TechXiety - Viral MeMe's & The New Media

Summarized 40 Point Format - WWDC 09 - The New IPhone 3GS 2009 - IPhone 3.0 Full Details / Specifications For Developers, Fans & Everyone Else

I'll cut the chase and let you know what's in.

1) Cut & Paste
2) Shake phone to UNDO
3) More developer API's (Cocoa Touch) - expect more games and applications
4) Landscape view mode
5) MMS - Multimedia Messaging Service
6) Spotlight search - Improved - Search basically everything
7) Ability to purchase movies now on ITunes
8) More additions to Parental Controls / Ratings Controls
9) Tethering over USB / Bluetooth - with selective Telcos of course!
10) Streaming audio / video
11) Better rendering for Javascript - which means faster browsing
12) Video / Audio taggings
13) Supports over 30 languages or more
14) Find My Phone feature to let you search your lost or misplaced phone via MobileMe app - remotely wipe data off phone / plays alert sounds even if phone is in SILENT mode when you hunt for it
15) More than 1000 new API's through the new SDK
16) P2P wirelessly over Bluetooth / Wifi without any pairing
17) Ability to embed Google Maps into your applications
18) Push Notifications!!!!! - text alerts, numerical badges, and audio alerts.
19) Multitasking - minor of course - playing music in the background while within another app
20) Remote access to other machines - e.g. monitor a hospital's patients data from your Iphone remotely in REAL-TIME
21) More ebooks and emagazines to purchase - hooked with major publishers
22) Tom Tom Navigation GPS built-in
23) Landscape / Portrait mode while docking your IPhone
24) Faster downloading - in game (e.g. updates, patches,etc)
25) Featured App - ZipCar - Unlock your car doors / alarm from your IPhone
26) Featured App - Line 6 / Planet Waves - Control / Play / Tune your guitar and amp from your IPhone
27) Most powerful and fastest IPhone - The IPhone 3GS
28) Camera - 3 Megapixel - Auto Focus / Auto White Balance / Auto Exposure
29) 7.2 Mbps HSDPA
30) Video Recording 30fps - with audio / auto focus / auto white balance
31) Ability to use the video recording feature in apps for developers
32) Voice Control Recognition / Commands for dialing, ITunes playlist - audio, "play more songs like this" feature
33) Built-in Digital Compass - longitude / latitude - more apps / games to be built around this
34) Hardware encryption for data privacy / security purposes
35) Battery Life - State of the art - longer life duh!
36) Accessibility features
37) Pricing : USD199/USD299 - 16/32MB - Black/White
38) 'Greener' phone
39) 23% smaller packaging
40) Old IPhone 3G - USD99 - 8MB

## Other Notes ##
IPhone OS 3.0 - Worldwide - June 17th 2009
GM Seed - Now Available!!
IPhone 3GS 1 - 1.5 Weeks from Now!! - Countries may vary - Distribution by selective countries
IPhone 3GS 2 - Launched in near future

Hulu Desktop Version - What Does Joost Have To Be Afraid Of? They Don't!

First and foremost, i would like to state once again that i am and will ALWAYS be a big fan of Joost. Approximately two years ago, i had managed to convert almost 50 - 75 people to participate in Joost. Then i was extremely disappointed at Joost Inc when they decided to discontinue their desktop version months ago and i could only attribute this to the fact that Hulu (owned by NBC Universal, News Corporation, Providence Equity Partners and The Walt Disney Company) was garnering loads of traction with a web based 'tv on demand' application. They are web based whilst Joost was unique and distinctly superior because they had this wonderful Flash based application (the desktop version). I guess they felt that the best way to go was to stick to what the competition does best out there (tested and tried) which was offering consumers a way to watch TV on the browser itself WITHOUT having no bothersome downloads (Skype still needs to be downloaded right and so does Kazaa - it works). 

This month, Hulu decided to release their own desktop version (built on Flash i presume), called "Hulu Desktop". The only reason they do this is because they realize the importance of having consumers hook up their machines to their television sets at home (watch out Boxee, Hulu may not need you after all). Thing is, i'm sure this had come to much of a surprise to Joost Inc. And to be honest, it didn't come as much of a surprise to me at all. It all made sense; consumers needed an app to hookup to their 32 or 40 inch HDTV's either via a S-Video or RCA / Composite Video cables or else the entire web application would need to be tweaked in order for the consumer to be able to experience a full blown broadband TV experience. What better way to do this than to create a desktop version of it which was non browser based which catered for easier output. People now love Hulu, love their desktop version, their content's great and more importantly, will they start ditching Joost?

Here are Techxiety, we believe that Joost can still stand out in the crowd and be as successful as Hulu (or even better) and only if they take a different approach or positioning to tackle this situation. It is not too late if you ask me; a little bit of restrategizing is all Joost needs. Here are my thoughts.

1) Relaunch the desktop version once more. Call it 'Joost Light' if you want. In fact call it anything, the 'Joost Player', 'Joost Revisited', etc.. keep the competition stiff. Your player looks so aesthetically 'right' compared to Hulu's 'current' player. Relaunch the last beta version if you have to. Let consumers and bloggers compare both versions... i'm sure yours would come up tops.

2) Tackle a different market for now; Your technology behind Joost is what consumers and what broadband providers will love. Tackle the P2P market... focus heavily on allowing 'users to broadcast' their own channels.... let also all the thousands of TV channels across the globe to setup their own channel on Joost... sort out the conditions.. i know it's not easy.. focus heavily on that... then slowly capture the broadcast TV providers. Prioritise them; 1) Non US / Europe TV broadcasters 2) User Generated Broadcasters 3) US / Europe TV Broadcasters. You flank Hulu now Joost.

3) If you believe tackling the US / Europe market is now too late for penetration, then refocus your markets in Asia. Asians love P2P technology (we all knew that). Look at TVAnts, PPLive, TVU Networks, etc... the majority of users are from Asia. Then slowly inch your way back to the US / Europe market when they realise that streaming-on-demand has too many drawbacks as compared to P2P technology. Believe me, Asia loves Joost ... they really dislike Hulu because of the geographical restrictions. And in Asia, there's a saying, "we forgive, but we don't forget". It's not too late trust me.

4) Kickstart another R&D team to focus on set-top boxes (for the future of course). Hey you never know you could be as popular as TiVo eventually.

5) Don't forget to release a Joost Client and even a Joost Broadcaster (premium priced for corporates or broadcasters). Maybe develop a Joost Advertiser version which allows advertisers to push their ads throughout selective feeds. If your advertisers love your application, ahhh... $$$ will keep flowing into your banks. Therefore be sure to win their hearts!! 

Just my 0.02 cents worth. And if i have time in the future (i'm in stealth mode for one of my applications now - arduous task to seek funding), i will write more about how Joost can slow down or tackle Hulu's success.

Read HERE for my previous rant about Joost dropping their desktop version titled "Joost - Countdown To Extinction?".

ps. Joost Media Player built on Adobe AIR? I've tested it.... good try but i'd rather refrain from commenting. Kudos to the developer though.

"An Error Occured Please Try Again Later" - Part I

In recent weeks, several users, including me of course, have been unable to play certain YouTube videos and we are being thrown with a "An Error Occured Please Try Again later" message in the middle of the YouTube flash video player.

Several people have tried removing Flash Player 10 Active X and Flash Player 10 Plugin from their Control Panel in Windows, reinstalled them from Adobe and have successfully rectified it but some including me have not. Some have even recommended removing and reinstalling Java from Sun's website and these 2 solutions above have actually helped them remedy their problem. Here at TechXiety, we believe that both the solutions recommended do not at all actually help resolve this issue. We strongly and firmly believe that we have a random issue at hand; just like the previous "We're Sorry, This Video Is No Longer Available" error message on the YouTube flash video player.

So since it's most likely a random issue to certain users, the only option available is to actually reload or refresh the page (hit the F5 or CTRL-R button). Stay tuned for updates on this issue.

New Apple IPhone (Version 3 - 3rd Generation) June 2009? - Specifications Update #1

Starting from today onwards, TechXiety shall be posting specification updates with regards to the new Apple IPhone, 3rd Generation, to be launched late June 2009. Once we get a specification update, we will make the necessary amendments to the below. So far here's what we know. Here goes:-

Infineon SGold3 Chipset - Capable of faster 3G - HSDPA (7.2Mbps) (Previous model was PMB8878)
3.2 / 5 Megapixel Back Camera With Xenon Flash
1.3 / 3.2 Megapixel Front Camera For Video Calls Over 3G Networks
Video Recording Capabilities With Built-In Video Recording Software
Digital Compass - Magnetometer
FM Radio Transmitter - Transmit songs to your stereo in the car or at work or at home.
802.11n Communication Chip - Extremely good for streaming audio / video!
Push Notification Services (just like Blackberry)
Advanced MultiTouch OLED Screen (provided by LG Electronics)
Tethering Abilities
NFC-Ready Chip <--- The single biggest killer feature!!!!!! No big deal for the above as it's still average compared to Asian used mobiles.
All Version 3.0 OS Updates - MMS, Copy-Cut-Paste, Spotlight (search), Landscape Mode composing and reading and a LOT more.

Let's hope and pray the above are not just speculative rumors.

Facebook's "What's on your mind?" - A Classic David vs Goliath Story?

I believe Mark Zuckerberg, main founder of Facebook Inc is trying to take a pot shot at Twitter and Twitter's fame. Launched a week ago, the new Status API on Facebook has been open to all Facebook Developers and several social desktop widget applications have been integrating this new module into their own applications (TweetDeck). If you take a look at your own Facebook page, the middle section, you would be able to see that this new "What's on your mind?" module that allows users to post links, photos, videos and other application updates to one's friends on Facebook. It does not have the 140 characters or less (just text update) disadvantage that Twitter has but nevertheless Twitter has been gaining traction as the leading vertical real time updating Web 2.0 application darling of the web.

Will this be the classic case of the David vs Goliath story whereby David always emerges the winner as he gets the biggest sympathy vote in this rat-race to emerge the winner in Web 2.0's "Real Time Updating" category? Our take? 8 million users vs 180 million users is not an easy task at hand is all i can say.

Conficker Win32 Worm - Coming 1st April - What To Do? How To Prevent? How To Remove?

WIN32/CONFICKER  WORM

Coming 1st April, the deadly Conficker Win32 Worm will be maliciously unleashed to all PC users of the Microsoft Windows PC platform (this includes Win2K, WinXP, Windows 7 beta, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 & 2008). The classification given by most AntiVirus companies, 'Highly Dangerous'. Here's what you should do to prevent it from gaining access to your computer.

1. Update your Microsoft security patches. What this means is that you have to get into Windows Update while your machine is still connected to the Internet. Make sure to install ALL necessary security or vulnerability patches and not forget to reboot after the update process has been completed.

2. Update all your antivirus and anti-spyware (this too) software(s). Do it now.

3. Scan any USB thumbdrives or Flash Drives thoroughly before plugging it into any of your home or work PC's.

To remove the Conficker Win32 worm, pay attention to these:-

1. You must get patch (MS08-087) from Microsoft. It has been released and can be found on Microsoft's website.

2. Get into your respective antivirus software's websites to download the tools for removal. Do take heed of the instructions. The patches and removal kits are already there for you to download.

Click HERE for more details and steps on how to detect or identify the worm. The symptoms of the Conficker Win32 are listed there.

Apple IPhone 3G Version 3.0 Firmware Details

How do i get a copy of this mouth-watering software / firmware update for the IPhone? You need to be part of the developer programme for now (USD$99) to grab it's SDK. The updated SDK is said to have more than 1,000 completely new API's.

Here are some exciting features to lookout for:-

Copy & Paste / Cut
Keyboard In Landscape Mode
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
In App Purchase
Push Notification Ability
Peer To Peer Connectivity
Voice Memo
Search (Like Spotlight In MAC OS)
Tethering
Bluetooth A2DP Support
Maps With Vox Navigation
Wifi Auto-Login
CalDav Support For Calendar
Mac / Windows Note Sync Support

I bet you're as excited as i am. What am i gonna do with my Blackberry once Apple goes full swing with Push Notification? :)

How To Solve Boot Camp / VMWare Windows XP Audio / Sound Issues Or Problems On The MacBook Pro

Almost everyone who has a MacBook Pro running Boot Camp XP or VMWare Fusion XP or even Vista for that matter have had issues with

A. Choppy / Lagging Sound
B. "No Sound Device" Error Message
C. No Sound At All
D. Soundcard Not Detected

Here are some ways on how to troubleshoot or resolve the issue. I've gone through hell and back resolving the ever annoying sound issue and it is normally solved through a variety of ways. There is just no one particular solution to solve this so make this a checklist and see if the methods used here resolve the problem at hand. On to the solution.

Checklist 1 - Upgrade To Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3 on XP or Service Pack 1 on Vista. Or better yet, downgrade from a Vista to a Windows XP instead. Make sure to REBOOT once you have installed the particular Service Pack.

Part III. "We're Sorry, This Video Is No Longer Available" Temporary Fix

Okay people, it's confirmed. It's a YouTube (Google Inc.) server issue which is probably caused by overloading and slow updating which causes you to receive a "We're sorry, this video is no longer available" error on the flash player.

A couple of people who have emailed me and I have agreed that this problem *IS* RANDOM and will probably be an intermittent issue as well in the near future. Do not expect this problem to resolve overtime unless of course Google Inc re-engineers their entire YouTube server architecture to resolve the overwhelming demand of video uploads and video playbacks into perfection. No one, i repeat, no one has ever had the experience to encounter such explosive growth on a particular site to cater for a large demand of consumers on the web where videos are concerned so layoff the nagging and cussing and just bear with it. I'm certain Google Inc's engineers are working on a solution to this issue on a high priority basis.

The Solution - As i have said that it is a random issue, the ONLY SOLUTION (if you are patient enough to want the video to load that is) is to hit RELOAD / REFRESH on your browser. If this works for me and others, it WILL work for you too. There was once i actually had to reload a particular video approximately 30 times before it started streaming progressively. So there you go folks. JUST RELOAD / REFRESH.

I chose a random video off YouTube below, which so happens to give the error message at random intervals but resolved eventually after hitting RELOAD / REFRESH a random number of times. Try it for yourself; if the error appears, hit RELOAD / REFRESH, i guarantee you that eventually it WILL STREAM. *Since the video is embedded, click on the video to launch it within YouTube instead - Clicking TWICE on the video will bring you to that video page on YouTube*.

The Downside Of Having Excessive Capital In A Volatile Economy - For CEO's & Investors

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The Downside Of Having Excessive Capital In A Volatile Economy - For CEO's And Investors

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