media

Get creative with Corel Paint It and Painter Lite for only $39.99, a 65% savings

From the weekend Picassos to the accomplished digital Michelangelos, Corel can get you inspired to make some gorgeous digital art with its Paint It and Painter Lite software.

Paint It gives you the ability to add personal touches to any photos. More than a basic filter, Paint It lets you control the creative process with a variety of tools including multiple painting styles, brushes, and realistic effects. Restore details, brighten colors, and add your own special signature. The result is a hand-painted portrait ready for the art gallery. (We can't guarantee this, but it will surely impress your friends … Read more

Sling, Belkin settle patent dispute over place-shifting tech

Sling Media and Belkin this week reached a settlement in their patent dispute related to place-shifting technology.

Sling on Monday asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to dismiss Belkin from its complaint filed in January.

Sling and Belkin declined to comment Friday.

Sling, a subsidiary of EchoStar, also has filed suit against other rivals, including Monsoon Multimedia. The company has accused its competitors of patent infringement related to technology used in its Slingbox, a device that allows users to watch and control their home television from anywhere. Belkin and Monsoon make products that compete with the Slingbox at lower … Read more

Hulu buyout heats up with four reported bidders

Companies looking to get a piece of the Hulu pie had until this week to put in their first round of bids for the video streaming service. And, it appears that four companies have gone in for a slice.

Former News Corp president Peter Chernin, private equity fund Guggenheim Digital Media (which is headed the former interim Yahoo CEO by Ross Levinsohn), satellite operator DirecTV, and cable operator Time Warner Cable have all put in bids, according to Reuters.

Hulu has supposedly been looking for a buyer over the past couple of years, and recently several companies have allegedly expressed … Read more

Review: Create, edit, and publish multimedia presentations with Lyrebird

Kazo Vision's Lyrebird is a powerful multimedia publishing solution that lets you create, edit, and distribute custom multimedia content, incorporating a huge range of file and document types to a variety of devices employing LCD screens and projection technology. It's composed of two parts, an Editor and a Player, though they're one and the same in the free Standalone Edition. The free version lets you master Lyrebird's many options and steps, and schedule multimedia presentations to play on your own PC, once or multiple times, always on top (or not) and with effects such as text … Read more

Gab online about Bieber's house parties, pay $5M

After several high-profile incriminating pictures hitting the Intertubes this year, TMZ reports that Justin Bieber wants all visitors to his Calabasas, Calif., mega mansion to sign a liability waiver restricting any social-media divulge about the goings-on behind closed doors.

The supposed waiver (PDF) isn't the friendliest welcome mat, as anyone with loose lips automatically gets pegged with a $5 million lawsuit -- plus they forfeit a few rights, including the ability to sue Bieber.

"Without in any way limiting the foregoing, under no circumstances will you divulge the details of you entering and being on the Property or engaging in the Activities by any means or through any media whatsoever, including without limitation, through photographs, video, blogging, texting, "tweeting" or posting any such information on any social-media site," says the alleged waiver. … Read more

Guantanamo Wi-Fi shuttered after Anonymous hacking threat

After the hacking collective Anonymous launched a Twitter campaign pledging to go after the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, the U.S. military barred all Wi-Fi access on the base, according to the Associated Press. All social media, including Facebook and Twitter, also has been banned.

Army Lt. Col. Samuel House told the Associated Press that the shuttering of the base's Wi-Fi was because of Anonymous' public plans to "disrupt activities" at the military prison.

While no disruptions have yet been reported, according to the Associated Press, Anonymous has promised to make good on its threats.… Read more

'Haunting Melissa': App-only film delivers horror to mobile

In recent years, we've seen people dabble in bringing a narrative film experience to mobile phones. It makes sense -- there's an interactive personal screen in your pocket that allows you to pick up content wherever you go. But neither the interactive film "Tender Loving Care" (starring John Hurt) nor the Dutch film "App," which interacted with your iOS or Android device during cinematic screenings, picked up much traction.

"Haunting Melissa," by film producer Neal Edelstein, might have what it takes. Available globally as a free app on iOS, the film is accessible, and it's using the flexibility of mobile devices to experiment with the genre. … Read more

Twitter teams with NBA to offer in-tweet pro hoops replays

Twitter and NBA Digital have partnered to stream in-tweet video highlights of some of the NBA playoffs' most exciting plays.

The deal, which was first reported by Bloomberg, comes just days after a similar arrangement between Twitter and ESPN. In that arrangement, Twitter users will have access to replays from soccer, the X Games, and college football.

Twitter said that the NBA highlights will be sponsored by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Taco Bell, and Sprint Nextel.

Findables case turns your entire smartphone into a business card

QR codes haven't exactly set the world on fire, yet most people know what they are, and most phones can scan them, either out of the box or with a third-party app.

The Findables Case takes that idea to heart by emblazoning a unique QR code on each hard-plastic shell, the idea being to use that code to share information about yourself or help recover your lost phone.

In other words, your case can now take the place of your business card, while at the same time offering good Samaritans a means of contacting you (that doesn't involve poring through your address book).

When someone scans the code, they'll see one of three profiles (chosen by you via a companion app or the Findables Web site): Business, Social, or Lost.… Read more