Thursday, October 29, 2009

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Facebook To Stream Foo Fighters Concert Tomorrow Night, Powered By Livestream Top
Facebook has teamed with the Foo Fighters to stream a concert live tomorrow night from the band’s Studio 606 headquaters in Los Angeles. You can RSVP to the event here , and stream it live here beginning at 7 PM PST tomorrow. As with Facebook’s other recent video streaming events, users will be invited to update their status messages with their thoughts about the concert, which will draw in even more fans as they see the updates in their news feeds. The live video will be powered by Livestream . Live concert streams seem to be a growing trend for the web’s most popular content and social sites. Last week MySpace streamed their Secret Show Weezer concert in San Francisco. And earlier this week YouTube streamed a U2 concert from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. The event was a huge success, drawing a reported 10 million streams. YouTube also streamed San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival in August. Hulu has also gotten in on the action, with a Dave Matthews Band stream in May. The appeal for bands is obvious — they get a chance to give back to fans, promote their albums, and boost their presence on social networks. And sites like Facebook benefit by attracting more artists to their platforms, as well as the obvious revenue opportunities from advertising and sponsorship deals. Crunch Network : CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
 
Epix Officially Launches Movie Streaming Network Top
We recently wrote about Epix, the movie and entertainment streaming network that works across your TV, computer, and mobile phone. Jointly backed by Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount, Epix is launching its service today with 150 titles, with 3,000 more movies, concerts and shows to be added in the next year. Epix says that eventually it will be able to provide access to over 15,000 titles, but as we wrote in our initial review of the service, that's just a sliver of what's out there, since it’s only the movies available through the studios that are backing the company. And, if you want this content in your living room, you're going to need Verizon FIOS, which only some 2 million people have. But for the next month, Epix is allowing a limited number of people to access a three-day free online preview of its EpixHD.com service, starting this weekend. For this period, you’ll be able to access the service regardless of whether you are a Verizon Fios user. We actually have 200 30-day VIP passes to the service. The first 200 readers who follow @epixHD on Twitter and Tweet “@epixhd Experience Epix” with the hashtag “#techcrunch” will receive a DM from Epix with a promo code for the VIP service. We had a few bones to pick with the service earlier, namely that it’s tied to Verizon FIOS, and that it doesn’t offer a complete platform to watch movies on the web (but no one does). That being said, the platform is useful because it transcends over the TV and your computer and its fairly easy to use. For those of you who are able to grab an invite, we’re interested to hear what you think about the service, so be sure to leave your observations in comments. Crunch Network : CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
 
VodBurner Brings High-Quality Video Recording And Editing To Skype Top
Skype app developer Netralia is bringing high-quality video recording through it’s app, VodBurner. VodBurner lets users create video podcasts directly from Skype calls using webcams, incorporating recording and post-production editing in a single software package. The app, which is $9.95, is fairly simple. Once downloaded, it will let you record a video and audio conversation via Skype and will then let you edit the final file within its software. What’s interesting about the app is that it actually detects who is talking (using volume) and will record the video of that person during the time. If both people are talking, the app will record video on both individuals in the frame. You can also add graphics and sub-titles to the videos and publish the clips as ASF files suitable for uploading directly to YouTube and other video-hosting services. The end video is of course not pristine because users are often using webcams and the editing features are fairly basic (though Vodburner plans to release for advanced editing features in teh next release of the app), but the file can easily be produced into a nifty podcast. Ecamm and SuperTinTin do similar things with recording conversations, but VodBurner’s founder Jeremy Hague says that the app’s beauty is in it’s easy-to-use editing and production tools. Netalia has also created other popular Skype apps including Skylook and Callburner . There’s been an uproar around Skype axing it’s “Extras” developers program, with many saying that Skype is out of touch with its developer community. But Hague said the Extras program was lacking in execution and is hopeful that Skype will launch a new and improved program for developers. And until then, says Hague, Netralia will continue to make apps that are useful to Skype users. Crunch Network : MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
 
Layoffs Confirmed At 23andMe Top
Personal genomics startup 23andMe has just gone through a round of layoffs, we’ve confirmed. The company declined to comment on how many people were laid off, but offered this statement: We have reduced our staffing levels in a restructuring of our workforce. This was a very difficult decision, but one that we felt was necessary to achieve 23andMe’s long-term business development goals and maintain our strength in the industry. These cuts, which are a reflection of the current economic environment all companies are facing, will allow us to continue to invest in the growth of our Personal Genome Service and research endeavors. 23andMe was founded by Linda Avey and Anne Wojcicki back in 2006. Investors include biotech powerhouse Genentech , as well as New Enterprise Associates. The company also has close ties to Google — Sergey Brin (who is Wojciki’s husband) has loaned 23andMe $10 million, and Google also has a stake in the company. Avey left the company in early September to start a new foundation dedicated to Alzheimer's research. I’ve said it before, and I’ll said it again: there’s little doubt in my mind that personal genomics will be a booming industry in the relatively near future, though it may be five years or a decade before this testing really catches on. The concept is still quite foreign to most people, and while there can be some benefits to this kind of testing (such as learning your risk factor for certain diseases), the science is still very much in its infancy. Crunch Network : MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
 
Ustream Boosts Virality, Now Lets You Syndicate Your Comments Across The Web Top
Ustream has just started to roll out a new feature for its live video streams that allows commenters to syndicate their thoughts across four of the web’s largest social sites: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and AIM instant messenger. The feature will go live for Featured shows beginning on Monday, and everyone else will have access soon thereafter. The feature is similar to what Facebook has offered for its video broadcasts (like the one it had for President Obama’s inauguration ), where users are invited to update their statuses in real-time as they watch a video. Except with Ustream’s comments, users will be able to check off boxes at the top of the chat window to choose if they’d like to broadcast their updates across multiple services. Each update from the Ustream ‘Social Stream’ box will also include a link to the video you’re watching, which means that the feature can help videos go viral quickly. Crunch Network : MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
 
Not Sure Which Twitter Lists To Follow? Listorious Has A Directory Of The Best Ones Top
Twitter Lists are rolling out today (although the feature is not quite turned on for everyone yet). The new feature lets users make lists of interesting people on Twitter, grouped together so that they are easy to follow. But how do you find the best lists? Already, there is an independent directory service which is launching in tandem with Twitter Lists called Listorious . (Warning: it only fully works for people who have Twitter Lists enabled). Listorious offers a curated collection of lists across various categories such as media, humor, marketing, finance, and food. You can see the most popular lists, ranked by how many people follow them. It is also possible to search by tags, or just search lists in general. So what are some lists you might want to check out? There’s Robert Scoble’s Most Influential In Tech list and another overlapping Tech Pundit s list. I like this list of Venture Capitalist s on Twitter. And of course, don’t miss out on following the entire TechCrunch Team with one click. Listorious was developed by Gregory Galant, who is the man behind the Shorty Awards , which goes out to the “best producers of short content.” It is part of his company, Sawhorse Media . Crunch Network : CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
 
PlayHaven Lets iPhone Developers Create In-App And Online Gaming Communities Top
Games, both online and on mobile devices, draw such an intense following that often there are fan communities and forums created entirely around a single game. PlayHaven is hoping to empower developers with the tools to create their own online and in-game (for the iPhone only for now) fan communities for free. PlayHaven has created shell communities around 15,000 games on Apple’s app store, so most developers can automatically claim their community. If their community hasn’t been pre-created, developers can also create their own communities. The transition between online communities and in-game communities are fairly seamless, says Raymond Lau, co-founder and CEO of PlayHaven. Lau says that in-game communities on iPhone apps can be integrated by inserting a snippet of code. In the app, the “community” feature will be able to be accessed under the menu button, so users can access the community from within the feature. On both the app and online communities, fans and developers can share their passion for games by creating guides, tips, reviews, and other content. Developers can also have a channel to connect to fans to notify users of news and new releases. PlayHaven is already testing its communities in-game and online for several apps, including Geared, Minigore and The Quest. In fact, one-third of all Geared players are active on PlayHaven’s community on a daily basis. Competitors include OpenFeint and Plus+. Crunch Network : CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
 
PlaySpan Strikes Deal With Nickelodeon To Power Microtransactions Top
We just wrote about PlaySpan’s recent study showing positive growth in the exchange and e-commerce of virtual goods exchange. PlaySpan powers micro-payments across over 1,000 video games and virtual worlds and has virtual goods storefronts on Facebook , MySpace, within games and on its standalone site. Today, PlaySpan is announcing a fairly significant deal with Nickelodeon to power payment services for virtual goods and microtransactions for the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Virtual Worlds Group. PlaySpan’s technology and services will power Nickelodeon’s virtual worlds' currency, called NeoCash, across multiple payment providers including credit cards and prepaid cards. Through PlaySpan's subsidiary PayByCash , Nickelodeon will offer users over 80 global payment methods. This is a big move for PlaySpan, considering Nickelodeon’s vast reach and popular games, including virtual world NeoPets , which has a user base of 45 million gamers. PlaySpan recently acquired micro-transaction app developer Spare Change, which powered micropayments across 700 social networking apps on Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo. Earlier this year, PlaySpan also made deal to power micropayments on hi5. Micropayments are huge these days and the number of players are scaling quickly. With continued expansion on social networks, media properties and virtual worlds, startup PlaySpan has become a player in an arena where bigger players like PayPal, Facebook and MySpace are all investing in. In fact, PayPal’s new API powers micropayments. The competition may be stiff but as micropayments for virtual goods continue to gain traction in virtual worlds and integrate with consumers’ social graphs, there is definite potential for both startups like PlaySpan, Live Gamer and Zuora, and the more established players to play in the same pool. Crunch Network : CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
 

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