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Airtime testing new video post features, improved buddy list
Remember Airtime, the Facebook-integrated video calling / media sharing service with a Chatroulette flavor? Well if not, we don't blame you -- usage stats suggest it hasn't quite taken off, but maybe the new features it's testing will secure a few more fans. No longer is the service restricted to the here and now, as the major change is all about video posts. Use Airtime to record a message and you can post it to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or via a traditional email to get the conversation started. Friends can then reply to your message through Airtime with a video post of their own, and so on. Its buddy list has also been given a little love, so now it shows friends as online, idle or offline, and details your interaction timeline. Whether the features are enough to inspire wider uptake is questionable, but for the few that actively use Airtime, the updates are out in the wild now on a "limited public release."
Massively talks with Raptr's Dennis Fong
Raptr is a pretty ambitious project, even if you think about what has been accomplished so far. Essentially, the service is connecting all of your gaming-related services under one profile, one messenger, and one new iPhone app. Think of it as your Trillian messenger for gamers. I have a short history with Raptr but never really warmed up to it until recently. I wanted a service that would allow all of my friends, across all of the different networks that I visit, to see what and how much I am playing. Now that I have made a newer profile and have really started adding a few friends, I am sort of shocked at it's usefullness. Not only does it let me sign in to most of the major messaging services, game networks and social services like Facebook, but it allows me to see what my friends are doing as well, in some very specific ways. I was excited to get a chance to talk to Raptr CEO Dennis Fong and was impressed by how such an ambitious idea has now turned into a real, working application.
An AppleScript for selecting the iChat menubar item
I understand if this might sound kinda weird, but hear me out: As an iChat user, I love the flexibility of its UI and the clever menubar item that displays all available contacts. Since I've found myself flying without displaying the buddy list more and more often lately, I've been wishing for a way to select iChat's menubar item with a simple keyboard shortcut, giving me quick access for viewing who's online no matter what app I may be using at the moment. Thinking out loud this morning, I even posted this wish on Twitter - only to find Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software (makers of MarsEdit, FastScripts and more) coming to my rescue moments later! Demonstrating the wonders of AppleScript, Daniel quickly whipped up a script that does exactly what I want. To make the script painlessly easy to use, it can be tied to a shortcut with his excellent FastScripts or a Quicksilver trigger, providing instant access that selects and displays the iChat menubar item and all available buddies. Easy breezy iChatting, without needing to keep my buddy list always visible.If you want the script, head over to Daniel's Twitter post that contains the tinyURL download link. Toss the script you download into your ~/Library/Scripts folder (or anywhere else you like to store them), and then point your favorite keyboard shortcut utility at it to make your iChat life a bit easier. Thanks Daniel!
