BOOM! NASA CAPTURES MASSIVE MOON EXPLOSION ON VIDEO

This NASA artist concept shows what the impact may have looked like.

It's a good thing you weren't standing on the moon's Mare Imbrium crater on March 17. You might have been ground into space dust. A meteoroid "the size of a small boulder" crashed into the lunar surface and exploded with a flash so bright, it was visible to the naked eye from Earth.

NASA has been keeping an eye on the moon for eight years, looking for explosions caused by meteoroids. The space agency has seen hundreds of detectable impacts, but none quite so spectacular as this one. "For about one second, the impact site was glowing like a fourth magnitude star," NASA says...

Read the full story here. Souce: CNET

YouTube App for iOS Now Supports Live Streaming

Google on Monday updated its Youtube app for iOS to version 1.3, which allows users to watch live streams right from their mobile device. Many users might be asking themselves where this was over the weekend, when YouTube was streaming Coachella, but better late than never. Right? There’s always next year, and plenty of other events this year when the new functionality will come in handy.

In addition to the headlining feature, the updated YouTube app also introduces minor fixes, including a My Subscriptions feed and support for queuing up videos for TV playback. Of course, the typical performance enhancements are also included in the update, too.

Ever since YouTube was booted from iOS, the app hasn’t exactly been a favorite standalone offering. And while there are alternatives out there, Google is at least slowly unraveling an experience on a par to what it offers on Android.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

YouTube lets you relive the old-school look of VHS -- in HD

Sure, watching YouTube videos in HD is great when you want clarity, but maybe you've been yearning for that grainy, tape-recorded look. Marking what's apparently the 57th anniversary of cassette-based video recording, the YouTube team has snuck a VHS tape-shaped button on select videos. Clicking it will the throw a filter over the content, providing a highly distorted and nostalgic feast for the eyes. There's no official list of compatible content, but the option seems to be available on most of the videos on YouTube's native channel. We have a feeling at least one VCR enthusiast will be quite pleased.

[Source: Engadget]

Blackmagic's Production Camera 4K gets full size cinema sensor, $3,995 pricetag

No matter how hard companies try and keep secrets, when it comes to trade show floors there's always the risk that someone will snap a picture and steal their thunder. The latest casualty is Blackmagic, which will be announcing both a Pocket Cinema Camera and this, its Production Camera 4K. We're fairly sure that this will sit above its Cinema Camera, offering a bigger Super 35 sensor, global shutter and Thunderbolt connector alongside the SSD recorder, touchscreen LCD and EF lens mount we found on last year's model. When the company gets around to announcing the hardware properly, it'll be available for $3,995 -- low enough to make even the most ardent of DSLR fans think twice.

[Image Credit: Danielo Garcia]

[Source: Engadget]

Vine now lets you embed your 6-second clips on Websites

Viners rejoice -- you can now embed your 6-second mini-movie masterpieces on Websites. The Twitter-owned service has just added the functionality, itannounced in a blog post.

If you want to give your movies a home on a site, you'll just have to enter some simple code. You can choose from three sizes: 320px, 480px, or 600px. Choosing the "simple" option will embed just the video, while the "postcard" one will retain the clip's original format, complete with text description and location.

Or you can embed your clip using the iOS app, which has just been updated to include the feature. Tap the ellipses in the bottom-right corner, then "Share this post", then "Embed". It might not work on all sites though, so best check before you start shouting about it too much.

Head to our US cousins' site and you'll see our very own Ken German's brief retrospective of old mobile phones. It's like a sped-up shuffle down memory lane.

Vine launched a couple of months ago, but is still only for iOS. Hopefully us Android users will get a version soon. It's been a massive hit though, with 6-second clips springing up everywhere. The new Wolverine film even had its very own trailer on the service. At least it didn't give away the whole story, like a lot of trailers.

If you fancy seeing what people are making vids of, a site called Vinepeek will give you a glimpse. It's pretty addictive viewing, though I don't want to be held responsible if anyone posts anything not safe for work. Viewer discretion is advised, as they used to say at the start ofWorld's Scariest Police Chases.

[Source: CNET]

Samsung Galaxy S4 second teaser video lands

Squee-bloop wheee-eee! Parp the Samsung Galaxy 4 teaser bagpipes, because there's a new official video heralding the coming of the year's most eagerly awaited new smart phone.

Continuing on from the first teaser, there's no sign of the phone itself, as a moppet bafflingly chosen to see the phone first attempts to hide it from prying eyes.

In the first episode, mop-topped Richie Rich-type rich kid Jeremy Maxwell was inexplicably handed the S4, peeking into a box that glowed with an eerie light.

Heading home, Jezzer encounters a curious ladychild and hides in his room for a closer look at the new device. "It's my favourite colour... it's unreal. Totally amazing!" coos the precocious phone-fondler. Are the Oreos a clue that the phone will come in black and white, as rumoured?

[Source: CNET - Click here to read more]

Google Now for iOS? Promo video appears, removed

Users of Android's recent editions have been exposed to Google Now, the "before you know you need it" search tool.

Google Now tries to look ahead at your schedule and physical location to let you quickly access the most relevant results -- traffic for your commute, flight schedules for your trips, local restaurant recommendations and the like. G-Now uses a card metaphor to pop the necessary info right onto your device screen with minimal intervention.

While Siri can handle quite a few of those search chores on iOS, she's not exactly the anticipatory type. SRI's recent Tempo calendar app gives you some of the same halo of savvy around your schedule, but you have to get cleared first (Tempo still has a waiting list several thousand users long).Google's own Field Trip app delivers location-based tidbits (local art, attractions, restaurants and more) as you move around, but it's not integrated into the main search tool.

There may be changes afoot. Engadget unearthed a promotional animated clip that seems to preview a version of Google Now for iOS; the original video appeared on YouTube and has since been removed. In style, content and narration the clip is entirely in line with Google's original promo for the Android launch of Google Now, which lends quite a bit of weight on the authentic side of the scale.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

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]

Google Glass maps, translation and more shown off in new vid

Google's futuristic 'Glass' eyewear is slowly but surely coming into focus, with the Big G releasing a new video that gives a clue as to how the space-age pince-nez will function.

In several scenes, real-time GPS is shown to be feeding maps data into the eyepieces of Glass wearers, so you can see where you are on a map while driving or cycling.

The video also suggests that commands are summoned by saying "OK Glass", which calls up more voice-activated commands, including "Google", "Take a picture" and "Record a video".

It seems you won't need your hands for photographical functions then, but the futuristic specs are also going to include touchpad controls, which may come in handy for more sophisticated tasks.

Translation is another touted feature, so you could use Google's voice search to demand instructions on how to say a word in French, for instance.

Google's original 'One Day' trailer for Google Glass was a lot more ambitious, featuring icons that bob in front of your eye and other high-tech treats that likely won't be available when Google Glass eventually goes on sale.

I think it's good to see the search giant talking in more practical terms about what its glasses will be capable of. A new site explains some of its features, and opens the doors to fans who want to be among the first to use the new technology, if you can impress Google with your combination of words, pictures and relevant hashtags.

Better still, it reveals that Google Glass will come in black, grey, white, blue and orange! Hooray for colours!

[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]

Vine for Twitter, and what it means for you on Android

There's no Vine app for Android just yet, but that doesn't mean you can escape its 6-second video onslaught

Twitter and Vine today announced that (1) Vine is now available for iOS devices and (2) has been purchased by Twitter. If you hadn't heard of Vine before today, we're not too surprised -- it's been in limited beta testing until now, and it's not available for Android. But, seeing as how all roads (eventually) lead to Android these days, we're taking a quick look at it here.

The oversimplified version is that Vine is to video what Instagram is to pictures. In actuality, it's a fairly simple app that lets you take up to 6 seconds of video that might well be mistaken for a really good animated gif. It doesn't have to be 6 consecutive seconds, though. You can do two 3-second clips strung together. Or three 2-second clips. Or, if you hate your friends, six 1-second clips.

You're going to start seeing a lot of these, even if there's no Android app.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

It Looks Like Twitter Wants People to Start Sharing Videos

Video-sharing startup, Vine, offers interesting service. Twitter buys Vine because it likes interesting service. And now Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is showing the service off, and how easy it is to share short video clips with your tweets. Is this the future of video on Twitter? It looks that way.

In October 2012, Twitter picked Vine up before it could launch its own standalone iOS app. Vine still is going to launch a standalone app, independent of Twitter, but it looks like the service is easily integrated so the two play nice. It doesn’t seem like integration goes any deeper than that, AllThingsD said. For now, the startup is going solo under Twitter’s watchful eye, allowing users to share clips up to six seconds.

No Vine launch date has been shared, but with Costolo teasing the functionality, it seems likely we’ll see an announcement sometime soon.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]