That’s why I play with new tools like Qik (live video streaming from a Nokia mobile phone) and seesmic (video conversations via your webcam).

I discovered another one today that I find so compelling that I’m just amazed the whole internet isn’t a-buzz about it (although there is indeed plenty of buzz).

This is Animoto, a web-based service that automatically creates a video from images and music.

That rather dry description does this service little justice. You have to see what it can do to fully appreciate its potential.

Take a look at this:

This video was automatically created by Animoto, using images from one of my sets on Flickr. I gave it permission to go into my Flickr account and grab those images.

The excellent music is a track I selected from the ample music library at Animoto. I can also upload my own audio (music or anything) if I want.

The whole thing took about ten minutes.

You have two sign-up options with Animoto - a free account, which lets you create videos of 30 seconds or less; and a paid account for videos longer than that and other benefits.

The video above runs about a minute and 14 seconds. That was the second video I did, after quickly signing up for a paid account (it was a no brainer at $30 a year, and a PayPal option makes it hard to resist just doing it).

My first effort was a video of less that 30 seconds to try the service out. I simply uploaded a handful of images from my pictures folder, chose some music from Animoto’s library, and that was it - one short video created in less than five minutes:

You’ll note that both these videos are on YouTube. That’s one of the benefits with the paid account - exporting your video to your YouTube account.

And coming soon, according to the website, is an option to create versions suitable for iPods (and iPhones too, I’d guess).

Imagine the uses for something like this service. For instance:

• Show off your product or service in a new and different way
• A montage of images of people at a conference set to music
• A music video catalogue of your art work / designs / fashions / etc
• A funky music video tour of your favourite neighbourhood
• Cars, cars, cars (as Dennis Howlett did)
• (your idea)

Who’s behind Animoto? According to the about page, they are “a bunch of techies and film/tv producers.” According to a TechCrunch write-up and company profile, Animoto is a New York-based startup which secured funding from Amazon this month.

There’s no limit to imagination.

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The best part of the Adobe Media Player (AMP) is that it is like a liquid/flexible wrapper for RSS Video/Media Channels where you can watch streaming, downloaded or local Videos. AMP is simple, sleek and straight to the point.

Content Owners (like - MTV, CBS, Nickelodeon etc) can customize the UI interface to suit their brands and AMP will allow that. A user can also add any video stream through RSS Feeds and other supported video formats - FLV, etc. You can play streamed, downloaded or locally-stored video in Adobe Flash and can be viewed in 1080p, 720p or 480i resolutions. You can queue up and download your favorite Internet TV content, track and download new episodes automatically, and manage your personal video library for viewing at your convenience. AMP is free and is likely to remain so for users/viewers.

AMP Features;

Get Adobe Media Player.

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Amy Quinn over at the Online Education Database has come up with 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better categorized in 8 main sections. You can check out Amy’s full post here, but here are a few of the top iPod tips and resources.

Study Guides

• Spark Notes: Long considered a busy high school or college student’s best friend, the online study guide database now offers users an iPod-friendly version. Get summaries and analyses of books like A Tale of Two Cities, Beowulf, Hamlet and more.
• iPREPpress: This website provides study guides, travel guides and foreign language training, all compatible with iPods.

Podcasts and More

• GoogleGet: Get your Google News and iPod in sync by installing this software program. You’ll stay current on all the top news stories, making you better prepared for class or work.
• Soundwalk: This site currently only sells CDs and MP3s, but you can use an MP3-iPod converter to check out unique self-guided audio tours like “The Bronx Graffiti Walk” or “The Paris St. Germain Walk.”
• Pod CityGuides: This site has hundreds of city guides that are compatible with iPods, so no one has to know you’re really a tourist.

Tutorials

• Learning Podcasting: If you want to create your own podcast to share your skills or expertise on a particular subject, read this in-depth introduction to podcasting from Wise-Women.org.
• Podtender 3.0: This software program will teach you how to make all kinds of tasty cocktails for your next party.
• PodGourmet 2.0: Teach yourself to become a master chef when you get recipes

Applications

• iGadget: Make your class notes, presentations, study guides and other materials iPod-friendly by using iGadget. You’ll be able to move documents and files back and forth between your iPod and your computer easily and securely.
• Plato Video to iPod Converter: Use this app to transform all kinds of video formats into MP4 formats so that you can upload video clips and footage onto your iPod.

More Downloads

• iJourneys: Take walking tours in cities like Salzburg, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris and Ancient Rome by downloading iPod-compatible guides from this site.
• Audio Bibles for iPod: AllBibles.com offers iPod-compatible Bibles for theology and seminary students, or for those who just want a more portable version to take along with them.

iPod Learning Support

• iPod in the Classroom: Take a look at Apple’s collection of lesson plans for teachers who want to use their iPod for classroom work.
• iLounge: Get together with other iPod users to find out about new things you can do with your iPod.

Tools and Sites

• ShowFootage: Browse through this site’s library of video clips to make your presentations and projects more attractive.
• Audible.com: Find a large variety of books, newspapers and magazines ready to download to your iPod on this site. Categories include Romance, Classics, Business, History and more.

iTunes U

• Stanford on iTunes: Take a class from Stanford by downloading one onto your iPod. Or, you can find interviews with faculty and lectures to help you better understand the course material at your own school.
• University of California — Berkeley: Classes from this well-respected school are available in chemistry, the social sciences, journalism and much more.

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At the Linux Meets Business conference held yesterday in Germany Christine Martino - Vice President Open Source and Linux Organization at HP - introduced also FOSSBazaar, a community platform to discuss best practices related to the governance of FOSS.

I had the chance to learn more about HP open source plans just last week, when Martin Mychlmair invited me to talk with him, Phil Robb - Engineering Section Manager in the Open Source and Linux Organization at HP - and Bertand Marclay.

HP wants to demonstrate its experience with FOSS Governance obtained in over 7 years for internal purposes, and it will be offering services related to FOSS Governance at large (e.g. defining open source policies, supporting the adoption process with its consulting division, etc).

As a matter of fact they are partnering with many actors. Doug Levin - Black Duck software CEO - made some public statements welcoming FOSSology’s introduction. Steven Grandchamp - OpenLogic CEO - asked to comment the announcement told me:

As a Strategic Sponsor of FOSSBazaar, OpenLogic is working with others to provide information and tools that help enterprises understand the issues around open source governance. Sharing our open source expertise, along with tools like OpenLogic’s OSS Discovery (which produces an inventory of open source being used) and HP’s FOSSology (which uncovers licenses in open source), will help enterprises leverage the significant financial benefits of open source software.

Also Stormy Peters is blogging on the matter, and others will come. While having dinner with HP people honestly I couldn’t come out with a firm’s name that they didn’t contact yet. We also spoke about the business side of the initiative, I will soon write on the matter.

The man behind the FOSSBazar community.

Martin, a known Debian developer and fellow researcher, is the man behind the FOSSBazar community. He is the FOSSBazaar Community Manager, and he will be working with partners to define content, help members to conduct valuable and interesting discussions and debates, and he will be joining conferences all over the world to promote the FOSSBazaar community.

I wish him all the best of luck!

About Martin Michlmayr.

Martin Michlmayr has been involved in various free and open source software projects for well over 10 years. He acted as the leader of the Debian project for two years. In this role, he performed important organizational and coordination tasks within Debian. Martin works for HP as an Open Source Community Expert and acts as the community manager of FOSSBazaar. Martin holds Master degrees in Philosophy, Psychology and Software Engineering, and earned a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

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Manufacturers advertise battery life spans of 3, 4, and 5 hours or more. However what they don’t tell you is these times have very very little to do with real use conditions. Now I imagine there are people who use their computers without wifi or a Verizon card constantly on. They also don’t run multiple applications like iTunes, Firefox, and Photoshop all day kicking the CPU utilization up fairly high. I don’t know any of these people but I’m sure they exist.

I have a Toshiba Tecra M7 tablet PC, according to reviews I should be getting 3 hours of laptop battery life. In reality I usually get about 90 to 120 minutes. If I dim the brightness down and turn off both cards I can eek out almost to 180 minutes. The design of my laptop doesn’t give me the flexibility of a high capacity battery. So while I’m not tied to desk, I am tied to a power outlet.

A few weeks ago while reading a Web Worker Daily blog post I came across the Electrovaya Power Pad which in reality is an external laptop battery. They have several different models the Power Pad 95, Power Pad 130, Power Pad 160 and Power Pad 300. The real difference is the estimated battery life of the units. This effects the size and color and case. I went with the Power Pad 95 which comes in a ridiculous silly looking baby boy powder blue casing. When you order this unit you will need to specify your laptop model so you get the proper connections, but more about that later.

Checking out the directions, which were a little rough on the translation, the correct way to use the unit is to chain it in between the laptop power cord and laptop. So your laptop power cord connects to the Electrovaya power cord. The Electrovaya power cord splits with one end connecting to the power pad and one end connecting into your laptop. I mentioned above that you needed to specify your laptop model when ordering, the Electrovaya power cord has interchangeable tips so it’s compatible with a wide variety of laptops. When you are in “charging” mode the display will give you a charging message with a % of charge. When you are in “discharge” mode they recommend you use the Electrovaya first draining it completely before switching to your laptop battery, instead of waiting for your laptop battery to run out before connecting power pad. When the unit gets down to under 10% the LED display starts flashing, giving you some warning it’s going to run out.

Enough theory let’s talk about actual usage. Before leaving for Pubcon I had some presentations to finish, some proposals to get out the door, and some client deliverables. I was running Firefox, iTunes, PowerPoint and Photoshop, on wifi. Using a stopwatch I timed my battery life and got 1:22 before the critical battery warning message came up. After a full overnight recharge I tried the Electrovaya unit with the laptop battery and got 4:55 before the critical battery warning came on. So subtracting my original 1:22 of laptop battery the Electrovaya gave me an additional 3:35 of life top use.

So what did I like even though I got the basic unit and it had a retail price of $200 I got almost 5 hours of non tethered power, which for me is totally worth it. The power meter was reasonably accurate, and you can fully charge the unit in about 4 hours.

What didn’t I like, for one the color the baby blue color, I’m going to end up snickering it up like a web 2.0 silicon valley start up veteran. The display gives a digital readout of charge. Once you get over 90% it seems a bit hit or miss getting it up to 100% no matter how long you leave it plugged in.

More of an annoyance than a fault was my experience with customer service. When my initial unit arrived they tips were not the right size. I sent off an email to customer service. The new tips arrived 3 days later but there was no email letting me know it was coming or they got it. So A+ for doing me the right thing D- for not letting me know what they were doing. On the consumer end there’s no difference from an email languishing unanswered in an unchecked email inbox or and email that was taken care of just not responded to.

If you are the kind of person who is looking for longer laptop usage without being tethered to an outlet it’s a product I can recommend. While it’s not cheap if you get a more productivity or billable hours out of those extra hours it should definitely pay for itself in short order.

For more details check http://www.epowerpad.com/

Disclaimer:

The previous review was not compensated or paid for in any way. To be clear I paid the full price on my own credit card.

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