Facebook getting Pushed instead of Poked

Facebook is one of the biggest Social Networking sites out there. But its creator/ceo and former Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, has been accused of stealing the idea and source code.

According to Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra, Zuckerberg was brought in to help create some code for their site ConnectU. This project was initially start as a social network for unversities. ConnectU claims that Zuckerberg delayed the launch of ConnectU so that he could build up a rival site, Facebook.

Facebook is huge right now. It even had an offer from Yahoo, for 1 billion dollars. It generates over $125 million usd a year in ad revenue.

So will the Judge convict Zuckerberg of theft? Or will the former Harvard students get charge for defamation? The ruling is later this week.

[via TheStar]

Silverlight & Netflix

Microsoft’s Silverlight is a relatively new application. It is part of the .Net framework and Microsoft says it is a “cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web.”

In a Mix ‘07 demo, Netflix demonstrated a model they created in less then 3 weeks. This model features seamless movement between movies, and interaction on both PC and Macs. You can chat, share movies, switch between movies, chapters and  preview other movies in the same category regardless what platform you are on. Netflix also claims they are working on HD video streaming that is just as fast as regular streaming.

Is Silver light going to be the next big thing in internet technology? Do you think it will stick?

[via silverlight.net]

Samsung’s first 5mpxl GSM Multimedia phone

Samsung has announced it release of the first GSM 5megapixel camera phone for European market. This phone features 2.2″ LCD with 16 million colours, 5 mega-pixel multi-function imaging system and full Bluetooth v.2 connectivity. It also has a mp3 player and a internet browser.

It isn’t said how much this will go for, but its expected to hit the European markets this August.

[via Samsung PR]

Screen Savers Playing movies

It looks like Sony’s Crackle has made a little program that plays your favorite videos while your computer is idel, via your screen saver. Whizbyte is currently testing this application, and we will have an update on its performance.

[via Crackle]

Update: After testing the application for a few minutes, the program seems a bit impressive, but a bit confusing. After installing the app, its not clear what to do next. After a few tries we decided to check under the screensaver options and sure enough there was the app. We set it up and tested it. It is pretty well mad, nice looking, and easy to get around on, but its not much good for a screen save. The idea is pretty innovative, but the program doesn’t match what was expected. I think that if the program was a stand alone program, it would be pretty successful. They should do this, and just have an option to make your favorite videos, your default screensavers.

PS3 firmware 1.9 released

It looks as though the PS3 firmware 1.9 is now out. Here are the features it has.

• Ability to rearrange games on the XMB
• Option menu now includes “eject disk”
• Press triangle to eject games/CDs/movies in the XMB
• XMB backgrounds
• Change the folder classification
• Emoticons
• Change CD output to 44.1/88.2/176.4kHz
• Force 24Hz output for Blu-ray over HDMI
• Change PS3 video settings in-game
• “Bit Mapping” in the “Music Setting”
• Save AVCHD type animations from a Memory Stick
• Change settings like upscaling while playing PS and PS2 games
• Add bookmarks
• Web browser security function in the browser’s tool section
• Avatar moves during audio visual chat
The customized backgrounds and the emoticons are nice touches. Not a bad update, not a bad update at all. Hit the jump for a look at the emoticons.

Now this is only the Japanese PS3. There is no news yet on when exactly it will hit the US, and Canada. If there is all of this in the 1.9 release, imagine the 2.0.

[kotaku.com]

Buy a Mac get a free Nano

Apple is now advertising a new deal for University/College Students. The deal is if you buy an Apple Mac, they will give you a free nano. This deal also includes free shipping. So if your a student, and you can provide a student ID number, then you are eligible to get a free nano. Now you do have to buy the nano when you purchase the mac, but they send you a $229 mail-in rebate. This deal is confirmed for both the US and Canada.

Is this Apple’s new strategy for making macs more popular? They already have the number one DAP’s, maybe their Mac Books are going to be next. What do you think?

[via Apple.ca]

Canada Exclusive DS

Its not very often that us Canadians get something before The States, let alone something exclusive. So I am proud to announce that Future Shop and Nintendo are offering a Canadian bundle of the Nintendo DS. For $159 CAD you get this new special edition Red and Black ds, carrying case, and brain age 2.

Thanks Nintendo.

Zune 2nd Gen Confirmed

After some discussion with a representative of Microsoft(press), I was given the following information after asking if they could confirm any details regarding Scorpio (the new 80gb model) and draco(the flash based zune). This is the reply:

” We have seen the rumors floating around, but we haven’t announced specific dates or details for the next generation of the Zune devices or service. That said, Zune follows the cycle of the consumer electronics cycle so you can expect an update later this year prior to the holiday season.

• • There are three predictable paths along which we’ll expand Zune:
    • Device family – adding in new sizes, styles and price points
    • Features – we’ll move towards parity with iPod building in support for video, podcasting, etc and at the same time build on key differentiators such as the wireless feature, the FM tuner, etc
    • Geographic Markets – we’ll start to expand the international footprint of Zune over time but only when we can ensure an offering which is tailored to that market

And one thing about Zune that’s really great for consumers is that the device is future-proofed. Consumers can buy without fear of their device becoming obsolete. Zune’s software (firmware) can be updated so their device gets automatically updated with new features when the new software is launched.”

I also asked if they were going to set out the Zune Spots, in not just concerts but possibly malls and other places as well. I did not get a reply at this point.

So using the above information, it is confirmed that there will be a model out in time for Christmas. They are also going to expand the support (expand from the states) probably after the new models come out. Also it says that the newer models will mimic the features of the iPod, ie nano style, shuffle, etc… and maybe add some new stuff to play in with the wi-fi capabilities. Possibly an internet application? Maybe a zune phone is in the works, although not directly said but they did say that they were basically following the same path apple laid out.

Portable Blu-Ray disc Players?

We all heard of portable music players, portable dvd players and portable media players. But what about the newest in HD movies? Well Sony has (unofficially) announced that it is going to release some portable blu-ray disc players sometime in 2008. Although no exact date was given, its believed to be around july. This will give BD a while to get more popular and cause the technology costs to be a little cheaper, especially over the holiday rushes.

You can expect these on the market sometime mid 2008 for around 399-499 USD

PS3 Xbox 360 Wii: Total Sales

Here is a table of the latest numbers in sales with all 3 systems.

Current trends show that the Xbox 360 sales are not holding strong, (possibly due to failure rates) and are actually starting to round off. The PS3, with the new price cuts and value packs, are starting to grow fairly rapid. And as always the Wii sales are standing strong.

The PS3 is selling a bit less then half of the other two, and the Wii is almost as much as the XBOX. So there you have it, the current figures.

What do you think is going to happen up until Christmas? What about during Christmas?

Note: these numbers are as of June 2007 and are in millions