Samung Airs Another Galaxy S II Ad, This Time About Dual-Core

We know the Samsung Galaxy S II is a great and fast device. As a matter of fact, it's THE Android smartphone of the moment getting a full 5 out of 5 in our review which makes it the best Google-powered smartphone money can buy at the moment.

Samsung is continuing to maintain and build the momentum by outing yet another Samsung Galaxy S II ad. This time it is all about dual-core processing and how two channels can be faster than a single channel, nothing really new and groundbreaking here. But they have to keep it up in order to break that Galaxy S world record with the follow-up device. Check it out below:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q74pXDvlKzM

Song “Covers” Uploaded to YouTube Could Land You in Jail For Five Years

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82VtBxeJH3I

Beyonce lip-synching videos are in danger, people! Along with CathyMay15 s Boom Boom Boom and any other YouTube videos that could be contravening the law. If passed, US Senate bill 978 will make the internet a lot less fun.

It's obviously not the first time YouTube has come under fire for housing videos that flout copyright laws, but everyone's getting a little twitchy about this bill. Currently, it's only against the law to upload or reproduce (make a copy of) something copyrighted, like a TV show or a song, but if Congress amends the rulebook and includes performances, YouTube will have a lot of work on its hands, deleting contravening videos.

Website TruthOrTreason points out that the proposed bill also suggests punishment for those who distribute copyrighted performances. So if I were to post a video of CathyMay15 in this post, and more than 10 people view it, I personally could face five years in jail. Whoops.

Google takes on Facebook with the Google+ project

New social network announced by search giant

Google has just announced its new social networking platform, the Google+ project - its most blatant attempt at Facebook's throne to date.

Google+ is live now, as an invitation only "Field Trial", and the blog post announcing its arrival isn't shy in stating why this could be your social network of choice (without mentioning the F-word at all, you understand):

"The problem is that today's online services turn friendship into fast food - rapping everyone in 'friend' paper and sharing really suffers," it reads.

"It's sloppy. We only want to connect with certain people at certain times, but online we hear from everyone all the time.

"It's scary. Every online conversation (with over 100 'friends') is a public performance, so we often share less because of stage fright.

"It's insensitive. We all define 'friend' and 'family' differently - in our own way, on our own terms - but we lose this nuance online."

Ouch. Take that Zuck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwnJ5Bl4kLI

Google+ puts you in control of groups, called Circles, so as you can always control who sees what content that you put online.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeMZP-oyOII

The Big G is also aware that you may be boring you social networking pals by talking about subjects that do not really interest them. To solve this, it has created Sparks within Google+, where you can create groups of people and sections for specific interests.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRkAdTflltc

Hangouts looks like being the Google Skype killer that we'd heard rumoured. It allows you to join in a video chat with a group of your friends (no limit is stated - but the demo video shows a maximum of six people in one conference) all within the browser.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tku1vJeuzH4

Google+ doesn't forget Android either, there's location tagging and instant uploading of your pics on hand - as well as a group chat platform called Huddle.

In fact, the Google+ app is already in the Android Market - with a promise that it'll be App Store bound soon too.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA22daAstNg

As we said, it's invite only at the moment - although if your Gmail user, be on the lookout for one.

"Online sharing needs a serious re-think, so it's time we got started. There's just one more thing -really the only thing: You." the blog post reads.

"When your invite arrives we hope you'll join the project. But it's entirely up to +You."

You can ask Google to keep you updated on the invite front over at plus.google.com, or even take a tour of the platform's features. You'll need a Google ID mind.

We'd love to be a fly on the wall at Facebook HQ right now.....

Google+ or Google nonplussed? Let us know using the comments below.

Google Videos Application for Android Coming Soon?

Google announced its movie service at GoogleIO where the company and its service would allow for rentals through the Android Market. El Goog also promised device support and it appears that a Google Videos application has surfaced on the Android Market just to be quickly yanked.

The application was available for a short time in the Android Market but those who were lucky enough to grab it report that "it doesn't work on phones yet". While its appearance in the Market is a pretty solid indication of things to come there is no certain information about an availability date. Check out the video of the app in action below:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaOhLpsoCA0

Windows Phone 7 Mango Shown Off on HTC HD2 (Video)

We know that Windows Phone 7 Mango has been hacked over to the evergreen HTC HD2 and we even hope to see a public release sometime soon (probably even today) but until then there are a couple of videos to get you through the waiting.

Yes, Windows Phone 7 Mango is working on the HD2 even if there are currently some things that do not, like the Marketplace, search or HTML 5 rendering in Internet Explorer. Other than that, just take a look at the two demo videos below to see how the beloved Leo is handling Redmond's upcoming greatest:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq7le236lHI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDHicfHmb1M

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo unboxing video

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1ExT8QuBKM

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo gives you great photos every time thanks to its high-quality 8.1-megapixel camera. And when you want to talk face to face in a video call, there's a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The main camera lets you take advantage of face recognition, so everyone in the picture is in focus. There's also Exmor R technology, which is great for photos in even the lowest light. You won't find these features on the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY.

No Internet? No Problem: YouTube Getting Ready to Let You Watch Videos Offline, on Your Phone.

YouTube streams more than six billion hours of video a month. Soon it will let people watch some of those videos even if they're not connected to the Web.

Next month, Google's video site will let viewers save clips on their phones and other mobile devices for up to 48 hours, so they can watch them when they're not online.

The videos will still be free, and Google will run ads on the clips, which will be available via its mobile apps.

That's a big change for the eight-year-old company, which has previously required a live Web connection to watch its videos (though there are plenty of workarounds).

YouTube announced the move in a blog post published late last night, and started telling its partners about its plans via email, as well; YouTube said it will allow uploaders to opt out of the offline option.

The practical benefit for YouTube viewers is that they'll be able to watch videos in places where they've previously been unable to do so, like planes or cars.* This should presumably boost overall viewing for the site, which already generates more than a quarter of its views - that's more than a billion views a day - via mobile.

If so, that may put more pressure on YouTube's ad rates by opening up more inventory.

Here's the text of YouTube's post announcing the move:

We're always exploring ways to bring more viewers to your content. As part of this effort, later this year we'll launch a new feature on YouTube's mobile apps that will help you reach fans - even when they're not connected to the Internet.

This upcoming feature will allow people to add videos to their device to watch for a short period when an Internet connection is unavailable. So your fans' ability to enjoy your videos no longer has to be interrupted by something as commonplace as a morning commute.

This is part of our ongoing updates to give people more opportunities to enjoy videos and channels on YouTube mobile. Check out the YouTube blog when this launches in November for more details on how this will work for viewers.

* I'll check, but I don't believe the move is relevant to Google's Chromecast gadget, which is designed to work in conjunction with mobile devices, but which relies on an Internet connection to play content on your TV. UPDATE: That's correct.

HP Touchpad and Touchstone dock: first video look

After returning from a Vegas vacation, I found one last jackpot on my doorstep: An HP Touchpad and Touchstone wireless charging dock. Both are review units sent from HP, and the devices went on sale last week. This model is the 32 GB unit, which costs $599, while the optional Touchstone dock is an additional $79. In this video overview of the hardware, you can see similarities to Apple's iPad; although the Touchpad is thicker and weighs slightly more, it uses the same 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display as Apple's tablet.

When it comes to software, you might be reminded of Android tablets and the BlackBerry Playbook. But webOS stands on its own as well. The multi-pane email view is useful and I really like the Flipboard-like layout available in the Facebook application. Consumers interested in the Touchpad will have to make a software decision however: How long can they wait for a wide variety of third-party apps or are there enough top-tier titles to justify the Touchpad?

VIDEO: Google+ Don’t fight it

It will get you in the end

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC_M6PzXS9g

The Google+ revolution is inevitable. Don't try and fight it.

That's the message from the chaps at Epipheo Studios, the self-described "Crack Commando A-Team of the marketing world" who have come up with this (cheekily Google-styled) video about the new social network.

It weighs up the pros and cons of both Facebook and Google+ before the Social Media Guru prophesies a future dominated by the Big G's platform.

"You don't need to choose Google+," he says. "Sooner or later, you're going to end up using it."

And you know what, it's hard to argue with him.

Google+ or Facebook? What do you think

Symbian Belle gets eight minutes of hands-on fame (video)

Screen grabs ain't got nuthin' on this one. Just as we savor a full set of screenshots showing off Symbian Belle in all its glory, a YouTube video of the unannounced OS strolls onto the scene with eight minutes of footage. The successor to Anna is seen here on a Nokia N8, which could be a sign that at least some existing Symbian^3 devices will receive the update when it becomes available. The video exhibits several aspects of the new UI, such as the Android-style pull-down bar for notifications, a back button-based interface, a new virtual keyboard, and a new camera UI - all of which appear to be significant improvements over the platform's predecessors. If you have a few minutes to spare, dive past the break to get the full tour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWP2A7bEiFg

Amazon Cloud Drive Photos App Expands To Support Video Upload & Playback On Android

Amazon Cloud Drive Photos, the photo-uploading utility that helps move photos from a mobile device into Amazon's online storage, may have to change its name. Now, the tool doesn't just support photo uploads, it supports videos, as well. Videos can be manually uploaded one by one, or users can opt to have videos auto-save from their devices directly into Amazon's cloud.

This automatic upload option was already available for photos through an update out at the beginning of the year, but videos within Cloud Drive Photos had not yet been supported, whether manually or through the auto-upload feature within the application.

Amazon says that videos are restricted to 2 GB in size or 20 minutes in length, whether they're being uploaded or downloaded from the Cloud Drive service - that's slightly longer than YouTube's default setting ahead of account verification. This is fine for the majority of users' personal videos, of activities, pets, kids or events, for example, recorded on their mobile devices.

After the files are in Amazon's cloud, the video can be played back to any device, including, of course, the Kindle Fire and other Android tablets. According to a post on Amazon's Web Services blog about the technical underpinnings to the new feature, Amazon's Elastic Transcoder service was used, which supports over 20 file formats and 40 video codecs. The team says its goal was to have videos transcoded within 15 minutes after uploading, but ended up achieving videos that are often ready within a minute or two. They also went ahead and processed all the videos stored in Amazon users' Cloud Drive libraries ahead of launch.

Though the company offers a version of its Amazon Cloud Drive Photos app on iOS devices, too, only the Android version has received the video support at this time. That makes sense because not only is the Kindle and Android-based tablet, and therefore Amazon's priority, the Android app was also the first to launch, back in November 2012.

The iOS version didn't arrive until this May, and it serves as a viable alternative to Apple's own iCloud sync and storage service, with reasonable pricing of 5 GB for free, then $10/year for 20 GB, $25/year for 50 GB and so on, all the way up to 1,000 GB for $500/year. Keep in mind that the storage goes up so high not because users need so much space for photos (and now videos, too), but because Amazon Cloud Drive is meant to serve as a competitor to Google Drive or Dropbox, with support for a variety of file types, including office documents and music, which can also be streamed back through Amazon Cloud Player.

In other words, this isn't the first time users could upload videos to Amazon's cloud. This is just making it possible to do so within the Cloud Drive Photos application.

The updated Cloud Drive app is available now on Google Play and Amazon's Appstore.

The first Vine from space is a thing of wonder

HP Webcam HD 5210 lets you Skype in HD

If there's one thing great about technology, it's the ability to keep in touch with the people we care about even though they're thousands of miles away. We've come a long way since the introduction of 320 x 240 webcams (remember those days?) and now HD video calling is slowly becoming the standard. HP's latest entry to the webcam market, the HP Webcam HD 5210 is one such camera.

It allows 720p video streaming or recording in full 1080p HD (for you aspiring YouTube stars), so you can be sure that your videos will look top notch. An auto-focus lens and HP's TrueVision auto light exposure also help in that department. With software to help you perform one-click uploads to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr, sharing your videos isn't going to be a problem.

The camera's mount allows it to swivel up to 270 degrees, and two premium noise-cancelling stereo microphones onboard ensure your voice is heard. The HD 5210 can also take still photos with at 13-megapixels, and has 5x digital zoom in the event the need ever arises. The HP Webcam HD 5210 will be available on September 21^st with a price tag of $99.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntmFWLjcXIM

Adobe’s launching Flash Player 11, Air 3 bringing HD video and 3D gaming to all

While we've had access to Adobe's Flash Player 11 in beta form for months, the company announced it will finally get official, along with Air 3, next month. Among the many new features included are support for accelerated 2D and 3D graphics with a claimed 1,000 times faster performance than Flash Player 10 and Air 2. That's enough to enable "console-quality" gaming on both computers and connected TVs and on mobile devices (Android, iOS, Playbook) with a pre-release version of Flash 11 (a production release you can take on the go is expected in "the near future"). Other new options include allowing developers to package Air 3 along with their apps in a single install, HD video quality on multiple platforms including iOS, DRM for video rentals, 64-bit support and more. Check out Adobe's pitch to developers with a press release and demo videos after the break, including a look at the hit iPad game Machinarium which was built with its tools.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkoBcA_hDf4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqMCe4caFd8

Developer creates proxy server for Siri, controls thermostat with his voice (video)

Now that Siri's protocol has been freshly dissected and laid bare for the world to behold, hackers have been busy finding ways to move Apple's personal assistant beyond the realm of the iPhone 4S. That task may be getting easier, however, now that a developer has created his very own third-party proxy server, designed specifically for Siri. The dev, known by his Twitter handle @plamoni, demonstrated his brainchild in a recent video clip, using a plug-in to control a WiFi thermostat with only voice commands. As @plamoni explains, the hack won't require users to jailbreak their iPhone 4S, but it won't let them port Siri over to earlier iPhones or iPod Touch models, either - not yet, at least. The idea, according to the developer, is to make it easier for other hackers to experiment with and build upon Siri's functionality. Head past the break to see the demo video for yourself, or if you're up for it, grab the source code and instructions on how to create your own server, at the source link below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN6wy0keQqo

Google+ adds real-time search and hashtags

Google is rolling out an update for its Google+ social network that includes the addition of real-time search and improved hashtag support. The announcement came today in the form of a video with Google's engineering SVP Vic Gundotra introducing the new features himself. Both features aim to make Google+ more easily searchable and to make the results more timely and relevant.

Search capabilities were introduced to Google+ when it launched publicly last month and now with the addition of real-time search, results update automatically. In the video, the demo shows that just after your first search of a particular term, the results will ask whether you wish to update as new relevant results occur. Once you update, the results list will begin to automatically update. It also appears that you can pause this feature.

The improved hashtag support makes it easy for you to make a term in your status update searchable. By placing a hashtag in front of a word, it automatically turns that word into a link after you share the status update. When other users click on that link, it takes them to the search results page for that word.

Not everyone will get access to the features immediately, but be on the lookout as they are being rolled out starting today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beFP0REw3DM

Samsung video ads pitch the Galaxy Gear smartwatch as a fictional gadget come to life

Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Gear smartwatch last month, which connects to its Galaxy smartphone via Bluetooth and provides much of the functionality of an Android device without needing to actually touch your phone.

Instead of hyping up the practical functions of the smartwatch though, Samsung has chosen to market its smartwatch as a gadget imagined by fiction writers years ago that it has brought to life. The first Samsung Galaxy Gear ads are up on YouTube - and they're pretty cool.

One of the ads, 'Evolution' shows a series of prototypes of smartwatches from various sci-fi shows including Dick Tracy, The Jetsons, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Inspector Gadget, before morphing into the Samsung Galaxy Gear with the tagline: "After all these years, it's finally real."

The other ad, 'A Long Time Coming' shows scenes from various old-school sci-fi shows that feature characters speaking to their watches, before the Samsung Galaxy Gear finally makes its appearance to the tagline "The Next Big Thing is Here."

Both ads let you reminisce about a time when the idea of a smartwatch belonged only to fiction and touts the Galaxy Gear as bringing all these dreams alive. There's a bit of clever marketing that Samsung has done - and the Korean company probably needs all the creativity it can muster to sell the watch at its $299 price tag, considering that expectations for the device have been rather high, but reviews haven't been overwhelmingly positive.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Gear review: A $299 smartwatch that can't deliver an email... but I hated taking it off

Headline image via Sean Gallup/Getty Images

CAMERA NEWS & VIDEOS

CAMERA NEWS & VIDEOS

Must-watch: Nolan Bushnell on Atari, finding the next Steve Jobs and the future of learning

Atari’s founder Nolan Bushnell was one of the main attractions at Campus Party Brasil this year. In front of a numerous and admiring audience, he recalled the early days of video gaming, in which Atari undoubtedly played a central role.

His keynote was full of anecdotes, several of which involved his former employee Steve Jobs and his buddy Steve Wozniak, who gave Bushnell a chance to get one third of Apple for $50,000 (and yes, he infamously passed on that chance.)

It wasn’t all about the past, however; he also outlined the key elements of his upcoming book, “Finding the next Steve Jobs,” which focuses on what companies have to do to attract and retain creative talent.

Writing aside, Bushnell also explained that he is now busy trying to shape the future of learning with his new game-based education company, Brainrush, and its parent non-profit research arm Brainrush Labs.

The audience also showed curiosity when he mentioned Xaporia Studios, a concept that combines a game studio and a game college, and which could reportedly land in Brazil over the next two years.

Here’s the full video of his talk, which is well worth your time:

Disclosure: Campus Party paid for TNW's transportation and accommodation during the event.