Archive for May 29th, 2007
Microsoft’s Live Maps have 3D, but Google Maps now have the ability to drill down to the street level, at least in New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Denver and Miami to start (photos). So how’d they do it? Google workers drove vans around the Bay Area for about a year and took pictures for the service. For the other cities, Google contracted with Immersive Media to do the same. Screen grab…
And that’s not all. Google also unveiled something called “Maplets” which allows developers to mash real estate listings and crime data with Google Maps. Click here and select “real estate search” for a demonstration.
May 29th, 2007
Every so often a new technology product comes along (like the iPhone) that’s just downright cool. Microsoft Surface (video) fits that category. It’s a tabletop computer that responds to touch, and it identifies and downloads (or uploads) content from handheld devices placed on top of it. You can manipulate photos, watch video, play games and surf the web on a 30-inch screen. Only catch? It’ll cost between $5,000 and $10,000, so Microsoft will debut Surface in hotels and casinos to start. But the applications are endless. “The practical uses for Surface at the point of sale are broad,” writes TechCrunch. “This is touch screen point-of-sale technology at a new level.”
May 29th, 2007
ABC has given the green light to “i-Caught,” a show that’s based on video submitted by the public and produced by ABC News. Correspondents will build stories around video captured by users that’s getting widespread play on sites like YouTube as well as video uploaded to the show’s companion site, i-Caught.com. The site will launch on June 12th, and the show will debut on August 6th.
May 29th, 2007
A recent rule for embedded journalists in Iraq bans any video or photographs that show dead soldiers, and wounded troops must sign a consent form before their images can be broadcast or published. “They are not letting us cover the reality of war,” said Ashley Gilbertson, a freelance photographer for NY Times and Newsweek, among others. “I think this has got little to do with the families or the soldiers and everything to do with politics.” Meanwhile, Iraqi police are beginning to confiscate cameras on sight.
May 29th, 2007
Fresno, CA
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Fresno, CA
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Fresno, CA
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New York, NY
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It’s now official. Just days after the end of a terrible May book, NBC Universal has named independent producer Ben Silverman (”The Office” and “The Biggest Loser”) and veteran NBC exec Marc Graboff as co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio. “I always thought this was the right job for Ben. This new role will give him the opportunity to redefine our programming, our relationship with advertisers, and our ongoing commitment to the new digital frontier,” said NBCU President Jeff Zucker. Kevin Reilly, who has served as President of NBC Entertainment for the past three years, and NBCU have mutually agreed to end their relationship. Press release…
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A terrific cover story in Broadcasting & Cable examines how the advent of long-range forecasts at local TV stations could be damaging their credibility. For example, the 10-day forecast, with specific predictions down to exact temperatures, is becoming standard issue at most stations. Dr. Anthony Socci, a senior fellow at the American Meteorological Society (AMS), says it’s like throwing darts. “(Meteorologists) are selling a skill that isn’t there, and they’re not being candid with viewers.” With internet weather growing in popularity (after all, why would you wait for a specific time to get your weather?) TV stations are pulling out all the stops with “endless rounds of one-upmanship” in technology, marketing and forecast tools.
We’ve written about this before, but I believe it’s critical that TV stations shift their thinking and spending from TV to the web when it comes to weather. Standard weather coverage on TV will no longer be a reason to watch (breaking weather coverage is a big exception), and people are shifting online in droves. So create powerful weather technology online that allows users to personalize their experience, and then extend that technology to TV. In other words, meteorogists on TV should be using your web-based technology to deliver the forecast, reinforcing the need in viewers’ minds to use your website the rest of the time. Under this approach, the web is the primary forecast destination, and TV is a complement. If we don’t make this switch soon, we’ll give away our franchise to Weather.com, the portals and national news sites, which already have much better weather technology than most local TV sites. It’s already happening.
May 29th, 2007
