So Desu Na

Trapster.com

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Sun, 4 May 2008 20:24:00 -0700

When I saw this website I was pretty impressed. I can relate to getting a speeding ticket. What I like about this site is that you can post speed traps in your area by using your mobile and other users will be alerted when they are approaching that area. They also use a ranking system to rate the users post, if it matches other reports the user gets a higher ranking which shows credibility.

I guess for me the next step would be if I could integrate this into my GPS that would be even better.

Trapster.com

Nurien Software

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:21:00 -0700

I was reading this article on Mashable and thought that it was pretty interesting. This company in Korea is getting 15M in funding to start this online gaming services. With focus being on Korea and China for its initial markets. It plans to expand to the US in 2009. It looks as though it will be offering services similar to SecondLife.

From what I understand Second Life doesnt have a huge presence in Asia so this new service could be huge for Nurien. Especially since China is such a growing market as well.

Read the full article here

Sync powered by Microsoft

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:05:00 -0700

I have been seeing a lot of commercials lately for this services that is offered on the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars. I wanted to see what the hype is about.

What it allows you to do is connect your mobile phone or digital music player by voice. So you can say commands like Play artist .... or call the office. It communicates with the car by using mostly bluetooth to connect with the devices.

I like that I can say commands in my car to be more hands free since in 7/08 California is going to require the use of headsets in the car. But the fact that it is only available on some models suck!

Microsoft Sync

Google lost some ad revenue to Yahoo!

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:27:00 -0700

The report shows that spending by search advertisers on Yahoo grew a robust 57 percent while spending on Google grew only at about half that rate. That meant Google’s total share of search ad dollars declined slightly to 70.4 percent, while Yahoo’s rose to 24.2 percent. Microsoft’s declined slightly to 5.4 percent.

With the natural progression of search marketing ads, I feel that Google's pie will be cut smaller as more companies focus on how they can raise their ad revenues. It will be interesting to see how, if any if this will affect the companies on their quarterly earnings report.

Full Article

Buddy Media Raises $6.5M

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:50:00 -0700

Buddy Media a leading Facebook application company has raised $6.5 million in funding today. They offer a creative way to advertise on Facebook with over 150 million pages views a month they are able to drive targeted ads to social media masses by using their network of applications on Facebook.

Buddy Media

Blockbuster bids on CircuitCity

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:34:00 -0700

I was shocked when I first I heard that Blockbuster had interest in CircuitCity. From what I understand and what makes sense is that they have competitive edge due to the real estate that Blockbuster has. Blockbuster would want to bring in CircuitCitys Firedog service, which is their in home technical service.

I think this would help them both since they both are struggling and would be able to cross promote their items/service.

Sampa.com

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Wed, 2 Apr 2008 10:11:00 -0700

Sampa lets you create a central place on the web where all your life events can be seen by your family and friends. Your important photos and stories and videos will not be spread out all over the Internet or hiding in your sister-in-law's e-mail. With Sampa, it's all in one place -- like a shared family history.

With Sampa, all updates to your site automatically send an e-mail to your friends and family. And they don't need to remember a password or login -- the secure e-mail link takes them directly to the new post instantly!

Sampa is easy so you can focus on your family, not confusing or challenging technology.

What I like about this services is that for people like me who has family all over it makes it easier to show them what is going on. Rather than having to constantly email my family and firends pictures they will always be updated with what is going.

Sampa.com

Jott for Blackberry

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:20:00 -0700

We have a lot of happy Blackberry customers at Jott, and Jott for BlackBerry is the ultimate BlackBerry download. It is a simple, but very powerful tool that will let you reply to emails on your BlackBerry just using your voice - either speaking directly into your BlackBerry, or while wearing a Bluetooth headset. It is seamlessly integrated into the email application you already use, and is a huge leap forward for BlackBerry lovers in three ways: first, it is 3-5 times faster than ‘thumbing’ text; two, you won’t be known for sending just terse replies because you don’t want to thumb type out a normal email message; and three, you will be safer because you won’t have to take your eyes off the road.*
(*Jott does NOT encourage messaging while driving).

I personally do not use a Blackberry but if I did I would love this service.

Jott.com

Optimus Maximus keyboard

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:17:00 -0700

I have seen some cool keyboards in my time but this one takes the cake. Here are my reasons why I would purchase one

1. No matter what country you are from you will be able to customize each key in your language or you own key sets
2. For coders you could have keys of the most common codes you write or use
3. Since it uses OLED for the keys you could pretty much put anything on there like your company logo for the mail button

All in all I like that I can customize my keyboard with specific images and text that suite my needs.

Optimus Maximus keyboard

NewsFire goes FREE

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Sat, 1 Mar 2008 22:58:00 -0800

I am not a heavy Mac user but even I am happy to hear that once a paid program is now FREE. Best of all it is optimized for Mac OS X.

Some Highlights

RSS for Everyone
Simple to use and packed with features, NewsFire makes it a joy to keep atop the constant flow of information on the web.

Smart & Organized
It's easy to filter and organize your news with NewsFire's smart groups. Build your own feeds with custom rules, or drag and drop to create groups of related content.

Fit & finished
NewsFire's feed list, floating new items to the top with smooth animation, is an original. It looks good. It moves well. It delivers the polished Mac experience you expect.

NewsFire.com

Balloons bring internet to rural areas

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:17:00 -0800

Who ever thought that balloons could bring internet to rural areas in the US. South Data Corp which launches 10 baloons a day in the south is able to bring wireless internet to area where they are not able to get internet before. Most of these places were not able to get internet because of the high cost of bring cables to these rural areas. The way they do it is pretty cool, they launch balloons 100,000 feet in air carrying a electronic box that houses the telecommunication gear. The balloons which are filled with hydrogen can only last up 24 hrs in the high altitude before the balloons burst in the air. The electronic box is detached from the balloon and parachutes gentle back to land. Here is some video

There are rumors that Google is interested in this technology. Comes as no surprise since they are binding on frequency spectrum currently as well as in the past they showed interest in broadband over phone lines.

Read More

Balloons Japanese Podcast

SurfCanyon.com

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:58:00 -0800

SurfCanyon.com supposedly going to make you search results on Google and Yahoo quicker.

Improves your search on Google, Yahoo! and MSN
Quickly locates relevant information that's buried deep within the search results
Personalizes in real time: recommended search results reflect

My biggest problem with an application like this is that you have to download it on your computer. Even though it might make the search quicker who wants another application running in the background? However, if you search often and need something to make it quicker this might be for you.

SurfCanyon.com

StyleFeeder Japanese Podcast

MoFuse.com

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:02:00 -0800

For anyone that does not have a mobile site for their website should consider this service. Very easy to use, took me about 2 secs to set this up for nobrainerdeals.com.

FeedM8.com and MoFuse are pretty similar in the products that they offer. They both will help you monetize your mobile site and the setup on both is very quick. What I like about MoFuse is that I was able to setup my site within seconds. The problem I find with MoFuse is there account verification, I can pretty much setup an account for any website out there. So somebody I dont know could make a nobrainerdeals mobile site and potentially earn marketing revenue for my site without my permission. This is a huge downside for them.

MoFuse.com

MoFuse Japanese Podcast
MoFuse.com

StyleFeeder.com

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:50:00 -0800

StyleFeeder.com is a web based service that adapts and learns your personal style. It does this in 3 easy steps: adding, copying and rating.

1. You can add items to your StyleFeeder using their grabber tool which memorize items that you have added. This helps StyleFeeder to find items that would be similar to the stuff that you added. 2. Within StyleFeeder you are able to browse items that you might be interested in. If you find an item that interests you, copy the item to your StyleFeeder. This just like the add feature this helps StyleFeeder find items that will be close to your own taste.
3. You are also able to rate items that find you find interesting, if you give a low rating this will tell StyleFeeder that most likely items like that do not interest you and vice versa.

What I like about this service is that it tries to adapt to your interests and personal style. What I dont like is that you have to add another toolbar to your ever growing collection in your browser.

StyleFeeder.com

StyleFeeder Japanese Podcast

BabyPlays.com

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:26:00 -0800

This concept is so cool I wish I thought of it. Now everybody knows about Netflix and how you can rent dvds for a monthly charge with no late fees. BabyPlays.com has the same service for toys. Any parent would be thrilled with this service since every child plays with toys and gets bored with them after some time and rather than buying new toys you can now rent them!

The concept is the same as Netflix; create a wish list of the toys you would like, as they become available they are mailed out to you, keep them for as long as you like with no late fees and send them back UPS.

Unlike Netflix the service is not month to month. The plan works like this

Gold Plan
6 Toy per month for $35.99 per month with a minimum commitment for 3 months
Silver Plan
4 Toy per month for $28.99 per month with a minimum commitment for 3 months
Gold Plus Plan
6 Toy per month for $31.99 per month with a minimum commitment for 12 months

If I had kids I would sign up.

BabyPlays.com

BabyPlays Japanese Podcast

Myspace Developer Platform

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Mon, 4 Feb 2008 21:13:00 -0800

I like many others I have switched to Facebook over Myspace. When I really think about it, I think the main reason I switched is because of the applications. Facebook has so many cool applications that I can add to my page, some of which I have blogged about before. Now it seems that Myspace is launching their Developer Platform, which is still in the beginning stages. As of right now you will be able to

Learn about the platform, our APIs, and OpenSocial
Test OpenSocial applications using the MySpace Container
Build apps with our App Builder that install on real MySpace accounts

Is this to late for Myspace? You can see in the graph below that Facebooks traffic over the last year has caught up to Myspace. While Myspace's traffic seems to be stagnate over the last year.
I will be excited to see if this will stimulate Myspace over the next couple of months.

Myspace Developer Platform

Myspace Developer Platform Japanese Podcast

OhDontForget.com

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Sat, 2 Feb 2008 19:48:00 -0800

Do you ever forget a birthday or anniversary? Being a normal guy with tons of stuff on my mind and always forgetting stuff, I needed something to help me. OhDontForget.com is the answer for me. They offer a service where you can get a reminder text message. So lets say your anniversary in a couple months, you can have it so that the text message will be sent in 3 months or even 1 day before the big day. This service will save many of us tons of headaches.

OhDontForget.com

OhDontForget Japanese Podcast

Google Hopes To Ad Small Barcodes To Newspaper Ads

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:41:00 -0800

Google has been working on getting into more print ads but with little steam. Dan Frommer from AlleyInsider.com reports that they might incorporate the small bar codes that are popular in Japan. If the bar code is implemented in newspaper ads consumers will be able to capture the bar code through their cell phones which will redirect them to a website. This all sounds great since the advertiser would be able to track the ad more precisely and see what kind of return on investment the ad has but the right info structure would have to be there. Google will have to get the debugging software to read the bar code on to mobile phones which right now not a lot of phones has this software. With their launch of Android (Googles new cell phone) they would be able to preload the software to make this possible. If they can create enough market awareness of this feature with combination of more mobile phones having this software I think it could become very useful and powerful.

Logitech diNovo Mini Keyboard

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:40:00 -0800

Now usually I wouldn't blog about products but I couldn't not blog about this. Logitech has this new keyboard out and it is so cool. With most TVs being able to be hooked up to your PC now, you need a keyboard that is compact yet sleek. The Logitech diNovo Mini Keyboard is your answer. Here are some specs

Convenience and Style

Palm-sized mini-keyboard with backlighting: Fits in your hand. Backlighting makes text entry effortless, even in low light.
Compact: Perfect size for your coffee table.

Control

Integrated, dual-purpose ClickPad: Use as a touch pad to point and click – or as a directional pad to navigate menus and make selections.
Backlighting: Makes text entry effortless – even in low light. Enjoy two different backlight colors depending on the mode you're in – orange for cursor mode, and green for media control mode.

I have always wanted to hook up my PC to my Lcd TV but always stayed aways since there was no real keyboard that was compact enough to go with my stuff or had the right capabilities like bluetooth. With this it solves my problems of finding a place to put it and not having to worry about the extra components that I would have to setup or store away.

Logitech

Ordering Pizza by Mobile Phone?

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:29:00 -0800

Pizza Hut now has the capability to be able to order to your favorite pizza through your mobile phone. They are not the only ones that offer this service Domino`s and Papa Johns have been offering for sometime now. Pizza Hut offers two ways on how you can order pizza on your phone, but first you will have to create an account on their website from your desktop. You can visit their site through your mobile phone, which has been optimized to fit the smaller screen. Once you login you will be able to browse the menu and order your favorite pizza. If you want to order your pizza with a text message you will have to setup a Pizza Playlist to name and save your favorite order. Once that is setup text "O," followed by a space and the name of your Playlist choice (ex: O FAV) to 749488.

PizzaHut

Internet on JetBlue Flight

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:52:00 -0800

JetBlue has rolled out their BetaBlue program which allows for Yahoo IM and email on their flight. Not available on all flights, but still very exciting. It only looks like you can check your Yahoo IM or Yahoo email but still something is better than nothing.

Which airline will offer this service next? Will Google get on this as well? What kind of new accessories will come out to accommodate the service?

See some screenshots from Engadget

Twitter.com Going to Japan

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:40:00 -0800

Twitter is a commonly used service which allows you to stay connected with friends, family and colleagues. Twitter has posted on their coporate blog that they will be teaming up with Digital Garage in Japan to bring the Twitter service to Japan.

Read More

Could you buy your Starbucks Latte on your iPhone?

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:46:00 -0800

It seems that Apple has filled a patent that many believe would allow users to be able to purchase items at select stores and will be notified on the iPhone when it becomes ready. The Forbes article goes on to say that you would be able to cut into line to get your item before other customers. The current system they have allows customer to ".. which allows iPhone users to press a button and wirelessly download the song playing in the background as they sip their soy lattes."

Being a huge Starbuck's customer this might be the thing that would make me change to an iPhone.

Read Forbes Article

WikiaSearch

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Tue, 8 Jan 2008 22:15:00 -0800

I always thought the idea of having a user driven search engine would be very helpful to find more vague search terms on the web. WikiaSearch hopes to deliver this, they are still in the alpha stages so that means there will be tons of bugs still but worth taking a look.

The search is based on the same principles as Wikiapedia where "..trusted user feedback from a community of users acting together in an open, transparent, public way." With the community being able to cross check the searches for relevance and accuracy this will be huge. I would think since so much of the searches are based on SEO and other keyword tactics, now you will more likely get what you are searching for. As a fan of Wikiapedia I am very interested to see how the search will look in the coming weeks, I will make sure to write another report.

WikiaSearch.com

StumbleUpon Bought fo $75M

noreply@blogger.com (whatnoob) — Tue, 8 Jan 2008 22:08:00 -0800

This is some what old news but I thought I bring it up because I blogged about them last year. Great product for anyone that likes new things and has some extra time. I am going to be curious to see if any big changes will happen since eBay bought them up.