Back in June, Brightcove unveiled a new strategy to take its App Cloud development platform open source, and at the same time it introduced a new dual-screen Apple TV feature aimed at growing its business on connected TVs. Today, Brightcove is announcing the very first implementation of that, with Discovery Networks International, which will be using it first in Italy. Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Brightcove, tells TechCrunch that this is a global deal with Discovery, meaning that if all goes well, Discovery could take the features to other markets where it operates in Europe, the U.S. and the rest of the world.The new service will run on iPad and iPhone apps from DMAX Italy, a free-to-air channel operated by Discovery with 20 million subscribers. And it will give users the ability to initiate an action on, say, an iPhone or iPad, and then shift that content directly on to the larger screen of the TV using Apple's AirPlay technology. This makes dual-screen functionality a step beyond companion apps -- now very common in the TV world -- in that it gives users the ability to actually port features and functions from one screen directly to the other. read more..
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Discovery Networks Is Brightcove’s First Partner For Its Dual-Screen Apple TV Service, Live First In Italy
Saturday, 18 August 2012
The Cloud Gaming Company-Intellectual Property-Reliable Source-Liability
We're hearing from a reliable source that OnLive's founder and CEO Steve Perlman finally decided to make an exit -- and in the process, is screwing the employees who helped build the company and brand. The cloud gaming company reportedly had several suitors over the last few years (perhaps including Microsoft) but Perlman reportedly held tight control over the company, apparently not wanting to sell or share any of OnLive's secret sauce.Our source tells us that the buyer wants all of OnLive's assets -- the intellectual property, branding, and likely patents -- but the plan is to keep the gaming company up and running. However, OnLive management cleaned house today, reportedly firing nearly the entire staff, and we hear it was done just to reduce the company's liability, thus reducing employee equity to practically zero. Yeah, it's a massive dick move. read more..
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Competitive Cyclist-Physical Therapy-Plastic Surgery-Hindsight-Rearview
We're very lucky that the creator of the Cerevellum is even alive. Evan Solida was a competitive cyclist until a major accident in 2007 left him unable to ride. After years of plastic surgery and physical therapy, he was able to get back onto his bike and now builds unique cycle designs, does contract work, and just released his first product, the Hindsight 35.This unique device is essentially a rearview monitor and race computer for cyclists. It connects to various sensors using ANT+ wireless technology and a small lens and light combo on the back of the bike gives you a full view of what's coming up behind you in brilliant color. The device also records the scene in five minute bursts and stops recording when you (or your bike) are suddenly interrupted by a collision. In short, it's a way for cyclists to find out what's behind them and, if they run into a spot of bad luck, see who's responsible. read more..
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Teenie Weenie-Lorenzo Lamas-Kickstarter-Dalai Lama
Imagine this: you get an email message. Maybe it's from someone important, like the Dalai Lama or Lorenzo Lamas. But how do you know that it came? Easy. The Blink(1). The Blink(1) is a little LED that lights up when something happens on your computer. You can run as many of these things as you have USB ports and, with a little creativity, you can really start to see the value.For example, you can program the light with Applescript to blink in weird ways when a contact signs into Skype or when someone contacts you in chat. You can set it as a Linux command-line alert so it will turn red when your hard drive is on fire. You can make it turn green when you're done downloading Furry porn on your Windows machine. The possibilities, as they say, are endless. read more..
Monday, 16 July 2012
Thorsten Heins-Blackberry
Blackberry's future is the tech debate du jour, with pundits on either side promising either a BB10 renaissance or a slow-motion tailspin. While the jury was still out, we had a few moments to speak with RIM CEO Thorsten Heins about RIM's way forward and where BB10 was going to put the company when it launches. He was unsurprisingly forthright and more than accommodating even when we asked him the questions any BB fan would ask today: Why should I buy a new Blackberry device?TC: In this interview we wanted to see what was in store for the consumer, what RIM is doing to maintain the energy that a lot of the BlackBerry users currently have, especially at work or in academia. What do you see as the best way forward for those folks?Thorsten Heins: What we are doing right now is, if you look at the installed base, specifically in enterprise, corporate and consumers worldwide, there is still a lot of phones running BlackBerry 5, mainly in Asia-Pacific. So we are still working on a program to upgrade the installed base to BlackBerry 7, which from today’s view and perspective still is competitive, and I think an exciting platform. read more..
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Microsoft Surface-Mobile Computing-Tablet
Microsoft just took the wraps off the all new Microsoft Surface. Even though the name is familiar this is an entirely new product. Simply put, the Surface is a Windows 8 tablet. But it seems so much more. In fact, perhaps I'm still a little drunk on Microsoft Kool-Aid, but the Surface seems like the next generation of mobile computing. While Surface might not kill the iPad, it might revive Microsoft.To be clear, the Surface is Microsoft's hardware. This is a not a Dell or HP tablet running Microsoft's software. Microsoft clearly designed this tablet to best showcase Windows 8. The tablet itself seems fantastic. Compared to the iPad, it's a bit utilitarian with hard lines, full size I/O ports, and heat vents. But it also seems like a serious tablet rather than a plaything. read more..
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Todd Harrison
This charming man, Todd Harrison, bought a used Apple II and some drives from Ebay and did what any self-respecting geek would do: he gave them the attention and respect they deserved, cleaning all the parts and getting it ready to run some BASIC again.The machines were in pretty rough shape. He powered the CPU on and it seemed to fry a little and as he dug through the box he found packing peanuts in the casings and a number of special treats including a Hayes Microcomputer modem. Todd grabbed some rubbing alcohol and some Clorox and got to work. Why? Because he loved Apple IIs. read more..
Monday, 11 June 2012
Native Resolution-720P Resolution-Facepalm-Wii
According to WiiUDaily (and we're confirming), the games shown at E3 are native at 720p resolution, a considerable step down from the 1080p, 3D-pumping action coming out of the 360 and the PS3 in many cases. Although there is no absolute proof that the Wii U launch titles will all be 720p, the site noted that "the representative couldn’t confirm whether the games can be upscaled to 1080p, only that the 'native resolution is 720p for all titles showcased.'" read more..
Mountain Lion
Rounding up Mountain Lion rumors is actually quite simple. After all, the OS update has been floating around the developer boards for a while now and while there is no Gold Master available, many of the upcoming features are already detailed and fully baked.Mountain Lion, in short, is Apple's move to add iOS functionality to the laptop and desktop. A convergence of best-of-breed mobile techniques - notifications, do-not-disturb systems, and signed software - and a strong back end, the new OS aims to scratch a few itches rather than change the way we work in a wholesale manner.Mountain Lion is an iterative update. Folks looking for touchscreen laptops and other weirdness are probably going to have to wait. However, we do know quite a bit and it's definitely an update that will make your Mac run a little better and your work a little more efficient. Here are the rumors we've heard about Mountain Lion. If you want a bit of insight into what Mountain Lion will do to your computer right now, check this out while you can read MG's review here. read more..
Friday, 11 May 2012
Product Development Network-Everyday Objects-Milk Jug-Software
For just about a week now, GE and product development network Quirky have been running an interesting contest -- they've challenged people to come up with ways to improve everyday objects by making them "smarter with software". Unlike the traditional Quirky production and development process though, the winning concept will be fashioned into an actual working device by the end of the month.The problem with so many thoughtful, potentially useful entries is that only one of them will actually make the transition from pitch to product. Now with the selection process closed, TechCrunch has learned that Quirky's design and engineering team will be developing a smarter... milk jug? read more..
Monday, 30 April 2012
Alley
TechCrunch Disrupt is all about start-ups but we often give short shrift to hardware-based companies. Well, that's about to change because we're now running Hardware Alley, a one day exhibition of some of the coolest hardware start-ups in NY and beyond.Running a Kickstarter project? Building a better mousetrap? Creating something cool out of scrap metal and wires? Register as a Hardware Alley exhibitor. You'll get admission on the last day of Disrupt, May 23, a table to show off your goods, and access to some of the most interesting people (and most interesting VCs) in the world. We'd love to have you. read more..
Friday, 27 April 2012
Sebastian Thrun-Project-Google
So Google X founder Sebastian Thrun was on Charlie Rose last night showing off his latest creation, Project Glass. Which, if you haven't seen by now, is quite possibly one of the most ambitious consumer products to come out of the Googleplex in recent memory. But until Thrun's appearance on Rose, we didn't actually know how the glasses would work other than the sizzle reel that was put together earlier this month.A couple of things struck me as odd, though. Thrun never actually gave any voice commands during his demo of the glasses, while in the video everything was driven by voice. But that's not what has me worried about Project Glass. During the interview, Thrun snapped a photo of Rose and uploaded it to his Google+ account. So far, it appears to work as advertised but take a look at the image quality and tell me whether or not it's acceptable in this day and age. It's not, it's terrible. read more..
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Unfounded Rumors-Liquidmetal-Lte Iphone-Rumor Mill-Iphone 5
After a period of unnerving quietness, the Apple rumor mill is back up and running at full capacity producing two somewhat credible rumors over the last 24 hours. The next iPhone will not be announced until October if the latest rumors are believed. A separate rumor is just so wild that it might be true: The iPhone 5, or whatever it's to be called, will be made of LiquidMetal, which will allow for a unique unibody construction. But again, these are just unfounded rumors. Please proceed with caution. read more..
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
True Alternative-Notion Ink
We've always been interested in the Notion Ink project, which has always striven to be a true alternative to both the iPad and Android masses. Last time, it was through both a Pixel Qi screen and an interesting custom interface, but delays and yield problems more or less buried it and competitors piled up.The sequel to Notion Ink's Adam was originally going to have a 10" screen running at 1920x1200. A post on the company's development blog has admitted that this is not likely to happen. read more..
Monday, 2 April 2012
Chromebook Computer-Chromebooks-Sony-Vaio
Google's Chromebooks haven't exactly made a splash, but apparently not everyone has been scared off. Sony seems to think there's gold in them thar laptops, and they're making their own. For now it's known as the VCC111 (probably shorthand for "Vaio Chromebook Computer, series one, 11-inch display"), according to documents and pictures from FCC testing.The understated look continues with these Vaio Chromebooks, even as far as what appears to be a matte black unbranded shell. A white version is also shown in the test setup photos. But the most interesting thing is the processor, which is listed simply as T25, and may in fact be Nvidia's Tegra 2 chip by that name. An ARM laptop? Hey, if Microsoft can do it, why not Google and Sony? read more..
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Game Developer-Ipad
The new iPad, if rumors are to be believed, has an extremely high-resolution screen — better than most monitors and packed into a quarter of the display space. The result? iPhone 4-like Retina goodness. But it's actually kind of hard to visualize this, since most pixel-dense displays are small, and we're used to a certain level of aliasing on our bigger displays.Game developer Pixels on Toast has done the work of preparing their upcoming game Food Run to the expected 2048x1536 resolution. The results may help you get into your head just how many pixels we're talking about here. read more..
Thursday, 29 March 2012
The Gold Standard-Software Company-Digital Game-Steam Box-Pc Gaming
Valve, creators of (among other things) the Half-Life franchise and Steam, the gold standard for digital game distribution, are said to be getting into the hardware game. If The Verge's tip is to be believed, the company is working with partners to establish a base PC gaming standard to sell as a packaged deal, a sort of set-top box PC that would run Steam or other download services and run most PC games.If true, it would be a major step for Valve, which has always been a software company. They haven't ruled out moving into hardware, but their expertise is in software, so they're more likely to be collaborating with an established gaming PC brand like Alienware. In fact, Alienware's compact X51 system is said to have been designed with a spec like this "Steam Box" in mind. read more..
Friday, 16 March 2012
Emergency Services-Darpa
Say the Mayans are right, and a meteor or some other catastrophe strikes the Earth sometime later this year. Assuming we're not all wiped out by the impact, emergency services worldwide are going to need to do some serious canvassing to assess damage, resources, and form a picture of the disaster.DARPA is running a little game, called CLIQRQuest, to look into how such a network of people might do such a task. But instead of asking people to snap pictures of reservoirs and hospitals, they're giving cash prizes for finding QR codes. read more..
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Video Stream-Pc Games-Onlive
You're probably familiar with OnLive, the company that made its mark by streaming brand new console and PC games to whatever devices could support a high-bandwidth video stream. Many doubted its technology to begin with (including yours truly - Is OnLive OnCrack?) but they've more or less delivered on their promises, and have also been expanding the services they offer. Most recently they introduced OnLive Desktop, which streamed a Windows 7 desktop to your iPad.That was mainly focused on productivity - Office apps and such. Now they've added web browsing to the table. Yes, they will stream live video of a web browser running in a datacenter to your device, which almost certainly already has a web browser. read more..
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Samsung Galaxy Tab-Gadgets
Here are some recent Gadgets posts: Is The $300 3D Printer Finally Here? Makible Thinks So TC@MWC: The Huawei Ascend D Quad Is One Of The Nicest Phones You’ll Never Buy LTE-Packing Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Hits VZW Shelves On March 1 HBO GO Finally Lands On Xbox 360 On April 1 (And No, It’s Not A Joke) iPad 3 Rumor Roundup read more..