messager

ooVoo jumps into video and IM chat space

ooVoo is a free, standalone desktop chat application that has both a text and video chat capabilities. Its official launch is next week, but the beta has been available since mid April. I took it for a spin this morning and came away impressed.

There are a ton of chat clients out there, so one of the things it has done to differentiate itself is multiperson video chat. ooVoo can handle as many as six people in one video conference, which is two more than what iChat is capable of. Users can drop in and out of conversations, and the video windows will scale with a similar effect to iChat's "swoop." Along with video, users can chat among themselves with their computer's microphone or a headset. There are volume controls for both speakers and the microphone right in the chat window, a handy addition.

I found the video and audio to be fairly clear, even when topped off at six users. ooVoo's creators tell me that when running full six-user video, it will take up only half the bandwidth on a low-end DSL connection. Assuming you're not downloading or uploading large files in the background, your connection shouldn't drag to a halt.

In addition to live video and text chat, ooVoo doubles as a video e-mail service. Users can send each other video messages as long as a minute in length that are available right in the app or via e-mail. Users who get the e-mail are also provided a link that takes them to a live flash version of the video, so they can access it while away from their home machine.

For people interested in adding a quick way to be reached on their social networking profile or Web site, ooVoo gives users the option to embed a quick contact button that will automatically launch an ooVoo conversation if installed. I've posted an example image of this on the left side of this post.

ooVoo is not alone in the multiperson video chat space; competitor SightSpeed also offers a free video and text chat service. The main difference is that SightSpeed is aimed at businesses and limits video chat to four users at a time with a monthly subscription fee.

ooVoo is currently available only for Windows users, although the team is releasing a beta for Macs in about six weeks. Users on both platforms will be able to chat with one another using the same client.

You can download ooVoo over at CNET's Download.com. For more shots of the service, keep reading.… Read more

Say what?

I love the name of the show I do for CNET TV since there are so many plays on words you can do with it. My favorite is "Are you in the Queue?" Now, there's a shirt that can share my excitement.

A company called Reactee lets you create custom-designed shirts with a slogan and keyword. When someone sees your shirt, they can send a text to 41411 to get more information, or sign up for instant alerts. People can also buy your shirt for $20 bucks to share the love. Pretty neat, huh?

I can definitely … Read more

Shouldn't we have made our minds up on Twitter by now?

Apparently not. Nearly three months--an eternity in Web years--after Twitter's meteoric rise to Web stardom at the 2007 South by Southwest Interactive Festival, there still isn't a real consensus on whether it's a lasting fixture of the Web or just a geeky fad. Consequently, two CNET News.com writers presented opposite sides of the debate.

On one hand, senior writer Elinor Mills gave the case against Twitter, expressing her opinion that she doesn't "understand the need to spew out personal information and random thoughts to the world," especially when Twitter posts "read like … Read more

Trillian Astra gets desktop widgets

This nearly slipped by our radar last week, but in the latest build of the upcoming chat client Trillian Astra, Cerulean Studios has snuck in desktop versions of its widgets. Users can now place widgets in their Trillian buddy list or right on their desktop, similar to what you'd get with the Yahoo Widget engine, or other desktop widget tools. Users are also able to send them between the buddy list and desktop via right clicking, or they can simply drag and drop.

For now there are just five sample widgets, but assuming Cerulean Studios opens things up a bit, or goes with universal widget coding, Trillian users could get what is typically two applications in one, along with a wide array of desktop widgets.

Customizing the widgets is a little harder than it should be, as you can't just configure each one once it's on your desktop. Everything is handled through a preferences menu, although I'm assuming this will be changed as the application gets closer to release. Some sample widgets do look neat; the weather widget in particular is easy to read and fully animated. And the world-time widget shows when the sun is hitting your current location, which is totally nerd eye-candy.

Similar to other widget tools, Astra has a hot key that let users pull up all the running widgets at the same time. Pressing the Windows key and space bar accomplishes this easily, although it doesn't have nearly the same effect you get with OS X's Dashboard widget.

I wouldn't recommend you ditch your current widget engine just yet, since this is a brand-new feature on an application that's still in private alpha. I am, however, excited to see if this feature will be integrated into the forthcoming browser-free version of the app.

For more shots of the new widget runtime environment, keep reading.… Read more

California plans to use text message alerts

California plans to launch a text messaging alert system in the next 12 to 14 months, according to a story posted Thursday on Insidethebayarea.com.

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi told lawmakers at a hearing that California is working with federal officials to develop an alert system that will use SMS text messaging to disseminate emergency information. He said that the state is willing to move along without the feds in order to get the service up and running as quickly as possible, the story said.

Several universities throughout the country have already begun using text message alerts to inform students … Read more

Improve your life while you work

At this very moment, I'm utilizing breakthrough psychological software to make me feel happier and less stressed. Or at least that's supposedly what I'm doing, according to developer Ded Pyhto, the publisher of the self-improvement tool Subliminal Flash.

The concept is simple. You select as many of the 33 areas of self-improvement, such as Happiness, Self-Esteem, Improved Memory, or Better Skin, as you want the program to include, and the software will present you with subliminal affirmations that improve those areas of your life. Sounds crazy? From the company's press release: "According to Ded Pyhto'… Read more

Take me out to the ball game

The Washington Nationals may not have the best record, but they're ahead of the game in creating new ways to use your cell phone. As of April 26, the team is letting fans use digital tickets on their handsets to gain admission to games. After buying a ticket from the team's Web site, you can request to have it sent directly to a phone in a multimedia message (MMS). You then take your phone directly to the admission gate where they scan the bar code from your handset's screen. Then it's off to enjoy the ball … Read more

Win some, lose some

Database and mobile software maker Sybase reported its first quarter results Thursday. Pro forma earnings reached 27 cents a share, beating Wall Street analysts' estimates by a penny.

That's the good news.

Revenues, however were slightly weaker than what Wall Street soothsayers were expecting, coming in at $230 million, verses their expectations of $231.6 million. The company's stock got punished, falling 6.8 percent to $24.42 a share at the close.

That's the bad news.

John Chen, Sybase's CEO, says he's baffled by the street's reaction, given that revenues overall were up … Read more

BuyYourFriendADrink update: It works!

I'd initially been skeptical about BuyYourFriendADrink.com (BYFAD), the Web site that just opened today (see previous coverage) in which you can remotely order drinks for your friends that they can redeem at participating bars by showing the bartender a code in a text message. It's available at about 40 bars in New York City and the surrounding area, and the company plans to gradually expand to other urban areas over the course of the year.

I'd been pretty confident that the site itself would work, but I hadn't been entirely positive that the bars involved … Read more

Texting your way to $25,000

After crowning the West Coast champ last month, the winner of LG's National Texting Championship will be determined tomorrow night in New York, with $25,000 at stake.

The East Coast "texthletes" will use their enV or V handsets to compete in single-elimination brackets to determine the East Coast champ. That person wins $10,000, and later that day they will take on Eli Tirosh (who won the West Coast crown) for an extra $15,000.

Registration is still open as of press time, and it seems like it could be worth your time even if you … Read more