December 11, 2007
Digital activists expose abuse
The power of online video to document human rights abuse and raise international awareness was the subject of a panel discussion on technology and social change convened at the United Nations on Monday as part of celebrations commemorating Human Rights Day. The BBC reports.
"The power of visual images can go a long way in making people wake up," Jenni Wolfson of the human rights group Witness told the audience of NGO representatives and UN officers. "It won't allow perpetrators to say that abuses didn't happen, won't allow them to say they didn't know what was going on."
Human rights organisations are now trying to harness this technology to benefit the victims while minimising the advantage to the abusers."
Nokia debuts mobile video service
Continuing its acceleration into the multimedia business, Nokia announced Medeo, a new mobile streaming video service.
Accessed through the www.nokia.mobi portal, the ad-supported Medeo service focuses on entertainment-themed content like Hollywood news, film trailers, celebrity interviews and red-carpet footage, and is now available via Nokia Nseries and Eseries devices.
[via Fierce Mobile Content]
Mobile Greeting Card Creator
CellySpace has launched a do-it-yourself, web based MMS service for users to create multimedia greeting cards and send them to their family and friend's phones.
Dubbed the "MMS Composer", this service allows users to upload pictures and audio files from their computer, edit them into a slideshow and then send them for immediate or scheduled delivery.
MMS messages are optimized to fit mobile phone formats and can include audio, video, text and images.
[via Press release]
Sex, Insects and Mobile Phones
Isabella Rossellini will unveil a collection of short films about the sex lives of insects at the 58th Berlin Film Festival in February, organisers said Tuesday.
The 55-year-old actress will premiere "Green Porno", a series she directed and co-produced as "quickies" for mobile phones and mobile video players, in the Berlinale's sidebar Forum section, the festival said.
The Berlinale, which ranks among Europe's top three film festivals, will run February 7-17.
[via the AFP]
SendMe Mobile Works With Corbis to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Mobile Phone Users
SendMeMobile, the premier mobile media company, and Corbis, a creative resource for advertising, marketing and media professionals, today announced that they are partnering to bring the red carpet to mobile phones users.
SendMeMobile.com members now get exclusive front-row access to images shot by celebrity photographers -- from A-list stars at Hollywood's most high-profile events to emerging talent from top rated television shows and film.
This collection of celebrity and artist photographs from major events is shot by celebrity photographers, including world-renowned Frank Trapper. Trapper, who just published his book "Red Carpet, 20 Years of Fame and Fashion," is the first photographer to be part of this new program.
Tate launches cameraphone fest of interiors
Tate, with the help of BT, <>is inviting people around the world to photograph examples of their favourite interior spaces on their mobile phones and send the images to the Tate website with the launch of The Great Tate Mod Blog.
The images will form a photographic ‘mood board’ for the kinds of interiors spaces, ambience and design that the public would like to see in the new development of Tate Modern.
Favourite spaces might include a café or bar, chill-out space, lounge, domestic interior or public space. Herzog de Meuron, the architects of the new development of Tate Modern, and Tate staff will also be contributing pictures of their own favourite interior spaces and source material.
The project will culminate in display at Tate Modern in summer 2008, showing the photographic ‘mood board’ and some of the best ideas and comments generated over the six-month period.
People can also send pictures directly from their computer or from Flickr to www.tate.org.uk. They can add a short text message to their pictures or search the ‘mood board’ for similar tagged images.
[via TAXI Design Network]
December 9, 2007
'A' train teen regrets not helping victim
The Harlem teen who filmed the vicious a train assault is sorry she didn't step in to help the man whose brutal beating she posted on YouTube, her attorney said Saturday, reports New York Daily News.
"She regrets not doing more to help the victim," Earl Ward said of his client, Kadejra Holmes, 17.
"And she feels bad that she posted it on YouTube ... Looking back, she realizes the appropriate response should have been to turn the tape over to authorities."
Kadejra was in a Brooklyn-bound A train when a group of girls began taunting a seated man and then pounced on him.
She posted her 4-minute, 18-second video of the assault on YouTube on Nov. 7.
The victim, Rafael Cruz, 27, of Brooklyn, did not strike back or report the incident to cops. He said on Friday that he was shocked no one on the train came to his defense. "
December 8, 2007
Nokia predicts 25% of entertainment by 2012 will be created and consumed within peer communities
Up to a quarter of the entertainment consumed by people in five years time will have been created, edited and shared within their peer circle rather than coming out of traditional media groups. This phenomenon, dubbed 'Circular Entertainment', has been identified by Nokia as a result of a global study into the future of entertainment.
The study, entitled 'A Glimpse of the Next Episode', carried out by The Future Laboratory, interviewed trend-setting consumers from 17 countries about their digital behaviors and lifestyles signposting emerging entertainment trends.
Combining views from industry leading figures with Nokia's own research from its 900 million consumers around the world, Nokia has constructed a global picture of what it believes entertainment will look like over the next five years.
Read Nokia's summary of their report.
[via Daily EM ]
Candid Camera (phones)
The spread of cellphone cameras is providing new ammunition in police investigations as criminals capture their own guilt in photos. The Wall Street Journal reports.
"Last year, Morgan Kipper was booked on charges of stealing cars and reselling their parts. He declared his innocence, but his cellphone suggested otherwise: Its screensaver pictured Mr. Kipper behind the wheel of a stolen yellow Ferrari.
Mr. Kipper, 27, joined a growing group of camera-phone owners who can't seem to resist capturing themselves breaking the law. "As a criminal defense attorney, it's very difficult when a client proclaims his innocence but incriminates himself by taking photos of the stolen items," says William Korman, the Boston attorney who represented Mr. Kipper.
... The result in many police precincts is an unexpected windfall. In the small city of Nashua, N.H., one prosecutor estimates that cellphone photos provide useful evidence 40 or 50 times a year."
Links to related related stupid criminal storiess
December 7, 2007
Photo Wrapping Paper
Spotted on SwissMiss customized photo wrapping paper from Qoop. How cool is that?
Japan puts phone films in its Pocket
The inaugural Pocket Film Festival in Japan, showing movies made entirely on mobile phone cameras, will run Friday-Sunday in Yokohama. [via The Hollywood Reporter]
"Forty-eight films, chosen from more than 400 entries from 18 countries -- including Japan, Singapore, China, South Korea and Germany -- will screen in competition at the festival, organized by the
Tokyo National University of Fine Arts & Music.
The competition has two categories, one for films to be shown on regular screens and the other for films to be viewed on phones. The winning film will receive 500,000 yen (US$4,500).
... The festival also will feature symposiums on the possibilities for new content and applications using the medium of camera phones.
December 6, 2007
France 24 Launches Trilingual Mobile News Service
France 24, which is funded by the French Government, is launching a trilingual mobile service. mocoNews reports:
“The channel’s latest bulletins, weather forecasts, economic reports and interviews will be accessible throughout the world on all telephones, in either video or audio depending on the model.
... In another mobile development, the channel has inked a worldwide agreement with Nokia to offer its main broadcasts via video-on-demand on the company’s new generation of mobile phones” reports World Screen. The languages appear to be French, English and Arabic."
Samsung G800 Stars in Opera ‘Nibelungenring'
Samsung's G800, a 5 mega-pixel camera phone with 3x optical zoom, is playing a key role in the opera ‘Wagners Nibelungenring for children’, reports Newswire Korea.
Cell phones have played in many concerts but "it is the first time a mobile phone is playing a key supporting role in an opera and is even mentioned in the official casting list.
Nibelungenring for Children has been playing at the Vienna State Opera from November 17, already attracting 1,000 audience. It plans to run until the end of this year.
“This independent play is meant to spark children's interest for Wagner’s world. With Samsung’s unique camera phone we're able to give a mobile phone an active role in an opera for the first time and thus create a link from virtual mythology to today’s reality," said Matthias von Stegmann.
... The SGH-G800 fulfills several roles in the play: It takes a picture of the sleeping Bruennhilde, it shows the picture to Siegfried and is therefore essential for the progression of the story.
ZML offers the latest Hollywood movies for your phone - illegally?
Until now, you’ve only been able to download movies to your computer from file sharing sites and then jump through technical hoops to reformat them to work on your portable device. Well it was only a matter of time before someone offered downloads straight to your handset and that someone is ZML. Pocket Picks reports.
As well as downloads to PCs, ZML offers downloads to iPods and PDAs in a variety of formats playable on mobile devices. The downloads cost $1.99 each and you get a choice of over 1,500 movies both brand new and old classics.
There’s nothing mentioning the legality (or not!) of the site but we have to assume that Hollywood doesn’t see any of the money you pay and that ZML is going to be closed down as soon as Hollywood’s armies of laywers find out about it. writes Pocket Picks.
The Lensas F2218: 8 megapixel CCD sensor Cameraphone
Produced solely for the Chinese market Lensas F2218 comes equipped with 8 megapixel CCD (!) sensor camera, able to shoot full blown 3264×2448 pixel resolution images.
[Unwired View via engadget:mobile]
December 5, 2007
Nokia sees HD video on cellphones in a few years
Video recording on cellphones is set to reach high definition (HD) quality in a few years' time, an executive at the world's top cellphone maker Nokia said on Wednesday, reports The Guardian.
"It's coming. Technically, we are a couple of years away," Nokia's Chief Technology Officer Tero Ojanpera told Reuters in an interview. "It's still a few years away."
Nokia patents hints at phone with swiveling camera
Nokia has developed a unique way of incorporating a camera into a phone that can adjust for different shooting modes while improving quality of the resulting shots, a patent filing published late last week reveals. Macnn reports.
"The design would rest the camera in a bar mounted sideways at the top of the phone, taking up no more space than an average camera; it could then swivel when the user wants to capture photos to face both outwards for everyday images or inwards for self-portraits and video calls.
Such an invention would allow more advanced sensors and lenses to fit with the same flexibility as many other phones, Nokia says."
December 4, 2007
Nokia and Pangea Day combine efforts, to connect people around the world through film
At Nokia World 2007 today, Nokia today announced its global partnership with Pangea Day, a unique event that will bring together millions of people around the world through the power of film on May 10, 2008. TED blog reports.
"Pangea Day will be broadcast globally to millions on television, in digital theaters, online and via mobile devices. It will be a live 4-hour program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music.
The goal of Pangea Day is to create greater understanding among different people and cultures, and to form a global community focused on improving the future for all people.
... Nokia and Pangea Day will work with aspiring filmmakers in disadvantaged areas and conflict zones to make it possible for their stories to also be told. By distributing video-enabled mobile devices to these filmmakers, their works can be captured and shared globally, demonstrating how wireless technology can not only provide a platform for people of diverse backgrounds to express themselves, but also to bring them together."
December 3, 2007
Are mobile Torrents the first big trend of 2008?
According to ZDNet the first big open source trend of 2008 is already on the horizon: Mobile Torrents.
Mobile implementations of the
BitTorrent Protocol are nearly certain to be part of whatever Google Android comes up with, and if not someone will have one for the open platform straightaway.
... Getting this trend off the ground won’t be easy. The BitTorrent throttling which draws enormous objections when done on the Internet may be standard business practice at AT&T; or Verizon wireless.
The latter may be available to new devices, but that doesn’t mean it’s, like, open. They still want to get paid."
[via Inquirer]
November 30, 2007
Made-for-mobile movie Trailer
Mobile agency, Candyspace, has created what it claims isthe first mobile-only version of a theatrical trailer for the release of the movie, ‘The Nines’ which debuts in UK cinemas today.
Candyspace has created a version of the trailer running in UK cinemas, specifically cut to provide optimum viewing on mobile handsets.
The trailer can be accessed on The Nines mobile portal where there are also competitions and exclusive content based on the film.
[via Mobile Magazine]
Moto planning ZINE line with 8 megapixel camerane?
Motorola is planning a whole new line of phones in 2008. elelctronista reports.
"Called the ZINE line, the series will reportedly include at least two models next year and will include at least one phone based on the kick-slider design of the RIZR Z8.
The handset would have a touchscreen along with the usual sliding keypad. It would also draw on new technology developed in tandem with Kodak to include an 8-megapixel camera and boast an extremely rare optical zoom lens.
No details have been revealed of the second phone".
November 29, 2007
Blockbuster to offer movie rentals on cellphones
Blockbusteris currently in talks with “virtually all of the major manufacturers” in an effort to allow customers to watch movies on their mobile phones.
... Blockbuster is currently looking in to making the process easier and more convenient for the consumer. With Blockbuster taking a back seat to online services like Netflix, this may help get them back on track.
An availability date for the service has not been announced, but with mobile phone displays getting nicer and large storage cards being readily available a service like this could actually work nice.
[via gadgetell]
Caught a criminal on your phone?
Members of the public who catch criminals red-handed by filming them on mobile phones can now upload pictures directly on to the police website.
A new multi-media innovation on Greater Manchester Police's website allows still photographs and videos to be contributed anonymously by people who may have captured vital evidence on their phone or portable camera.
The idea was initially brought in as part of the police's fight against terrorism.
[via the The Bolton News]
November 27, 2007
Man films speedometer with cameraphone while at 143mph
Throw the book at him!
A 20 year-old Scottish man (allegedly) drove at up to 143mph while filming the speedometer with a mobile phone. And then posted the clip on YouTube.
[via the BBC]
Samsung Develops RFID Chip for Cell Phones
Samsung's RFID reader chip will eventually find its way into mobile phones, to enable new information services, according to PC World.
"Samsung's principal innovation in this area has been to design an RFID reader chip that can read different types of RFID tags. Normally, it takes more than one chip to read different kinds of RFID tags. The new chip will one day find its way into handheld devices, such as mobile phones, although the company did not say when that would happen.
When it does, people will be able to read RFID tags on products and other items meant to make the world an easier place to navigate. For example, some RFID tags on food or medicine products might give information on ingredients or dosages, while RFID tags at bus stops can offer schedules or tell when the next bus will arrive."
Reding’s mobile TV plans under fire
A drive by the European Commission to endorse a single technology for TV broadcasts on mobile phones has come under fire from Germany, Britain and the Netherlands. The FT reports.
She wants to put DVB-H on a list of official European standards, and could as soon as next year compel countries to use only this technology for mobile television, in the case of market failure.
But several member states object to any move to make the system obligatory, according to a paper seen by the Financial Times. Instead, they argue that the nascent market should develop on its own."
Sales Of Multimedia Phones To Pass TVs Next Year
Worldwide shipments of multimedia-enabled mobile phones will exceed 300 million units next year, surpassing shipments of television sets, according to a research report being released this week by MultiMedia Intelligence. Sales of such phones will generate over $76 billion in revenue.
[via Information Week]
November 26, 2007
Lauren's (The Hills) Life Goes Mobile
Did you know that you can check on what Lauren "LC" Conrad is up to, live, on TMZ and on your mobile phone? Geek Sugar reports.
Lauren'ts life usually unfolds on television as she is one of the players in MTV's hugely successful reality series The Hills.
"By using an AT&T; Video Share Phone, Lauren is able to stream live videos to her friends while shopping, partying or attending events. To instantly stream video from one phone to another, both phones need to be video compatible and connected to a 3G network."
November 25, 2007
Is Paris Hilton behind pirated photos of Nicole Richie's baby shower?
Nicole Richie and rocker Joel Madden held their baby shower at the Beverly Hills Hotel last Sunday, with exclusive coverage granted to InStyle magazine.
But according to the New York Daily News, "pirated pictures were being offered by a source to competing magazines. And one pal suspects Richie frenemy Paris Hilton might have had something to do with it. "All the photos that were offered had Paris right in the center of them, as the star," sniffs the insider. "They look set up."
Hilton's rep told the NYDaily News: "Paris was a hostess of the shower, which a large number of people attended. Many of these guests were taking photos with camera phones . . . there is no way she had anything to do with this."
November 24, 2007
Nokia cranks up twisty-turny phone design
A Nokia application to the US Patent and Trademark Office has revealed its work on a handset that’s operated by cranks. The The Register.
"Nokia’s application, which was filed in May 2006 but updated earlier this month, explains how the crank doesn’t move freely, but rather ‘clicks’ into two pre-set positions. The first slides the screen up to reveal the keyboard, but it can also be used to activate the phone’s video camera. A second turn activates a photo camera."
November 23, 2007
Finnish Town has Culture on the go with Mobiles
Fancy a dose of culture in the Finnish city of Oulu? According to Reuters, all you need is a mobile phone.
"Get theatre tickets digitally, download a smart video trailer of how the play was directed, order and pay for snacks for the interval and, after a culture-packed night, order a taxi home -- all by just swiping a cellphone over smart tags placed on the menus or around the foyer of the theatre.
The Oulu City Theatre in northern Finland, 600 kilometers (373 miles) north of Helsinki, says it is the world's first cultural institution turn mobile phones into wallets.
... NFC (near-field communication) technology is activated by waving phones over wireless readers, or smart tags, and is widely used in public transport access cards."
Spain launches cellphone paedophilia crackdown
Nearly 50 people suspected of exchanging child sex pictures and videos over mobile telephones and the Internet are under investigation in Spain, authorities said on Thursday, according to AFP.
"... The investigation into the source of the images exchanged has extended to Argentina, Colombia and the United States.
Spanish police said they analysed 73 000 cellphone text messages, searched 45 homes and seized roughly 100 cellphones and 3 000 archives with paedophile content as part of their investigation."
