Bitbop is solely owned by News Corporation. News corp is also a significant shareholder of Hulu (27%) which explains why we haven’t seen Hulu itself adopt the mobile platform. Clearly Bitbop is the mobile Hulu replacement which begs the question, why make two separate services dividing mobile and desktop computing? Obviously there is a reason, probably relating to advertising and operating costs, but an immediate answer isn’t available.

At CTIA, Bitbop demoed their service on a BlackBerry but state that both iPhone and Android versions of the application will be launching as well. Video looked good on the Blackberry Bold’s 480 x 320 pixel screen according to users who tried the service.

I recently spoke with Paula Batson, a prominent member of the PR team behind BitBop, to get some more information on this breakthrough service. Answers to content related questions remained vague as this service has yet to enter beta but it sounds like their soon-to-be announced partners include several other high-profile networks.

Will Bitbop include all fox shows?
“We have partnered with several large content providers and as such our programming will not just be Fox but rather a wide range of programming across networks. We anticipate a formal content announcement later this month. I think its fair to say viewers will be blown away by the breadth and quality of content available on bitbop.”
Quote from Reid Genauer, VP Marketing Fox Mobile Group

Will there be a delay as to when new programs are available, similar to the 8 day delay for House on Hulu?
There will be a slight lag in terms of when programs air and when they will be available on Bitbop. It varies by network and will likely be 1-3 days.

Are you open to partnerships with CBS, ABC, and other content competitors?
100%. Bitbop is intended to be a content distribution platform for many content providers. As noted above we have already partnered with several large networks.

Will full seasons of shows be available for viewing, or just a few of the most recent episodes?
A few of the most recent episodes for each show will be available at launch.

Will the $9.99 monthly charge include movies or just television shows?
The monthly charge will just include television. Movies will be sold a la carte.

Does the video resolution scale depending on data connection?
We have various content resolutions that the app dynamically chooses [from], [the app chooses] the best profile based on the connectivity.

Will streamed video look different than downloaded content?
The downloaded content uses the highest resolution of video available.

Will downloaded video be unwatchable after your subscription ends? If so, how will it be regulated?
Yes the downloaded content is removed from the handset at the end of the subscription using our proprietary DRM implementation.

I specifically asked about the video resolution available to users but didn’t get an answer. I expect to get more information on this service as we approach launch. Additionally, I will be a part of the BitBop beta and as such will be able to provide you more feedback on this service.

Bitbop Video Promo:

Our customers want to be able to deliver their video content to every screen without sacrificing the quality, interactivity and monetization capabilities they have come to expect from the Brightcove platform. The Brightcove Experience for HTML5 fills the gap between the current playback capabilities of the emerging standard and what our customers need to operate successful online video businesses

-Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove chairman and chief executive officer.

Since the release of HTML5’s video playback features, flash, a bloated and buggy platform, has lost a lot of support. Now that Brightcove has formally adopted HTML5, it is clear flash content is on the way out with the more economical HTML5 option as its primary replacement.

The announcement comes on the heels of the iPad launch. The iPad, like the iPhone and iPod touch, does not support flash because of its huge footprint. In fact, Brightcove repeatedly sites these apple products as beneficiaries of HTML5 video. Clearly Brightcove didn’t want to loose a huge market of mobile users by remaining married to flash. I look for more content delivery platforms to adopt HTML5 in the coming months to support these popular mobile devices.

Mobile internet is on the rise through support from these very popular and easy to use apple devices. With Hulu and other distributors rumored to be working on iPad friendly viewing options, its clear the days of flash dominated media are over. We’ve bashed Apple for not supporting flash over the years but, in fact, they have ushered in a new technology that works much better than current industry standards.

Both The New York Times and Time inc. support HTML5 today with other Brightcove clients coming soon.

Press Release

Let me say this, the recipe was easy to follow and was delicious once it was done. However, the filming for this was tedious and the clean-up was a hassle, specifically because the oil splashed everywhere. Next time you are channel surfing and pass by a cooking show, just remember how much work it is for the people behind the camera.

Before you watch the video, I’d just like to disclaim that I am not a fluent Spanish speaker. In fact, I’m sure it is apparent to some of you. I’d like to apologize for butchering the language and hope you take this video at face value, an amateur cooking show.

Back when I had the Nokia N96 I participated in a social media experiment with a goal of creating a mobile documentary. A Day In My Life showcases a day of learning, travel, shopping, and a special visit at the end. The best part is this entire video was filmed on the N96 highlighting it’s power in terms on mobile video.

Granted, this was produced in December 2008 and technology has advanced since than but I thought I should share this experience with my auidence.

This is looking like a great feature except for the fact that Microsoft shipped consoles with no hard drive or a 20gb hard drive for the early years and still sells units without a HD. I don’t know if this feature will make be go out and buy an overpriced proprietary HD from Microsoft but if I had a large xbox hard drive, I would use this feature for sure.

In case you haven’t seen or herd anything about this new software, bellow is a video showing off a lot of the cool new features.

The above video clip above from Bungie hints at future products coming from the developer famous for the halo franchise. And from the looks of things, the fight is not finished.

Obviously, this game will be an xbox 360 exclusive and I’m sure the online play will be great similar to halo 3’s addicting action. There has been speculation in the past that the next halo game would be halo 4 but I’m not so sure. Halo has been dominated by the master chief thus far so a game not focused on him would be different which is why I feel this upcoming title is not halo 4.

In my opinion, it looks like this may be set in the halo 3 world but you probably will be playing as someone other than the master chief. This would make sense considering the other teaser trailer Bungie launched after wining an EFI award didn’t show the master chief. Watching it over a few time I have also found what appears to be a release date: 01/06/09.

Kotaku has some interesting information on what the trailer means. If you have followed the franchise in the past, it’s worth reading.

Above is an amazing 2 hours worth of gameplay footage of Mario Kart Wii. This is a Wii game so the visuals are nothing to run home about but overall it looks like a fun experience. As for controls, this make will ship with the ‘Wii Wheel’ but can also be plaid without the wheel, on a classic controller or using a gamecube controller similar to the multiple options that SSBB had. Take it for what it’s worth. Nothing extraordinary but it’s sure to be a great/fun game. Available April 27 for $49.99.

1. Third Party Applications need to be available:

   We all know that the release of the SDK a few weeks ago means third party applications on the horizon but it’s time for Apple to step up. Third Party Applications should have been a feature of the iPhone on launch day, none of this web app garbage.

2. Camera:

   With cell phone camera eclipsing the 5 megapixel mark, it’s a shame the the iPhone uses only a 2 megapixel camera. Plus, why you can’t you take videos? This is a high end device that can’t take videos while my ratty old Razr can. To make another comparison, my Razr uses a camera that is only 2 megapixel’s also. This is a high end device, the iPhone should use components that are high end as well.

3. Multiple carriers:

   It’s really ridicules that the iPhone is locked to AT&T. Personally, it makes me angry because there is no competition to offer the best service for the iPhone. I use AT&T and it works for me but in other areas there is little or no AT&T reception so people in those areas can only dream.

4. Price Drop:

   If you do the math, iPhones cost $399 for the 8gb model and $499 for the 16gb model. In the the USA, individual plans cost $60 to $100 and only include 200 text messages. Thats $1440, $1920 or $2400 respectively plus the cost of the phone. What AT&T needs to do is to stop ripping off their customers. It costs them nothing for voice calling and little for data and texts so why are the prices so high? What apple needs to do is cut the iPhone’s price drastically or make the current price points more attractive by adding more storage among other upgrade. However, the most important upgrade is…

5. 3G:

   If you have ever used an iPhone’s internet function, not connected to a wireless network, using AT&T’s edge network you know what I’m saying. The edge network is incredibly slow and relatively expensive. This is my biggest problem with the iPhone because you pay so much money over a two year period and are forced to use an old data network even though AT&T has the 3G available. It’s simply absurd.

Also, note this video was recorded before I became ill.