AP - Bank of Hawaii says it's come up with a way to generate more business for its clients.

Live video streaming on the web is becoming more and more popular, and for news organizations and brands who don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars a day for a satellite truck there is another option. At SXSW, Kyte is going to release a new product called Kyte LivePro Unwired with Spin magazine.

LivePro is a computer in a backpack connected to six data cards all uploading live video at the same time, balancing the load across three different carriers (Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon). It is made by LiveU and Kyte will be reselling it to its larger customers. (LiveStream uses the same technology in its Livepack).

Kyte CEO Daniel Graf came by my office the other day to show me the technology (see video below). It is incredible that a backpack can now replace a satellite truck. You won’t get HD quality, but you can get broadcast-TV quality, and it is certainly better than uploading video from your mobile phone, which Kyte also allows. He says that typical livestreaming rates with the backpack are 700 kilobits to 1 megabit per second.

Some customers using Kyte’s online video platform include Fox News, MTV, and Calvin Klein. Graf says Kyte is now streaming 100 million videos a month across its network, up from 50 million last summer.

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Macworld.com - TeamViewer already offers a remote control and desktop sharing program for desktops. Now the software maker wants to go mobile, with a similar offering for iPhone and iPod touch users that lets them access and control remote computers from their handheld mobile device.

CBC - The family of a missing Moncton woman is offering a $25,000 reward for information that helps find her.

Burnley manager Brian Laws believes Stoke are a "perfect model" for newly-promoted clubs.

When Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) first became a father, his health insurance company refused to pay for the birth of the child, and Grayson had to pay $10,000.

Grayson told the House that story Tuesday during an impassioned and personal speech urging fellow lawmakers to support legislation that would allow Americans to buy into Medicare. Grayson introduced a four-page bill Tuesday that would make that a possibility. He asked would-be opponents to grant Americans the option to buy into the same health care plan that the federal government already offers.

Grayson: Isn't it time that we finally did something good for America? Isn't it time that we gave all Americans the right to buy into a public plan like this? Isn't it in fact past time that we did something like that and what's the harm? I say to those people on the other side of the aisle, if you don't want to buy into the public option, that's fine. But don't prevent me and my family and the ones who I love from doing the same. Let us have our alternative. And remember, remember what you said so many times before. You say the government can't do anything right. Well let's see. Let's see right now. Let's let people buy into the public option, this bill. WATCH:

Qatar-based developer, Barwa Real Estate Co, has said it has submitted its official offer to acquire Doha-based Qatar Real Estate Investment Co (Alaqaria). Shareholders of the two companies will be given the opportunity to vote on the proposed transaction when they hold separate meetings in Doha on March 30. Qatari Diar, the largest shareholder in both companies, would maintain a 45% share in the enlarged Barwa company through a contribution of land in the Lusail area, set to become an education and medical district.

A new study by Comscore will be released on Wednesday that may give hope to social gaming startups trying to monetize users. 35% of the survey respondents said that they engage in “marketing actions” to earn virtual currency (such as watching a video, filling out a survey, etc.), and 53% said they be willing to consider marketing action for currency if given the choice.

The study was conducted by Comscore, sponsored by Offerpal, and included responses from 799 Comscore panelists who play games on social networks at least once per month. 54% of panelists play games at least daily.

This is good news for game developers who’ve had their monetization choices somewhat fenced in over the last few months. Gamers 25-34 are the most likely to earn virtual currency for marketing actions, according to the study – 71% of panelists in that age group said they are “very likely” to consider this.

The study also showed that about 30% of panelists don’t have the ability to pay cash for virtual currency. But more than half of all panelists, including a majority of those that can pay cash and a majority of those that cannot pay cash, were willing to consider marketing actions.

The bottom line of the study is that even users who have the ability to pull out their wallet want options when it comes to social games. And as long as they don’t get scammed along the way, we’re just fine with it. Watch a video in exchange for Zynga points? That’s a better deal than the credit card.

Millions of web users across Europe are being asked by Microsoft if they want to continue using its Internet Explorer (IE) or change to another browser.

And when we say "brief glimpse," we mean "barely a glimpse's worth." It's, like, a half-glimpse -- almost a peek. But, we digress. In the sixth episode of its third season, The Jace Hall Show toured Jace's old stomping grounds: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The publisher currently has an unannounced FPS in the works and Hall was allowed to show approximately five seconds of the game. You can check it out around the 15-minute mark in the video past the break. [Via Big Download]

Continue reading Jace Hall Show offers brief look at unannounced Warner Bros. shooter

Jace Hall Show offers brief look at unannounced Warner Bros. shooter originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AP - A Cuban dissident on a 13-day hunger strike to demand the release of ailing political prisoners has refused a Spanish offer of asylum, saying on Tuesday that he is determined to continue with his protest until he dies.

Tweetie for Mac is the newest bonus edition to the MacHeist nanoBundle 2, which gives Mac users an opportunity to buy a variety of software for a discounted price. Additionally, buyers will also get early access to the pre-public beta for Tweetie 2 for Mac, plus a free upgrade to Tweetie 2 once it is released. When Loren “Atebits” Brichter released Tweetie 2 for the iPhone last fall, one of the biggest new features in the app was that it was completely rewritten in such a way that the desktop version of Tweetie for Mac and the iPhone version could share the same codebase. From a development standpoint, that means that adding new features to both apps would be easier and more streamlined.

Tweetie for Mac is still a great Twitter client — especially for users like me who like to avoid Adobe AIR whenever possible — but it has grown a bit long-in-the-tooth, when compared with either its iPhone counterpart or some other newer Mac alternatives. That’s why getting early access to Tweetie 2 for Mac is so compelling. It’s a nice rejoinder to fans who have wanted to get updates on the status of Tweetie for Mac, while also offering up some promotion for the new version in the process.

One note about how MacHeist works: Users get licenses for most apps immediately upon purchase, but some apps have an “unlock” number that needs to be reached before serials are given out. Now, this is largely a marketing technique (I’ve never seen any MacHeist that didn’t end with all apps being unlocked for all buyers), but you might not get your Tweetie for Mac license until tomorrow afternoon (or whenever the “magic” number of sales hits).

MacHeist is $19.95 for eight apps (including Tweetie for Mac), plus you can get three other apps for free by taking part in a MacHeist “Tweetblast.” The sale runs through tomorrow night and the Tweetie 2 alpha preview is expected to start sometime next month.

What is your favorite Twitter client for Mac?

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Reviews: Twitter, adobe AIR, tweetie

Tags: apple, mac apps, mac software, macheist, software, tweetie, tweetie 2 for mac, tweetie for mac

In December Kimberly Wyatt publicly stated, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be involved with the Pussycat Dolls even if it’s helping with choreography or creative direction.” Of course, last week she officially quit the burlesque pop troupe. But that isn’t slowing Kim down from scratching away at her own musical ambitions.

After the jump: hear Wyatt’s rockin’ declaration of independence “Not Just A Doll,” as well as “Candy,” a new tune from London rapper Aggro Santos that she appears on.

Kimberly Wyatt - Not Just A Doll

“Just be this way and act this way, talk this way, I won’t do all that,” Wyatt rebelliously sings on “Not Just A Doll.” What, she didn’t like being told what to do as part of a corporate, manufactured pack of singing strippers? Geez. Don’t bite the hand that keeps the pole shiny, Kim.

Late last week Wyatt posted the following video on YouTube, where she says, “Despite anything you may have heard, I have absolutely loved being a part of the Pussycat Dolls for quite some time. I love absolutely each and every one of the girls.”

Oh, the contradictory nature of a pussycat. Here’s UK MC Aggro Santos’ upcoming single “Candy,” which features Kimberly Wyatt.

Meanwhile, Robin Antin released this statement yesterday:

“Some of the girls who have shared the stage and spotlight with Nicole are ready to begin artistic journeys of their own and I support them completely. And so, too, must I keep moving forward. I am happy to announce the creation of a new Pussycat Dolls, with Nicole Scherzinger continuing on as lead singer. We hope all our fans will join us on a journey that will prove to be a once-in-a-lifetime dream for many girls around the world. So… get ready for the new, hot, sexy, talented Pussycat Dolls!”

Well, good luck with that. Here’s hoping the new Dolls can lap-dance the charts with just as much skill.

Heart Internet, a leading web hosting and reseller hosting company based in the UK, are offering monthly contracts exclusively for their dedicated server reseller customers.

Something sweet happened in my house recently and I thought I ought to share it. We were watching pictures on Television of the disaster that recently hit Bududa district leading to the loss of an estimated 300 people.

Just recently we covered Superspeed USB 3.0 peripherals by Belkin and Solid State Drives by SanDisk and today we shall preview a similar technology by Buffalo.

A mathematical model can predict complex signaling patterns that could help scientists determine how stem cells in an embryo later become specific tissues, knowledge that could be used to understand and treat developmental disorders and some diseases.

The Washington, D.C.-based Hitachi Foundation is offering $50,000 to six young entrepreneurs who have created a new company in the past five years that's not only producing revenue but giving low-wealth Americans a leg up. The foundation’s Yoshiyama

Wired broadband is all well and good, but significantly more high-speed internet access is going to come via wireless over the next several years, and everyone involved -- the carriers, the CTIA, and the FCC -- knows that it's going to be a technical challenge to meet that reality. Spectrum is one thing, but the bytes need somewhere to go once they hit the towers; that's where backhaul comes into play. AT&T and T-Mobile have both recently pimped fiber upgrades that should significantly widen the tubes connecting cell sites to the backbone, but they aren't going it alone: cable companies see the writing on the wall, too, and are looking to backhaul for a profitable new line of business. It turns out that Time Warner Cable tripled its backhaul revenue last year alone and is said to be making a heavy push to sign new deals with both AT&T and Verizon; AT&T, of course, has famously had trouble keeping its 3G network humming smoothly in Manhattan over the last 18 months as an endless barrage of iPhones slam it, so TWC probably sees this as a clutch opportunity since they basically own the cable market in New York. For its part, AT&T won't discuss its backhaul deals -- but it's told us in recent months that it has a backhaul advantage over some of its competitors since it operates a huge DSL business, so it's hard to gauge exactly how much benefit AT&T could reap by taking TWC up on its offer. Now, if Time Warner had some spectrum it wanted to offload, that'd be another matter altogether.

Time Warner Cable offering its tubes to AT&T, Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As gaming on social network grows by leaps and bounds, there’s been a proliferation of startups that are helping game developers monetize by offering virtual currency deals in conjunction with advertisers. Offerpal, gWallet, Cherry Deals and others all partner with both developers and advertisers to offer virtual currency deals within games. Today, Boomerang Networks is entering the arena with its newly launched offer platform, Offerwall, which offers users the ability to rate and review virtual currency offers.

As more users participate in clocking and buying into the deals, good offers float to the top and bad offers are kicked off the system. Users can rate each advertising offer, giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down. Based on their experience, users can also write reviews and comments, which are then visible to the game’s entire community of users. Offerwall’s algorithm that sets the order in which advertising offers are displayed, allowing popular offers to rise to the top and unpopular or poorly related offers to be eliminated all together. If the user gives a thumbs down to an advertising offer, that particular offer, as well as similar offers, are never presented to that user again.

Similar to gWallet, Offerpal and others, Offerwall promises to avoid distributing spammy offers by employing a direct sales team that works with advertisers directly. Offerwall is also targeting international markets for its in-game offers and can be translated into all major languages including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Russian. Boomerang has also built partnerships with international payments providers, tailoring payment options to the region where the deals are being offered. At launch Offerwall is being used by 50 game applications, including BarnBuddy from TheBroth and MouseHunt by HitGrab.

As more players enter the virtual currency space, startups are developing innovative ways to make their offers more attractive. Offerpal recently launched Offerpal Tasks, gWallet just launched a new placement format for offers and Cherry Deals offers Groupon-like local deals to earn virtual currency. Offerwal’s international strategy and user-reviewed and rated format could help separate the startup from its rivals.

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