To display the most relevant entries to you in priority,
vote for the stories you are interested in
()
and reject those that you are not interested in
()
pFiled under: a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag"Microsoft Xbox 360/a/pdiv
align="center"a href="http://www.dreisechzig.net/wp/archives/1481"img vspace="4" hspace="0"
border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/new.avatar.clothes.490.jpg"
alt="" //abr / div align="left"We've known for some time that Microsoft has been planning
additional clothing and accessories to differentiate (and bizarre-ify) your a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/new-xbox-experience"New Xbox Experience/a Avatar. In fact, on
Wednesday, MS announced that new Avatar content will be rolled out a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/19/new-avatar-fashions-planned-every-two-weeks-for-six-months/"bi-monthly
for six months/a. Today we know that, at least for now, it will be free.br /br /Germany's Xbox
product manager, Boris Schneider-Johne, told a
href="http://www.dreisechzig.net/wp/archives/1481"dreisechzig.net/a that the early offerings will
be free of charge. After that? "What's going to happen as of spring is yet to be announced," he
said. We do know that for-pay and sponsored a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/avatars"Avatar/a
goodies are definitely on Microsoft's mind, as evidenced in a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/01/microsoft-contemplating-for-pay-avatar-accessories/"remarks
made by Xbox Live chief John Schappert/a in August. /div /div br /[Via a
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/21/first-wave-of-new-avatar-clothing-will-be-free/"X3F/a]br
/br / div style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-top: 5px;" a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/29/video-tour-new-xbox-experience-exposed/"img vspace="4"
hspace="4" border="1" align="left" alt=""
src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/10/nxe-pinbox.jpg" style="margin-bottom:
20px;" class="imagepadding" //a emsmallCurious about the New Xbox Experience? Check out our a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/29/video-tour-new-xbox-experience-exposed/"ridiculously
informative nine-video feature/a, covering everything from Avatar creation, Netflix integration,
and the 8-player party system to installing games to the hard drive, the new Marketplace, the
Blade-like "Guide" interface, and more!/small/em/divp style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px
solid #ccc;clear:both;"a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/microsoft-nxe-avatar-clothing-updates-will-be-free-for-now/"Microsoft:
NXE Avatar clothing updates will be free ... for now/a originally appeared on a
href="http://www.joystiq.com"Joystiq/a on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our a
href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/"terms for use of feeds/a./pp style="clear: both;
padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"nbsp;/ppa
href=http://www.dreisechzig.net/wp/archives/1481Read/anbsp;|nbsp;a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/microsoft-nxe-avatar-clothing-updates-will-be-free-for-now/"
rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry"Permalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1379677/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email"Email
this/anbsp;|nbsp;a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/microsoft-nxe-avatar-clothing-updates-will-be-free-for-now/#comments"
title="View reader comments on this entry"Comments/a/p pa
href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/AvKxE_04ZrNcuq2i8aA7k6hXi8E/a"img
src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/AvKxE_04ZrNcuq2i8aA7k6hXi8E/i" border="0"
ismap="true"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/joystiq?a=u6dqShBN"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/joystiq?i=u6dqShBN" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/joystiq?a=lsZ41y7S"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/joystiq?i=lsZ41y7S" border="0"/img/a /divimg
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~4/2-EQuHqD0Nw" height="1" width="1"/
pFiled under: a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag"Sony PlayStation 3/a, a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag"Microsoft Xbox 360/a, a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/firstpersonshooters/" rel="tag"First Person Shooters/a/pdiv
align="center"img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt=""
src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/far-cry-2-dlc-vehicles.jpg" /br //div
Ubisoft has revealed a new batch of downloadable content for its incredibly aggressive African
safari, a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/far-cry-2"emFar Cry 2/em/a. Due to be released "by the
end of November," the emFortune's Pack/em bolsters the game's collection of weapons, multiplayer
maps and, perhaps most importantly, fuel-guzzling transports. It's not quite the turret-equipped
elephant we were hoping for, but a quad should do us fine. There's also a "unimog," which is either
a big truck thing or an adorable emFinal Fantasy/em creature with a tertiary education. Probably
the former.br /br /Also added to both the single- and multiplayer components are three new weapons:
the sawed-off shotgun; the silenced shotgun; and the crossbow. Be sure to use those on Fortune's
four additional multiplayer maps, dubbed emCheap Labor, Last Resort, Lake Smear/em and emFort
Fury/em. br /br /The pack will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store for
$10 -- or two of the diamonds you found in a suspicous briefcase in the middle of nowhere.br /div
class="postgallery"pstrongGallery: a href="/photos/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack/"Far Cry 2: Fortune's
Pack/a/strong/pa href="/photos/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack/1178235/" class="gallerythumbnail"img
src="http://www.blogcdn.comwww.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/far-cry-2-dlc1-11_thumbnail.jpg" alt=""
title="" //aa href="/photos/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack/1178234/" class="gallerythumbnail"img
src="http://www.blogcdn.comwww.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/far-cry-2-dlc1-08_thumbnail.jpg" alt=""
title="" //aa href="/photos/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack/1178233/" class="gallerythumbnail"img
src="http://www.blogcdn.comwww.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/far-cry-2-dlc1-09_thumbnail.jpg" alt=""
title="" //aa href="/photos/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack/1178232/" class="gallerythumbnail"img
src="http://www.blogcdn.comwww.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/far-cry-2-dlc1-06_thumbnail.jpg" alt=""
title="" //aa href="/photos/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack/1178231/" class="gallerythumbnail"img
src="http://www.blogcdn.comwww.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/far-cry-2-dlc1-05_thumbnail.jpg" alt=""
title="" //a/divp style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack-adds-new-vehicles-weapons-maps/"Far
Cry 2 'Fortune's Pack' adds new vehicles, weapons, maps/a originally appeared on a
href="http://www.joystiq.com"Joystiq/a on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our a
href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/"terms for use of feeds/a./pp style="clear: both;
padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"nbsp;/ppa
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack-adds-new-vehicles-weapons-maps/"
rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry"Permalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1379692/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email"Email
this/anbsp;|nbsp;a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/21/far-cry-2-fortunes-pack-adds-new-vehicles-weapons-maps/#comments"
title="View reader comments on this entry"Comments/a/p pa
href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/J-WKokm-DE5gjrGvmaoIWFFZ980/a"img
src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/J-WKokm-DE5gjrGvmaoIWFFZ980/i" border="0"
ismap="true"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/joystiq?a=FDPW6l9O"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/joystiq?i=FDPW6l9O" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/joystiq?a=grVy6b5Y"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/joystiq?i=grVy6b5Y" border="0"/img/a /divimg
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~4/fDXruo8BtSM" height="1" width="1"/
For new bloggers looking to build up their reader base, it's not always enough just to write
well; you need to advertise, to get the word out. And what better way to advertise than with ads?
Unfortunately, most advertising online still leaves much to be desired, both for advertisers
trying to get noticed and for host sites trying to earn some cash. Many of the problems can be
traced back to ads' sole reliance on "click-through" -- the theory that a host website should
receive payment based on the number of visitors that actually click on the ads. But what other
alternatives exist to this pervasive ad model? Where can bloggers go to find something better?
The Problems with Click-Through
Click-through ads remain the most familiar form of Internet advertising to most websurfers. Most
ad services, including Google's AdSense,
still operate primarily on this model. Unfortunately, the click is plagued by the potential for
fraud, as some site owners resort to multi-clicking their own ads or setting up bots to do so for
them. (You can see Google has tried to address in its terms of service agreement, which, for
example, admonishes site owners against directing readers to click on the ads.)
Click-through ads also tend to be annoying for site owners. The desperation to catch the reader's
eye and entice him or her to click an ad has led to the proliferation of flashy but nonsensical
ads -- including display ads with an annoying dancing alien and about a million permutations of
the "Punch the Monkey and win a free (blank)" mini-game. There's also the fact that most
click-through ads aren't specific to the site where they appear -- they're usually generic
banners that will pop up on a site based on an algorithm that looks at key words. This can be
especially frustrating to bloggers, who often write about set topics only to have their sites
cluttered with unrelated ads.
"There's an industrywide discussion about the value of the click -- both how we're recording
clicks and how successful it is," said Matt DiPietro, Marketing Manager for FM Publishing, one of
several ad services pioneering alternatives to the click. "It's essentially the way that
marketers have been trained to think of the market online, but it's something that's evolving as
we speak."
If advertisers want to attract customers and bloggers want to make some money, it would behoove
both sides to look for something beyond the click-through. But what else is there? At least a few
companies have come up with some ideas.
Project Wonderful
One of the newer advertising services available is Project Wonderful, which throws out the click-through
method entirely. Ryan North, the cartoonist behind the popular webcomic Dinosaur Comics , first created Project Wonderful out of frustration
in dealing with traditional click-through advertising, instead replacing it with a system that
sells ads based on "air-time."
"You can't hack time unless you've got a time machine, and if you've got a time machine you've
hopefully got better things to do than defraud internet companies!" said North, "And around that
idea we've build this really responsive auction system, where you can say "I want my ad to be on
this site right away", and boom, it's up. And then ten days (or ten seconds!) later you can say
"You know what, I'd rather have it on this site instead", and you can cancel your existing bid
and you're only charged for the time your site is up."
North said that he designed Project Wonderful to be as fair and transparent as possible, tracking
traffic statistics, including hits, referrers, and country of origin for thirty days. It works on
a bidding system that he calls the infinite auction. Essentially, a
participating webmaster designates a set number of ad spaces on his or her page, and advertisers
bid to have their ads posted in those slots. The more advertisers bidding, the higher the price
goes and the more money earned for the webmaster. When nobody's bidding, the price of ads returns
to zero. (Participating blogs are allowed to set their own starting prices, but are encouraged to
let the marketplace set it for them.)
"The main advantages are responsiveness, value, and transparency," North told me. "Our system is
fine-grained enough that you can have your ad on a specific spot on a specific site at a specific
time, but broad enough that you can also say 'I want to be on these KINDS of sites' instead, and
not have to micromanage...I think we've built the only advertising network where it's not a
chore, where you have this fun atmosphere and a little competition going on between advertisers
and publishers. On top of that, our commission is only 25%, which means we give more money to our
publishers than elsewhere, and for advertisers, our prices are really fair and reasonable."
The auction system means that, when starting out, many sites essentially give away ad space for
free. It's a good deal for advertisers, as it means that they will always get the best possible
price. And so far, Project Wonderful is a buyer's market. Blogger Splitbrain
was disappointed to find he'd only earned 8 cents after 4 days of hosting ads through Project
Wonderful. Meanwhile, Penn State Finance student Jim blogging at The Net Fool praised the system as a good way
for the blogger on a budget to drum up traffic, comparing it to what would happen if "AdSense and
eBay got into a bad car wreck."
Currently, some blogs and websites with more-established readerships are able to sell a single ad
for as much as $70 a day, but, for most sites, ads range from only a few cents to $10. The system
seems to have caught on with webcomics, art sites, and related blogs. As of this writing, a small
frontpage Project Wonderful ad on comics blog The Comics
Curmudgeon goes for 70 cents a day, while an ad on North's Dinosaur Comics goes for $1.90.
For now at least, the real value of Project Wonderful to blogs might not be as a money-making
tool so much as a way to get affordable publicity. With over 8000 participating sites, the system
is good for a beginning blogger trying to get word out to the most sites for the lowest price.
Even some participants who might not earn a lot of money said that offering cheap ads for sale on
their sites is a good way to attract notice - and hopefully eventually build up a reader base.
This may be due to one unique aspect of the system which allows it to function as a
quasi-socializing network: Money earned through ads can be used to purchase ads on other sites,
blurring the distinction between advertisers and hosts. North said:
bq. I love it because, as a publisher, I'm making this money that I can take out at any time, but
I can also spend it right away on advertising my own site. And when I do that, it increases the
profile of my site and can then even increase the amount of money I'm making for advertising! So
that's fun and really convenient, but there's also this social thing you mentioned. That can take
the form of "You bid on my site so I'll bid on yours as a thank you at the end," or things like
"You bid on my site and I checked out your site and it's really great and I just wanted to drop
you a line to let you know!"
Project Wonderful really taught me the value of an endorsement. When we launched, I didn't do any
press for it at all -- I just signed myself up as the first publisher, put the ads up on Dinosaur
Comics, and let the network sell itself. It's why we took off in webcomics so quickly: people saw
it there and beneath our ad boxes is a message saying "Your ad could be here, right now, for just
$3.00" or whatever the going rate is. That got a lot of interest from both advertisers and
publishers, and the network sort of spread virally throughout that community, which was really
gratifying. It was nice to see that something I built to be helpful was actually being used in
that way, and that people were getting value from it. That's the best thing you can ask as a
developer!
Blogads
One advantage of Project Wonderful, from a small blogger's point of view, is that it's open to
the public. Other alternative advertising systems may be more selective, preferring to foster a
small network of high-priced blogs rather than a large one of cheap deals. That's the case with
Blogads, one of the early innovators in blog advertising.
Founded in 2002 by Henry Copeland as a network catering to political blogs, it has in recent
years expanded into a wide-ranging network that includes some of the most high-profile blogs on
the Internet, including Perezhilton.com , Cute Overload, and Failblog
.
For bloggers, entry to the system is by invitation only. But once accepted into the network, it
also does away with counting click-throughs as bloggers get to set their own ad rates. "Bloggers
set their own prices for a period of time -- one week, two weeks, one month, three months," said
Blogads CEO Copeland. "This method emphasizes the audience's quality and branding versus the very
transactional basis."
Copeland said that advertisers working through Blogads can be sure they'll reach a very specific
audience. Speaking via email, he differentiated Blogads from other ad systems, like Google
Adsense, noting that Blogads could be "purchased on specific blogs or groups of blogs."
As opposed to algorithm-generated click-through ads, advertisers using Blogads know exactly where
their ads will appear. That makes the system ideal, Copeland said, for "an advertiser looking to
make a mark with early adopters, opinion-makers and taste influencers. This could be a new brand
or service, an emerging politician, a new movie or book, or a cause." Copeland said:
Blog readers are responding to individual writer's unedited voices, so their loyalty tends to be
much more intense than that of readers of corporate publications. People obviously consume
information in lots of forms. We listen to the radio alone in the car. We watch TV with our
families. We read the newspaper alone on the subway. Each blog has its own distinct personality
and community feel. We read blogs as a participant in a community. It's like being in a movie
theater, versus at home alone... we're interested in how other people react as much as in our own
reaction. So this makes advertising on individual blogs, or groups of individual blogs, really
distinct.
In keeping with its focus on a more savvy audience, Blogads also emphasizes the aesthetics of ad
design with clear, focused ads that play on blog readers' love of words. A section on Great Blogads featuring examples of
some of the most successful, innovative blogads and commentary on what made them work, including
the campaign for the 2006 Audi A3
presented as an ongoing mystery story with clues in different ads.
Since Blogads works with many of the most popular blogs, advertising prices can be pretty high.
The number one ad spot on I Can Has Cheezeburger ,
your first stop for funny cat photos with Internet pidjin captions, costs $1,800 for a single
week. The price may be steep for a smaller advertiser, but consider that Blogads estimates a
top-placed ad will garner 11,909,512 views in that time. Prices vary widely depending on a
blogger's popularity, subject matter, or whims, and a week's worth of advertising on a less
well-known blog can run as low as $10 to $20 a week yet still be expected to get over 3000 views.
(The Blogads website says that the average Blogads member can make about $50 a month selling ads,
and claims that some make up to $5000.)
FM Publishing
One company that's latched onto the possibilities of social media to spread buzz is Federated Media Publishing. FM Publishing still works with
traditional Internet ads, but it specializes in what Matt DiPietro calls a "conversational
approach" to marketing. It's not geared as much to selling specific ads as it is to building a
brand -- using interactive tools to encourage audience participation and increasing name
recognition through a varied, holistic approach.
DiPietro doesn't think the familiar click-through ads are completely useless. Despite their often
scattershot approach, they're still a useful tool in the advertiser's arsenal -- but advertisers
have to be aware of their limitations.
"For one thing, they don't take advantage of the unique way that people interact online," he
said.
Like Blogads, FM Publishing works with a select group of high-traffic blogs and websites,
including Boing Boing , TechCrunch , and Ask a Ninja
. Pietro said that thousands of blogs apply to become part of FM's network every month, but, at
writing, the company works with a group of about 150. Most participants receive payment on a
50-50 revenue sharing basis, although DiPietro noted that each contract is different. FM
Publishing boasts over 50 million unique viewers monthly, and works closely with large
advertisers like McDonalds, JC Penny, and Proctor and Gamble.
FM Publishing says that almost 30% of visitors to its sites published their own blogs -- so any
advertising that could get them talking as well would be well worth it. DiPietro also pointed out
that viewing ad campaigns as a conversation builds a more loyal audience -- FM Publishing
reported that more than 80% of visitors to its affiliate blogs visited multiple times per week.
The same audience tended to be more engaged, eager to participate in conversations and be a part
of the community.
For example, FM Publishing is behind the BMW Graffitti
Car Contest -- a Facebook page that invites visitors to paint a simulated BMW and offers
prizes for the best paintjob and most realistic efforts. In another campaign, this time for
Intel/Asus, FM Publishing helped create We PC , a site that
allows the public to design its own computers. Web surfers can submit suggestions for what
features they think should be incorporated into a new line of computers -- Should you be able to
type underwater? Should upgrades be available to combat inevitable obsolescence? Or do you just
have strong feelings about the computer's color scheme? -- and the site's community votes for
what it feels are the best ideas.
"This is a campaign that goes out to the community to solicit advice on how to create a new
computer," said DiPietro. "It's asking users what they want, it's a way to brand the company and
get the community invested. It's also a project in which FM bloggers are heavily involved. A lot
of traffic going to We PC is from FM Publishing's affiliate blogs."
These companies are all going beyond the old click-through model, looking at new ways to use
networks to advertise -- whether by auctioning ads by time, matching specific ads to specific
publishers, or by creating interactive campaigns. What other sorts of advertising are available
out there? What other ad services are moving away from the click and what are they doing? Tell me
what I missed in the comments!
Mike Rosen-Molina is a Northern California freelance reporter and an associate editor for
MediaShift. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley schools of journalism and law,
he has worked as an editor for the Fairfield Daily Republic and as a managing editor for JURIST
legal news services.
Back for more, eh? Well you've come to the right place -- the Engadget Podcast! Join Josh, Paul,
and Nilay as they take you on a magical journey through the trials and tribulations of the
BlackBerry Storm, investigate the legal situation of the Apple-cloning operation known as Psystar,
dish on the latest Zune and Xbox happenings, and lament the forthcoming death of FireWire as it
cedes its high-speed throne to USB 3.0. And just think, access to this treasure-trove of
information is yours free of charge!
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel Producer: Trent Wolbe Music:Paranoid
[iTunes] Subscribe
to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3)
to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in
enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.
[Zune] Subscribe to
the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
br /What it doesbr /br /A visit to this site is the order of the day for those wishing to barter,
swap, trade, buy or sell anything over the web. Trashbank stands as an online marketplace where
people from different locations can convene together and engage into any of the abovementioned
activities, and without having to pay any fees. br brRegistration to the site is also inexpensive,
and it is accomplished in a very simple way too. You furnish personal particulars and profile
information as well as choosing your portrait from the featured ones. br brAs far as navigating the
site is concerned, a menu that touches upon the different categories on offer is prominently
featured for you to focus your searches. These include “Clothing Accessories”,
“Computers”, “Electronics” and “Antiques”. In addition to that,
featured items are spotlighted on the right-hand side of the main page. br brTo sum it up,
Trashbank is a cost-free service that is there to ensure online bartering and transactions are duly
carried to completion. Follow the link that is featured below should you need further information.
brbr /br /In their own wordsbr /br /“Trashbank is an online website where you can sell your
items or services or barter, swap, and trade your items or services with other people. You can get
far more value from the items you are willing to trade by exchanging it with other people's items
that are of more value to you.”br /br /Why it might be a killerbr /br /It is an online
trading resource that covers a lot of ground and categories. br /br /Some questionsbr /br /What
kind of items can and can’t be traded at the site?br /br /Link: a
href='http://www.trashbank.com'http://www.trashbank.com/abr /Our Review: a
href='http://www.killerstartups.com/eCommerce/trashbank-com-barter-like-never-before'http://www.killerstartups.com/eCommerce/trashbank-com-barter-like-never-before/abr
/br / nbsp;div class="feedflare" a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?a=2HSoS0zN"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?d=41" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?a=DVMlpC7C"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?d=52" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?a=BtryDT7O"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?i=BtryDT7O" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?a=HsSxDllL"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?i=HsSxDllL" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?a=LduLlqes"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?d=43" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?a=DFtsXwlW"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/killerstartups/BkQV?i=DFtsXwlW" border="0"/img/a /divimg
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/killerstartups/BkQV/~4/R0r3sZS0Htg" height="1" width="1"/
features
Two wireless interactive microphones. Featuring stylish interactive motion sensors and lights, the
microphones respond to singers’ actions and can be used as percussion accompaniments. With
the freedom and encouragement provided by the high-quality wireless microphones, everyone can live
their singing dreams in style.
The best music. ”Lips” will include a diverse selection of songs,
including your favorite blasts from the past such as ”Bust a Move”
by Young MC, as well as new songs from breakout artists such as
”Mercy” by Duffy and ”Young Folks” by
Peter Bjorn and John.
Sing your music collection. ”Lips” allows people to customize their
experience with the songs that matter most to them by singing along with friends to the music from
their personal collection.
Play along. Using the standard Xbox 360 controller, up to two people will be able to join the fun
and choose from a variety of percussion accompaniment to play along with the music in
”Lips.” By placing control of various tambourines, claps and of
course the ubiquitous cowbell at the fingertips of anyone with a controller,
”Lips” creates a social entertainment experience for friends,
co-workers and kids alike.
Constant flow of new music. From the songs that will come with the game, to your own music
collection and the ability to download new tracks from Xbox LIVE Marketplace,
”Lips” will continually provide new music to bring people together
and keep the party going.
description
Microsoft Corp. is taking a whole new stage with ”Lips,” an all-new
music franchise exclusively for Xbox 360. ”Lips” is the only singing
game that offers wireless motion-sensitive microphones and the ability to sing from your own music
collection of DRM-free songs.* Start channeling your favorite pop star because it’s you, your
friends and most important your music that turns ”Lips,” the new
singing game for Xbox 360, into the world’s ultimate party experience this holiday
season.
Keiichi Yano, celebrated developer behind some of the industry’s most beloved rhythm games,
brings his vision of collaborative and social musical entertainment to
”Lips.” The first and only singing game that offers interactive
motion-sensitive microphones to make your party rock all night long,
”Lips” encourages players to toss apprehensions out the window and
join the party.
The Fortune's Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 will be available for download from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for
the Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points and from PlayStation Network for $9.99. Full details inside.
img alt="DJ Tiesto - Image 1" title="DJ Tiesto - Image 1"
src="http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/126549/tiesto.png?519466" style="cursor: pointer;"
align="right"Mabie A. will surely a title="like she did here"
href="http://www.qj.net/Mirror-s-Edge-parties-it-up-with-world-s-best-DJs-for-Remix-Album/pg/49/aid/124679"go
ballistic/a when she hears about this bit of news.The latest whispers about that never-set-in-stone
span style="font-style: italic;"DJ Hero/span title just notched two big details to its name: a
href="http://ps3.qj.net/tags/dj-tiesto/11199" id="tag" title="dj"DJ Tiesto/a and a Summer 2009
release. This, via CVG.brbrWell, a href="http://ps3.qj.net/tags/activision/179" id="tag" title="one
of the largest third party game publishers"Activision/a a href="http://ps3.qj.net/tags/blizzard/76"
id="tag" title="Father of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo Series"Blizzard/a never really formally
announced the title yet, but that's not stopping some details from squeezing into the light though.
This news item comes from a newsletter circulating via email.brbrThe email describes span
style="font-style: italic;"DJ Hero/span as a span style="font-style: italic;"Guitar Hero/span
spin-off much like the span style="font-style: italic;"Aerosmith/span and span style="font-style:
italic;"a href="http://ps3.qj.net/tags/metallica/5756" id="tag" title="heavy metal band"Metallica/a
/spaneditions. Of course, everyone assumes that, instead of guitars, we might be getting a new
turntable-type of peripheral.brbrAs for DJ Tiesto's active part in the game, the newsletter
continues by saying that he will be providing the tracks for the game - tracks from his existing
records, "as well as new music composed especially for the game." The newsletter includes a note
from Tiesto himself:brbrp style="padding-left: 40px; padding-right: 40px;"I am very excited about
this! I think this is a great way to introduce people into Djing. Maybe they realize it's not as
easy as they think. I am sure this brings new fans to the scene, dance music is not far from
hip-hop for example. Hopefully the music I have composed appeals to all kinds of fans!/pbrC'mon,
Activision, just spill the beans already! We know it's cooking somewhere in your labs!brbrhr
style="width: 100 ; height: 2px;"brspan style="font-weight: bold;"Related articles:/spanbrulli
style="font-style: italic;"a title="Guitar Hero project director confirms new DJ Hero game"
href="http://wii.qj.net/Guitar-Hero-project-director-confirms-new-DJ-Hero-game/pg/49/aid/125415"Guitar
Hero project director confirms new DJ Hero game/a/lili style="font-style: italic;"a title="Mirror's
Edge parties it up with world's best DJs for Remix Album"
href="http://www.qj.net/Mirror-s-Edge-parties-it-up-with-world-s-best-DJs-for-Remix-Album/pg/49/aid/124679"Mirror's
Edge parties it up with world's best DJs for Remix Album/a/lilia style="font-style: italic;"
title="DJ Tiesto plays for Dance4Life on Xbox Live Marketplace"
href="http://www.qj.net/DJ-Tiesto-plays-for-Dance4Life-on-Xbox-Live-Marketplace/pg/49/aid/72836"DJ
Tiesto plays for Dance4Life on Xbox Live Marketplace/abr/li/ulbrbrimg
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/qj/ps3/~4/x0DmYWrbeQw" height="1" width="1"/
img alt="DJ Tiesto - Image 1" title="DJ Tiesto - Image 1"
src="http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/126549/tiesto.png?519466" style="cursor: pointer;"
align="right"Mabie A. will surely a title="like she did here"
href="http://www.qj.net/Mirror-s-Edge-parties-it-up-with-world-s-best-DJs-for-Remix-Album/pg/49/aid/124679"go
ballistic/a when she hears about this bit of news.The latest whispers about that never-set-in-stone
span style="font-style: italic;"DJ Hero/span title just notched two big details to its name: a
href="http://wii.qj.net/tags/dj-tiesto/11199" id="tag" title="dj"DJ Tiesto/a and a Summer 2009
release. This, via CVG.brbrWell, a href="http://wii.qj.net/tags/activision/179" id="tag" title="one
of the largest third party game publishers"Activision/a a href="http://wii.qj.net/tags/blizzard/76"
id="tag" title="Father of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo Series"Blizzard/a never really formally
announced the title yet, but that's not stopping some details from squeezing into the light though.
This news item comes from a newsletter circulating via email.brbrThe email describes span
style="font-style: italic;"DJ Hero/span as a span style="font-style: italic;"Guitar Hero/span
spin-off much like the span style="font-style: italic;"Aerosmith/span and span style="font-style:
italic;"a href="http://wii.qj.net/tags/metallica/5756" id="tag" title="heavy metal band"Metallica/a
/spaneditions. Of course, everyone assumes that, instead of guitars, we might be getting a new
turntable-type of peripheral.brbrAs for DJ Tiesto's active part in the game, the newsletter
continues by saying that he will be providing the tracks for the game - tracks from his existing
records, "as well as new music composed especially for the game." The newsletter includes a note
from Tiesto himself:brbrp style="padding-left: 40px; padding-right: 40px;"I am very excited about
this! I think this is a great way to introduce people into Djing. Maybe they realize it's not as
easy as they think. I am sure this brings new fans to the scene, dance music is not far from
hip-hop for example. Hopefully the music I have composed appeals to all kinds of fans!/pbrC'mon,
Activision, just spill the beans already! We know it's cooking somewhere in your labs!brbrhr
style="width: 100 ; height: 2px;"brspan style="font-weight: bold;"Related articles:/spanbrulli
style="font-style: italic;"a title="Guitar Hero project director confirms new DJ Hero game"
href="http://wii.qj.net/Guitar-Hero-project-director-confirms-new-DJ-Hero-game/pg/49/aid/125415"Guitar
Hero project director confirms new DJ Hero game/a/lili style="font-style: italic;"a title="Mirror's
Edge parties it up with world's best DJs for Remix Album"
href="http://www.qj.net/Mirror-s-Edge-parties-it-up-with-world-s-best-DJs-for-Remix-Album/pg/49/aid/124679"Mirror's
Edge parties it up with world's best DJs for Remix Album/a/lilia style="font-style: italic;"
title="DJ Tiesto plays for Dance4Life on Xbox Live Marketplace"
href="http://www.qj.net/DJ-Tiesto-plays-for-Dance4Life-on-Xbox-Live-Marketplace/pg/49/aid/72836"DJ
Tiesto plays for Dance4Life on Xbox Live Marketplace/abr/li/ulbrbrdiv class="feedflare" a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/qj/wii?a=SYgG9pzO"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/qj/wii?d=41" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/qj/wii?a=SVbvXA1c"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/qj/wii?d=43" border="0"/img/a a
href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/qj/wii?a=Iwhp5fIV"img
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/qj/wii?d=50" border="0"/img/a /divimg
src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/qj/wii/~4/4EmddbEmJCM" height="1" width="1"/
[b]DISONANCIAS[/b] is a platform that[b] liaises and promotes relationships between artists and
companies, research centres or public organisations in order to foster innovation in all its
aspects and transmit to society the importance of developing creative environments.[/b]br / br / It
is based on the idea that artists are, by definition, researchers and can contribute to proposing
new and different paths of innovation, introducing detours and discords in the normal processes of
thought and action, contributing creativity and work methodologies and serving as a catalyst for
the members of a team.br / br / DISONANCIAS is based on:br / br / [list]- giving priority to the
participation of committed entities with social responsibility and sustainable development;br / -
seeking collaboration between artists or groups of artists who share this commitment and who are
interested in interacting with areas beyond that of the strictly artistic;br / - understanding
innovation not as an end in itself but as a tool for changing the way things are done, attitudes
and values.[/list]br / br / The results of the DISONANCIAS projects must therefore aspire to go
beyond success in the marketplace or public acceptance in order to contribute to the construction
of a society that is orientated towards values of diversity, balance, sustainability, flexibility
and the spirit of risk.br / br / [b]Our international call for artists to collaborate with
companies in Catalonia is now open[/b]br / br / Deadline to apply:[b] 9th of December 2008, at 9am
[/b](spanish time).br / br / Five entities may conduct investigations in collaboration with artists
or goups of artists. The research projects, which will be developed between January and September
2009, are the following ones: [b]new paradigms in the area of the increased cognition in the future
manned missions of planetary exploration[/b] (GTD, Ingenieria de Sistemas y Software), [b]new
dynamics and environments of work in the R+D Department[/b] (Telefónica i+d), the
[b]development of a multitouch prototype of multiple applications[/b] (Eidola), [b]creative
dynamics in the image department[/b] (TV3) and the [b]development of an external meeting point
related to architectures for public spaces[/b] (Trànsit projectes).br / br / You will find
complete information, documentation and details about each body and research proposal in our
website [url]http://www.disonancias.com[/url]br / br / The program is supported by the Department
of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the business agency ACC1Ã’, in addition
to the collaboration of 22 @ Barcelona and Hangar.img
src="http://rhizome.org/syndicate/nothing.gif?f=announce" border="0"img
src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rhizome-announce/~4/460695864" height="1" width="1"/
Microsoft sought to bring a quick end Thursday to the lawsuit that has produced a steady flow of
sometimes embarrassing internal e-mails about Windows Vista, a product whose reputation in the
marketplace was already tarnished before it launched nearly two years ago. The company asked a
federal judge in Seattle to dismiss the remaining claims in the class-action suit brought by PC
buyers challenging its "Vista Capable" marketing program as deceptive, and to decertify the class.
With the recession in full swing, industries across the charts have been
laying off hundreds of employees — making the job market increasingly
competitive. So what’s a freshly unemployed tech professional to do? Hit the streets and
start networking. As the hordes of job-seekers descend upon trade shows, conferences and meetups
around the country, a few mobile startups could be poised to profit from their misery: digital
business card services.
The last few months have seen the launch of a number of services, delivered via mobile
technologies from iPhone apps to text messages, that aim to do away with the business card.
Previously, companies may have pitched their product as a “green” alternative to
dead-tree info swapping, but in today’s market, the dynamic nature of the digital business
card could prove to be a more powerful selling point — at least for a startup
that can dispatch updated, social media-connected personal data securely across the range of
mobile devices.
The iPhone has been a key driver of the market for digital business cards, at least in terms of
visibility. Gabe Zichermann, CEO of rmbrME, says his company, which had previously offered an SMS
solution with about 1,000 users, had 10,000 users (and even more downloads) of its beamME
application in the first 10 days it was available on the App Store. Other apps include Nameo, Handshake, FriendBook and iCard. Most of the services work roughly the same way: Bring two
iPhone users together, pull up the app, and a simple touch command sends information between
their devices.
However, Nameo, Handshake and iCard are limited to contacts with an iPhone. But what about those
of us without iPhones? Dub, which was launched
in beta in June of this year, is another option for the BlackBerry set, and as of
this week, its service is also available for Android phones (currently that’s just the
T-Mobile G1). (The company says service for the iPhone and Windows Mobile are due out in
December.) Perhaps Dub’s biggest claim to fame is that it offers integration with common
business services. Data can be beamed to a Salesforce.com contact management system, as well as
to mobile devices, and Dub users will soon be able to sign into the service using their LinkedIn
login and password.
But even Dub, which allows for limited cross-platform sharing, requires that both users have a
smartphone and install the app. For on-the-go information sharing, the “Do you use this
app?” conversation can add an extra layer of awkwardness and time. For universal sharing,
users might be better off with an SMS service from players such as Dropcard,TextID and rmbrME. Even iPhone
app-addicts have an option: While most iPhone apps rely on Wi-Fi networks and geolocation,
rmbrME’s iPhone app, beamME,
allows users to send personal data from their iPhone to any phone, whether it has a data
connection or just a simple voice connection.
I’m still slogging along with a Nokia 2610, so
I’m partial to technology that doesn’t leave me (with my peskyÂ
insistence on multiday battery life) out in the cold. I’ve found services like rmbrME and
Dropcard to be simple to use, and I could easily send my data to smartphone-carrying folks via
shortcode. Better yet, people could send info to me, without even knowing that I still carry a
Stone Age-era device.
While there hasn’t been much venture investment in the space just yet, Zichermann says
rmbrME has raised just shy of $1 million in angel investment, and DubMeNow has reportedly raised $1.1 million in
angel funding. DreamIt Ventures
provided seed funding for Dropcard. But the startup founders are optimistic: Zichermann says VCs
are exactly the kind of social, tech-savvy users that “get” services like rmbrME,
which should make it easier to raise funding when the time is right.
Also promising in this market: None of the services is dependent on advertising revenue. Most of
the services use a “freemium”
model, and several are working to add enterprise-level functionality. DubMeNow’s
BlackBerry-focused, Salesforce.com-integrating app seems aimed squarely at the
business-to-business marketplace. Zichermann says rmbrME also has its eye on premium services
aimed at the enterprise market, such as offering a branded, customized look and feel for user
cards.
You probably can’t throw away your business cards just yet. But if you’re in the
market for a new job, sign up for an SMS service and head out to the trade shows.
With the recession in full swing, industries across the charts have been
laying off hundreds of employees — making the job market increasingly
competitive. So what’s a freshly unemployed tech professional to do? Hit the streets and
start networking. As the hordes of job-seekers descend upon trade shows, conferences and meetups
around the country, a few mobile startups could be poised to profit from their misery: digital
business card services.
The last few months have seen the launch of a number of services, delivered via mobile
technologies from iPhone apps to text messages, that aim to do away with the business card.
Previously, companies may have pitched their product as a “green” alternative to
dead-tree info swapping, but in today’s market, the dynamic nature of the digital business
card could prove to be a more powerful selling point — at least for a startup
that can dispatch updated, social media-connected personal data securely across the range of
mobile devices.The iPhone has been a key driver of the market for digital business cards, at
least in terms of visibility. Gabe Zichermann, CEO of rmbrME, says his company, which had
previously offered an SMS solution with about 1,000 users, had 10,000 users (and even more
downloads) of its beamME application in the first 10 days it was available on the App Store.
Other apps include Nameo, Handshake, FriendBook
and iCard. Most of the services work roughly the same
way: Bring two iPhone users together, pull up the app, and a simple touch command sends
information between their devices.
However, Nameo, Handshake and iCard are limited to contacts with an iPhone. But what about those
of us without iPhones? Dub, which was launched
in beta in June of this year, is another option for the BlackBerry set, and as of
this week, its service is also available for Android phones (currently that’s just the
T-Mobile G1). (The company says service for the iPhone and Windows Mobile are due out in
December.) Perhaps Dub’s biggest claim to fame is that it offers integration with common
business services. Data can be beamed to a Salesforce.com contact management system, as well as
to mobile devices, and Dub users will soon be able to sign into the service using their LinkedIn
login and password.
But even Dub, which allows for limited cross-platform sharing, requires that both users have a
smartphone and install the app. For on-the-go information sharing, the “Do you use this
app?” conversation can add an extra layer of awkwardness and time. For universal sharing,
users might be better off with an SMS service from players such as Dropcard,TextID and rmbrME. Even iPhone
app-addicts have an option: While most iPhone apps rely on Wi-Fi networks and geolocation,
rmbrME’s iPhone app, beamME,
allows users to send personal data from their iPhone to any phone, whether it has a data
connection or just a simple voice connection.
I’m still slogging along with a Nokia 2610, so
I’m partial to technology that doesn’t leave me (with my peskyÂ
insistence on multiday battery life) out in the cold. I’ve found services like rmbrME and
Dropcard to be simple to use, and I could easily send my data to smartphone-carrying folks via
shortcode. Better yet, people could send info to me, without even knowing that I still carry a
Stone Age-era device.
While there hasn’t been much venture investment in the space just yet, Zichermann says
rmbrME has raised just shy of $1 million in angel investment, and DubMeNow has reportedly raised $1.1 million in
angel funding. DreamIt Ventures
provided seed funding for Dropcard. But the startup founders are optimistic: Zichermann says VCs
are exactly the kind of social, tech-savvy users that “get” services like rmbrME,
which should make it easier to raise funding when the time is right.
Also promising in this market: None of the services is dependent on advertising revenue. Most of
the services use a “freemium”
model, and several are working to add enterprise-level functionality. DubMeNow’s
BlackBerry-focused, Salesforce.com-integrating app seems aimed squarely at the
business-to-business marketplace. Zichermann says rmbrME also has its eye on premium services
aimed at the enterprise market, such as offering a branded, customized look and feel for user
cards.
You probably can’t throw away your business cards just yet. But if you’re in the
market for a new job, sign up for an SMS service and head out to the trade shows.
pFiled under: a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/features/" rel="tag"Features/a, a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag"Microsoft Xbox 360/a/pdiv
align="center"img width="490" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="367" border="1" align="middle"
src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/11/richardmitch-weekly-recap-490.jpg" alt=""
/br //div Believe it or not, the New Xbox Experience isn't the only thing that happened in the land
of 360 this week. Oh no, we also have ... other things like ... um ... you know, stuff. Ooh, like
emA Kingdom for Keflings/em came out. It's a really cool XBLA game because ... it lets you use your
Avatar as a playable character. Okay fine, it's all about the NXE this week.br /br /uCommunity/ubr
/ ul lia href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/17/xbox-360-fancast-092-total-immersion/"Xbox
360 Fancast 092 -- Total Immersion/abr /emLike radio ... on the internet!/em/li lia
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/19/x3f-tv-xbla-in-brief-a-kingdom-for-keflings/"X3F TV
-- XBLA in Brief: A Kingdom for Keflings/abr /emReally addictive ... but why?/em/li lia
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/18/ask-x3f-splitting-screens-edition/"Ask X3F: Splitting
screens edition/abr /emBring a guest!/em/li lia
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/19/the-new-xbox-experience-what-do-you-think/"The New
Xbox Experience: What do you think?/abr /emIt's out. You've got it. How is it?/em/li /ul uNews/ubr
/ ul lia
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/14/video-winning-a-chainsaw-duel-in-gears-2/"Video:
Winning a chainsaw duel in Gears 2/abr /emHit that B button/em/li lia
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/17/halo-mmo-received-green-light-approval-before-managment-canceled/"Halo
MMO received green light approval before managment canceled/abr /emSo, would Recon have been an
epic armor set?/em/li lia
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/17/new-360-bundles-hit-europe-november-21/"New 360
bundles hit Europe November 21/abr /emNow for only slightly less than retail!/em/li lia
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/18/kim-360s-lifespan-1-day-longer-than-ps3/"Kim: 360's
lifespan 1 day longer than PS3/abr /emApart from the whole Red Ring of Death thing, anyway/em/li
lia
href="http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/20/the-xbox-live-marketplace-on-xbox-com-is-alive/"The
Xbox Live Marketplace on Xbox.com is alive!/abr /emNow you can spend real money on fake money at
work!/em/li /ulp style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"a
href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/20/x3f-week-in-review-november-14-2008-november-20-2008/"X3F
Week in Review: November 14, 2008 - November 20, 2008/a originally appeared on a
href="http://www.joys
)
and reject those that you are not interested in
(
)
