By Gavin DunawayAccording to a study by myvideorights (MVR), which specializes in managing and monetizing professional online video, there’s $5.8 billion in annual market potential for professional U.S. online video content owners that haven’t monetized their offerings with advertising — talk about about gold in thar hills.Hence why MVR, which was founded in London in 2007 and manages digital video rights for BBC Worldwide among others, is bringing its gold mining tools to the U.S. shores. The new U.S. operations will be helmed by Ron Schneier, former executive vice president of A&E Television, the company that brought you cable channels A&E and The History Channel; reality show “Dog the Bounty Hunter”; and endless reruns of “Law & Order.”“With accelerating consumption of quality online video content, the timing is perfect for MVR to land on the shores of the U.S.,” said MVR UK CEO Ashley MacKenzie. “Ron’s immense experience in the U.S. media industry makes him the perfect appointment to drive our new offering. He is a great addition to the MVR leadership team and we’re confident that he’ll replicate the company’s success in the UK.”MVR currently drives 125 million views per month across its catalog of professional video content.
Vid-Biz: Hulu Expansion, FCC TV Spectrum, MLB Mobile
By Ryan LawlerHulu Open to New Investors for Global Expansion; Hulu is maybe looking for new money to maybe launch services in international markets? This is a story worth reporting, Wall Street Journal? (WSJ)FCC Swaps TV Spectrum for Mobile Broadband; the commission voted 5-0 for a notice of proposed rule making designed to address spectrum scarcity for mobile broadband services, but the plan is contingent on TV broadcasters voluntarily freeing up spectrum in preparation for 120MHz auctions. (Light Reading)How Baseball Leads the Majors in Mobile; MLB Advanced Media CEO Bob Bowman said while one third of the eyeballs on MLB.com come from mobile devices, those visitors only generate 3 percent of its overall revenue. (AdAge)Qualcomm CEO Comes Clean About Mobile TV Miscues; CEO Paul Jacobs estimated that around a million people signed up for FLO TV, which was far less than Qualcomm had wanted. (Wall Street Journal)Equinix founder joins 3Crowd board; Jay Adelson, former co-founder and CTO of Equinix, has joined the board of directors of 3Crowd Technologies. (San Jose Business Journal)myvideorights Expands to the US Market; myvideorights, which helps rights holders manage and monetize professionally produced videos online, launched in the U.S. (press release)
The Best Personalized Photo Gifts
By Suzanne KantraWant to give a more personalized gift this holiday season? Here are our favorite ways to create customized photo gift that your friends and family will never forget.
Christmas Ornaments at Cafepress.comCafepress.com is a destination for user-designed merchandise where you can create, sell and buy “print-on demand” products. But this Christmas, we’re crazy about the Create-Your-Own-Ornament design tool. Just choose from one of the 30 templates (round or oval shapes), upload an image, edit it to fit and add text if you’d like. Each one costs $12 and promises a lifetime of yuletide memories.
Hardcover Photo Books at KodakGallery.comThis year, Kodak introduced SmartFit technology, which automatically arranges photos into a book in the order they were taken. You can, of course, then go back to make adjustments, but it works surprisingly well. A small 5" x 7" paperback starts at $9.99 (14 pages), a medium 9" x 10.25" paperback book starts at $19.99 (20 pages) and a medium printed hardcover at $34.99 and a large 12" x14" printed hardcover book starts at $69.99 (20 pages). You can add additional pages up to 90 for small books ($0.99 per page), and up to 60 pages for medium ($0.99 per page) and large ($1.30 per page).
Photo Mugs at Shutterfly.comTake your most cherished memories to work with you—or just stare at them while you caffeinate every morning with Shutterfly’s photo mugs. With three styles and 8 different mugs to choose from, ranging from 11 oz at $12 to 15 oz at $14, you’ll be able to satisfy just about anyone’s thirst. And if that special someone prefers their own mugs—check out the coasters for $20.
Baby Onesies at Zazzle.comBabies look good in just about anything and new parents can always use an extra onesie. So get started creating a unique baby gift that will be cherished long after the baby has outgrown it. Choose from long ($19, pink or white) and short sleeve ($18, gray, light blue, pink or white) or organic short sleeve creeper ($24, white). Free shipping is available through December 31, 2010 on orders of more than $50.
Woven Blankets at SeeHere.comWe love the Woven Photo Blanket, a 50” x 60” 100% cotton blanket that proudly wears any picture(s) you decide to upload to the site. You can choose just one image with text in Standard mode or multiple photos, text, frames and backgrounds in Collage mode—all for $90. One problem—the blankets take a couple of weeks to make, so order soon or you won’t get it by Christmas.
Bags at SnapTotes.comCreate a one of a kind photo bag and bring your favorite memories with you wherever you go. SnapTotes.com is a simple to navigate website which lets you choose your bag by style (think tote, beach or make-up), size (small, medium, large) occasion (like mom, teacher, work) and price (under $75 to $125+). You can also decide on your own strap, liner and color. All the bags are designed to work best with a standard 4 x 6 photo, so just upload your image to the site or mail it in using the “mail in photos” option (the original will be sent back to you with the bag).
Six iPad Magazines You Need to See
Six iPad Magazines You Need to SeeBy Laura ZavelsonI believe the iPad is a game-changer for magazines. Not just because the form factor is well suited to how we currently conceive the magazine, but because it removes the boundary of the printed page. Each of the six iPad magazines listed here has taken steps to reinvent the medium. Check them out and be inspired by their creativity, their beauty, their intelligence and their willingness to take a risk.
FlipboardPublisher – Flipboard, Palo Alto, CAFree
Flipboard is not exactly a magazine in the traditional sense. It’s actually an iPad app with a bunch of technology under the hood that turns your friend and follow streams from Facebook and Twitter into something that looks remarkably magazine-like. In addition to being a really cool interface, it also makes your streams easier to follow. Whenever someone posts a link, the app imports the first part of the article as well as any associated images. So no more clicking on the mystery shortened link, you can see the first few paragraphs right away.For each story, you’re given the option to read the rest of any article on the web (without leaving the app) and also to like, share and retweet everything. In addition to your own feeds, you can set up sections that follow any person, list or blog from Twitter or with a single touch, follow a large number of feeds Flipboard has already set up.
TRVLPublisher – Picture Contact BV, The NetherlandsCreative Partner – PubliQuareTools – WoodwingFree
TRVL is an iPad only travel/photography magazine. Built around showcasing documentary-style images, it takes advantage of the iPad’s beautiful display capabilities. Each issue is dedicated to a single destination like Easter Island, Sri Lanka or Bonaire. The layout is primarily photos with descriptive captions, however each issue also includes a features a single story as well as a short technical piece on an aspect of photography that was used in the issue.
SidewaysPublisher – Sideways, LLC, Cleveland, OHTools – Sideways’ M3 Platform$3.99
Created specifically for the iPad, Sideways pushes the envelope of traditional magazine copy and design elements by enhancing them with all that digital technology and the tablet form factor have to offer. Features include interactive info-graphics, music reviews that let you sample and purchase the songs, slide shows, quizzes, and special topic sections that have their own navigation interface.Sideways is also a technology developer/creative house that produces digital publications and multi-media for clients so the magazine, like Zinio’s ViVmag, is also a showcase of what is possible. If you’re thinking of creating a digital magazine for the iPad, it’s a great inspiration publication. Each issue is currently a separate app download.
EurekaPublisher – Times Newspapers Ltd., London, U.K.Technical Partner – TigerSpikeTools – TigerSpike’s iPad Publishing Platform$.99
In print, Eureka is the weekly science supplement to The Times, U.K. However, this special edition, which took several months to produce, is a one-off and is intended to have a long shelf-life. While the file size is huge—it took about a half hour to download—it is absolutely a wow publication for the iPad. From it’s honeycomb diagram table of contents, to audio and video components to it’s sheer breadth in covering the topic “How Science is Changing the Human Race,” it’s a must-see. It proves once and and for all that not only is long-format journalism alive and well, but that it’s a match made in heaven for tablets.
Letter to JanePublisher – Tim Moore, Portland, OR$.99
Letter to Jane magazine stands out in that it’s one of the only–if not the only–independent zine available as a branded app for iPad. The publisher uses ISSUU for his online edition, but I’m unclear what tools he used to get on the iPad. ISSUU doesn’t offer a native app service at the moment and the author was unavailable for an interview prior to this article’s publication. The magazine takes an artistic and intellectual approach to culture through photographs and interviews, and is a testament to the kind of creative voices that will be able to end-run the publishing/advertising monolith if we can make iPad publishing financially accessible.
LOVEPublisher – Conde Nast, UKTools – Adobe Digital Publishing SuiteFree
LOVE magazine comes out twice a year and is a self-described “compendium of inspiration – for designers, for artists, for anyone looking for visual ideas.” It’s glossy print version is luxury focused and high-end without a doubt. The iPad version is yet-another huge file, taking about 20 minutes to download. The reason it’s so big is that it’s completely video-based. Rather than being an augmented version of the print edition it’s a supplement–it’s completely separate content and yet 100 percent in line with the brand. The iPad edition is comprised of 14 short-films made by top fashion photographers featuring well-known models sporting designer clothing and accessories and set to popular music.For continuing insight and analysis of the digital magazine industry sign up for the weekly Digital Magazine Publishing newsletter and follow @digimags101 on Twitter.
Notes from the ebooks panel at Digital Hollywood
Jacket CopyBooks, authors and all things bookishBy Carolyn Kellogg
FOX 12 Portland Selects Homes For Our Troops and FUJIFILM's SeeHere.com Kids For Our Troops Participant for High School Spotlight
FOX 12 Portland Selects Homes For Our Troops and FUJIFILM's SeeHere.com Kids For Our Troops Participant for High School SpotlightOn October 1 in Sandy, Oregon Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) broke ground on a specially-adapted home for SPC Kevin Pannell, who was severely injured in Iraq. FUJIFILM’s SeeHere.com, a sponsor of HFOT, has selected one area student to take part in Kids For Our Troops (KFOT), a program that encourages teens to participate in community service.Serving as photojournalist covering the home build, 15 year-old Taylur Dewolf will be competing against KFOT participants from around the country for a $5,000 scholarship. Taylur was featured on Fox 12 Oregon HS Spotlight for taking the initiative to support HFOT.
Sideways magazine for iPad features in-app transactions
Sideways magazine for iPad features in-app transactionsBy Dan ButcherSideways,
a magazine designed and written exclusively for the iPad, claims that its October issue is the first of its kind to enable transactions.The latest issue also explores new forms of storytelling with a feature that incorporates chronological mapping. The monetization strategy is based around the “advertorial” model, where an article is paired with related products that application users can click to buy.“Sideways LLC developed this magazine for the iPad called ‘Sideways’ in order to create a monthly, iterative platform that allows our designers and developers to explore the form and limits of the technology available for the iPad,” said Eliza Wing, president and chief operating officer of Sideways, Cleveland.“Sideways is focused on producing multimedia, multi-touch, multi-user digital productions, whether they are digital versions of print books, magazines or other iPad-appropriate products,” she said.Ms. Wing was formerly the CEO of Cleveland.com and editor at Rolling Stone, New York Woman and Books.com, which is now owned by Barnes & Noble.Experimental application magazine Sideways’ goal is to transform print into immersive experiences on digital tablets and mobile devices.The company’s publishing platform augments text with rich media, adds multiple levels of reference and enhances reading with mobile features and social media.Additionally, Sideways is the creator of Author App, a mobile application for authors designed to build their brands, engage their fans and expand their presence.Mobile mediaSideways is built in-house by the company’s development team and designers.A sample of the Sideways October issue’s content is available for free in the iTunes App Store, with a $1.99 in-application purchase necessary to access the complete issue.While there is no overall sponsor, in the October issue Sideways did create an advertorial section, which provides a thematically-based overview of tools and toys users can buy to channel their inner spy.Information on hidden cameras, portable cameras, bug hunters are all available in the text of the article. Users can then touch the screen to purchase the item.
Sideways has previously integrated iTunes into its issues, creating iMixes that relate to features.“We are focusing on the frictionless ecommerce experience that the iPad provides and utilizing features and design to explore those aspects of the device,” Ms. Wing said.Sideways is employing PR and social media tactics to spread the word.However, Ms. Wing said that the most important and effective tactic is issuing updates to prior issues to let subscribers know that a new issue is available.“We have found that people respond positively to updates,” Ms. Wing said. “In addition, this month, we are offering a free sample to the October issue, followed by a $1.99 premium for the rest of the issue.“Because Sideways is our own product, we have the ability to be flexible on pricing and release strategies,” she said. “We are able to give the feedback and learnings back to our clients.”
Products such as these portable cameras are paired with the magazine's editorial contentEditorial contentSideways’ editor-in-chief Jim Sweeney works with freelancers to create the content.Each month, Sideways reaches out to different artists or writers who are interested in stretching the narrative or design form using digital distribution as the means for their explorations.A highlight of the October issue is a short story by Professor Dinty Moore, director of creative writing at Ohio University.Using only a map, Professor Moore recounts his run-ins with famed author George Plimpton. Each map-marker is accompanied by a paragraph propelling the story.In addition to Professor Moore’s “Mr. Plimpton’s Revenge” and the regular Sideways sections, the latest issue includes the following features:• Special spy gear advertising section with deep links to retailers, enabling instant purchase of advertised items• A look at which colleges have the best fictional alumni• Interactive guide to chili peppers and hot sauces with do-it-yourself recipe• Feature article on how social media improves writing• Overview of tablets being released as rivals to the iPad• Feature on best ways to watch video on the iPad“In November, we will have a couple of guest designers who have been commissioned specifically to explore the user interface issues of the device,” Ms. Wing said.Consumer insightInterested in understanding its audience better, Sideways polled readers of the July issue to find out when and where they use their iPads as well as how they find new applications.Results include the following:• 93.3 percent use the iPad while relaxing• 70.5 percent use the iPad while watching television• 60.2 percent use the iPad while traveling• 35.8 percent use the iPad while eating• 18.1 percent use the iPad while also talking on the phone• 78.7 percent search for applications on the device• 19.1 percent search for applications on a laptop or desktop computer“The magazine is general interest—however, we have surveyed our readers and plan on continuing that practice,” Ms. Wing said. “Our first survey, done in July, questioned our users’ content interests.“A large majority was interested in technology—most had no interest in sports, fashion or relationships,” she said. “That knowledge certainly informed our subsequent issues.”Final TakeDan Butcher, associate editor, Mobile Commerce Daily
Sideways Takes The Measure Of iPad Users by Eliza Wing
Sideways Takes The Measure Of iPad UsersBy Eliza Wing
Less than half a year into the launch of the iPad, publishers and developers are looking for insight on the usage of the device. Yes, we know that the device is selling like veritable hotcakes, but who is doing the buying? And once customers get their coveted iPad, what exactly are they doing with it?Nielsen released its recent survey in early August which indicated some good but maybe not so surprising news…. iPad users are high-earners (more than 35% earn more than $100k a year) and if you target your content to people between the ages of between 25-55 you will hit more than 60% of all iPad users.At Sideways, we are into the fourth issue of our digital magazine, aptly called…Sideways. We use the magazine to explore the form, the thinking being that the monthly release schedule pushes innovation and lets us experiment with our own content as opposed to a client’s product.In the June issue, we decided to run a survey on users who had downloaded the app. A key learning emerged from the very act of running the survey as an in-app download. People will download and respond to an update. In fact, it seems easier to get people to respond in-app than to get them to download something entirely new. We previously reported on those results. In that first survey we were looking for some initial demographic information – age, male, female and content interests. The results came back with a relatively early adopter profile, mostly male and more interested in technology, music and gaming than sports, fashion and relationships.In the next survey – the results of which were just released last week – we used a similar approach. We updated our July issue with a survey that asked our readers where they are finding apps and how they use their iPad.93.3% of people use their iPad while relaxing; 70.5% of people use their iPad while watching television; 60.2% of people use their iPad while traveling. The percentages drop off from there and respondents could pick more than one activity. Still, we were a little non-plussed when two of the users actually admitted to using their iPads while driving.We were especially curious to see how people actually find apps. This is a key question for producers of apps since there is simply no way to game the App Store search and the search itself is, to put it mildly, not a particularly satisfying experience. Certainly, we hoped that folks would say they use Google when searching. That would mean that all the content producers who have spent time and resources getting familiar with SEO would be able to implement that same understanding in the release of their apps. But no – 78.7% of people search for apps on the device and that means, dear readers, that you have to use as many other avenues to get your app as high as possible in the App Store as swiftly as possible so that it will get noticed.Sideways will continue to ask readers pertinent questions about their habits as we all work toward producing meaningful, high-quality apps that resonate with an audience that keeps on growing and growing and growing . . .
Sideways iPad-only magazine September issue available for free for two days
Sideways iPad-only magazine September issue available for free for two daysBy Matthew MillerI wrote an article in the last Sideways iPad-only magazine and wanted to give you all a heads-up on the new issue that is now available with a special two-day offer. You can “buy” the new September issue (iTunes link) for FREE on 14 and 15 September and after that the price goes back to its regular $3.99. So, if you were wondering if this magazine is worth it or not, you can get this issue for free and find out for yourself.Here is the description for this month’s issue:
Sideways — The magazine, evolved. This isn’t a print magazine converted to digital text. Sideways is the first publication written specifically for iPad users. It takes full advantage of the iPad’s beautiful display and multimedia capabilities.* Published on SIdeways’ M3platform, it explores topics and conveys information in ways that other magazines can’t. This issue features a travel story on Memphis, a guide to Belgian beer, the story of the happy accidents behind the Slinky and chocolate chip cookies, as well as a photo gallery, essay, cartoon and more. It’s all told through the most appropriate medium — text, video, audio and still photography. Sideways is a monthly publication. You’ve entered the age of digital multimedia. Wouldn’t you like something to read while you’re here?
Remember, that Sideways is a magazine written only for the Apple iPad and some features of the magazine require an Internet connection to enjoy.
Apps as Tour Guides Through New York Museums, Step by Step
Apps as Tour Guides Through New York Museums, Step by StepBy Bob Tedeschi
The next time you’re about to visit a museum, do yourself a favor and drop in on your favorite app store first.
The Museum of Modern Art app puts information at visitors’ fingertips.
The American Museum of Natural History app points the way to an attraction.
Most institutions have not yet created a mobile app, but as a group, museums are headed in that direction. In the last few months, free apps were released by the Museum of Modern Art and the
American Museum of Natural History
, in New York; the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust; and the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
(which also has an Android app).I recently tested the newest museum apps for New York. While they take distinctly different approaches, they demonstrate the vast potential for technology to help people make the most of a museum visit.They can also point to a restroom in a hurry.The Museum of Natural History Explorer, which arrived in July, features a navigation system that, while flawed, helps users find exhibits and museum facilities more easily than with a printed map.
While visiting the museum with my wife and two children, for instance, we knew we couldn’t tackle the entire building in a few hours, so we opened the Tours section of the app and chose the Highlights Tour from among the four itineraries listed. (We could have also found specific exhibits in a nicely arranged directory.)The Highlights Tour includes three options, depending on the number of preferred stops. The real magic of the app begins when it finds the nearest attraction, or plots a course between you and any other exhibit you choose.Unfortunately, it can be unreliable. In various places in the museum — near the Giant Sequoia exhibit, to name one — the device had a hard time finding me.A spokesman, Lowell Eschen, said the museum was still working out the kinks in its geolocation technology. But even when the app can’t spot you, the map offers step-by-step directions to an exhibit from the last place it saw you, so you can find your way easily enough.The navigation system also points to dining areas, shops, exits and restrooms.The app is free, but I would have happily paid for the restroom finder when we were near Lucy, the legendary Australopithecus afarensis, when my children heard the call of nature. Rather than wander in urgent circles seeking a museum worker or restroom sign, I tapped two buttons on the
and it led us toward relief.For a reality check, later the same day we visited the
, which has no dedicated app. Finding restrooms was no problem, since the Met fairly teems with security guards who can guide visitors. But I would have much preferred a more guided, multidimensional experience to the Met’s paper map.Purists will claim that museums are made for getting lost, and that art is not about efficiency. But by 4 p.m., we had hungry children with sore feet, and we had a train to catch. Only the Temple of Dendur remained on our list. Getting lost in the Dutch Masters would not have enriched anyone.A few days later I made a solo run to the Museum of Modern Art, and found its new iPhone app helpful in the extreme. (The app’s lead developer at
, Spencer Kiser, said the museum hoped to release an Android app by the end of year, and a Web site tailored to other mobile devices like BlackBerrys.)The MoMA app is fine at guiding visitors around the museum, with an adequate floor map and floor-by-floor exhibit listings, but its real sweet spot is its Modern Voices audio tours.Instead of standing in line for one of the museum’s audio devices, or skipping the audio completely and fighting my way past crowds to read the wall descriptions, I pulled out my iPhone.I stood before
’s “Gone: An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred b’tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart,” on MoMA’s second floor. Thanks to Ms. Walker’s description, the experience far surpassed what it would have been with my lazy eye.The app can also take users on an audio tour of various floors before they even enter the museum, but only about 15 percent of the works have an audio complement, and some of those works cannot be pictured on the app because of copyright limitations. (That was the case with Ms. Walker’s work.)The software includes another appealing feature, in which users can e-mail a snapshot of a particular work, and it will arrive to the recipient with the MoMA brand on the photo. The three photos I sent never arrived, but Mr. Kiser said he had heard no similar complaints.Aside from museum-specific apps, iPhone users can also get help finding museums and exhibits in New York and Washington with the Museum Guide apps ($3 for New York, free for Washington). The New York Art iPhone app ($1) is a worthy rival.
IPad users can also check out the new Diana Curran app ($5), which is an interactive coffee table book, of sorts, featuring photos taken during Ms. Curran’s museum visits.
With the exception of the San Francisco MoMA app, Android users don’t have many museum-specific options. They can find nearby museums easily with the free Museum app, which is fast and generally effective, if a bit shallow.Wolf Mountain Apps, likewise, offers an interactive map with Web links to an institution’s Web site, in its free Montreal Museums and Stockholm Museums apps. Androids Future, another developer, presents more in-depth information for cities like Philadelphia and Boston, through its free apps like Museums in Philadelphia.BlackBerry users can try the Artnear app for similar information. Or, if they happen to be near Gatineau, Quebec, they can download the Canadian Museum of Civilization app, which offers interactive floor maps, a calendar of events and audio tours (also available on
devices).It’s about as close as you can get to a combination of the Museum of Natural History and the New York MoMA app. Put another way, BlackBerry owners finally get to test a nearly state-of-the-art app.They just have to get to Quebec to put it to use.
Quick Calls
Bing fans now have a shortcut on Android phones. The Bing app is free, but so far it’s only available on
phones. ... BlackBerry users can reload their
Card or check their balance while on the road, with the free Starbucks Card Mobile App. The app, which is also available for iPhone and Android devices, will point you to your next cup of java, too. Go to
for the app.