Friday, June 1, 2007

Player Screenshots of YouTube's New Player. YouTube tests a new version of its player that will improve the way you interact with videos and will create a cinematic experience. The player will add a feature that was already available in Google Video: jump to any part of the video even if the video isn't fully downloaded. For each video, you'll be able to see around ten related videos. You don't have to wait until the video ends to play a new one because they're available as thumbnails if you hover over the video. The effect is similar to the dock from Mac OS X. You can also click on the two arrows to go to the previous / next video. The "menu" button gives you access to the embedding code or to the URL of the YouTube page that shows the video. If you click on the button, the video is smoothly minimized in the left corner and it continues to play. Update. Here's the new player (thank you, TOMHTML): [Google Operating System] 9:01:41 PM

Really Simple Syndication (RSS/XML) FeedBurner Is a Part of Google. You can replace FeedBurner with Google and Blogbeat with FeedBurner in the image above. The rumors turned out to be true: Google acquired the Google of feeds, FeedBurner. The reasons are many, but the most important ones were to improve Google's analytics tools and to add a new medium for AdWords advertisers. "[FeedBurner's] web-based tools, including an extensive feed and blog advertising network, help publishers promote, deliver, and monetize their content on the Web and make feed-based content more accessible and manageable for its end users. (...) Google believes that feed-based content and advertising is a developing space where we can add value for users, advertisers and publishers." FeedBurner's team is optimistic and it doesn't seem to be scared by the fate of some of Google's acquisitions (like Measure Map, Dodgeball, JotSpot) that are barely visible right now: The fact is that there is an immense amount of work to do in order to a) continue to provide our customers with the best feed analytics, b) begin to provide a more comprehensive 360-degree view of audience and reach, and c) enable publishers to most efficiently determine the best ways to distribute and monetize their content. We like our chances. We are confident that we are going to be a part of the company that can best deliver the most comprehensive suite of services to publishers. We are confident that we're going to continue to have fun and innovate for customers as rapidly as possible. We are confident and hopeful that you'll look at your feed dashboard soon and say to yourself "Well, *that* was a good idea!" Moreover, Feedburner could provide a lot of useful information to Google Reader to filter the most popular/interesting/relevant posts and could enhance Blogger's feeds without having to Burn them at feedburner.com. If this isn't a good news for you and you're using FeedBurner, you can opt-out of allowing Google to get your data by sending an email to accountx(at)feedburner.com until June 15. "Opting out will terminate your user agreement with FeedBurner, permanently delete your FeedBurner account, feeds, and all related statistical data and history, and prevent the transfer of your data rights to Google." [Google Operating System] 8:52:18 PM

Imagination Lennon's "Imagine" Reworked Into Art. Recently London's PYMCA was host to an awesome exhibition on rave culture. Now, the British gallery will have another work on display having to do with music and art. This time it will pay homage to one of the biggest rock music legends ever. Yoko Ono and the John Lennon estate gave the green light to have Lennon's song "Imagine" reworked into an art piece. The print consists of a black canvas embossed with the imprint of the lyrics from "Imagine." It will be joining previous creations inspired by other acts including Primal Scream, Motorhead and Monty Python. Speaking to XFM, Airside, the infamous artists who created the artwork for Lemon Jelly, commented on the project, "It's sentiment is pure and to pollute the print with any sort of ink would somehow be wrong. Lennon is held up as quite a reverent figure so we wanted to reflect that. We had the idea to purely de-boss the print so that you get the lyrical context from the light falling onto the print." 100 prints will be made for purchase in three different colors, grey, blue and white. If you want to have one of these bad boys be ready to dish out 150 pounds. Each copy will be numbered and signed. It's Pop It's Art [The Tripwire] 8:23:54 PM

D Conference, Bancroft / Dow Jones Update Our Coverage Of The D Conference And Other Developments. Our editor and publisher Rafat Ali has been in Carlsbad these past couple of days, covering the the Wall Street Journal's "D Conference." Some of our coverage of D, and major announcements over the past couple of days: -- CBS Buys Last.fm For $280 Million -- FIM Acquires Photobucket; Adds Tool Site Flektor -- Apple Launches DRM-Less EMI Range At "iTunes Plus", Academic Partnership Too -- @ D: YouTube Now Embedded Into AppleTV -- eBay Acquires Browsing Tool StumbleUpon For $75 Million -- Bancroft Family Agrees Sale Of DJ. Here's the Timeline -- @ D: Viacom CEO Phillipe Dauman and Google CEO Eric Schmidt on the Viacom lawsuit. You can also watch the much talked about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs interview videos here at AllThingsD, but if you're on a crappy 256kbps connection like I am, try the transcript. Too bad they haven't enabled downloads. Gates and Jobs talk about times gone by, joking about the minuscule RAM available etc - and I'm wondering who'll be doing the same 10 years from now. What do you think? Eric Schmidt and...? Our complete coverage of D is here. All the photos from the conference on our Flickr stream here. By  (Nikhil Pahwa). [contentSutra.com] 7:45:42 AM