Entertainment has selected January 13th as the launch date for the Blu-ray edition. As for extras, you can look forward to a feature audio commentary by writer / director Troy Duffy, another by Billy Connolly, deleted scenes, outtakes, case and crew filmographies and a printable script. The film itself will be presented in a 1080p / AVC MPEG-4 transfer on a BD-50, and as for audio, it'll have a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track. MSRP is set at $34.95 -- liberating, isn't it?

[Via HighDefDigest, image courtesy of MyFreeWallpapers]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple claimed to be readying networked television sets (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed Yesterday

Posted in Boing Boing Gadgets (View Site) by Rob Beschizza - 2 days ago

Jason Calacanis told CNET's Nate Lanxon that "he knew first-hand that Apple was working on a networked television." From Nate's blog:

These LCD HDTVs will be fully networked, with the ability to stream all your iTunes content from your Mac or PC. In fact, Calacanis told me they'll function like a standard TV with an Apple TV box, only without the need for the box. In many ways, this isn't surprising news, as Apple already produces a stunning 30-inch display for the Mac. So picture that -- only thinner -- in a bedroom, streaming iTunes movie rentals over 802.11n, controlled with the Remote app on an iPod touch or iPhone.

To which I have nothing to add, except that televisions with web/content browsers in them are obviously the future.

Dish Network 1080p Compared to Blu-ray 1080p (Verdict: Not Bad) [High Def] (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed Yesterday

Posted in Gizmodo (View Site) by Mark Wilson - Yesterday

At face value, "1080p high definition" means 1920×1080 pixels presented progressive scan (all at once). But if a clip is 1080p that alone doesn't necessitate that it will look good. Just as you can...

Verizon Will Divest 15 More Markets to Acquire Alltel (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 2 days ago

Posted in Phone Scoop - Latest News (View Site) by Eric M. Zeman - 2 days ago

This week, Verizon Wireless voluntarily offered to divest another 15 markets -- bringing the total to 100 -- in order to entice the FCC into approving its planned acquisition of Alltel. The markets are located in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, ...
(follow link to read)

YouTube now includes full-length CBS shows (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 2 days ago

Posted in Electronista | Gadgets for Geeks (View Site) - 2 days ago

The popular video-sharing portal YouTube has began running full length TV shows from CBS' archives in attempts to build revenue from advertising, according to a report on Friday. Typically, a YouTube video is no longer than 10 minutes, but the CBS ag...

Take your chalkline into the 20th century - not quite the 21st, it’s just ink (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 2 days ago

Posted in CrunchGear (View Site) by Devin Coldewey - 2 days ago

I don’t know how many of you guys out there have to use chalklines very often, or indeed how many Crunchers have ever even touched one. Personally, I like the idea of chalklines but never get a chance to use them (I have a nice little toolset, though). I think it’s the little puff of chalk when I snap the line that gets me so excited. Unfortunately, that puff leads to a slightly fuzzy line sometimes, so Tajima Tools has taken it upon itself to reinvent the wheel here and replace the chalk with ink.

The line is braided nylon instead of string, which should make it pretty durable, and the ink comes in several colors (red is included). To be perfectly honest, I don’t think there was a pressing need to reduce the width of chalk lines, but this may tickle somebody’s fancy. $20 isn’t a big investment, anyhow. [via Toolmonger]

New: EleMints (reference) (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 2 days ago

Posted in AppShopper.com: New Apps (View Site) - 3 days ago

EleMints 1.0

Category: Reference
Price: $4.99 (iTunes)

Description:

EleMints is a full featured Periodic Table for the iPhone and iPod Touch. However, it not only offers a Periodic Table, but also a Plot Graph, Element listing, and more.

EleMints is divided into four sections, all easily available from the bottom of the screen:
• The Periodic Table can be shaded according to a particular property, and zoomed to get more information at a time.
• The Plot Graph allows trends in properties to be more identifiable, be it across a period, or down a group.
• The Element Listing lists all the elements ordered by a property of your choosing.
• The Properties section gives an at-a-glance view at all of an element's properties, complete with simple definitions and an electron diagram supporting even sub-shells.

EleMints currently supports all of the following properties, with more to come in future updates:
• Classification
• Electronegativity
• Melting Point
• Boiling Point
• Physical State
• Density
• Empirical Atomic Radius
• Calculated Atomic Radius
• Covalent Radius
• Van der Waals Radius
• Triple Bond Covalent Radius
• Metallic Radius
• Atomic Weight
• Period
• Group
• Block
• Number of Protons, Neutrons, Nucleons, and Electrons

A built-in User Guide can be found by tapping the i Button at the top-right of the Periodic Table, and then tapping the Credits Button at the top-left of the screen.

If you have any suggestions, find an error in the data, or request a particular property to be added, please contact us at: appkainime@mac.com

AccuWeather Launches Twitter and Tumblr Feeds (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 2 days ago

Posted in AppScout (View Site) - 2 days ago

If you're a weather junkie like I am, you want to wake up in the morning and immediately know what temperature it is outside and what the high for the day will be. You also want to know if there are any changes to the forecast as the day progresses like incoming storms, high winds, or a sharp increase in temperature. AccuWeather wants to keep you in the loop as much as you like to stay informed. The company announced yesterday a way to stay up to date with the forecast in your area with AccuWeather feeds for Twitter and Tumblr.