Vine for Twitter, and what it means for you on Android

There's no Vine app for Android just yet, but that doesn't mean you can escape its 6-second video onslaught

Twitter and Vine today announced that (1) Vine is now available for iOS devices and (2) has been purchased by Twitter. If you hadn't heard of Vine before today, we're not too surprised -- it's been in limited beta testing until now, and it's not available for Android. But, seeing as how all roads (eventually) lead to Android these days, we're taking a quick look at it here.

The oversimplified version is that Vine is to video what Instagram is to pictures. In actuality, it's a fairly simple app that lets you take up to 6 seconds of video that might well be mistaken for a really good animated gif. It doesn't have to be 6 consecutive seconds, though. You can do two 3-second clips strung together. Or three 2-second clips. Or, if you hate your friends, six 1-second clips.

You're going to start seeing a lot of these, even if there's no Android app.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

It Looks Like Twitter Wants People to Start Sharing Videos

Video-sharing startup, Vine, offers interesting service. Twitter buys Vine because it likes interesting service. And now Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is showing the service off, and how easy it is to share short video clips with your tweets. Is this the future of video on Twitter? It looks that way.

In October 2012, Twitter picked Vine up before it could launch its own standalone iOS app. Vine still is going to launch a standalone app, independent of Twitter, but it looks like the service is easily integrated so the two play nice. It doesn’t seem like integration goes any deeper than that, AllThingsD said. For now, the startup is going solo under Twitter’s watchful eye, allowing users to share clips up to six seconds.

No Vine launch date has been shared, but with Costolo teasing the functionality, it seems likely we’ll see an announcement sometime soon.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Features of Today's Top Website Builders

When it comes to building a website, today's designers have a staggering amount of choices in terms of design tools. You no longer need to have any knowledge of coding or web design to get started. Some of the most popular tools include blogging and website builder platforms, which allow casual users to create and publish a unique website in the span of an afternoon. Yet these feature vastly different levels of control and customization for the designer. While any good program will equip you with templates and web hosting services, the best website builder will allow content management, precise layout customization, and other specific features.

Fully Customizable Templates

One of the primary benefits of using a website builder for beginners is the availability of design templates. Yet this same benefit can be a problem for designers with a bit more experience, because it may be limiting. Some website builders will offer you a few dozen templates to choose from, only allowing you to change variables like colours, fonts, and patterns. If you want more control over your website's design, you'll want to look for a comprehensive program that offers you the ability to create custom backgrounds, change margins, and apply features like rounded corners or gradients if you wish.  

Ecommerce Functions

Website builders like Shopify and Yola are set up to enable online sales. These are good options for business owners, freelancers, or bloggers who wish to expand into sales and marketing. When comparing ecommerce sites, look at the types of payment gateways each offers as well as inventory management functions. The best options will present products in organized categories, have an easy to use checkout system, and will send you alerts when a new sale is made for timely shipping.

Social Media Integration

No matter what type of website you're setting up, you'll want to be able to link it with your social networking profiles. Programs like Weebly and Webs offer full social media integration along with web hosting. Look for features such as the ability to place social media buttons directly on the blog, cross-post content, and set up user forums for your clients or audience.

User Support

The best platforms will offer technical support to help you get your newly created website off the ground. If you have little prior knowledge of coding or web design, it's important to choose a platform that gives some degree of assistance. The best will offer FAQ and troubleshooting sections, online tutorials, and a customer support section where you can get direct answers for any questions you might have.  

In the end, the right platform will depend on your personal needs and design experience. Those who have some technical experience or training will want to find a website builder with more room for creativity in the design, while beginners will want a more comprehensive user support system. The best options will be both flexible and user-friendly, for professional, swift results.

HMV Canada owner takes control of HMV UK in attempt to rescue troubled chain

HMV's 91-year long tenure on the British high street might not be coming to an end after all, as HMV Canada's owner has mounted a rescue attempt. The rescuer in this instance is Hilco, which previously picked up Polaroid's brand and paired it with famous insolvency specialist Lady Gaga. BBC News is reporting that Hilco scored a cut-price rate on the £176 million ($278.8 million) corporate debt and has already received cheering words from the film and music industry. After a bout of uncertainty, HMV has also said it'll once again accept gift cards in its stores.

[Image credit: London Express / Getty Images]

[Source: Engadget]

HMV gift cards to be accepted again from tomorrow

Attention, shoppers: HMV is accepting gift cards. Yes, the troubled music, video and games shop will this week once again let you use your vouchers to pay for stuff.

Branches of HMV will accept gift cards from tomorrow, Tuesday 22 February. Great news for anyone who got a gift card for Christmas or recently received vouchers as a refund.

More than 50 potential buyers have expressed interest in saving the ailing chain, with Hilco, the restructuring specialist that bought HMV Canada in 2011, currently reported to be the favourite. HMV's suppliers, including record labels and film studios, are reported to be willing to offer Hilco favourable credit terms. It seems HMV could weather this particular storm after all.

If HMV is sold to new owners in the coming months, they could then decide not to honour old vouchers. In that unlikely event, you could try and claim your money back from your credit or debit card provider -- check out our guide to your options.

The question of gift cards caused a right old kerfuffle when administrators Deloitte decreed vouchers had been suspended. One disgruntled customer in Dublin was so short of gruntlement he simply helped himself to games of an equivalent value to his useless gift card and marched from the shop. But as frustrating as it is to be out of pocket, it's not the staff's fault.

Also in trouble on the high street is Blockbuster, currently in administration, and in danger of following Jessops and Comet into oblivion.

[Source: CNET]

Stunning 0.8mm e-Ink Watch Is A Lean, Mean Kickstarted Machine

 

Google proposes wearable password ring to stop hackers

Think your online accounts are safe? Google doesn't reckon so. In fact, it's come up with a whole new way to stop anyone hacking your profile: USB jewellery.

I'm not kidding. CNET reports Google is mulling over a finger ring that you plug into your PC to authenticate your identity, eliminating the need for a password. Intrigued? Read on.

Google reckons passwords are no longer safe, what with all the hacking going on nowadays. "We contend that security and usability problems are intractable," Google's Eric Grosse and Mayank Upadhyay write in an article due to be published later this month. "It's time to give up on elaborate password rules and look for something better."

And this'll most likely be hardware. Google already uses two-step verification -- whereby you're sent a unique code to enter along with your password -- but "not nearly enough" people use it, according to the two Googlers.

A ring, or some other piece of wearable tech, would plug into your PC, communicate its identity via a website, and let you access your accounts, with no entering passwords required. Which would be a blessing, considering how many passwords we're required to remember nowadays. And how tricky they're supposed to be, to ward off hackers.

So why a ring? Well the authors reckon it should be something that's always with you, so you can't forget it. "Some more appealing form factors might involve integration with smart phones or jewellery that users are more likely to carry anyway," they write. "We'd like your smart phone or smartcard-embedded finger ring to authorise a new computer via a tap on the computer, even in situations in which your phone might be without cellular connectivity."

So there you go. A password ring could be a new way to give hackers the finger.

[Source: CNET]

Google Glass will have a laser keyboard, patent suggests

Thought you'd seen all Google Glass had to offer? Think again. The augmented reality specs could shoot out a laser keyboard, if the latest patent application is to be believed, CNET reports.

The keyboard would beam out of the arm of the glasses. And if there's no flat surface nearby to shoot onto, just project it onto your hand and start typing tweets or emails. This is some seriously next-generation stuff we're talking.

It's not even a problem if you've only got one hand free. As well as pressing the virtual buttons, you can input by just moving your hand, with the Google Glass' camera interpreting what you're doing.

This is only a patent application, so there's no certainty it'll ever make it into Google Glass, or any other products. But it shows Google has big plans for its cyber specs, and isn't going to limit them to just voice input. I mean, Google's voice search on Android Jelly Bean is ace, but what if you're in a crowded place? Or you want to write something the old fashioned way? A laser keyboard could be the answer.

Google unveiled its hi-tech spectacles back in April, though it wouldn't be drawn on when we can expect to actually don them ourselves. They let you stay connected to the Internet and bring up info from Google without having to ogle a screen, which is pretty great. Though some augmented reality experts aren't so sure.

They certainly caused a stir though, with Microsoft, Olympus, and Sony all planning rival specs. So they could be the next big thing once tablets have had their day.

Microsoft is also rumoured to be working on a pair that'll work with Xbox and Kinect, which could lead to some interesting possibilities.

[Source: CNET]

Sky Go Extra will let users download shows to their mobile devices for £5 a month

Being able to watch Sky TV on the go using, erm, Sky Go, is great, but streaming video away from your home router can often be costly, especially if you're on EE's basic LTE plan. Thankfully, the broadcaster is looking to launch Sky Go Extra, which, if The Telegraph is to believed, will allow up to four users to download anything from the Murdoch library straight to their mobile device. Adding such functionality to your family's viewing habits will set you back £5 a month (after a two month free trial) but that also includes unlimited access to the company's first-window movie catalog, a jewel it's paid heavily to keep out of the hands of rivals such as Netflix Lovefilm.

[Source: Engadget]

Google moving UK operations into new, £1 billion HQ in London in 2015

According to a joint statement issued, Google has purchased a 2.4 acre plot of land in London on which to construct a brand new base for their UK operations. Construction on the new, 1 million square foot headquarters in London is scheduled to begin by the end of 2013 subject to approval, with staff moving in sometime in 2015. 

The move represents a huge investment from Google, not just financially, but in reviving part of London. The new site, located next to Kings Cross railway station, is being revived as part of a plan to create 67 acres of land filled with homes, offices and retail space. 

The deal is reportedly worth £1 billion, and will see Google amalgamate their two current London offices in Victoria and on St Giles High Street into one. The other Google offices in Manchester will reportedly remain. 

In the statement issued, Matt Brittin, VP of Google for Northern and Central Europe said:

“This is a big investment by Google. We’re committing further to the U.K. -- where computing and the web were invented. It’s good news for Google, for London and for the UK"

At a time when so many UK based businesses are facing difficult times, the investment from Google is extremely important. Equally important will be Google's increased presence in the UK. 

[Source: AndroidCentral]

HMV shops could be bought by administration survivor Game

HMV could be thrown a lifeline from an unlikely source: Game. The video games retailer survived administration last year, but is considering buying branches of HMV as the music chain crashes into oblivion.

Game boss Martyn Gibbs says it's interested in buying a selected number of stores, but hasn't confirmed numbers. He probably has two that he wants but doesn't fancy anything for the third.

HMV has around 235 branches. Sources say there are around 40 HMV branches in places where there's no branch of Game, so they could well be targets.

Game isn't the only player interested in HMV. The Financial Times reports there have been as many as 50 expressions of interest in buying the company. 

4,000 jobs are at risk if the 91-year-old music and movie chain doesn't make it. Administrators Deloitte were called in at the start of the week, suspending online sales and refusing to accept gift cards -- prompting anger from the many gift card-holding customers left out of pocket. If you do have a gift card, you're at the back of the queue to get your money back from HMV, but if they were bought with a credit or debit card you could get your money back; check out our guide to your legal rights and what you can do.

Game has itself circled the drain in recent times, entering administration last March and closing a whopping 300 stores. The gaming chain was bought by investment firm OpCapita and is now in much better shape; after a better holiday season than expected, it's set to hit this year revenue targets.

Not every shop is so lucky: Comet, Jessops and Blockbuster have all entered administration in the last few weeks.

[Source: CNET]

So Long Windows Live Messenger!

After loyally serving its users for more than 13 years, Microsoft finally bit the bullet anddecided that it will retire its Windows Live Messenger service on March 15 this year. The plan to shut down Messenger was already on the table in November 2012, but the exact date had not yet been announced. Now, the software giant officially notified its users by email that from March 15 on, Windows Live Messenger will no longer be ‘live.’

Windows Live Messenger, more commonly known as MSN Messenger, was launched way back in July 1999. Before the social media era, it was once one of the most widely used online chat services. As the years rolled on, more functionality was added to the chat, allowing users to share pictures, make video calls and play online games. However, having to compete with Facebook Chat, Skype, Google Talk and iMessage, its popularity has waned significantly.

When Microsoft coughed up a whopping $8.5 billion in 2011 to purchase Skype from eBay and its other shareholders, it became clear that Windows Live Messenger’s days were numbered. With Skype, users can not only chat, call and make video calls but they will alsoreceive additional benefits which they didn’t have with the good old Messenger: screen sharing, calling to landlines and group video conferencing. Furthermore, Skype has a broader device support for all platforms, including iPad and Android tablets. Not to mention that Microsoft canmonetise its users through top-up services making Skype the natural commercial choice.

Microsoft will be offering the Windows Live Messenger users a migration service to easily make the transition to Skype. An upgrade button was added to the newest Messenger desktop app. When clicking on it, it automatically uninstalls Messengers and replaces it with Skype.However, some of those who already made the transition reported that the transfer of contacts was not successful. Skype want to make the transition as smoothly as possible, advertising for additional technical support jobs to join its team in preparation for March 15. Those who already have an existing Skype account can easily merge it with their Messenger account.

So, it looks like you have approximately two months to keep using your beloved Messenger. Alternatively, you could migrate to China where it will still be possible to login on Windows Live Messenger, because the technology is hosted by a local service provider.

So long Messenger, long live Skype!