Tech Newz

Boo Hoo! SimplifyMedia dropping products and changing direction

pauljorg — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:45:19 +0000

Filed under: Multimedia, Internet Tools, iTunes, iPhone, Music

The problem is, we just don’t know where they’re going. In a Saturday blog post, the company announced it is “…taking a new direction” and won’t be offering their current apps to new users.

SimplifyMedia has been offering free software for computer-to-computer and iPhone-to-computer music sharing over the internet. Using the iPhone app, you could connect to your computer at home and stream albums, playlists or songs without any complicated firewall setups. A newer version of the software also allowed remote access to your iPhoto library.

It also looks like the company is going to slowly sunset current customer accounts but will continue to keep them functioning for at least another 3 months.

The Simplify iPhone app has been removed from the App Store, and the company says new account creation will be disabled soon.

I don’t have any idea where the company is headed, but the current product will be missed. SimplifyMedia was offered for Mac, PC and Ubuntu.

[Thanks to Robert for the tip]

TUAW Boo Hoo! SimplifyMedia dropping products and changing direction originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SXSW 2010: All You Need to Know, Courtesy of the GigaOM Network

pauljorg — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:44:12 +0000

The GigaOM crew is out in full force at this year’s South by Southwest, reporting on all that is nearest and dearest to our readers’ hearts.

Need help figuring out what to do and who or what to see? This 10-point cheat sheet will help you navigate everything from the sessions to the parties to the weather. Austin is filled with tech startups, so get away from the maddening crowds and check out some of them on their home turf. And since the one must-have accessory for SXSW attendees is a smartphone, here’s a way to use it to pay for your bar tab.

Speaking of mobile, the stress on AT&T’s network last year rendered many a SXSW 2009 attendee’s phone useless, so this year, Ma Bell wasn’t taking any chances. Word on the Texas city’s streets is that it’s paying off.

But the mobile focus this year is centered around two things: device-wise, it’s all about the iPad; category-wise, it’s location-based services. Foursquare, which launched at last year’s SXSW, is definitely not the only game in town.

And for those of you that couldn’t make it to Austin, here’s how you can keep up with all the activities — yes, even the parties! — online.

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Nokia C6 Sports Sideways Sliding Keyboard

pauljorg — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:21:43 +0000

It’s always hard to confirm whether leaked pictures are authentic or not, but assuming this latest leaked picture of the Nokia C6 is authentic, it looks like the phone will be something like a Nokia Nuron that decided to grow a sideways-sliding keyboard. Do you think that this is what the Nokia C6 will eventually look like, or is it just a clever Photoshop job? Rumors are going around that the C6 is slated to be released in Europe this summer, so if you’re decided on this phone, you’d better start saving those pennies right now.

Permalink: Nokia C6 Sports Sideways Sliding Keyboard from Ubergizmo | RSS Sponsor: Win a Fellowes Microshred Paper Shredder!

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Spawn Labs lets you play your console games on the run (video)

pauljorg — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:21:34 +0000

Call it Slingbox for games. Spawn Labs lets you take a console game and play it over the web on a laptop or a computer. As the Slingbox does with video, you can place shift your games and play them in high-definition on any computer, said David Wilson, chief executive at the Austin-based company. While the game is actually running on a console, you can interact with it and view it on a display on a far away laptop, as long as you have a broadband connection. You have to buy a $199 Spawn HD-720 box to make it work. Inside the box are digital signal processing chips that can take game images, convert them into video and play them on any computer screen. You interact with the game and send the signals back to the game console, which then sends the results of the interaction back to your screen. To play, you put a game in the console and leave it on. Then you can log into the Spawn Labs box from any machine and play it. Here’s our video interview with Wilson at his booth at the Game Developers Conference.

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DIY: Stereo Cooler

pauljorg — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:15:24 +0000

Here’s a clever yet simple DIY project for you, just in time for the weekend. You could probably even through this thing together before the next camping trip, even if you are heading out tonight. It’s that simple.

Take an inexpensive cooler, chop a couple of holes in the side. Add speakers, wiring, a stereo, and a car battery, and you’re rocking loud enough to disturb the neighbors. Admittedly it’s a little more complicated then that (for example, the author had problems mounting the speakers), but overall it seems like an easy project. The author added a few extra features as well, including a built in charger, a couple of 12v outlets (for charging other devices), and an amplifier with a sub-woofer as well. From looking at his build log for the thing, it’s obvious that this is an ongoing project and I look forward to seeing what other refinements he can come up with.

[via Hackaday]

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