NEW APP:
FACEBOOK LIVE

Facebook has just launched a live-streaming channel with a new app called Facebook Live.

It's a channel dedicated to the happenings of the social networking company as opposed to a platform for others - unlike Livestream that offers live video features for Facebook pages.

Facebook Live is your window into what’s new at Facebook- really designed to provide us details about what's happening at the company's headquarters.

Basically, it is a PR channel for the company. According to a representative, Facebook Live is a natural extension of their blog and a way to communicate with users directly.

Celebrity guests will stop by the company’s headquarters, demos of new features from employees will be on display and we will learn of special events taking place.

Like the recently launched Facebook Stories, Live appears to be another way for the company to drum up some positive publicity for itself, and to open another channel of communication between the network and its users.

STATE-OF-THE-ART:
COCA-COLA FREESTYLE


Coca-Cola's new Freestyle machines are redefining business intelligence.

It is a hot a new item available for use now in several Southern California restaurants.

A state-of-the-art futuristic touch screen has the potential to create 100 different drinks. It allows you to choose a base flavor (Coke, Sprite etc.) and infuse it with other flavors like grape or strawberry. It offers Coca-Cola company’s 104 flavors.

The idea is to have these machines set up in restaurants to increase the variety and to help Coca-Cola understand regional tastes and purchasing behavior.

It works with RFID-enabled “microdosing” flavor dispensers (what kid wouldn’t want to get his hands on one of those?), and a private Verizon uplink that runs Microsoft mobile software and loads data into Coca-Cola’s Atlanta SAP point of sale and Business Warehouse software.


Coca-Cola is reported to be secretly building the machines in its own plant instead of farming production out as usual.

The choices are reviewed and allows the company to create new drinks as per our tastes as it gets insight that will help bring new products to market and exploit regional preferences.

NEW SMARTPHONE:
BLACKBERRY TORCH


The BlackBerry Torch 9800, has both the touch screen and slide-out keyboard and as you know is now for sale at $199.00.

It's not that Canadian based Research in Motion, the owner of BlackBerry, has taken so long, it's that the pace of innovation in the industry has increased.

Apple is on a yearly schedule for major updates, and Google launches a new version of Android every few months.

Research in Motion Co-founder and Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis says they've learned a lot since their earlier Storm phone.

"What we learned is that people like touch screens, that’s the number one thing. We also learned that they love the way they can interact with their blackberry information so the push email's there, the security’s there, the access to content, everything was there. The other thing is…that one of the things we had to do was to make sure that we seamlessly integrated not just the touch screen technology but also the precision navigation as well as the keyboard and that really rounded out the experience. You get really a fully integrative experience with the Torch."

Recent news that the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will not allow BlackBerries since Research in Motion (RIM) isn't giving them access to security information has people questioning - how exactly is our information kept?

The first line of defense is encryption, a system that scrambles the text then unscrambles when it reaches their destination. Your message will show up as scrambled if someone takes them in between. Each individual user has a key that scrambles and unscrambles their data that no one, even RIM itself, can access from the outside.

BlackBerry also stores data from the phones on secure servers that the company itself owns. The United Arab Emirates wants them built in their countries so they can peek if they feel they are threatened.

So how is data from other phones stored?

Apple, among others, leaves it up to wireless providers or clients to manage data. Often, that means the data gets stored “in the cloud” - a network of data centers that quietly secure and process information, from all over the world.

That doesn't mean that data isn't safe. Apple also promotes the strong encryption for data sent on its phones and lists other security features such as the ability to remotely wipe data from the phone if it falls into the wrong hands and its ability to work with companies' private networks.

Bottom line. Yes, the government CAN get to your data.

As BlackBerry comes out with this phone - can it really harness the cool factor just as Mac has?

Mike Lazaridis thinks so. He explains that BlackBerry has always stayed true to their values and the things that really make BlackBerry special such as the security and the instantaneous push delivery. BlackBerry’s simple application BBM has taken the world by storm.

Here are some interesting stats:

There are currently about 12 million potential BlackBerry deserters in the United States alone. More than half of BlackBerry owners say they will pick something other than a BlackBerry when they upgrade to their next phone - that something would likely be an iPhone or other smartphones

ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION:
G-BIKE


The new way to get around these days for short hauls or at the cottage: the G-Bike

It made its world debut here in LA at the Fred Segal store.

They are now the cost-effective and stylish way to get around. It is a fusion between a scooter and a bicycle.

It has so many great features: ecologically friendly, easy to operate, zero emission, elegantly designed and fully electric.

The G-Bike runs up to 35 miles per 4-8 hour charge and at a maximum speed of 20mph.

No insurance or license or registration required.

The cost: $1,100 US.

It's available in seven colors. Here in LA it’s available at Fred Segal.

If you're interested visit www.shopgbike.com

HIGH TECH GADGET:
PAUSE AND PLAY RADIO


Pause and Play radio is nowexpanding.

Already a feature on some of General Motors’ higher-end vehicles like the Buick LaCross and Cadillac CTS, it will now be introduced on the Regal and Chevrolet Cruze. Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac SRX do not have the feature.

Pause and Play radio lets drivers or passengers stop a live broadcast, even on XM or Sirius, and they can record up to 20 minutes of it on an embedded hard disk, and play it back later. 

It also works when the car is off. For example, a driver could pause the radio, shut off the car, fill up at a gas station, get back in, and resume listening to the hockey game or talk show where it was left, without missing all that time in the middle.

It's fantastic!

STATE OF THE ART:
FLYING CAR


The Jetsons predicted that we'd have them by at least 2062, and Back to the Future promised them to us by 2015. It turns out that reality may, for once, outpace fiction.

A flying car is set to debut in 2011.

A small, privately held company called Terrafugia has recently gained FAA approval for its roadable aircraft (i.e., flying car). Dubbed The Transition, the flying car takes the notion of driving a hybrid to a whole new level.

CEO Carl Dietrich says it features a car-like look, with traditional headlights and even a license plate holder. It can drive down the road legally, park in a single car garage and even gas up at a normal gas station.

It brings convenience to a whole level to the private pilot or to the person who’s wiling to become a private pilot in order to have a vehicle like this.

Other new fixtures include an improved wing that folds up with a touch of a switch like in a convertible car, and a futuristic touch screen interface in the cockpit.

It gets about 35 miles per gallon on the road and about 490 miles per full tank in the air!

The concept is for users to be able to drive it from their own garage to a nearby airport, allowing for independent, convenient travel.

At the very least, it would help drivers bypass those annoying airport wait times.

The Transition is expected to start selling late next year.

Price: $194,000

For more information visit www.terrafugia.com

TECH TREND:
LIFECASTING


Now turning to a tech trend expected to get big within a year: 'lifecasting'.

If you are getting a 4G iPhone you are about to join the lifecasting trend, that is, streaming a live video from your cell to the world without the usual video hiccups and complex setup.

Why the trend is important? YouTube videos are static. They capture a fleeting moment, but not as it happens in real-time. Lifecasting is a continual broadcast of events as it happens and now that the 4G iPhone can video conference, you too will be part of the life-casting trend.

NEW ON YOUTUBE:
LEANBACK


Now turning to YouTube's newest feature: Leanback.

Leanback is a buzzword used to describe television watching and console gaming.

Leanback is like a video version of the free music service Pandora. You click on a video and, based on your choice, Leanback will automatically choose another similar video. The more videos you watch, the better Leanback can "predict" what you like.

Ultimately, it's a customizable channel.

Why the name Leanback? Think about it. When you're on the computer, you lean forward over the keyboard and the mouse toward the monitor, compare this with TV, where you lean back!

YouTube recently invested $5 million for indie directors who would like to get their directing on the site.

Google announced Google TV earlier this year, which will have to be successful for Leanback to really take off.

Apple is rumored to be revamping its Apple TV, internet content player Boxee is coming out this November, and a slew of other rivals are also jostling for Web-TV dominance.

MOVIE TREND:
3-D HOME TV SETS


Now you can get a 3-D TV set for your home....Panasonic full HD 3D Home Entertainment system the kids in Japan have been going crazy over for the last month or so.

Consisting of a 50-inch Viera VT20 HDTV, a BDT300 Blu-ray Disc Player, and but one pair of Panasonic 3D Active Shutter glasses, the total price is $2900 US - but if you plan on having company over you'll need to pick up additional pairs of 3D eyewear for $150 US each. As you well know, Panasonic is due to start sponsoring free 3D programming to DirecTV HD customers starting in June, so if you're not set up with the service you might as well add that to your shopping list. PC Magazine braved the stampede to check out the scene in Manhattan, so hit the source link to see the pics. As for us, we're going back to watching Snowboard Academy on VHS, as we do every time one of its stars has fallen.

COMPUTER TREND: TABLETS


Now turning to the recent CES - Consumer Electronics Trade Show in Las Vegas in January 2010. More than 2,500 exhibitors showed off 20,000 new products. Contrary to what you'd think, CES is more about behind the scenes deals between companies than a big press event. The big buzz surrounded devices converging and becoming more mobile, such as mobile televisions in your living room where you can listen to music, switch on and off your lights, and browse your computers. Also making headlines are tablets. They are going to be big this year! A tablet is a very small computer that has a touch interface like a smartphone. The U1 from Lenovo is a favorite pick. It fits onto a keyboard that is a separate computer and can be attached to your computer keyboard.

FACEBOOK: NOW A VERB


Now turning to new trends for 2010 when it comes to marketing ourselves. Facebook seems to be replacing personal email, especially for the younger generation. Facebook has become increasingly used as a verb (e.g. "I Facebooked you today") in ways that Hotmail and Gmail never were. It'll be interesting to see the extent to which it will displace personal email as a communication tool. It's already completely 'permission' based, there is no spam (yet), and no address book required, your friends are already there.

TREND:
TWITTER LOCATION


Now moving on to the latest in Twitter news. They unveiled a new tool to share 'tweeting' locations, a feature that can let the world know your whereabouts. The new tool is optional to Twitter users – giving them the opportunity to include their location in their 'tweet' statuses. (My g-d, this language is confusing). Locations will not be included unless users turn on the 'tracking' tool. Twitter launched this new feature in response to the growing popularity of services like Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt, that broadcast people's location. Facebook is expected to jump on the 'tracking' bandwagon soon. It could be a useful business tool, helping Internet services sell more advertising to companies looking to sell products and services in certain neighborhoods at a specific time. People on Twitter often already share their locations in their tweets, but that wastes space in their limited 140-character space. This tool poses risk, and Twitter advises all users to be very careful. A site called Rob Me Please was recently launched and reminds users that burglars can use the location information to help pinpoint when nobody is home.

APP NEWS: BOINK


There is now an app for finding someone who is your sexual match!

It's called BOINK, and it will test how sexually compatible you are with another iDevice user on the go.

You spell out the ideas of what sexually attracts you to someone else and then you list things that turn you on.

Once that's done, you go near someone who has the same app, and BOINK will tell you if you are sexually compatible.

The reviews for this app have been pretty negative mostly because you need another person with the app for it to work… It takes two to BOINK!

APP NEWS:
LIFEFORCE, "IBABY"


There is now an app for those planning to get pregnant and considering in-vitro fertilization.

It's called iBaby and it's from a company called LifeForce.

It's the first interactive virtual fertility aid and it's now being used worldwide.

The new software offers in-depth fertility consultations via the iPhone cutting down the cost of expensive private clinics in some countries, but more so to cut down on the number of visits just to get information.

This app has it all for you.

Learning about IVF is an education and often it's hard to absorb all the information. People call the doctors back several times asking follow-up questions or asking something they didn't quite understand the first time.

With this app, it's all there, for your records, so you can go back time and time again.

In the future, some doctors think this app could be used for so much more medically – such as information on screening for cardiac arrhythmias or measuring blood sugar levels.

iBaby takes a few minutes to download and costs $6.99 US.

E-READERS: THE VOOK


There is a new trend when it comes to reading: The Vook

It's a video book: you can read it and you watch it.

A Vook blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story.

You can read your book, watch videos that enhance the story, and connect with authors and your friends through social media all on one screen, without switching between platforms.

Vooks are available in two formats: A web-based application you can read on your computer and a mobile application for reading on the go. With the web-based application you don't have to download programs or install software. Just open your favorite browser and start reading and watching in an exciting new way. You can also download and install the mobile applications through the Apple iTunes store and sync them with your Apple mobile device.

Now who said reading couldn't be fun?

MOVIE TREND: 3-D UPDATE


It used to be that only a select few movies could be seen in 3-D, with very few theaters having the technology to support it. Nowadays, movie-goers are feeling right in the action of their movies with 3-D watching becoming the norm.

Here are the facts:

• There are more than 16,000 digital screens worldwide up 86 percent from last year
• There are 8989 3-D screens worldwide, 6% of the total amount of theaters
• The first 3D film shown to a paying audience was The Power of Love in 1922
• The 2009 Cannes Film Festival opened with a 3D animated film for the first time; the Disney-Pixar movie Up

APP NEWS:
THE SIRI, CONCIERGE IN A PHONE


The Siri App offers a unique way to interact with the Internet on your mobile phone. Siri reacts to voice commands and then performs searches tailored to your needs. The app partners with service providers such as OpenTable, Yelp, Rotten Tomatoes, Google Maps and more to find exactly what you're looking for. You can make a reservation in one click or find out what events are going on nearby. Siri can even search through restaurant reviews to find you the most romantic or trendy new dining experience.

Siri is like having a tiny butler in your pocket who jumps at your every request. The Siri app is currently available for iPhone and iPod Touch at no charge, with a Blackberry version in the works.

Siri is a virtual personal assistant on your phone. You ask Siri, and it helps you get things done when you're on the go. Siri's promotional video shows a demo of Siri helping plan a romantic evening, getting tickets to a great movie, discovering cool things to do on the weekend, and getting back home with the help of maps.

TECH TREND: CONVERGING TECHNOLOGY


Now turning to a trend that is taking over the business and tech world - the word: Convergence

Companies are now realizing they have no choice but to converge devices such as mobile telephones, computers and televisions. This is when two or more tech devices become unified into one device that serves all purposes.

It has also been proven to have altered the tone and character of business and social interaction. The poster child of this phenomena is the iPhone, of course.

The Wii was also a revolution in the market of converging technologies - a game console, internet browser, and social networking tool all in one.

From a business perspective, convergence can be looked at two ways:

1) It can be a positive thing for social networking purposes, research and development.

2) It can be negative, forcing readjustments on single technology companies (For example, causing Nokia to change their phones to be more like the iPhone with many applications).

APP NEWS: MADONNA HAS ONE


Many Hollywood celebrities such as P.Diddy, Lil' Wayne, T–Pain, even Pope Benedict XVI have taken part in the app craze with their own dedicated apps.

Now, Madonna has joined the bunch with her very own iPhone app. Mobile Roadie CEO Michael Schneider says the Madonna's app is "our fastest growing app of all time, adding many thousands of users per day."

The app name is quick and to the point – Madonna.

Now everything you want to know about Madonna is available on your mobile device. You could stay updated on videos, photos, twitter, and more. The app's best features include a deep library of music and video clips that ensure the die-hard Madonna fans will never be without a crucial fix of Papa Don't Preach.

On the other hand, despite Madonna's having officially sanctioned the app, there's no value-added personal touch from her.

IPAD: WHY YOU SHOULD BUY ONE


1. How is the iPad different from a laptop? To type and to navigate through files and photos on the iPad, you touch its screen in the same way you operate an iPhone or iPod Touch. That's possible on some laptop models, but not many. The iPad is about a half-inch thick and weighs about 1½ pounds. Its screen is 9.7 inches across, when measured diagonally. 2. How is the iPad different from e-readers like the Amazon Kindle? Well, the iPad acts like an e-reader and like a personal computer, but there are some notable differences between the two. The iPad has a color display. The Kindle, is black-and-white. The iPad will be popular with students who read textbooks with colorful diagrams. The Kindle's screen is black and white and isn't backlit. The iPad displays books horizontally, with two pages showing, or vertically, zooming in on a single page of text. The Kindle only works in vertical mode. The devices access books from different online bookstores. iPad users buy books from Apple's new digital bookstore, the iBookstore, which supports an open e-book format called ePub. Kindle users must buy their books from Amazon.com.

2. How much does the iPad cost?

Prices range from $499 to $829 US.
The more expensive versions have more storage space, which means you can put more music and videos on the device.

3. If there's no keyboard, how do you type on the iPad?

Instead of being a piece of plastic with physical keys, the iPad's keyboard is a graphic that pops up on the device's touch-sensitive screen - an interface that will be familiar to iPhone and iPod Touch users.
iPad users type by touching pictures of keys on the screen. The iPad keyboard is about the same size as the one on your desk, but you can't feel the keys.

4. What does the iPad do best?

The iPad is designed for consuming various types of media - reading books, browsing the Web and watching videos. It's also marketed as a portable gaming device, and there are hundreds of games for sale in the iPad App Store.

The device doesn't have a DVD player, but you can download videos from Apple, or stream them from the Web.

The iPad is best suited for people who would want to read their e-mail, but wouldn't have to compose lengthy responses.

5. Can you create documents, spreadsheets and presentations with the iPad?

Apple created a new suite of apps specifically for the iPad. These iWork programs, which cost $9.99 US each, let users create documents, edit spreadsheets and create business presentations from the iPad.

6. Can you view any Web site on the iPad?

A certain format of online video, called Flash, does not play on the Apple iPad. While there are some workarounds for this, many Web sites are redesigning themselves, using a type of code called HTML5, so they will work on the iPad. That code allows video display on the device, but you may notice some sites will have holes because the iPad doesn't support Flash video.

CELL PHONES: BLUETOOTH WATCH


Let's say you get a call on your phone and you're not quite sure you want to pick up. Your calls can now appear on your watch with the newest high tech gadget.

It's called the Bluetooth Watch with Caller ID Display

You can mute the phone's ringer or reject the call simply by pressing a button on the watch, never having to reach for the phone.

It notifies you when your phone rings or when receiving a text message with a discreet vibrating sensation and shows the caller's name and/or number on the bright OLED display.

Why is this one more thing you might want?

No more picking up your phones at a restaurant, in a business meeting, on a date or a family outing. No fumbling through your purse. No one but you knows what's going on in your James Bond secret agent world.

TECH TREND: NEW 4G IPHONE


Now turning to the number No. 1 trendsetting company in the world...Mac and now that the 4G iPhone is here, I have what's next: A tablet-based Mac/iPhone combination is set to ship next year, iPad with an iPhone in one.

If you're still trying to figure out if you want the 4G iPhone… it has:

• Stainless steel casing
• Glass front which is 30 times harder than plastic
• Thinnest smartphone yet, 25% thinner than the iPhone 3GS
• Retina displays which means highest resolution possible on a cell phone
• 5 mega pixel camera
• High definition video recording
• Video conferencing
• LED flash to take pictures in low lights
• Video editing with iMovie
• Front facing camera
• Lets you organize you email inbox into folders
• Battery that allows 40% more talk time

There are now 100,000 apps available. More than two billion apps have been downloaded by iPhone and iPod touch users so far.Mac says they would not have imagined apps taking off as much as they did.

12 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE IPAD


The release of the iPad has been all the talk this past Easter weekend, however HTR has got the top 12 things you need to know about this new high-tech gadget.

1. The iPad is not a laptop. It does not have a hardware keyboard, and falls under the category of portable personal computer or tablet.

2. The iPad is similar but not exactly like an e-reader like the Kindle. For one, the iPad has a color display. The Kindle, by contrast, is only black-and-white which isn't backlit which is easier on the eyes over long periods.

3. The iPad costs between $499 to $829 US. The more expensive, the more storage space. Also, iPads that connect to the Internet with Wi-Fi only are less expensive than those that can connect through Wi-Fi and through AT&T's mobile Internet network.

4. You do not have to sign-up for an AT&T contract when you buy the iPad. The only reason to purchase the contract would be if you purchased the more pricey versions of the device, to connect through Wifi and 3G networks, allowing you to browse the net from many more locations.

5. The keyboard is touch screen, just like on the iPhone. Some think this is easy to use, others have found it extremely difficult to type on.

6. The iPad's best tools are for reading books, browsing the web, watching videos, and playing video games. There is no DVD slot, however you can download movies from iTunes or Apple.com.

7. The iPad has a new set of apps to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The iPad has a Wi-Fi connection, which, in theory, could be used for printing documents wirelessly through your printer.

8. Almost any web site can be viewed on the iPad. Flash video is the only thing that cannot be viewed on the Apple iPad.

9. Some think the iPad is an all-in-one device, others argue that it cannot replace your computer and is just an accessory. It all really depends on what you use your computers for.

10. The iPad is about a half-inch thick and weighs 1.5 pounds. The screen is 9.7 inches across.

11. Some magazines and newspapers have reformatted their publications for the iPad, and will offer digital subscription plans.

12. There are alternatives to the iPad. Other companies like HP and Dell have plans to release a similar slate product.

IPAD: HOW WELL IT'S DOING SO FAR


After all the hype with the release of the iPad, do people really like this new high tech gadget? Here are a few ways to measure whether people really enjoy this device. In just the first day it was released, Apple says it sold 300,000 iPads, and an estimate of 300,000 to 700,000 sold over the weekend. Reviews were quite amazing by the mainstream press prior to the release. Some consumers however have shown some disappointment with it. Others found pros and cons, but generally really enjoy it. Already, over 1,000 apps have been exclusively designed for the iPad.

NEW YORK TIMES TREND: CHARGING FOR ACCESS


Get ready for a new trend when it comes to reading your newspaper. It's starting with the New York Times and may spread. The Times will begin charging for articles on its Web site next year. It's in an effort to find new revenue. Circulation for newspapers keeps declining, magazines are suffering and advertising has been hit very badly. The plan will be built around a metered model, charging readers for access after they have viewed a certain number of articles in a month. The New York Times home delivery print subscribers would continue to have free access.

TECH TRENDS 2010: TOUCH SCREEN DASHBOARDS


This year, one of the most revolutionary new additions to your car is a touch-screen dashboard. Carmakers are beginning to replace analog dials and controls with touch-screen displays. They were used in nearly every electric or hybrid vehicle unveiled at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show , such as Volkswagon's E-Up! and Citroen's REVOLTe, whose touch-sensitive screens locate the nearest charging stations. Previous electric vehicles, such as Chrysler's 200C EV Concept and the Tesla Model S, show off huge swaths of touch-sensitive real estate (the 200C has no analog console controls), while other vehicles feature smaller touch-screen innovations. The decidedly nonelectric 2010 Range Rover comes with a 12-inch "dual view" display, which lets the driver check GPS directions while the passenger watches a DVD, both peering at the same display. The Range Rover also integrates more controls into its touch-screen interface than previous models, further proof that knobs, buttons and other "hard" controls are an endangered interface.

Grammy Awards: Going Digital

The Grammies are going digital. Voting members are now able to stream and judge the submissions online. There are 12 thousand voting members throughout the United States.

This technology is made by a Toronto-based company called ‘Yangaroo'. This company will also allow the Grammies to avoid making and shipping all of those CDs with printed promotional materials.

Meantime, if you or someone you know wants to become the next musical sensation, they may want to go to Grammy Camp, put on by the academy here in Los Angeles. The idea is to bring high school students from all around the country. Here, they meet experts from the music industry on things like being a musician, an engineer, and lighting director.

For more, visit grammyintheschools.com.

New iPhone Apps: Photoshop


Now turning to iPhone news and 3 great free apps, I want to tell you about. Mobile phone photos can be pieces of art..


‘ShakeItPhoto' is a new app that turns your iPhone pictures into retro-looking, Polaroid-like snapshots. On ‘ShakeIt', the photos appear to slide onto the screen of your camera without having been developed. Then, just like Polaroid, you shake your phone to develop them, and the color scheme give pictures a '70s tint to your photos.

Then there's the Photoshop app. Apple debuted this free app at the beginning of October, and it is now at the top of Apple's list of free apps. It helps you crop and color-correct your photos on the go and then upload them to Flickr, the photo-sharing site. The app has fine-grained controls for adjusting tint or saturation when you're out and about. It also offers a few custom filters, including "vignette blur," "pop" and "warm vintage.

Finally, you can get the free ‘Green Screen' app. This app allows you to remove the real background in a shot of you and pop yourself in front of world famous landmarks.

For more on the Apple apps, visit www.apple.com.

STATE OF THE ART: NEW PORTABLE RECORDING STUDIO


Now turning to a truly state-of-the-art and trendsetting creation for those who dream of Hollywood movies or music fame. It's a high-definition recording studio. A bit bigger than those old photo booths, but a full working mini studio. Coming to a mall near you, it looks like a time machine and sounds a little like karaoke but inside it's a full-fledged high tech audio and video recording studio. It's called MyStudio.

There is Hollywood-style green screen technology with a choice of more than a thousand HD virtual backgrounds. If you can't choose one of their backdrops, you can upload your own! These booths are perfect for audition tapes, music videos and mini movies for a modeling video resume, comedy, promos, and sales pitches. There are five musical instrument plug-ins, so you can record with your own instruments. The best part is that MyStudio has teamed up with EMI Music Publishing so you're allowed to legally record and post songs from some of their artists, so you get a professional sounding studio quality session for a mere $20.00 for five minutes!

STATE OF THE ART: TWITTER TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS


Looking to build your business for FREE?..Why not try twitter and something called twitter tracking...type in the twitter tracking feature - then find out who's talking about your business and you could chime into that conversation. You could contact those people and make suggestions immediately. People would look to you for answers to their questions - it's just a great way to drive traffic to your business. Another benefit is that when you start following people on twitter - such as a guru that you like to follow who has the newest things - you can go to twitter and see the latest. ok listen carefully....Here's how it works: Click to follow them so anytime they write a message so you can see the message and your picture shows up on their twitter page. Then they can click on your picture then they follow you. When people start following you - your message that you update appears on their profile. Then they start following you so you increase your audience consistently. if you're building your business on the internet you must be signed on with twitter and using all the different options that if has. Go to twitter ..com, set up an account and load your picture. you need your picture so people remember you.

Another way to build your audience is by building an email list. Building your email list- is one of most valuable assets to build an income from that list.
For those of you who still don't know about Twitter....

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow anybody to access them. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. The service is free to use over the Internet, but using SMS may incur phone service provider fees.

Since its creation in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Twitter has gained extensive notability and popularity worldwide. It is sometimes described as the "SMS of the Internet," in that the site provides the functionality — via its application programming interface (API)  — for other desktop and web-based applications to send and receive short text messages, often obscuring the Twitter service itself. Twitter was funded initially by Obvious, a creative environment in San Francisco, CA. The first prototype was built in two weeks in March 2006 and launched publicly in August of 2006. The service grew popular very quickly and it soon made sense for Twitter to move outside of Obvious. In May 2007, Twitter Incorporated was founded.

Four gateway numbers are available for SMS — short codes for the United States, Canada, India, and an Isle of Man-based number for international use. There is also a short code for Vodafone users from the United Kingdom. Several third parties allow users to post and receive updates via e-mail.

Estimates of the number of daily users vary, because the company does not release the number of active accounts. In November 2008, Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research estimated that Twitter had 4-5 million users. A February 2009 Compete.com blog entry ranked Twitter as the third most used social network (Facebook being the largest, followed by MySpace), which puts the number of unique monthly visitors at roughly 6 million and the number of monthly visits at 55 million, however only 40% of users are retained. In March 2009, a Nielsen.com blog ranked Twitter as the fastest-growing site in the Member Communities category for February 2009. Twitter had a growth of 1382%, Zimbio had a growth of 240%, followed by Facebook with a growth of 228%.

Isn't Twitter just too much information?

No, Twitter solves information overload by changing expectations traditionally associated with online communication. Updates from your friends and relatives float to your phone, IM, or web site and you are only expected to pay as much or as little attention to them as you see fit.

The result of using Twitter to stay connected with friends, relatives, and co-workers is that you have a sense of what folks are up to but you are not expected to respond to any updates unless you want to. This means you can step in and out of the flow of information as it suits you and it never queues up with increasing demand of your attention. Additionally, users are very much in control of whose updates they receive, when they receive them, and on what device. For example, Twitter provides settings for scheduling Twitter to automatically turn off at dinnertime and users can switch off Twitter updates at any point.

NEW SOFTWARE TO FIND ELECTRONICS THIEVES


As the number of electronics thefts continues to rise, hidden software is helping consumers and corporations get their gadgets back. High-tech, mobile devices dominate Forbes' list of most stolen electronics. You can now find your stolen BlackBerry -- and 'mess' with the thief. GadgetTrak, is a Portland, Ore.-based computer security firm, Its developed software that gives you remote access to a missing gadget. GadgetTrak Mobile Security software is $24.95 per device. You can lock your stolen phone down, recover data and wipe any sensitive information. You can secretly turn on the microphone and spy on the thief. Or you can blast an ear-busting siren that can only be stopped by prying out the battery. According to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, the number of reported phone robberies jumped 33% over the same period, from 60,100 to nearly 80,300. The number of reported laptop thefts increased almost 48% over the last two years, to almost 109,000. In the past three years, theft of iPods and other digital music players went up 91%to more than 17,000. It's so bad that a 2007 study showed iPod robberies bumped up overall crime rates in some major U.S. cities. Get this, according to a tudy felonies increased 18% in New York subways in 2005 - but minus iPod thefts, the amount of subway crime would have actually decreased by 3% for the year. Robberies cost the average major corporation per year: 640 laptops, 1,985 USB memory sticks, 1,075 smart phones and 1,324 other data devices.

Each year up to 800,000 memory devices (laptops, smart phones, memory sticks) are lost or stolen. Dell offers services that not only track and locate stolen or missing computers, but can erase an entire hard drive before the criminals can access sensitive information. A three-year subscription to the Dell ProSupport service costs $99 per computer. Gadget Trak's Search & Destroy program offers similar services at a cost of $69.95 per three-year contract. For about $15 a year, the company licenses location software for external USB devices like iPods, digital cameras, memory sticks and flash drives. Once plugged into a computer, the device sends out a signal pinpointing its location and the thief's IP address. GadgetTrak gets creative when locating Mac laptops: The company's MacTrak program uses the computer's built-in camera to secretly snap pictures of the thief every 30 minutes. The pictures are sent to your personal e-mail or online photo-storage account. The image then can be forwarded to police. If you're goggling: the company is GadgetTRAK. and its Gadget Trak Mobile Security software. spelled 'gadget-trak'

YOU TUBE: STUDIO MOVIES NOW AVAILABLE


One of the biggest trendsetters in the world today is You Tube, the truly revolutionary video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. The new trend now is for Hollywood movie studios to use You Tube. Recently you tube reached an agreement with MGM, Lions Gate Entertainment and CBS which will allow the companies to post full-length films and television shows on the site, accompanied by advertisements. The move is intended to create competition with websites such as Hulu, which features material from both NBC and Fox. As you many know, ingenious YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees. In November 2006, it was bought by Google  for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google.

CELL PHONE ETIQUETTE


Now turning to the trend of technology etiquette when it comes to dating.


Here's what the experts say is the way to do it today:

• Turn off cell phones during dates. Absolutely.
• Use text messages solely for sweet nothings.
• Only address serious matters or break ups in-person.

Lissa Coffey, a sociologist and dating expert – stresses that although technology can offer an easy escape from a relationship, it's best to face something like a break up the old-fashioned way: face to face.

"Everybody needs some kind of closure"

"It also benefits you in the terms that the person won't go around saying you broke up with them via text or phone. That says a lot about your character."

TECH TRENDS: GREEN ELECTRONICS


Now turning to the trend in our electronics...seems we care about what we're buying when it comes to the environment. More consumers expect their consumer electronic devices to be environmentally friendly, according to new data from The Consumer Association. 89 per cent of households now want their next TV to be more energy efficient. 33 per cent expect to make some type of CE purchase within the next 2 years. Consumers now care about recycling and price and features continue to be purchase drivers for our products but GREEN will increasingly be a factor, in fact, 53% of consumers say they would be willing to pay some type of premium for TV's with green attributes. 74 per cent of us say companies should do more to protect the environment and companies should communicate with customers on this subject.

LATEST TREND: NAPPING PODS


There's a trend catching on these days...they're called sleeping cafes or napping pods. It's a STAR TREK- style unit, often seen in airport lounges and corporations now such as Google. Conceived in New York and using NASA technology, the pod is shaped like a recliner chair. It slopes to a sleeping level for napping while you're cocooned from outside noise or light. After 30 minutes, you are awoken as the chair moves back to an upright position and a gentle vibration and pale lighting wakes you and it's programmed so you don't reach a state of deep sleep and instead you rise without any intense drowsiness.

NESTLE: EATABLE BEAUTY PRODUCT


The world's largest food and beverage company has introduced Glowelle, a beauty drink that proclaims to have antiaging properties. has created a new drinkable cosmetic product called Glowelle. Nestle is going after prestige beauty consumers. To reach them, it's decided to begin selling Glowelle at luxury retailer Neiman Marcus where the drink will be sold alongside conventional cosmetics. The product itself is formulated with vitamins, phyto-nutrients and botanical and fruit extracts. The bottled drinks come in two flavors, raspberry jasmine and pomegranate lychee, and are available for $7 a pop at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman department stores. The blends claim to "nourish and hydrate the skin from within and help fight free radicals, known contributors to the signs of aging."

MOST EXPENSIVE KEY CHAIN: MERCEDES BENZ PLATINUM


So you're looking for that special gift.

Want an expensive special gift?

ok how about the most costly key chain in the world.

Go to the Mercedes Benz Canada website and search for item #B6606 0126or description is "luxury key ring, platinum"

Cost? Get ready: $22,239.00 CDN. (no the car is not included)

Ok now if the platinum one is too expensive - you can buy the gold one for just $7,469.99.

Still too much - OK the silver one is a deal! $469.99

Avatar: State-of-the-Art James Cameron movie:


James Camerons movie AVATAR.

It's his first mega film since titanic.

It's been in the works for 2 and half years. and its got lots of state of the art new filmmaking techniques.

It's a sci-fi epic as you know and its technology has created such a buzz around Hollywood - we're apprently going to see thing we've never ever seen before. 60% is CG animation.

It's based on characters created using a new performance capture based process. 40% is live action and there are lots of visual special effects.

It's the most chanllenging film he's has ever done - way more than Titanic. Lots and lots of fantasyscapes.

It's set to open Dec 18, 2009.

Video games - New stats


Like your games?

Video games remain an extremely hot catagory when it comes to our gadgets.

They're expected to reach record highs again this year.

Video games wholesale revenues will total more than 21 billion dollars this year alone and portable video games systems are huge as consumers demand products they can use anywhere, anytime.

FISH 'N FLUSH


So you're looking for the gift for someone who has everything? I've got just the oddball thing. Its called Fish 'n Flush.

It's kitschy, a talking piece, and its an aquarium toilet bowl.

Picture the tank, clear plexy glass, inside you put the fish. They even give you 2 fake plastic trees to make the fish look like they're in paradise.

Now you're asking yourself - how the poor fishies stay from getting sucked down the drain.

There are actually two sections to this clear plastic tank - the front part houses Goldie - the back part is used for serious business flushing.

Manufacturer AquaOne worked with a marine biologist to develop the technology. The power is set at 12 volts, so it's safe for children. You can use fresh water, as well as salt, warm and tropical water.

The toilet tank holds 2.5 gallons which is sufficient pressure to flush properly.

Price tag: $299 dollars US.

They ship anywhere in the world.

Fish 'n Flush comes with everything but the water and the fish.

Specifically, it's a patented, two-piece aquarium toilet tank, designed by AquaOne Technologies, Inc., an innovator of water-management systems. It fits most two-piece toilets and turns the bathroom into the center of attention with its unique design of an aquarium that wraps itself around a clear inner tank.

The product developed in-house by AquaOne designers, was a hit at the recent Kitchen and Bath Show, open to people in the plumbing and home improvement trade, and appeared on CBS' The Early Show, which featured new products "For Kitchens and Bathrooms of Tomorrow."

It also makes a fun-fashion statement for the homeowner who wants to have something unique in the bathroom.

Customers should consult their local pet store to find which fish are compatible and appropriate for your personal Fish 'n Flush tank. Smaller fish are obviously recommended. The experts at your local pet or fish store can provide additional advice and suggestions on how to maximize the appeal of your Fish 'n Flush aquarium.

Aqua One Technologies, Inc.
14726 Golden West, Suite J
Westminster, CA 92683

Sales / Marketing	(714) 898-7016
Information / Tech. Support	(714) 898-7016
Fax	(714) 898-7019
Email Support	support@aquaone.com
Email Sales	sales@aquaone.com
Email Information	information@aquaone.com

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS TREND: LCD and SMARTPHONES


Wanna new LCD or IPHONE? You're not alone. There isn't a star out there today with all in one hand held devices. Consumer Electronics Sales revenues will grow by 7.3 per cent this year - reaching more than 183 billion by 2009.

And despite these tougher economic times - people are not giving up buying their TV tech items. We just cant live without them. LCD TVs dominate the digital display market.

Prices are continuing to drop and consumers are deciding to upgrade due to the February 17th switch to digital. By the end of the year - more than 60 per cent of households will have at least one digital TV.

And SMARTPHONES, well they're a fixture in our lives now. and once you have one - you can't live without it. We must be informed, connected and entertained now, calling and texting with a cell, just isn't good enough anymore for us. Smartphone's will see revenue growth of 51 per cent this year.

People now want to do it ALL: check email, surf the web, play games, watch videos, take pictures, listen to music and navigate through streets, stock markets and weather forecasts.

FINE WINE RESERVE


Right out of the James Bond handbook we take you to a clandestine place known commonly as as the "Wine Vault". 'Fine Wine Reserve' is the place to store wine today in Toronto, Canada.

Perhaps you're investing in wine, but you don't have enough space in your wine cellar, or you need to be secretive so your mate won't find out how much you're spending on vintage grapes. 'Fine Wine Reserve' is a secret hideaway in downtown Toronto. It's so top secret and heavily fortified you need fingerprint access.

Owner Mark Russell joins me now.

(to hear the full interview go to AUDIO version - airdate August 16, 2008)

Fine Wine Reserve

www.finewinereserve.com

439 King Street West Toronto, ON M5V 1K4 (416) 593-9463