Harlem Shake easter egg shows up on YouTube, shakes vids

Doesn't look like this Harlem Shake craze is going away any time soon. Always one to piggyback off the zeitgeist, Google has dropped its own Harlem Shake easter egg into YouTube -- head there, search for "Do The Harlem Shake" and listen to that infamous song start up.

Nothing much will happen right away, apart from the YouTube logo in the top left corner will start to shimmy. But as soon as the song gets going, the action begins…

All the screengrabs and corresponding text get shaken up as the key part of the song kicks in. And in true Harlem Shake style, they all do their own thing, with some throbbing, some shaking side to side, and the sidebar leaping up and down like an excited Jack Russell.

It worked perfectly in Chrome -- which is Google's own browser, so is hardly surprising -- but when I tried it in Safari I got only a taste of the full experience. The videos shook once, then stayed still until the end of the song. Which isn't much of a Harlem Shake. It could be something to do with Apple blocking older versions of Flash from Safari.

Google is fond of the odd easter egg. As well as its Google doodles, which regularly adorn its search engine home page, it occasionally drops in nuggets like this to its services like YouTube. "Do a barrel roll" is one that springs to mind -- type it into Google, and see what happens. (Fans of Star Fox 64 will know what I'm on about.) And then there was "Let it snow" a couple of Christmases ago, which did just that, sprinkling flakes down the screen like on a crisp winter's morn.

[Source: CNET]

Top 5 YouTube Alternatives

When I think Internet video, I think of YouTube. And to be honest, I'm more than confident that you do too.

Below, I have listed my top 5 YouTube alternatives.

1. Vimeo

Vimeo is a great video sharing website. Personally, I find that the videos that are uploaded to Vimeo are of a higher quality than the videos on YouTube. The creators aim for a higher quality, and normally more creative too.

2. Blip.tv

Blip.tv is more tailored towards web series. Blip.tv offers you access to a wide variety of comedies, dramas, comedies, arts, sports and other shows.

3. Veoh

Veoh is an Internet television company that allows users to find and watch major studio video content. It's not very well known. But it does let you upload substantial sized videos.

4. Viddler

Viddler is focused on the business side of video rather than the adverage customer. It's main aim is to build your company brand. It has a great analytics tool and you can customize your video player. Because Viddler is made for businesses, it does have a few payment plans.

5. yfrog

yfrog is famous for being a photo sharing website for Twitter. However, did you know that is also allows you to upload short videos too? yfrog is great for taking a short video, then sharing it to your Twitter followers.

What do you think about this top 5? What's your favourite video sharing website? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image Credit]

YouTube channel coming to on demand Freesat party in March

Google's signed a deal to bring YouTube to Freesat, liberating users of the subscription-less service from the tyranny of needing an additional device. The BBC / ITV joint venture already has 60-odd channels and has now sold over 3 million boxes to 1.7 million viewers, who will be able to access the official YouTube addition through the main programming guide by the end of March. While details are scant, it'll presumably join ITV's player and the BBC iPlayer in the on-demand channel list, which require a compatible Freesat box (see coverage link below) and an internet connection. We're not sure how it'll look in the final guide, but the fanciful image above shows our best guess.

[Source: Engadget]

Will Viewers Pay Subscriptions to Watch YouTubers?

Rumours have it that later this year, YouTube will start charging for paid subscriptions. Sources say that YouTube is already meeting with some big channels to gather ideas, such as Machinima and Fullscreen. If all of the rumours are valid, then YouTube will probably launch their new product sometime during Spring or Summer 2013.

YouTube would initially probably only launch twenty five paid channels. A Google spokesperson said

"We have long maintained that different content requires different types of payment models. The important thing is that, regardless of the model, our creators succeed on the platform. There are a lot of our content creators that think they would benefit from subscriptions, so we are looking at that.”

How much will it cost to pay for a subscription? Just like all rumors, we can't confirm anything. However, the general hypothesis is that each channel would cost $1.00 - $5.00 for you to watch. If you convert that into GBP, we're looking at something around £0.60 - £3.50 per paid subscription.

If YouTube does introduce paid subscriptions, I would like to see some additional features such as the ability to download for offline viewing.

Will you pay to watch YouTuber videos? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

YouTube Capture now supports 1080p uploads, Google Currents goes 2.0 on iOS

Updates to both YouTube Capture and Google Currents on iOS have just hitCupertino's App Store, bringing with them a handful of functionality and UI updates. Mountain View bumped YouTube Capture to version 1.1, adding support for 1080p uploads, improved audio syncing, detailed upload feedback and a grab bag of bug fixes and stability enhancements. If you're feeling particularly chatty after hamming it up for the camera, the refreshed app now allows for sharing to social networks. As for Google Currents, the latest update brings it to the two-dot-oh milestone with a number of UI upgrades. A new sidebar sorts editions by category for easy access and fresh controls let users swipe vertically to scan an edition or horizontally to skip to the next one. A brand-new catalog design, breaking stories from Google News and the ability to save articles by labeling them with stars round out the overhaul. Hit the source links below to give the revamped experiences a spin.

[Source: Engadget]

Psy’s Gangnam Style YouTube Earnings Top $8 Million

Psy’s hit pop song Gangnam Style has reportedly made more than $8 million from YouTube alone. The clip is already the most watched video on the service; it earned that title back in November when the song topped a hit from Justin Bieber. The news was made official by Google’s chief business officer Nikesh Arora following Google’s fourth quarter 2012 earnings, which were published after the markets closed on Tuesday evening.

The video currently sits with more than 1.23 billion views. To clarify a bit, Psy himself doesn’t keep the entire lot of cash. Instead, Psy and his recording partners probably took home about $4 million, Quartz said, while Google pulled in the remaining $4 million. Still, the math suggests that Psy and Google pull in a combined $0.65 per view at this point, Quartz noted.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

More Details on Geekanoids 2013 Content

About a week or so ago I started talking about the new content that will be coming to The Geekanoids Channel. Well, half of the story is almost ready to share. We have been investing in new equipment, which is now in the studio and in place. The results are looking very good.

As a trial, three videos have been recorded. The first of which will be shown mid-next week. The review incorporates the usual in-depth look at the product being tested. However, in addition, we have some special footage cut into the edit which will give you even more detail about the product. I won't give you any 100% spoilers here, but would like to say that it looks really good. Not every product will be treated to this special footage, only those that warrant it. In addition, since shooting these three trial videos, another piece of equipment arrived so further improvements can be made for future videos.

Geekanoids has now been publishing videos for six years and we always endeavour to improve the content year-on-year. This is just one step we have taken. Plenty more funds throughout 2013 will be invested to ensure that you get superb videos to both inform & entertain you.

The second half of the Geekanoids 2013 story is still in planning. Be sure to check back on the channel and of course the website regularly so you are the first to know the big news.

Google bringing YouTube Android app pairing, updated UI to more TVs

Google updated its YouTube app for Android back in November to allow for pairing with TVs equipped with Google TV, and it looks we'll soon be seeing quite a few more sets ready to work with your smartphone or tablet. The company confirmed today that new TVs from Bang & Olufsen, LG, Panasonic and Sony will be making their debut at CES, with additional sets and set-top boxes coming from Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, Western Digital and others over the course of 2013. In related news, Google's announced that its new UI for YouTube on TV -- previously seen on the Wii U and PlayStation 3 -- will also be featured on those new devices, offering full 1080p videos and a fairly minimalist interface.

[Source: Engadget]

Geekanoids … 2013 and Beyond

As you may be aware, we have been bringing you videos since 1996 and it has been a fun ride. However, whilst we are on our video rollercoaster we do not sit still. For example, 2012 saw the introduction of some new test shows, a new AV Editing Suite Series, a new editor to this very website (hello Dale) and becoming part of the awesome Base79 network.

You might think that is enough… well rest assured 2013 sees the channel going from strength-to-strength with a new kind of video footage, something that I personally have not seen a lot of online. This news update is going to start to sound like a right teaser, so I will not give away any spoilers here, other than to say that you will thoroughly enjoy the forthcoming videos and reviews. They will give you an insight into each product that will certainly show you how much effort the manufacturer has put into the design & build quality stage… enough said, all will be revealed toward the middle of January.

As the Geekanoids Channel continues to grow, I would like to thank all our viewers, new and old and also reach out to ask you to tell everyone you know about the channel. The more the merrier. Have an awesome New Year everyone.

YouTube launches Capture iOS app for smartphone shooting straight to the web

You might want to file this under the "why didn't we have this in 2010" category, but Google just announced a new app that'll let you fire off that smartphone camcorder and boot your videos straight to the YouTubes Curiously, the appropriately named YouTube Capture app is only available for iPhone and iPod touch at the moment -- an Android version is set to launch "in the future" -- and it should be hitting the App Store sometime today. You can shoot video directly from within the new tool, then add a caption, select to send links to Google+, Facebook or Twitter, and hit Share to upload it directly to YouTube. You can also select from private, unlisted or public sharing options, depending on your intended audience. That's about it -- a very straightforward addition to Google's app portfolio.

[Source: Engadget]

YouTube pushes new UI for tablets via its mobile website, Android app

As we should all understand by now, YouTube is constantly changing its look. The latest versions of Google's video streaming juggernaut to be refreshed are its experiences for tablets. The Android app has a brand new UI for 10-inch slates, and if you prefer the mobile website to its apps, you'll see the fresh look popping up there as well. Just like the changes to its site layout pushed to all a few days ago it brings the guide feature, promising easy access to subscribed channels. As YouTube continues to pick up higher profile content to show subscribers, it's no surprise the new changes are intended to funnel viewers there. Check out the new updates and let us know if you think they're for the better.

[Source: Engadget]

YouTube takes to the skies with Virgin America content deal

Admittedly, we're more likely to hit up YouTube for its hilarious and bizarre amateur content than to pop in on one of those well-funded Original Channels, but that won't necessarily be the case going forward. Several of the site's original programming venues will soon be available through Virgin America's in-flight entertainment system -- "H+ The Digital Series," "Blue," "Written by a Kid," "Crash Course" and "The Key of Awesome" are expected to hit aircraft beginning December 15th, according to Variety.

[Source: Engadget]