Family Learning Center

Posts Tagged ‘Video Demo’

Chatroulette Being Used for Marketing? Say It Ain’t So!

That didn’t long. Leave it to marketers to find a way to use any innovative new web service to promote their own ends. The latest example? A Chatroulette contest launched by international clothing brand French Connection. According to contest rules, participants are asked if they can “conquer the sinister world of Chatroulette” by charming a member of the opposite sex. (Initially, the contest was for men only, but due to protests, the rules were adjusted to permit women the opportunity to try and seduce men, too. Oh joy.)

Sponsor

According to the initial company blog post about the contest, “if you rise above the seas of failing men and charm a woman on Chatroulette,” the company promises to give you a voucher worth 250 pounds which you can spend at the company’s retail stores. The blog post then provides an example of what they mean by a “seduction attempt” by way of a screenshot of a Chatroulette chat session – and be warned, it’s not what we would consider safe for work. Instead, what French Connection is promoting is essentially a nod to the often perverse nature of the popular webcam-surfing site.

Chatroulette for Marketing: Risky or Brilliant?

Although the French Connection brand may pride themselves on their youthful, hip nature, it’s an arguably risky move to promote themselves via a service as odd, off-the-wall, and yes, occasionally very disturbing as Chatroulette. Like Casey Neistat recently explained in a charming video demo of this latest Internet craze, on any given day, Chatroulette is 71% male, 15% female and 14% pervert.

In fact, it’s the possibility of running into something odd – or rather someone odd doing something odd- that makes Chatroulette so exciting for its users. Like the game of Russian Roulette from which its name is derived, most of the time nothing remarkable happens – you run into another bored voyeur looking back and you and maybe even have a casual conversation. But every now and then…bang!

And it’s the bang that seems to appeal to French Connection. They want to send out their customers into the wild, wild west of Chatroulette to become the very sort of creepy perverts that make the site so darned intriguing. So now, dear Chatroulette users, you’ll have to wonder whether that freaky guy/gal hitting on you is doing so because they’re actually a weirdo or if they’re just trying to win a few bucks to spend at a clothing store.

Thanks to French Connection’s bravery, they have the honor of being the first brand to attempt using Chatroulette for marketing purposes. However, if the contest goes well (i.e., it generates a lot of press), other marketers will likely soon follow suit.

Is that a good thing? We’re not so sure. At least, it’s not good for us, the Chatroulette surfers. Marketers, though, may think it’s a downright brilliant move. And maybe it is – after all, who would have thought that anyone could have figured out how to promote a brand on a service like this? Still, we sort of wish the marketers would leave this one alone. Stick to Facebook and Twitter and the other straight-laced social sites of the Internet – leave Chatroulette and all its unrestricted debauchery alone.

Discuss

Read the whole story…

Facebook for webOS gets a much-needed, and much-appreciated, 1.1.0 update

After a disappointing initial effort, Palm has unleashed version 1.1.0 of its webOS Facebook app. Currently only available via the update function but not the standard App Catalog, users will find new and improved access to their inbox, all their friends’ photo albums, profiles, direct photo uploading, friend search and a list view for upcoming events and birthdays. The first thing we noticed was the initial news feed now matches the notification preferences set on the standard webpage stopping the inevitable flood of Farmville updates we blocked so long ago. Features still missing include chat, video and the ability to respond to friend requests but with a distinctly faster and tighter experience, it’s certainly surpassed the mobile webpage as the best way to access Facebook on the Pre. Can’t reach the update button right now? Check our gallery for a few more images or this video demo from PreCentral embedded after the break.

[Thanks, @Isaac]

Continue reading Facebook for webOS gets a much-needed, and much-appreciated, 1.1.0 update

Facebook for webOS gets a much-needed, and much-appreciated, 1.1.0 update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Palm Developer Center Blog  | Email this | Comments
Read the whole story…

Motorola shows off Kopin Golden-i wearable computer

Our dreams of an actually useful wearable computer have still yet to materialize, but the second-generation Kopin Golden-i concept — now inconspicuously Motorola-branded — is an interesting attempt. It’s based around a head mounted, magnified SVGA LCD that is meant to be “glanceable” while the user remains aware of their surroundings. The Windows CE-chugging, OMAP3530-powered computer onboard is voice controlled and also motion sensing (for cursor control), and can hook up with other devices over Bluetooth, WiFi and USB. Of course, it remains to be seen if software can make something like this truly usable, but it certainly looks like the hardware is all there — and the form factor isn’t pure tragedy either. Check out the Charbax-infused video demo of the device after the break.

Continue reading Motorola shows off Kopin Golden-i wearable computer

Motorola shows off Kopin Golden-i wearable computer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  ARMdevices.net  | Email this | Comments
Read the whole story…

Verizon launches FiOS Mobile Remote app for Droid and Imagio

Controlling your TV from your phone isn’t a new concept, but Verizon just made it a bit sexier. Verizon FiOS owners this week can nab a new FiOS Mobile Remote app for their Motorola Droid or HTC Imagio. The application emulates regular remote buttons, but also tosses in an icon-based favorites view of channels, in addition to an ability to sling photos from the phone to the big screen. The phone hooks into your FiOS box over your local WiFi, and requires you to download a widget for the set top box as well to get everything synced up. We’re not exactly sure why this is limited to the Droid and Imagio right now — we’re sure the Droid Eris could handle the workload, for instance — but Verizon does say that it’s working on making additional handsets compatible in the future. Check out a video demo of the functionality after the break.

Continue reading Verizon launches FiOS Mobile Remote app for Droid and Imagio

Verizon launches FiOS Mobile Remote app for Droid and Imagio originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Verizon  | Email this | Comments
Read the whole story…

Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There’s a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!)

The wait has been long, but now there’s finally a means by which to connect your dear, yet almost buttonless, iPhone or iPod touch to a Bluetooth keyboard for some more intense finger tapping action. The project that delivered us this teasing video back in February has at long last reached the application stage, where simple commoners like us can use it to synergize our gear — provided we’ve had the wherewithal to free it from Cupertino’s overbearing clutches first. The BTstack Keyboard app is now available in exchange for $5 at the Cydia store, so if you want to be the first to write a bestseller on his or her iDevice, there’s no time like the present.

Update: We’ve done the inevitable and had a quick play with the app ourselves. Pairing our iPhone and keyboard was a veritable cinch, and we were met by delightfully rapid responsiveness throughout, whether using it in Safari, composing text missives, or jotting those novella notes down. You should note that command, cut, copy, paste, and highlighting functions are not yet active, and then hurry along past the break to see a video demo.

Continue reading Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There’s a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!)

Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There’s a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  BTstack Keyboard  | Email this | Comments
Read the whole story…

Fring adds Skype video support on S60, threatens to make front cams useful

Considering the proliferation of 3G, WiFi, in-home broadband, and front-facing cameras on phones, you’d think that there’d be far more obvious ways to bridge video calls between phones and PCs — but alas, it’s virtually impossible, particularly in the States where carriers have a complete aversion to the topic. Enter Fring — one of the mobile industry’s VoIP pioneers that has spread its love from Symbian to almost every smartphone platform worth mentioning over the years — which is stepping out today with a new build for S60 handsets that offers video support through Skype. The way we see it, this is great news for a couple of reasons: one, Skype is one of the few videoconferencing systems with widespread traction, and two, this suddenly makes front-facing cams useful to a whole swath of Nokia users on networks (ahem, AT&T and T-Mobile) that don’t offer video calling themselves. Whether we actually use it is another story altogether, but hey, it’s cool to have it if we absolutely must see your beautiful face face right now in stunning low fidelity. Follow the break for a video demo.

Continue reading Fring adds Skype video support on S60, threatens to make front cams useful

Fring adds Skype video support on S60, threatens to make front cams useful originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink All About Symbian  |  Fring  | Email this | Comments
Read the whole story…

Walky robot understands iPhone gestures, football fanaticism (video)

Hey there sailor, we imagine you’ve been doing your fair share of button mashing what with a certain new bit of software out and about, but how would you like a whole new control paradigm? Taking up Steve Jobs’ war on buttons, a group of grad students at Japan’s Keio University have put together a comprehensive robot control interface that relies solely on finger swipes, taps, and presses. By employing the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer and multitouch screen, the robot can replicate a humanistic walking motion, perform sidesteps and, when called upon, kick a football with gusto and presumed passion. Your destination is just past the break, where the video demo awaits.

[Via HDBlog.it]

Continue reading Walky robot understands iPhone gestures, football fanaticism (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Robots

Walky robot understands iPhone gestures, football fanaticism (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Read the whole story…

The Underutilized Power Of The Video Demo To Explain What The Hell You Actually Do

During my time at TechCrunch I’ve seen thousands of startups and written about hundreds of them. I sure as hell don’t know all the secrets to building a successful company, but there a few things I’ve seen that seem like surefire ways to ever-so-slightly grease the path to success. Here’s an easy one: make a video demo and prominently promote it somewhere where new visitors can find it. One that shows off the core function of your product without making people think they’re watching an ad or a pitch. And answer, as throughly as possible in 2-3 minutes, what it is that you’re bringing to the table.

Here’s a sad truth: a lot of reporters really are quite lazy. Not in the sense that they don’t want to find and cover a cool new company (in which case they should consider a new career path), but in that they don’t like to spend time wading through marketing material trying to figure out what your company actually does. After all, we’ve got inboxes stuffed with pitches from companies vying for coverage. If it takes more than a minute or two to figure out what problem you’re trying to solve, we’re probably more likely to simply skip to the next message than to try to make sense of your feature set.

Consumers are even lazier. If you don’t have some kind of bite-sized hook that introduces them to your product, there’s a good chance they’ll stare quizzically at the screen, shrug their shoulders, and head back to Google to find something else that fixes their problem. Walls of descriptive text definitely are not the answer. Images can help, but they can also become overwhelming. Video, especially in an age when people are so used to consuming it online, is often a good solution.

But just making a video isn’t enough – you need to make sure that the video actually conveys what the hell you actually do. This is apparently much harder than it sounds, because I’ve seen plenty of video demos loaded with screenshots, walkthroughs, and pretty graphics but still leave me scratching my head. The truth is, you don’t need a single screenshot to make an effective video. You just need to show how people will actually use what you’ve built, not a sales pitch.

Take Dropbox for example. I use the service every day and love it, but every time I try to describe it in a sentence I’m left with something that makes me retch a bit — “intuitive and deeply integrated file synchronization service” just doesn’t come close to capturing just how damn cool Dropbox really is. Apparently the Dropbox team didn’t have much luck describing themselves in text either, so they’ve gone another route: visit their homepage, and you’ll see a polished, easy-to-follow video demo front and center that perfectly describes what the service actually does.

Dropbox has made one mistake though: they don’t offer a way to embed their great demo video anywhere else. Some bloggers, including myself, are more than happy to embed a video walkthrough in posts, provided it isn’t overly self promotional.

There are plenty of other examples of companies using video demos to great effect. Head over to Apple’s iPhone site and you’ll notice that they offer video walkthroughs for basically everything the phone can do. Google now regularly uses video walkthroughs to introduce many of their new products and features, through they don’t always do a great job — this video demo created by a third party did a better job explaining Wave than anything Google has made.

Of course, a video demo isn’t absolutely essential to your site’s success. Just look at Mint, which was just acquired for $170 million by Intuit. There’s nary a video in sight, and — at the risking of sounding like a complete fool given its huge acquisition price — I find Mint’s 20+ pages outlining its feature set and why people should use the service to be positively daunting. Twitter’s page doesn’t include a video (though I think it badly needs one). And Facebook just says that it’s a service that “helps you connect and share with the people in your life”, which would set my bullshit meter off the charts if it appeared in any startup pitch.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Read the whole story…