Indie Film Makers Rejoice in Openfilm

The independent circuit in any field is risky, but moreso for the entertainment industry. Independent filmakers, like musicians, comedians, etc, all struggle to be seen, recognized, and signed eventually with some dollar signs that hopefully repay the long days of struggling. Getting yourself out there is just a little easier now that more people are able to access the web, but it’s still no guarantee, but it’s always a good start.

For indie film makers in particular I discovered Openfilm, which is an indie film site that works not just as despository for your work, but also as a sales/marketing machine for what you’ve created. The site is backed by some amazing film makers all out to help indies find their audience and hopefully find their day in the sun. Considering how many independents are out there, it’s a tough sell, but after talking with a few local short film makers, they’ve found it to be priceless.

The site focuses on high quality live action and animated films from just about everywhere. Premium content on the site allows the film makers to make a little money out of the gate, but as they grow in popularity, larger deals can be made with those that have a much greater interest in giving the film an opportunity.

Some of the benefits that Openfilm offers to viewers and content creators:

• Large, high definition video player displaying resolutions from 640×360 pixels up to full-blown HD at 1280×720;


• Prescreening, selection and custom encoding all submissions to preserve the highest possible quality;


• Submissions accepted as Internet uploads (up to 2 GB) or as mail-in DVDs. Users also have private FTP access to upload their videos to the site;


• No limitations on content duration;


• Custom-made optional subtitles in English and Spanish;


• Large variety of upload file formats, including (.swf) Flash animation;


• Transcription of cast & crew information and production photos;


• Advanced search filter through main site’s sections: Videos, Channels, People, Blogs, Reviews and Festivals;


• Custom user channel logos and flash banners for channels created by the Openfilm designers;


• Convenient features of Viewing History and Quicklist;


• All standard sharing features including Favorites and Playlists, star ratings and comments, and many others;


• Reviews, blogs, and newsletters;


• Comprehensive database of film festivals.

If you’re making a film, or know someone who is, have them take a look at Open film and see if there’s a way they can gain a wider audience on a platform that works in sync with the passions of independent film makers.

Projection Power in the Palm of Your Hand

We’ve covered some small projectors on Crenk before. One was attached to a phone, the other was a stand alone, and there just does not seem to be a lack of interest when it comes to making things smaller. Of course it’s only natural to assume that because it’s small that it’s not as good. Suffice to say what I’ve seen in some of these small projectors has amazed me, making rethink that perhaps size does not matter.

The BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini  Projector is a palm sized projector that packs a powerful display of up to 80 inches. The full color projector is perhaps the smallest stand alone yet, and from what we can see, it does not fail to deliver. Retailing for about $500, the BenQ Joybee comes in at 3.6 lbs, and offers the following benefits:

• Easy Set-Up


• VGA and Composite Video


• USB Connectivity With Wide Format Support


• LED3 Projection


• Tripod-Ready


• 100% Lamp-Free


• Wall Color Correction


• Built-in Speakers


• Keystone-Perfect Viewing


• A Delightful Sight in Black and White


• Optional iPod Dock

I’m interested to hear from those of you that have pocket projectors like this. Do you find them useful or do you miss their larger counterparts?

Windows 7 Phone Sexes Up the Market

When I saw the Windows 7 phone my jaw hit the ground like the cartoon characters of yesterday. You know, when the eyes bugged out and the jaw hot the ground with the tongue rolling out? Yes, this phone is sexy. Windows haters beware. iPhone killer? Maybe not, but this phone is sure to turn some heads as it lays out an UI unlike any other mobile phone out there. Zune owners might see some familiarities in the interface, but even those users can expect to see something new.

There was a day when Windows Smartphone would have been an oxymoron, but today, the mold is broken with this experience and it all lies in the UI. For starters, the interface is focused on dedicated “hubs” of information giving the users an interesting way to group like applications under one roof instead of being overwhelmed with information. The touch movement is fluid, the layout easy to understand, and by nature the device is social. A person’s social activity makes this phone a great pleasure to have as you are able to keep up with their status updates integrated into the UI.

You can take photos, create albums, record videos, access Xbox Live, a store to purchase your application needs, and a productivity store for those of us looking to get a little work out of it while having fun too. The phone currently has no pricing, but it’s sure to wow folks who are not familiar with Microsoft making anything this cool and sleek. I don’t necessarily think it’s an iPhone killer, but we’ll see what happens when it hits the market. Remember, Microsoft still needs to compete with Apple and Google which are the current giants in the sandbox.

Facebook, Social Sharing Central

Social sharing is what has made social media and the Web 2.0 era so successful. Rather than rely on emailing content we find interesting online, we are afforded the opportunity to share that same information with a click of a button to a global audience. It’s not uncommon for stories to gain traction extremely fast due to how widespread the social networks are. Driving traffic to your site, to a specific post, has never been easier with the access to the numbers of people we have today.

That being said, I’m sure Facebook never imagined it would be in the position it is today. Currently Facebook stands at a whopping 44% of social sharing activity. That’s almost two times more than Twitter and simply dominant over Yahoo and other sharing methods. With almost half the market, data is being shared at unimaginable rates online as people “Like” “Share” or “Comment” on content that their friends are posting.

Search engines don’t even really fall onto the radar with as much that is going on in Facebook. Some pundits are event commenting how Facebook may be where future users source their information as opposed to Google, Yahoo, or other methods. Twitter with it’s millions of users and faster response rate has nothing on Facebook.

So do you find yourself sharing more dominantly on Facebook than any of your other networks? Is this a shift in  how people are consuming content and a tell tale sign of how people are engaging online? Should be interesting to see how long this can keep up and where Facebook will go with this.

ASUS New Netbook with Multi-Touch Screen

There is no doubt that the ASUS Eee PC netbook models were some of the most important keys to get the micro computers in the daily market. Now they are innovating once more by introducing the Asus Eee PC T101MT with revolving display and multi-touch screen.

You can also be certain that the iPad impact made a few weeks ago set a new scope for computers. That's why anything that looks like a tiny tablet will have its place in the market. And what can we say about netbooks with multi-touch screen?

This piece of hardware contains also some important features:

• Multi-Touch display with a revolving 10.1" screen.


• Intel Atom N450.


• 1GB DDR2 RAM, baseline. But with the 2GB possibility.


• 160GB HD, baseline. 320GB possibility.


• Bluetooth 2.1.


• Wireless adapter b/g/n.


• Webcam.


• VGA output.


• Card reader.


• 6.5 battery autonomy.


• Weight around 1.3kgs.

There's nothing certain about neither the price nor a release date.

Here's also a video where you can see it in action:

Puma Introducing Their Own Phone

Puma, the sports brand is also taking their market a little further, by introducing their new cellphone. Wanna guess the name? Yes, as simple as Puma Phone.

This new device will be, of course, oriented to sports fans by including some applications to use it while you are exercising. But let's face it, you cannot introduce a phone in this market just by giving a few cool apps; the Puma Phone will have some interesting features:

• 2.8" touch screen with a 240×320 resolution.


• 3.2mb camera, including flash.


• GPS and compass.


• Solar cell integrated. Providing the possibility to be solar powered.

Pretty cool the last feature isn't? The device has a panel that you can use it to charge your battery just by using the sun.

The price will be around the 400 euros. Little pricy if you ask me.

For more info visit http://pumaphone.com/ you can access some videos and a PDF with the characteristics.

Steve Jobs Holding Apple Products Like iPad, iPhone and the Next Generation of Apple Products

Im a huge Apple fan and I really like what they have been able to provide with the iPhone and the iPad. Here is a breakdown of what Apple products Steve Jobs will be holding next.

via: The Escapist

Savings: Best Deal Saving Tool For The Everyday Internet User

This morning I came across a great savings site that I thought I would share will all our Crenk readers. Savings.com is a startup that provides some amazing savings across various retailers throughout the world.

On Savings.com users will have access to some of the worlds leading brands and they offer a combination of coupons and just best / reduced deals. If you are after a specific brand or after just a broad range of coupons and cheap deals, then Savings.com is for you.

For example users have access to specific brands on their own individual pages, like Southest promo codes and Travelocity promotion codes. However, if you are after a broad range of travel coupons then Savings.com also has you sorted for that.

Overall im a big fan of what Savings.com is trying to provide the average internet user. The design of the site itself is great and Im a big fan of the fact that they dont have any basic display advertising putting off users, but this could be a great revenue stream for the site in the near future. Some other great features are “you can add tips and great deals and become a Savings.com Deal Expert, earning the respect and admiration of your fellow members. Or contribute to the community by voting and commenting on deals, which also lets the deal experts know you appreciate their savings know-how”.

Savings.com is definitely worth checking out for all Crenk readers.

Wired’s iPad Application Looks Great

New Hero in Town: HTC Legend

HTC have just announced the new HTC Legend at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Features:

• Android 2.1


• 600 Mhz processor


• Optical trackpad that has replaced the trackball


• 3.2 inches at 320 x 480

It doesnt seem that this is a massive spec upgrade from the HTC Hero, but in terms of design it seems a lot better.

Unfortunately for us folks in the US, the model they're announcing today lacks support for US 3G. Expect it to launch in March throughout Europe and Asia.

Chatab: New Free Instant Messenger Aggregator Worth Using

IM clients are used a lot by nearly everyone every day on the net. There are some big players in the IM aggregation market such as Meebo and eBuddy. These aggregators bring together the most popular instant messaging clients and allows users to use one login to use all of their IM accounts.

Chatab is a new instant messaging aggregator that is aiming to grow awareness and grab some marketshare from the larger players. Unlike the major players Chatab is not jus trying to aggregator the major IM clients, Chatab is trying to add users by offering them a huge variety of IM clients. For example eBuddy looks after 7 key IM accounts (Facebook, MSN, Yahoo, GTalk and more.), Chatab has all those services and about another 7 more (such as LiveJournal, XMPP and more).

Chatab seems to have a lot of potential with its core technology, however there is still a huge amount to do in terms of user interface. The design of Chatab is still very poor and overall it just seems a little amateuristic. If Chatab is going to move forward and actually become a real quality startup then they need provide their users with a great peice of mind they are using a quality secure service.

Apple iPhone Notepad Free Wordpress Theme

Notepad WordPress Theme is a modern theme with a subtle touch of the sketchy and texturized background. The theme is widget compatible with threaded & paged comments, social media buttons, and multi-level dropdown menus.

It has been tested on WordPress 2.9 with Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and IE7+. Users with CSS3 compatible browser will see the nice visual enhancement such as drop shadow and rounded corners.

How To Download Videos from YouTube

There are a lot of sites out there that help users download videos from YouTube. Here are the best 2 sites according to Crenk.

Download YouTube videos:

Download YouTube videos is a very simple and easy site to use. All you need to do is insert the URL of the YouTube video you want to download and the site does the rest.

Keepvid:

Keepvid works in exactly the same way as the previous site, but the basic interface and speed of the site is a lot better.

Change Your Default Search Engine from Google to Another Provider

Changing the start page from Google to another provider. It happens that the start page gets changed either by installing a Google product that comes with the option to make Google the default search engine and homepage, by installing third party software that changes the homepage or by buying a computer with those default settings.

The way this can be reverted or changed depends on the web browser used. Below are some websites for the most popular web browsers:

Change default search in Internet Explorer [link]

Change default search in Firefox [link]

Set the homepage in Internet Explorer [link]

Set the homepage in Firefox [link]

Apple iPhone Notepad Free Wordpress Theme

Notepad WordPress Theme is a modern theme with a subtle touch of the sketchy and texturized background. The theme is widget compatible with threaded & paged comments, social media buttons, and multi-level dropdown menus.

It has been tested on WordPress 2.9 with Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and IE7+. Users with CSS3 compatible browser will see the nice visual enhancement such as drop shadow and rounded corners.

Mobile World Congress 2010: A quick tour of Day 1

February 18, 2010

‘Mobile World Congress‘ – The current shibboleth of most zombie-turned-technology geeks is what we’re going to look at now, or rather, the day 1 (15-0-2010 ) round up of the much-talked-about event. It was the Windows Phone 7 series, Microsoft’s operating system that could just about grab the crown from Google and Apple that hogged the lime light of day 1 at Barcelona.. The main attractions of this rather funnily named OS are the Zune PC software and Xbox Live games available for the first time on the mobile platform. Windows Phone 7 has so much more to it, and the day was indeed a good one for Microsoft, having attracted a lot of oos and ahhs.

Samsung’s booth welcomed the onlookers with a fresh breeze that emanated from it’s first mobile phone with the Bada OS, the Samsung Wave. (Some name, eh?) Sporting a 5 MP camera, the Wave sports a 1GHz processor and supports Bluetooth 3.0. Acer had quite a lot to brag about, with a few refreshing Windows Mobile 6.5 phones such as the Acer neoTouch P300 and P400.

Day 1 also had Acer hopping on board the Android ship, with the likes of the Liquid E, Ferrari and BeTouch E400 and E110. Liquid E, as the name suggests is a successor of Liquid that comes with a 5 MP camera and a 3.5" touch screen. Ferrari and the BeTouch E400 will run on Android 2.1 while the BeTouch E110 will run on Android 1.5 OS. Toshiba too was seen following suit, with Toshiba TG02 and K01 up its sleeves.

Sony Ericsson launched three new mobile phones the night before MWC started in a throbbing nightclub - the Xperia X10 Mini, Xperia X10 Mini Pro and the Vivaz Pro. The Xperia X10 Mini and Xperia X10 Mini Pro run on Android 1.6 operating system while the Vivaz Pro is a Symbian Series 60 device that has GPS and a QWERTY keyboard, apart from the 5.1 MP camera as highlights.

HTC Dazzles with Desire, Legend and HD Mini Smartphones at MWC 2010

February 18, 2010

Haven’t you heard of HTC Bravo? Innumerable online leaks outs and snaps have already made this mobile phone a popular one. It has finally got unveiled at the current Mobile World Congress 2010, happening at Barcelona, but with a new name, HTC Desire.

At a glance, HTC Desire is another Nexus One with HTC’s Sense interface. The same 3.7 inches AMOLED display with multi-touch capability, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.1 found in Nexus One are featured in HTC Desire. There is an addition of HTC’s sense user interface that will offer you with improved widgets. Most pieces of information are displayed on the main screen and are easily accessible. Besides, there are some hidden applications on the main screen. A spotted difference in it is the inclusion of an optional joystick, instead of the traditional trackball.

Another new HTC launch at Mobile World Congress 2010 is HTC Legend. It resembles HTC Hero, by many means. The design is pretty smooth and curved, and is made with an aluminium body. Similar to Desire, the trackball is replaced by a joystick in Legend. Other notable features include a 3.2 inches AMOLED display of HVGA resolution, enhanced HTC user interface and a better processor.

The next on the dais is HTC HD Mini. This is a windows mobile phone, running 6.5.3 version. It measures to the size of HTC Touch, but offers the similar user experience as in HTC HD2.  This phone stands out in the crowd with a yellow interior once you remove the back panel (Any guess why it has featured a yellow colour inside?). Unlike the normal handsets, you can even spot four screws behind. Unique. Right? Feature-wise, it comes with a 3.2 inches capacitive display, a 600MHz processor, a 3G capability, a Wi-Fi connection and an HTC sense interface.

Regarding their availability in the market; HTC Desire will hit the stores by Q2. HTC Legend and HD Mini will be shipped in April, probably through Vodafone. However, HTC has not revealed the price details.