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Google retiring iGoogle, Google Mini, others for 'spring cleaning'
To everything (Turn, Turn, Turn). There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn). Sometimes those seasons can get a bit convoluted, however -- or such is the premise of Google's "Spring cleaning in summer" post, outlining the end of a handful of tech offerings. Because heck, even a company as big as Google has to pick its battles. On the chopping block this time out are the Google Mini enterprise search system, the Google Talk Chatback widget, Google Video, iGoogle and the Symbian search app. Of course, the company won't be leaving people hanging entirely. Google's pushing users toward existing properties like the Meebo bar for Talk Chatback and YouTube for Google Video (which already stopped taking uploads a while back), the latter of which will be fully integrated into the more popular video offering come August. More info on what all this means in the source link below.
Picasa, Blogger to get renamed: now with more Google?
Google's reportedly trying to put all of its product eggs into one self-branded basket. According to Mashable, two of its most popular services -- Picasa and Blogger -- may go under the branding knife and come out the other side looking like 'Google Photos' and 'Google Blogs.' With the exception of the latter's planned UI overhaul, both services should function exactly the same. The move -- alleged to take place within the next six weeks -- would unify the search king's user offerings ahead of the public launch of Google+. And if that social service's rumored July 31st launch date pans out, we could be seeing this overhaul very soon. But don't expect crown jewel YouTube to receive similar treatment, that site's brand equity already sent its ugly step-sister -- Google Video -- to the grave.
Google Video shutdown halted for now, Google slinging content over to YouTube itself
Seems Google sparked a bit of spirited debate when it decided to pull the plug on Google Video, because the company's put that plan on indefinite hold, telling users that it's looking for "an easier way" to migrate its massive archives of video to YouTube. Originally, Google gave users an ultimatum to download videos (or just tap a simple "Upload Videos to YouTube" button) before it erased them for good, but now Mountain View plans to automatically transfer content to YouTube itself. Why wasn't that the plan from day one? We'd guess that hosting terabytes of streaming video isn't cheap, folks.
Google shutting down most of Google Video, urges you to back up your greatest hits now
Google Video, the vestige of Google's in-house efforts at sharing moving pictures before the YouTube acquisition, is being closed down almost entirely. Everyone that isn't involved in the Google Video for Business and Education programs will see their videos terminated from Google's servers soon, with playback no longer available after May 13th. Options for downloading content you've uploaded or migrating it to YouTube have been made available, though they too won't last beyond the 27th of next month. We suppose this makes sense in light of all the riches that Google is pouring into YouTube and the fact that its more popular video site is shedding its time limits for vids, but still, we had a bit of a soft spot for Google Video and the obscure stuff we could find on there. Better get the most out of it while the thing's still around.
Google executives found guilty of violating privacy of student bullied on video
Hold tight kids, internet privacy laws just got flipped upside down. An Italian judge found three Google executives guilty of violating the privacy of an Italian student who was bullied in a 2006 video posted on Google Video. The video resided on the site for two months before it was brought to Google's attention and pulled. None of the executives were involved in any way in the making of the abhorrent video. Nevertheless, Italian judge Oscar Magi sentenced the execs to a six-month prison sentence but cleared them of defamation charges. No jail time is expected, however, since any sentence of less than 3 years is typically commuted in Italy for those without a criminal record. As you can imagine, Google has responded with vigor. In a post on Google's official blog ominously titled "Serious Threat to the Web in Italy," Google calls the decision "astonishing" citing the assistance it provided to local police in helping bring those who uploaded the video (and bullied the autistic child) to justice. More importantly, Google says that the decision "attacks the very principles of freedom on which the Internet is built." On the surface, we have to agree. Here's how Google describes the dystopian knock-on effect should this ruling take precedent: "European Union law was drafted specifically to give hosting providers a safe harbor from liability so long as they remove illegal content once they are notified of its existence. The belief, rightly in our opinion, was that a notice and take down regime of this kind would help creativity flourish and support free speech while protecting personal privacy. If that principle is swept aside and sites like Blogger, YouTube and indeed every social network and any community bulletin board, are held responsible for vetting every single piece of content that is uploaded to them - every piece of text, every photo, every file, every video - then the Web as we know it will cease to exist, and many of the economic, social, political and technological benefits it brings could disappear." Google will, of course, appeal.
D-Link gives DSM-520 access to hundreds of online TV channels
Evidently, loosing the DSM-750 Extender for Windows Media Center just wasn't enough for D-Link, as the firm seemingly felt the need to give loyal (and to-be) owners of the DSM-520 Wireless HD Media Player a nice bonus. Starting today, buyers of the aforementioned digital media adapter will have access to "more than 200 online channels," as the unit can now take advantage of active-TV technology. The service reportedly "allows easy access to internet video and entertainment sites with a remote control," and it also uses a "content aggregator developed by MediaMall Technologies." Some notable channels include Comedy Central, CinemaNow, Google Video, Movielink, ROOtv Music Videos, Akimbo, MTV, Musicmatch, Napster, VH1, ESPN and FOX Sports, and there's also international content out there for those willing to branch out. The expanded DSM-520 should be shipping momentarily for $249.99, and existing owners can snag the update gratis on October 4th.
Playing Google Video on iPhone
Sure, we'd all love to watch Flash-based videos on the iPhone, but until Apple actually implements Flash in MobileSafari, everything but YouTube (with its builtin player) is off limits. Or is it? Check out this little trick, in which you can use the "Download for Video iPod" option on Google video to watch almost any video instantly.Now, my guess is that this trick presupposes a few things, first of all that you have a network connection from the iPhone that can stream video instantly. Also, I'm not quite sure where the video itself gets stored-- is there a temp directory in MobileSafari that would store this stuff? I doubt that the video itself would get added to your iPhone's videos library, but that may be the case.At any rate, if you've got the connection (and maybe the space) for it, this is an easy, no-jailbreak way to watch any Google videos (or any other iPod-formatted web videos, I'd guess) that offer themselves up for download.Thanks, Kit!
Google closing down Video Store
Welp, that didn't take too long. Around 1.5 years after it was first announced, Google has decided to "shut down its premium video service." Nevertheless, the most intriguing aspect of the whole shebang is that customers who purchased DRM-laden files will reportedly no longer be able to view them once the Video Store closes up shop, and rather than refunding customers with, you know, real money, it sounds like Google plans to offer "fixed credit on the firm's online payment system, Google Checkout, instead." Interestingly, another report noted that the search giant would "provide refunds or online shopping vouchers for previously purchased videos that won't be viewable," so it looks like the final verdict remains to be seen.[Via BBC, thanks Steffen]
DivX GejBox redubbed Connected, spotted in the wild
Well, would you take a look at this. That interestingly titled GejBox that we peeked last month has seemingly been redubbed DivX Connected, received a slight facelift, and best of all, has been caught in the wild. According to DivX, "Connected is a digital home platform and interoperability standard for networked media devices, PCs and, online services," and it can supposedly access Stage6, Google Video, and ShoutCast internet radio when not playing back media on any of your networked machines. The boxes are apparently being doled out on a very limited basis and are still marked as beta hardware, but judging by the photos, it features an Ethernet port, built-in WiFi, a USB connector, and a remote to keep you firmly situated on the sofa. You know the drill, check out a few more pics after the jump.[Thanks, Dave T.]
iPhone can handle Google Video as well
iPhone users out there are all pretty well familiar with what sort of content they can view on YouTube at the moment: moonwalking instructional videos are a go, obscure bluegrass fingerpicking tutorials (thanks, Dad) are not. Well, now you've got another option for viewing pointless videos, since it turns out the iPhone can support the iPod/PSP video download option over at Google Video from right within Safari. Not all videos include a download option, and we tried a similar option over at Gametrailers.com to no avail, but who needs alternatives when you can watch sneezing panda eternally? Check out the QuickTime player after the break. [Thanks, Canek]
Flash Video Downloader
In one of our previous Ask TUAW columns we addressed a question about downloading Flash videos from sites like YouTube and Google Video. We mentioned several shareware programs to do this including TubeSock and yFlicks, however recently a free solution has come to my attention called simply the Flash Video Downloader from Tesseract Software. The interface is very simple: you just copy and paste the URL from your browser for the page that the video appears on (i.e. you don't have to know the exact location of the video file, just the main page URL). The Flash Video Downloader apparently consults videodownloader.net for the actual file location and then sucks it down to your computer. Of course once it's downloaded you'll need VLC or something similar to play it. You can also set up a series of pages as a batch job and the Downloader will do its thing in the background downloading each video, then send up a Growl notification when it's done.The Flash Video Downloader is not as slick as some of the commercial solutions out there, but it's a free download, and does get the job done.[Via FreeMacWare]
TransTechnology's DVX-700 WiFi media player supports Google Video
Japan's TransTechnology is back and ready to loose their latest all-media streamer, the DVX-700. The box will ship in two flavors -- the tethered M10, or wireless 802.11b/g M20 -- and comes packing a DVD player and removable 3.5-inch HDD (optional) for sneakernetting your data back-and-forth to an optional USB or IDE enclosure for your PC. Otherwise, you can push your media around via DLNA support with like-spec'd devices on the home network. The unit touts a Sigma Designs' EM8620L media processor like the newer AVeL LinkPlayers we've already seen from I-O Data. As such, you can expect support for WMV HD, MPEG-1/2/4, XviD, WMV9 video; DVD-ripped ISO image files; and MP3, AAC, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, and WAV (PCM) audio. It even supports direct Google Video browsing and playback with the help of a USB keyboard and/or remote control. Video outs include DVI and Japan's digital D4 both supporting up to 1080i. Yours in Japan starting tomorrow for ¥27,800 ($237) with wires or ¥30,800 ($264) without. [Via Impress]
Orb Networks brings YouTube / Google Video to your smartphone
If you've been waiting ever so patiently for YouTube to make an official debut on the mobile side, and can't get TinyTube to work out just right, help is on the way. While Verizon is hoping to land an exclusive deal regarding YouTube content and its V CAST services, Orb Networks is releasing software which lets cellphone users "view, search, and create media channels from the internet" and direct it onto handhelds / laptops" from sites like YouTube or Google Video." While Orb's PC-accessing software has been available for some time now, this newly-unveiled program will put the zany clips of YouTube (and other online video resources) into the palm of you hand way before any of the other guys. While a list of compatible mobiles wasn't disclosed, it was stated that the software would "only operate on sophisticated smartphones" such as Nokia's N80 and Motorola's Q -- so, do your duty and hit the read link for your free download, cool?[Via Yahoo News]
Unofficial effort yields mobile Google Video
Google has managed to show a good deal of love toward the mobile community as of late, culminating recently with the (more dubious) arrival of mobile AdWords. It seems a bit odd, then, that they've completely overlooked Google Video in the process. Scott Robbin, who fashioned his own solution to the problem, puts it best: "How many times have you been sitting on the train, with nothing to do, and you thought to yourself, 'Boy, I'd really like to be watching a video about pickles,' only to realize that you have none on your person? If you're like me, then the answer is plenty." According to Scott's site, the rig works on any phone with an XHTML-compliant browser that has (or can get hold of) an AVI / MP4 player; you just surf on over to a page he's set up and search for video as you normally would and links provide access to the videos themselves. Hey Google, how does it feel to get shown up by one motivated fella who likes his video on the road?[Via Crave]
A bit of fun on Monday morning: A Wii Adventure
We hate Mondays almost as much as you do. Our job is pretty cool, after all, but the unfortunate end to the weekend's drunken debauchery is always a bit of a buzzkill. To cheer you up a bit, here's a lighthearted video which remarkably manipulates the world and characters in Zelda: Wind Waker to tell a heartwarming little story about the Wii. We have no freaking clue how the creator was able to so skillfully use the technology found on that piracy-locked Gamecube disc, but kudos are much deserved.[Thanks, MC Yoo!]
Neuros OSD hardware out in beta, let the hacking begin!
Ah, so this is what you get when you take a hardware platform "open-source" -- the Neuros OSD. This infinitely hackable Linux-based media recorder / player beta unit is on sale now. Yeah, beta, 'cause this ain't no ordinary hardware offering. See Neuros is willing to pay you cash-money "bounties" to code new features into the open source firmware: YouTube or Google video ($1000), Flickr photo browsing ($600), wireless remote capabilities from a WiFi handheld device such as a PDA ($500), TiVo-style radio recording when connected to an FM/AM or satellite receiver ($700), and VoIP capabilities when a USB phone is connected ($500). Not bad for something you'll likely do for the fun of it anyway right? Out of the box, you get a standalone media player which can record from any external analog audio/video source and then automatically encode it for playback on PSPs, mobile phones, and iPods in popular formats such as MPEG-4, AVI, ASF, MP3, OGG, WMA, and AC3. And with a dual-core ARM9 / TI DSP, multi-card memory slot, USB host capability, Ethernet, recording up to 720x480 resolution at 30fps, IR Blaster, and S-Video in and Composite audio/video in/out, well, you still might be tempted to plunk down the meager $230 to take this baby home. Hurry though, only 200 beta units left!
Apple and Google in talks about iTV
Steven Levy, writing for Newsweek, reports that Apple and Google are in talks to bring Google Video to the Apple iTV (which, of course, is that forthcoming Apple product that will allow you to stream all sorts of content from your Mac to your TV). Now, there is no word on whether the talks are limited to watching the free content from Google Videos, or whether you will be able to enjoy purchased Google Videos using your iTV (yes, Google sells TV shows on Google Video).Who knows, maybe Google Video will switch to using Quicktime.
Google and Apple talking video?
It's the stuff fanboy dreams are made of: Google and Apple, sittin' in a tree. In fact, if you nearly passed out when Stevie J. walked onto the stage the other day sans mock turtleneck, or started into hysterics when Larry Page rode into CES on the back of that SUV, you might want to sit down for this one. Google and Apple are supposedly, maybe, possibly talking up video interoperability with Google Video and Apple's forthcoming iTV device. All we've got to go on so far is a quote from Google's consumer product chief, Marissa Mayer, who has confirmed the two companies are "engaged in talks." What level of iTV integration this indicates, if any, is yet to be seen, and with the usual amount of tight-lipped action we normal get out of Apple and Google, we don't expect to know much more until the feature is upon us, but the addition of Eric Schmidt to Apple's board of directors is a good sign of things to come. Plus, we're sure good, video-ey things can happen with these two companies putting their heads together, and a bit of internet video can't hurt a device that so far doesn't look to have much more than DRM interoperability to set it apart.[Via BBC News]
That awesome OK Go video is in the iTMS
OK Go is a pretty rocking little band signed to a major label, but they release their videos using the grassroots goodness of the internets like YouTube and Google Video. Their latest craze is the video for a song called Here It Goes Again, and it's the work of pure genius.While the video is of course available in crummy Flash quality for free, I just noticed today that it appeared in the iTMS (link) for $1.99, and I'm having a hard time thinking of many other bands who deserve a purchase as much as OK Go for such hard and creative work - no matter how measly their cut may be.
Grouper purchased by Sony Pictures, gives tons of videos to PSP owners
You know YouTube, right? And GameVideos? How about Grouper? I've honestly never head of them until now. The service is pretty much like every other video uploading service, except Grouper is now owned by Sony Pictures. Sony paid $65 million to own these obvious Sony fanboys (watch the video after the cut). Like Google Video, all the videos available on the site can be downloaded in PSP format, but even cooler than that, there are PSP-compatible RSS feeds, so you can have crazy viral videos, or some "sexy" videos delivered to your PSP on a daily basis. In fact, checking out the RSS feed, you'll have access to hundreds of videos on 2.80+ PSPs. It's sorta insane.[Via DownloadSquad]
