19 new stories on The Next Web today |  |
- Angel Investor says “Shanghai Startups too focused on Chinese market” [TNW Asia]
- Web Designers vs. Web Developers [TNW Shareables]
- Royal Dutch Airline gives passengers a surprise [TNW Social Media]
- Try This: ShortForm. Create your own video channel and become a VJ [TNW Apps]
- Australian court cases may soon be broadcast online [TNW Australia]
- CBC Radio 3: Hit Play on over 100,000 songs [TNW Canada]
- Microsoft KIN Emerges From The Dead, Headed Back To Verizon [TNW Mobile]
- Timelapse Video: 15 Floor Chinese hotel built in 6 days [TNW Shareables]
- Saskatchewan Government Holds First Cabinet Meeting with iPads [TNW Canada]
- Sparrow mail for Mac gets new labels, attachment quicklook and more [TNW Apps]
- 7 tips to help you to remember to renew your domains [TNW Lifehacks]
- Another earnings call Android rant – this time in favor of Google’s mobile OS [TNW Google]
- Incredible HD Pictured With Verizon LTE, New HTC Sense [TNW Gadgets]
- Windows: Hey Mac, how do you like your Avatar? [TNW Microsoft]
- The Next Web Podcast – Episode 34: A Owl?! [The Next Web]
- Google launches official Chrome extensions for Calendar, Docs, YouTube [TNW Google]
- The New World Order of The Music Business [TNW Apps]
- The Internet in 2020 [TNW Shareables]
- Mobile phone viruses in China affecting well over 1 million phones [TNW Asia]
- App Store Classics: Brrrraaaiiinnnssss! [TNW Apple]
| Angel Investor says “Shanghai Startups too focused on Chinese market” [TNW Asia] Posted: 12 Nov 2010 01:24 AM PST
I met with one of Tudou’s founders, Marc van der Chijs, now CEO of Spil Games Asia, for coffee and a chat in Spil’s offices in a converted warehouse beside Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek. Originally from the Netherlands, Marc first came to China in 1999 as a senior controller for Daimler-Benz’ China operations. He left Daimler-Benz soon after to work as an independent consultant. Marc was unable to discuss Tudou’s upcoming IPO during our meeting because of the public filing. Instead, our chat focused on Spil Games and the issues that all web startups have with monetizing their sites. We also discussed Marc’s work as an Angel Investor, with Shanghai based technology startups. Spil Games
Spil Games are one of the world’s leading online gaming companies with 47 websites running fully localised content in 19 languages and serving over 4000 games to upwards of 130 million unique visitors per month. Their games target web and mobile users. Marc explained that, while most of their existing games use Adobe Flash they are now creating their games in HTML 5 to enable them to reach the broadest possible audience and allow them to run on Apple iOS devices reaching a significant proportion of the mobile market. He can envisage a time when HTML 5 takes over as the predominant platform for web and mobile gaming. Spil are actively promoting the technology with others by a HTML5 game jam that they organized together with Google in both Hilversum and Mountain View. So far, most of their titles are single player but, with the rise in social gaming, especially on the mobile platforms, they are finding their output in those genres increasing. I asked Marc the question on the minds of all web startup developers, how do you monetize your sites? Marc responded, that, at Spil Games, with 130 million visitors per month, advertising revenue is clearly a significant income generator, however, there are many users who ignore advertising, or indeed, don’t even see it. The real growth in monetization is in micropayments and advertising within games. Many game fans, once hooked, are willing to make a small payment for a level up or to buy some item within a game. Micropayments for in-game upgrades are not yet the largest income generator for online games but it is a growing slice of the pie and could soon overtake banner advertising as an income source. The trick, of course, with all web content, is to “keep it fresh” that means update daily and, for games sites, introduce at least one new game every week. Otherwise, your readership and members are not going return. Angel Investing
Marc continued, that he focused his investments on local Shanghainese technology startups but that he had reduced his investment activity recently, mainly because there were simply too many companies approaching him, but, also because many local startups are focusing on the Chinese market only instead of taking a broader global perspective. One local startup that Marc has invested in that he does believe can have a global impact, although he was quick to point out that he is also a co-founder, is unitedstyles.com, a personalized kids online fashion site that will go live (in beta) on November 15th.image credit [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Web Designers vs. Web Developers [TNW Shareables] Posted: 12 Nov 2010 01:05 AM PST
Web Designers vs Web Developers is brought to you by Wix.com [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Royal Dutch Airline gives passengers a surprise [TNW Social Media] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 11:51 PM PST
How it works When passengers check in at KLM's Foursquare locations, the KLM Surprise team then uses social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to find out information about the passenger. Odds are, anyone who uses Foursquare will have a presence on other social networks, providing the team with information about the person and their trip. The KLM Surprise team then uses this information to come up with a personalized gift to surprise the passenger with. The team follows up after surprising a passenger by monitoring the conversation generating on social networks by that person and their friends. They also take photos of the people they have surprised and post them to the KLM Facebook page. What a surprise The KLM team has surprised travellers with champage, notebooks, a watch, and traditional Dutch foods. One passenger, Willem van Hommel, was going to miss one of his soccer team's most important matches of the year due to his trip to New York. KLM surprised him with a Lonely Planet guide to New York with all the best soccer bars in the city marked out for him. Another traveller, Tobias Hootsen, was surprised with a package to remind him of home during his long stay abroad. How happiness spreads KLM is keeping tabs on the conversations generated through social media due to this campaign, and plan to evaluate its effectiveness after November, but has already said it may be used again in the future. KLM has previously proven its social media savvy with a popular Facebook application allowing users to create luggage tags using their Facebook photos. In 2006 the company had another success with an award winning viral video for its Fly for Fortune game. KLM is going the extra mile with its social media efforts, using creativity to create exciting, crowd-pleasing projects. The KLM Surprise campaign is definitely a unique way to get your customers talking positively about your brand, and an innovative use for all that 'useless' information we post online.About Foursquare, Airline Trends, Image Source [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Try This: ShortForm. Create your own video channel and become a VJ [TNW Apps] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 08:11 PM PST
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| Australian court cases may soon be broadcast online [TNW Australia] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 07:04 PM PST
Victoria’s current state premier announced that $6.3 million would be spent on setting up the system if the Labor government is re-elected in this month's state election. The system is designed to give the public more insight into the state's court system by producing regular webcasts of court cases across the state. Many judges already produce audio webcasts of their sentencing comments, but WebCourt will provide the public with a more complete understanding of court cases. Video and audio equipment has already been installed in many Supreme Court rooms for recording sentencing remarks from judges, and accessing evidence from remote locations. National newspaper The Australian reported that WebCourt would be widely accessible both in real time and on demand for up to three months. Television networks have also reportedly been granted access to court decision footage, but the courts would be in control of deciding which cases are appropriate for broadcasting. The Law Institute of Victoria has warned against the proposal, fearing it may intimidate jurors and witnesses, and would not protect their privacy. Institute president Steven Stevens also commented on the difference it may have on witnesses and judges speaking in the court room:
The Law Institute proposed increased funding for legal aid instead of setting up WebCourt, fearing that it would resemble reality tv. Stevens also commented:
The Attorney-General is convinced WebCourt will be beneficial for the public as well as those involved in court proceedings. He told The Australian:
Let us know what you think of the proposal – would you watch live court cases online? And check out another election promise – iPads for every doctor.The Australian, Image Source [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| CBC Radio 3: Hit Play on over 100,000 songs [TNW Canada] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 06:37 PM PST
First a little background, CBC Radio 3 is a completely virtual radio station. It doesn’t occupy space on the “dial” but rather space on the Net. Radio 3 comes to you from the basement of CBC Vancouver and its mission is to highlight Canadian artists who are a little off the mainstream. Now, if this weren’t cool and interesting enough, it’s how Radio 3 gets their music that is rather amazing. Instead of just getting tons of CDs in the mail, artists upload their own songs to Radio 3 so the songs can be played and shared online. Cool, you say, but so what? The so what is that if you go to the CBC Radio 3 website you can look for artists and genres you like, and tap into the over 100,000 songs in the library and play any of them you want. Want to make your own playlist of great music? Not a problem, go right ahead and do it (you need to sign up for a free account to save playlists). What does this have to do with the iOS app? Ah…just watch:
Be Your Own Radio Station iOS with the CBC Radio App from The Next Web on Vimeo. At this moment I’m listening to one of my favorite blues artists—Harry Manx—on my iPad, soon to be followed by some Sarah Harmer all streamed from Radio 3. Quality is great and the selection is pretty amazing. I know indie music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but to the CBC’s knowledge they are the only radio station in the world that is not only virtual, but also offers their entire collection up to be played whenever you wish. Oh and there shouldn’t be and problem for you outside of Canada listening to this either (unlike other in the cloud stations). So go enjoy some Canadian indie music. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Microsoft KIN Emerges From The Dead, Headed Back To Verizon [TNW Mobile] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 06:30 PM PST
You might recall the demise of Microsoft and Verizon’s KIN One and KIN Two a few months back. The reason for that of course being that the costs of their data plans were on par with the big name smartphones. Things were so bad that there were rumors that Microsoft had only sold around 500 or so of the devices. Microsoft and Verizon then pulled the plug. Now it seems both KIN’s are making a comeback on Big Red, although it won’t be in the same fashion as last time. According to a report by PPCGeeks, the KIN reincarnations won’t have a data plan attached to them but you will still be able to use Zune Pass over Wi-Fi . The refreshed KINs, known as KIN 1m and KIN 2m also won’t feature the data intensive “Loop” which was one of the most marketed and touted pieces of the software the first time around. So essentially, it’s the same hardware with dumbed down software with no data plan. It’s possible that these might even drop sometime this quarter so if you were looking to a KIN One or KIN Two the first time around, you might have your chance very, very shortly. Anyone else get the feeling Microsoft is trying to avoid burying these in the desert?PPCGeeks, Engadget [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Timelapse Video: 15 Floor Chinese hotel built in 6 days [TNW Shareables] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 05:52 PM PST We’re all fascinated with cool slow motion videos of major demolition projects, so, here’s the reverse, a 15 floor Shanghai hotel built in 6 days.Arch Daily [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Saskatchewan Government Holds First Cabinet Meeting with iPads [TNW Canada] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 05:01 PM PST
The fact that the Saskatchewan government is expecting to save more than twice the cost of buying the iPads in the first year alone I’m surprised that American tax payers are reluctant to support the same thing in city councils. Look, take the environmental part of out of it (saving paper/trees/etc) and just look at it as saving money. If governments can run more smoothly and cheaply by adopting new technologies, why not do it? I laud the Saskatchewan government for this bold move (it really is pretty ground braking) and maybe other jurisdictions will take note and follow suit. Hmm, the City of Vancouver has a “going green” push…CBC (story and photo) [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Sparrow mail for Mac gets new labels, attachment quicklook and more [TNW Apps] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:57 PM PST
The latest beta of Sparrow, beta 5, adds some pretty serious function to the already-robust app. While it doesn’t break away from the minimalist look of Sparrow on the hole, it does add features that I’d sorely miss from the web-based interface of Gmail. The addition of labels and attachment quicklooks are what first caught my eye, but the entire list of new features in Beta 5 is pretty impressive:
While I have to admit to not having used Sparrow until now, I’ll applaud its use of keyboard shortcuts. Cmd+Enter for send, Esc to close out a window, space for opening and closing messages and a Cmd+click for tossing a link open in the background all seem to make perfect sense. There are, apparently, some improvements to performance and scroll speed, as well as a new toolbar, sounds and coloring as well. However, as I said, I’m not familiar with the previous versions, so I can’t really tell you if they’re an improvement other than to say that everything looks really slick. We’re only 1 beta release away from version 1.0 of Sparrow, and that release should be coming soon. According to the Sparrow Blog, beta 6 will be the final and then we’ll get the full release. If you’ve not been using a desktop client for email, and you have the need, then I can certainly recommend Sparrow. Its flawless Gmail integration is great, even with Google Apps Gmail, and I’m pretty certain that I’ve found my next mail application. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| 7 tips to help you to remember to renew your domains [TNW Lifehacks] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:29 PM PST
To give you a hand with this important task here are my tips not missing domain renewals:
Those are my tips, please add yours in the comments. You know domain names are so critical to how we do business now, it goes beyond just websites and email, your domain is your brand identity, your place marker, and your corner of the Internet. Best not to get shoved off that corner.Photo credit [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Another earnings call Android rant – this time in favor of Google’s mobile OS [TNW Google] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:20 PM PST
NVIDIA of course builds smartphone and tablet chips, so the more smartphones and tablets out there for it to supply, the better, and right now, both of those explosions could certainly come from Android-based devices. Here’s the entire – um, talk – that Huang gave, according to ZDNet:
So yeah, “magical”, “fabulous”, “amazing” and “delight” – no lack of hyperbole there. Of course, the first major Android tablet – the Samsung Galaxy Tab – is hitting shelves and reviews now, so how well it does this holiday season will be interesting to watch, especially compared to the iPad. That said, a “little behind” would seemingly be a bit of stretch, considering how much the iPad has dominated this year.ZDNet [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Incredible HD Pictured With Verizon LTE, New HTC Sense [TNW Gadgets] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 03:45 PM PST
It appeared on the radar a few months back and the rumors have been swirling ever since. Some of those whispers include a possible November 23rd release date. Anyway, let’s get to the good stuff. Android Central got their hands on a new photo of the HTC Incredible HD aka the HTC Mecha that is important for several reasons. First off, it’s the first time we’ve seen it running software. As you can see, it’s running Android 2.2 with the new version of HTC Sense over the top. A closer look also reveals something else, something that should excite the masses. Look in the corner, that’s 4G from Verizon. It looks like we have another LTE device on our hands. Remember, the HTC Merge is also rumored to support Big Red’s 4G network. The device is apparently undergoing testing and is said to be hitting speeds of 9Mbps downstream and 5Mbps upstream. It’ll be interesting to see if those numbers hold up when the Incredible HD is released. Unfortunately, it looks like you’ll have to drool over this device for a little while longer. It’s probably not going to drop until next year. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Windows: Hey Mac, how do you like your Avatar? [TNW Microsoft] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 03:24 PM PST
Starring a Windows 7 laptop and a Macbook Pro (we think), the two embark on a Blu-Ray fueled romp through Avatar. Just watch it, if you like Windows, you will smile. If not, don’t watch it, you’ll thank me later. Oh, and if you don’t get the back story, let us help you out. Steve Jobs once called Blu-Ray a “bag of hurt” and claims that “it will be beaten by Internet downloadable formats.” We agree, but for many consumers, Blu-Ray is a rather important component of their digital lives. Queue Microsoft poking fun, go! [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| The Next Web Podcast – Episode 34: A Owl?! [The Next Web] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 03:16 PM PST Array
Still want to catch last week’s episode? You can! Just head over to Soundcloud and give a listen. As for this week? Social media and Amazon and pedophiles, oh my! Well, ok, so we don’t really talk much about the topics that you don’t want to hear about. But there is a lot about Hootsuite, Twitter, Facebook and more.
On this week’s show: Brad McCarty (Nashville), Alex Wilhelm (Chicago), Chad Catacchio (Los Angeles), Tris Hussey (Vancouver), Matt Brian (Essex), Courtney Boyd Myers (NYC), Michael Backes (Hamburg) Download / Listen: In this week's episode: [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Google launches official Chrome extensions for Calendar, Docs, YouTube [TNW Google] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 03:02 PM PST Google today has launched official Chrome extensions for Google Calendar, Docs and YouTube. Though there are already over 8,000 extensions in the Chrome Extensions Gallery, a lot of the real value of Chrome comes from it’s native integration into Google’s other products, so, and already great browser just got that much better. Here’s a quick rundown of what the new extensions do: Calendar
YouTube Feed
Docs
Also, Google has updated the Blog This, Google Calendar Checker and News Reader extensions as well. Chrome has been added Extensions pretty rapidly, and back in July added extensions for accessibility. Also, if you’re a reader of this blog, we highly recommend that you install our very own Chrome extension to keep on top of all of our news!Google Chrome Blog [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| The New World Order of The Music Business [TNW Apps] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 02:40 PM PST Peter Malkin has been in the music business for over 20 years, serving as an A&R executive and brand consultant. In a recent YouTube video he Here’s His List and my two cents. To Find Artists: SellABand, SliceThePie, Bandstocks, Kickstarter, MySpace, YouTube, OurStage; through Internet radio sites like Pandora, LastFM, Slacker and iSound; through online social communities: MOG, Bebo, Buzznet, Babulous. He also mentions Grooveshark (a personal favorite) and Seeqpod but notes that the two start ups may be running into legal trouble. Sites for aspiring artists: Boomdizzle, Broadjam, Get Signed, Unsigned and Music Gorilla. Sites that allow people to share playlists and reccomend music: Spotify (love), Playlist.com, GetPlaylists, 8Tracks, Live365, Jango, and rdio. Also Songtweak and The Hype Machine (love). To create artist profiles: MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Tagged; Hi5 and MyYearBook for a younger audience; PureVolume and AbsolutePunk if you’re a rockband; BTR and Beatport if you’re a DJ; PluggedIn if you’re a Christian act; HipHop Avenue, BuzzThis and DopeTracks if you’re a Hip Hop group. Tools to sell music and grow a fanbase online: ReverbNation, BandCamp, Artistopia, IndabaMusic, TopSpin; WordPress, Tumblr or Posterous to create the artists’ blog sites; RockYou or Tagworld for widgets; Nimbit to sell content through those widgets; Pringo as a tool for managing social networks; ArtistData and Meebo to update profiles; FanBridge provides tools to manage a fan base. Creating mobile apps: MobileRoadie, Appiction and NetBiscuits. Creating an online fan club: Artist Arena, SparkArt, All Access Today or Music Today. Selling music: iTunes, Amazon, CD Universe; or subscription sites like Rhapsody, Napster, EMusic and 7Digital; Distribution through The Orchard, SongCast, CDBaby, TuneCourt, In Grooves, CD Pulse; ArtistFirst; mobile efforts through ThumbPlay and Moses. Finding gigs: Gigmaven (love), SonicBids and BandMix to find other musicians to tour with. Marketing and promoting: LinkedIn, YouTube, Vevo, Photobucket, Coding.com, P2P Communities; CurrentTV, MotherboardTV, Funny or Die, Zygna, Crowdstar, Playfish, PopCap, MinglePlay, Crowdfire, Songkick, iLike, Twitter, Foursquare, uStream, JustinTV, BlogTV, Gawker, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, MTV.com, AOL Music and Spinner. 2cents: I love that he included Kickstarter, which recently made our list of 20 NYC Start Ups You Need To Know About, but please can we stop using MySpace and Friendster (and Tagged, Hi5 and MyYearBook too)? The point of his video is that there are hundreds of music services out there which is both helpful and annoyingly overwhelming. The list is great because it lets you know all available options, but in the end it’s best for any brand to concentrate marketing efforts through a few really solid channels as opposed to every single one. Bands should be building their presence through market dominators Facebook and Twitter (not MySpace and Friendster), which have 3/4 of a billion users combined and also maintaining a beautiful, simple local site to draw readers in for news, music clips and tour information. Talent seekers and music lovers should also check out Shuffler.FM, which lets users pick channels like “Electronic,” “Lo-Fi,” or “Indie” and then surfs through over 2,600 global music blogs. Also, Extension.FM, a Google Chrome extension that pulls all available free MP3s on any web page into a drop down menu in the top right corner of the browser. It is neat. Going forward Malkin should also include iTunes Ping which linked up with Twitter today so you can literally follow your Twitter friends’ tastes in music on iTunes. Also, watch out for a new Google music service, which should land before Christmas. His final advice, turn off your computer and get out there and meet people. Agreed. Watch the video here: [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| The Internet in 2020 [TNW Shareables] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 02:31 PM PST Ever wondered what the Internet will be like in the future? I have and probably do daily. You probably do to. Now we’ve found this great graphic that draws a good picture on what the web might look like in ten years from now. Have a look and do let us know if you agree or not. What is going to be the next game-changer in the World Wide Web? [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Mobile phone viruses in China affecting well over 1 million phones [TNW Asia] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 02:22 PM PST
The virus is spread through links in SMS messages, which when clicked allow the unknown hackers behind the worm to take control of the user’s SIM card, access their contacts and then send out an SMS to all of those contacts that furthers the spread of the worm. The real kicker, of course, is that the users have to still pay for the SMS charges, and it’s really adding up – a whopping $300,000 a day overall. Apparently, ten other similar viruses have been found by Chinese authorities, but the report is unclear about whether the particular virus has been contained at all, or what the total number of infected phones may be now (i.e. two months after that 1 million number was passed). Of course, China has over 800 million mobile phone users, so the damage if unchecked, could be enormous. We’ll keep an eye on this story for any updates.Shanghai Daily, Engadget [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| App Store Classics: Brrrraaaiiinnnssss! [TNW Apple] Posted: 11 Nov 2010 01:45 PM PST There are many apps available for your iDevice which allow you to manipulate portraits of people for comedic effect. There's FatBooth, AgingBooth, Pocket VFX and FACEinHOLE (!) to name but a few. In my opinion, the best of the bunch is ZombieBooth: 3D Zombifier (itunes link) from Motion Portrait Inc., a Japanese developer with many other tasty apps on their roster. On launching the app, you can take a photo or open an existing photo from your photo library. You can also choose to look at one of the 'zombies' you have already created. Once you have chosen or taken a photo, you can move and scale the shot as you please, then you hit the 'choose' button to create your zombie.
I have to say I was quite surprised at how realistic it looked. The app creates a really impressive 3D zombie face from a 2D image and boy are they horrible! This is obviously a good thing. The zombie will follow your finger as you drag it around the screen, moaning and growling, and occasionally trying to savage you if you get too close to its mouth. If you'd like to change the appearance of your zombie, just shake your device and the app will present a different look for you. You can then export a photo to your photo library, email client, Twitter or Facebook. What's really cool though is that you can record the zombie's movements as it tracks your finger and email it as a movie, or upload it to Youtube or Facebook. All your zombies are also saved to a library within the app. It's revolting fun. I certainly wouldn't show my three year old daughter that's for sure. Some of the people I have shown these zombies to have looked away in disgust. Excellent! There are however a couple of points to be aware of. Firstly, the app doesn't do such a good job if your subject has a lot of long hair. Perhaps get them to tie it back whilst assuring them it'll be worth it. Secondly, try to take your portraits in a well lit area against a plain background. This helps the app recognize the face and also looks better once your photo has been converted to 3D. Lastly – and this is a minor niggle – the sound gets repetitive very quickly. But hey – what do you expect for $0.99? Update: Here’s a video of the app in action. Not for kids. :) [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
TNW Quick Hit
As you’ve likely read, I’m a fairly recent Mac convert. After having not used a dekstop mail client for a number of years, it’s been an easy transition in that respect. However, I keep hearing about great mail clients and 
You might have noticed that we didn’t publish a podcast last week. The reason behind this is that Feedburner (our source that we use to update our iTunes feed) is having a bit of a brain fart. It’s taking literally hours to update our feed. That said, we’re working on a transition over to Soundcloud as our full-time host, but that’s going to take a bit of time.
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