News flash: Apple’s iOS is more locked down than Android … okay, that’s not exactly a secret. This is why something like Facebook Home is not available on any iDevice at the moment. But they did bring deep integration for Facebook and Twitter earlier, and are apparently going to do the same trick once again, this time with Flickr and Vimeo.

According to 9to5Mac, the photo-sharing service and the video sharing site are going to get new connections in Apple’s upcoming iOS 7.

The rumor says iOS 7 users will be allowed to sign into their Flickr and Vimeo accounts through the settings menus, like how you can integrate Facebook and Twitter accounts now. And both the services could be accessed by third party apps. You will be able to upload photos and videos to both the services directly from the iOS Photos app.

The iOS users who have Flickr and Vimeo accounts will certainly benefit from the integration, if it happens that is. It will also be good for both the services as well. Yahoo would certainly welcome more traffic to Flickr, which has just been updated in a major way.

But the inclusion of Vimeo is a surprise, as the site is mainly for short films and high-quality videos. Videos shot in a smartphone end up most of the time on YouTube. But, Apple’s OS X is integrated with both Flickr and Vimeo, so the new rumor can’t be pushed aside that easily.

We will keep you updated about iOS 7, so stay tuned to Mobilemag.

[Source]

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You’ve seen special “live” events on YouTube before, such as the today’s Google I/O Conference. Up until now, these events have either come from Google, a partner or are limited to very special (rare) events. This is all changing, starting now.

As long as your channel is in good standing with 1,000 subscribers, you can now sign up for a broadcasting option that will allow you to have hold your own live programming. With this new method you can insert ads into the ‘show’, display multiple camera angles and even add closed captions.

Note that even though you can sign-up today, it will probably take a few weeks for the feature to roll out to your account. This is definitely an interesting step for Google, and could potentially open up new opportunities for those who want to do something different than the typical cat video or music video.

Imagine live improv comedies, attempts at “Saturday Night Live”-type shows and more. Things could certainly get interesting… What do you think of the idea, is YouTube wise to open up live broadcasting for its users?

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Remember in the good old day’s of dial-up Internet connections? When the Internet was booming and music piracy went by the name of Napster? Sadly those day’s are behind us and Napster is no longer with us, but a new music streaming site has turned up which offers us similar features.

While Napster would allow us to search for a song then download the MP3 file to listen to it, Napster.fm allows you to directly stream the music through your browser. The interface is rather basic and resource friendly, but it does allow you to share play-lists with friends.

Napster.fm has been made possibly due to a hole in YouTube piracy detection system, which possibly means that the service will be short lived once YouTube patches it up, but in the meantime we can sit back and enjoy some free music like the good old days.

[ Source ]

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The world of social networking is crowded and when we say crowded we do not mean the millions of people using social networking sites, we refer to the websites. As you can see in this list, it’s not just Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, but many more. One that is becoming popular lately is Pheed, which was launched late last year and last month topped the App Store’s social networking category.

Pheed allows its users to post text updates, photos, video and audio clips, and you can even create a live broadcast. So it’s Facebook + Twitter + Instagram + YouTube + UStream.

According to the company, 81% of Pheed users are between the age 14 and 25. This popularity among teens is most probably because Pheed got a lot of publicity on Twitter via many influential teenagers including Acacia Brinley, Pia Mia, and Garrett Backstorm.

One other attractive feature on Pheed is that it allows users to charge $1.99 to $34.99 for accessing their ‘channels’, one can choose either pay-per-view or a monthly subscription. Many celebrities including Miley Cyrus and Paris Hilton are currently on Pheed with thousands of subscribers. But the question is whether users will subscribe to a celeb if they have to pay, since they can follow him/her on Twitter for free.

Pheed is both a website and an app. It’s available via the App Store and online. So, are you already using it or not?

[Source] [Image Source]

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While the Windows 8 app store continues to grow in number, it is still missing several apps that would be considered key to a modern, social-driven app experience. Some of these apps include official Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and Yahoo programs. Luckily there are several decent 3rd party alternatives to help fill the void. Unfortunately there are a few scams as well.

One of these scam apps is called “YouTube Player Deluxe”.

What makes this YouTube client a scam? The price tag: $999.99. The publisher T.O.K. Offers an app that they claim allows you to “watch a stream, share videos and access personal content from YouTube”. Here’s the full list of features in this extremely expensive app:

• Share videos with your friends, family …
• Search on Youtube or watch videos from the “standardfeeds”
• Clear, simple and beautiful design (blue theme)
• Connect with your Youtube Account to get access to your personal content
• Comments, related videos, author-pages…
• Livetile
• No advertising

The big question is whether the price tag is intentional, or merely a mess up. Visiting their publisher page indicates that they app is currently broken and that an update is coming – though the app’s page in Windows Store doesn’t even let you know that it won’t work.

More than likely it is an accident, but it could also be a scam/ploy where they hope people will just click the “buy” button without looking at the price tag or something along those lines.

While it would be nice if Microsoft would weed out apps like this that seem “suspicious”, they aren’t the only company to have ever approved an app with such a high price tag and yet little functional value for the pricing. Not that terribly long ago the “I am Rich” iOS app even saw eight buyers despite having no real purpose, though it was eventually pulled by Apple.

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Every single day, we write to our readers about the latest and greatest technology. But it is not everyday that we have the chance to bring you something truly moving and special.

To This Day is the title of Shane Koyczan’s animated YouTube video that was released just 2 days ago on February 19th. Already, the video has been seen by millions and is going viral all over the web. Take a look and see why it has become so popular:

The video itself is based on an actual poem written by Shane called “To This Day”. The animations that make up the video were done in 20 second pieces by animators and motion artists. With the powerful voice bringing them all together, this video has some of the best animations on YouTube.

“I wrote To This Day, a spoken word poem, to further explore the profound and lasting impact that bullying can have on an individual”. If you have ever been picked on or bullied, I assure you that Shane Koyczan can help you make light of it.

It is incredible to think that in less than 48 hours, modern technology has allowed for this video to be watched millions of times. Of the 72 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, this 7 minute long video is out to make a difference.

What did you think about the video and the animations? How do you feel about the message that it conveys about bullying? Let us know in the comments below.

[ Source ]

The post To This Day, The Anti-Bullying Video That Went Viral appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Youtube announced today improvements to its service in the form of a layout change and improved guide feature.

The new Guide feature allows access across all devices with the youtube app including iOS, Android phones or Google TVs.  Google describes the new guide as follows:

“Just subscribe to your favorite channels and the Guide lets you know when there are new videos waiting for you to enjoy, suggests the latest and greatest channels you might like, and shows you what your friends are sharing across the web. You’ll also find the Guide and your subscriptions on apps across hundreds of millions of devices including Android, iPhone, Playstation 3, Google TV and more.”

The layout also got a new sleeker and simpler facelift.

“In this new layout, you’ll find the most crucial elements are front and center when you watch a video: the video is right at the top of the page and the subscribe button, social actions and video information are all combined directly below the player. Playlists are now available to the right of the video so you can browse through while you watch.”

Seems like just when you start to get used to something, it gets a total overhaul.  What are your thoughts on the update?

[ source ]

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If you miss the old YouTube app on your iPhone, the Video Tube app may be just what you are looking for. Video Tube allows you to watch YouTube videos with an interface that is similar to the original iOS YouTube app. Though similar, Video Tube has a few extra features that may be of interest, but it also falls short in some important places.

When you open Video Tube you are presented with the “Features” on YouTube. Other tabs, “Popular,” “Downloads,” “History,” and “Search” are available. The “Search” function is simplified and has no auto-complete capability. The “History” tab shows your recently opened videos.

Once you open a video one of two things can happen, you are prompted to play the video and it changes to fullscreen mode, or the video begins to play automatically in smaller form. There is no consistency or a way to tell what the app is going to do. If it is a video that can only play in fullscreen mode, you cannot view the video and read the info/comments simultaneously. While the video is in smaller form (whether playing or paused) you can view the video “Info,” “Related” videos, “More from” the use, and “Comments.” Unfortunately, you cannot log in to YouTube to rate videos or leave your own comments.

At the top of the screen you have options to share the video by sending a link via email, sharing on Facebook, or sharing on Twitter. Also, you have another option to to download the video to your phone. Some videos are not available for download and you will get a message on screen that states that you do not have permission to download the video from YouTube.

Video Tube has ads at the bottom of app at all times, and they can become very intrusive when you are trying to read the video info or comments. A premium version of the app is available for $2.99 to remove the apps.

PROS

• “History” tab that allows you to reopen your recently viewed videos quickly.
• You will like it if you prefer the original iOS YouTube app interface.
• Option to download videos.
• High quality videos and sound.

CONS

• Large ads at the bottom of the viewing screen that makes reading info and comments more difficult.
• Cannot log in to YouTube to rate and leave comments.
• Issues with enlarging videos. If a video can play while viewing the info and comments, then you must tap the enlarge button to watch the video fullscreen; you are not able to turn your phone to enlarge the video. On the flip side, some videos you cannot watch in smaller form, you can only watch in fullscreen.

Video Tube has a lot of useful features and great potential to rival the new Google YouTube app, but the cons are too large to ignore. It does not seem worth purchasing just to remove ads, when you still cannot log in to your YouTube account. Video Tube may never have that functionality, however. Since it is not the official YouTube app, the restrictions on what the developer can do may be holding Video Tube back.

Download and try Video Tube for yourself here.

The post Video Tube iPhone App Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Running out of storage space won’t be an issue with the new Boxee TV. It’s been proclaimed as the first DVR to offer virtually unlimited storage. They do this by uploading your videos to the cloud, rather than storing those recordings on a local drive. In fact, there’s no on-board storage at all.

In addition to the more traditional DVR function of recording live television, the new Boxee TV also lets you enjoy several streaming services, like Netflix, Vimeo, VUDU, YouTube and Pandora. The Boxee TV is a dual tuner unit too, so you can watch one channel while recording another. By uploading your recordings to the cloud, it means that you can watch your recorded TV shows on screens other than your living room TV. Go ahead and watch Big Bang Theory on your laptop and Game of Thrones on your smartphone.

That’s the good news. The other good news is that the Boxee TV will retail for a very reasonable $99 when it ships next month. The bad news is, because you’re using the cloud, you’ll have to pay the monthly subscription fee of $14.99. Ouch! The initial launch is also being limited to just eight cities: New York, LA, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philly, and Washington, DC. They’ll add more markets next year.

[Source]

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When you open the app, you can swipe the main screen to the right to reveal options. You can sign in and view all of your subscribed channels and recommended videos, change your account settings, add channels or choose which category of videos to browse. If you just want to quickly look up a video, you can tap the search button at the top, right of the screen to reveal a search bar to type or speak your search query.

After opening a video, you are able to view the description, suggested videos and comments all while watching the video. If you are signed in to YouTube, you can easily “thumbs up,” “thumbs down,” and add your own comments. Google even added a quick way to add a video to lists and share via multiple avenues, such as Google +, Twitter, Facebook, email and text messages.

PROS

• More personalized to suit your needs. You can manage your account and easily view your subscribed channels, as well as view your suggested channels based on your subscriptions.
• More sharing options are available. Along with the aforementioned sharing options, you can copy the link, add to a “Watch later” list, add to favorites or add to a playlist.
• Better search options are now in the new YouTube with the ability to browse by category or search by voice.
• Cleaner interface than before. The Apple YouTube app was very plain and a bit too simple. The Google YouTube app has spruced up the style to give you all the new features, but in a clean, straight-forward fashion. You will not have any confusion with where certain options are located.

CONS

• The app now can include advertisements. While I, personally, have not viewed any ads on the new YouTube app, Google now has the ability to place ads in the app. Ads are Google’s main source of income, so the change should come as no surprise.
• The transition was not clear and some users may not know about it. The iOS 6 update removing the Apple YouTube app was not made clear.

Overall, the new YouTube app from Google is a vast improvement over the Apple YouTube app, which basically has not changed since it was released. Google makes managing your account, channels and sharing simple and easy, and it looks good while doing it. I would not mind watching some video ads too help Google keep the new YouTube app running well; especially because the app is completely free.

Download the Google YouTube app here.

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