Shiny Shiny

How to be a Human Online

Anna Leach — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:35:36 GMT

Lovely blog post from social media guru Chris Brogan on how to be a human online or "at a distance" as he puts it. Aimed at corporates trying to be friendly on social media, there are also some useful tips for the average geek wishing to communicate their personal charm a bit better... get friends, dates, free software, that sort of thing.

Ribbit - a phone network for web 2.0

Anna Leach — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:33:58 GMT

A silicon valley company have set up a mobile phone network - it's smart, user-friendly and it aims to change what we expect from phone networks - forever. Yes, Forever. In the rapidly morphing world of telecomm it's sometimes hard to categorise the new products that crop up. Ribbit is one of those services. Part internet provider, part mobile phone network provider, a bit like an open-source Skype... it describes itself as an open platform for voice innovation. Ribbit connects up devices to the internet, any internet-ennabled device, not just one of your phones, as in the current system. Ribbit has an "ecosystem" of developers who can use Ribbit to tailor their platform to the specific needs of individuals.

Meme of the Day: mashing up the crap bits of social networks to create social network dystopia

Anna Leach — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:59:51 GMT

Today's meme can be best described as... Mashing up the bad bits of one social networking site with the bad bits of another social networking site to make something mind-bogglingly dystopian. Social networking? More like terror networking. The only one example of this I have come across is FaceSpace a truly genius concoction of Facebook and MySpace - mixing, yes the songs that auto-play from MySpace with the "melodramatic friend spam" from Facebook, with the give-me-your-credit-card-ads from MySpace and the 500 pictures of me in my bathroom from Facebook. Please go see the full page here: http://theoatmeal.com/facespace Pretty please will someone do Twitter and Bebo?

iSkin FX SE, the iPhone skin with geometric ripples and a mirror screen

Anna Leach — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:13:24 GMT

Another day, another iPhone skin, this time it's matte and embossed and in three different colours: Onyx (black), Cosmo (pink) and Ice (white). Cosmo works best with a white phone of course. The iSkins aren't chunky phone-swaddling protectors but they do offer increased protection as well as an interesting feel and the look, which I genuinely like: the translucent designer circles look like geometric ripples. This one has an anti-microbial substance impregnated in the skin which prevents odours and stains. Another interesting feature on the iSkin solo FX SE is the screen-covering surface which turns into a mirror when it senses that the phone has been switched off. You get two screen covers when you buy an iSkin - one is simple clear plastic, the other is the mirror film. Available for $34.99 on http://iskin.com

Take That comes to SingStar

Anna Leach — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:41:19 GMT

Ooo, Take That comes to the Singstar catalogue tomorrow. Fans around the world can now sing / howl tunelessly to the boy band's energetic pop tunes and soulful ballads. The latest addition to the Singing game's catalogue includes 25 of the classics and a few more off-beat hits.

Parallels Desktop 5 lets you Pic'n'Mix Operating systems and run Windows on Macs

Anna Leach — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:04:12 GMT

New software from a little Washington state company could upset computer giants Apple and Microsoft by letting users pick'n'mix their operating systems. Parallels launch their Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac today - and it allows you to run Windows seamlessly on an Apple Mac computer. Not only can you switch screens from the Mac OS to Windows, you can also use Windows applications alongside Mac apps. And can use Linux as well from the same computer.

Will Twitter break the 500 person lists limit?

Anna Leach — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:28:19 GMT

As individuals start the dividing their Twitter Following sections into lists, companies specialising in social media are going even deeper and one - SimplyZesty have decided to split up Twitter users by country. Currently limited by the amount of users you can have in one list (500 at the minute) this isn't going to be terribly useful until Twitter changes the rules. Will they?

Will Twitter break the lists limit, and let you list more than 500?

Anna Leach — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:12:25 GMT

Vuzix Wrap Video Eyewear - watch films on a visor

Anna Leach — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:24:42 GMT

Films are moving from the TV screen to visors. Like something out of a sci-fi flick, you can now watch films on a visor. Plug the Vuzix Wrap Video Eyewear into your laptop, DvD, games console or even mobile phone and watch videos on what appears to be a 44 or 67 inch screen.

Vuzix Wrap Video Eyewear - watch films from your iPod on a visor

Anna Leach — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:07:13 GMT

The Beatles: on an Apple-shaped USB stick - but still not Spotify

Anna Leach — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:47:27 GMT

You can't get the Beatles on Spotify but you can - just in time for Christmas - get the Beatles back catalogue on an apple-shaped USB stick. Apple Records, the label the Beatles set up, have packed 14 stereo albums, 13 mini-documentary films about the albums, album art and copies of rare photos on this novelty USB, based on the label's logo. It's not cheap though... it's a cool £200 for the USB stick. Cutely-shaped though it is, this memorabilia won't go down a bomb with the free music streaming generation but for hard core fans, perhaps with a bit more money to slosh around, this may well prove popular at Christmas. Though it's a far cry from vinyl, only 100 will be released (on 7th December) so the rarity of them might make them more desirable. Limited Edition Beatles Stereo USB Apple, £200 from digitalstores [via retrotogo]

Everything you need to know about Twitter lists

Anna Leach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:41:18 GMT

Twitter lists - has the word "lists" ever been said so often in so few hours? It seems hardly likely. A quick Shiny guide to the 'l-word phenomenon' Twitter lists eh? This is going to take about 2 hours isn't it? Should I be that bothered? Yes you should be bothered. This is Twitter's biggest update since the damn site launched and it should make the whole experience a lot better. A whole lot better. How much better?

Twitter targets teens with budget handset TwitterPeek

Anna Leach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:03:13 GMT

Twitter has teamed up with the makers of budget messaging handsets Peek to launch a handheld Twitter device, in a move designed to get more people on Twitter. To most Twitterers their handheld Twitter device is their phone: their iPhone, Blackberry, N97 or any smartphone that has a Twitter app. So... in launching the $99 TwitterPeek, Twitter are clearly not targeting smartphone-owners. This probably shows Twitter trying to broaden their appeal beyond their current core audience of smartphone-owning Twitterati by finding new audiences. Like teenagers.

Sleep Better and Conquer Insomnia: the iPhone app that helps you go to sleep

Anna Leach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:43:47 GMT

Generally phones disturb your sleep more than they help it... they ring or buzz or beep and wake you up. But a company have just invented a way your phone could actually help you get to sleep. With an app of course.

Save power with USB Eco-button

Anna Leach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:23:22 GMT

Want to be more eco-conscious about how you use your computer? Well there's a USB gadget to help you with that. The USB Eco Button doesn't allow you to do anything your computer doesn't already do - I mean - I bet there already is a power off and an energy-saver option on your computer... but the Eco Button just makes the power-save option more visible and so does make it easier for you to save power.

Left 4 Dead 2: how to kill zombies in real life

Anna Leach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:51:37 GMT

We snuck a preview of Zombie thwacking game Left 4 Dead 2 last week: Gerald from TechDigest went along, tried out the game and learnt how to kill a zombie with a frying pan. Left 4 Dead 2 will be in shops from the 20th November, so get ready for another frantic blast of four-player, undead killing first-person madness on its way. The highly anticipated sequel takes place in the Deep South, where four brand new survivors are battling against the zombie horde. Valve promise three horrific new Special infected foes, the brand new addition of melee weapons, and a refined version of the AI Director that made the original so replayable. In video below, two terrifying SAS men give practical, real-life tips on overcoming zombies with frying pans : you'll be glad you watched this when the zombie hordes come. The game hits shops on November 20. See more on the L4D site.

Sony Ericsson's first Android phone: meet the Xperia X10, out in 2010

Anna Leach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:24:48 GMT

Details about Sony Ericsson's first Google Android phone have just been released. The Xperia X10 will hit the market in early 2010. The high spec Xperia X10 will be the flagship handset for Sony Ericsson's new phone family which is built on strengths in social media and entertainment. High resolution graphics (480 x 854 pixels WVGA) are promised for the 4 inch touchscreen, as is a richly interactive user interface and some great social networking applications.

Sony Ericsson's first Android phone out 2010: meet the Xperia X10

Anna Leach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:52:59 GMT

Nikon S1000pj: World's first projector camera

shel — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:37:28 GMT

Want to show your digital snaps to friends without you all having to gather around a tiny LCD screen or mess around hooking up the camera to a big screen? Nikon has the answer. It's the world's first camera with a built in projector. Dubbed the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj, it...

Dreams help you game better

Anna Leach — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:10:38 GMT

The dreams of gamers are providing useful insight into the purpose of dreams. Apparently gamers who dream about playing video games perform better than those who don't. A study by Harvard Medical School doesn't definitely prove the correlation, but the studies strongly suggest that dreaming and learning are intertwined.

Nikon S1000pj: World's first projector camera

shel — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:54:37 GMT

Nikon S1000pj: World's first projector camera

shel — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:54:37 GMT

Interactive typefaces - the text of the future?

Anna Leach — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:31:32 GMT

Some students in Switzerland have created an interactive typeface. That's a font that changes its weight, serifs and size according to how you interact with it. Their font is called Laika (perhaps after the dog the Russians sent to the moon) and it looks really beautiful, a treat for any typeface lovers. In one installation they link a laptop to a weighing machine, and as you lean more weight on the board, the typeface become heavier too. In another, the letters move as you move your arms. As its creators point out - static text was made for static surfaces like paper so maybe interactive typefaces are what we need for computer screens.

An 80s-izer viral vid from Russell Athletic

Anna Leach — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:27:41 GMT

A kooky new ad campaign for Russell Athletic lets you stick your head in an 80s movie. Sort of. Choose between four different but deeply 80s scenarios: a breakdance, football trials, a muscle beach and a jazzercise class and upload a photo of your face. Russell Athletic is really working its all-American roots with this little viral vid and claiming the 80s - a decade that set its aesthetic - as its own.

Rebuilding the Berlin Wall.. in virtual world Twinity

Anna Leach — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:50:55 GMT

The Berlin Wall wasn't very warmly received when it first went up and this year marks the 20th anniversary of its downfall but rebuilding it (virtually) is proving to be a much-needed publicity draw for virtual world Twinity.