Facebook Video Chat Finally Available!
Facebook Announces New Video Chat
In typical Facebook style, Mark Zuckerburg first hinted at video chat by promising “something awesome.” That “something awesome” was video chat powered by the video chat gurus at Skype. It’s not a new piece of software or website, it’s neatly integrated into the chat features already utilized by most Facebook users today.
How to Use it Today:
Facebook has not officially launched video chat but you can get in on the action today. Browse to facebook.com/videocalling and click “Get Started” to enable. It may have to download a plugin but the setup is effortless and mostly automatic.
After installed, video chatting with your friends is as easy as clicking the call button either at the top of their profile page or the video camera logo while using regular Facebook chat.
Your friends haven’t installed Facebook chat yet? No problem, when you “call” them their computer will ring and prompt them to install the plugin.
The Video Chat to End All Others
So what does this mean for you and everyone else? It means more online social interaction in a more personal way. But it also means that the attention will move away from independent services by other companies. AIM has been fading for years and this may be the final blow, Google Chat has been slow to get going but perhaps Google Plus will be the help it needs, and the other services are mostly focused on certain markets and not the masses. Skype is notably missing from the list and the reason is simple: Facebook Video Calling is Skype. Well, it’s powered by Skype, which means combined with their international reach, that they will see business in time to come (and this probably makes them some money too). But why is Facebook the decisive force in this battle? The answer is simple: 750 million active users, 50% of whom log on daily. Facebook’s statistics are indeed impressive with over 700 billion minutes a month being spent on their website. To put that into perspective, 700 billion looks like this: 700,000,000,000 and is 1,330,928.12 years. The way things look currently, competing directly against Facebook is difficult to say the least and their new feature just solidifies their dominance.
Video Chat Preview
So what do you think? Will you use their new feature? Will Facebook take over the world? Is Facebook evil? Let us know in the comments below.
Lupe Fiasco Calls Obama Terrorist. Bill O’Reilly Disagrees.
What’s wrong with this picture:
Lupe Fiasco calls US President Barack Obama a terrorist.
Bill O’Reilly defends our liberal leader.
On June 20, hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco went head to head with Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly on “The O’Reilly Factor.” Fiasco defended his statements calling President Barack Obama a terrorist. Before reading further, check out this video!
The incident highlights a longstanding trend in music where artists face off against Big Brother.
Depending on your political views and attitude towards government, perhaps Lupe Fiasco emerged the victor in this mini-debate. Maybe the tried and tested O’Reilly factored in for the decisive victory.
Lupe Fiasco, known for his anti-establishment views, is hot off his March album release of Lasers and is currently promoting his upcoming Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album. Despite his strong political opinions, Fiasco has said in the past that he does not vote in U.S. elections or involve himself in U.S. politics, which he calls “meaningless.”
While the views of Lupe Fiasco may be controversial, the fact that he conveys his message in song and then takes time to address reporters demonstrates a media maturity that numerous other artists in the industry lack. It’s not like he pulled a Kanye West and blurted out on live TV that, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people!”
Paris Hilton Working with House DJ/Producer Afrojack
Paris Hilton has been in the studio with Afrojack working on tracks for her upcoming album.
She is also working with other “really dope DJs” in an attempt to fuse pop and house. The new Paris Hilton album should be out in 2011.
This unnamed release will be Hilton’s second studio album. Her first was Paris, released in 2006, featuring the popular reggae-pop influenced “Stars Are Blind.”
The Paris Hilton and Afrojack collaboration highlights a continuing trend of pop, hip hop, and other mainstream genres exploring the possibilities of electronic dance music. This has been evident as artists like Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Katy Perry, and Bruno Mars continue to blossom and produce dance floor hits.
Paris Hilton’s experience with house DJs goes beyond Afrojack –
The hotel heiress was involved in an incident with Swedish House Mafia’s Steve Angello at the 2009 Winter Music Conference in Miami:
Hilton made a request, Steve refused, she got mad.
Steve’s bodyguard had to forcefully remove Hilton and her posse from the DJ booth, creating much buzz via social media.
According to Hilton, Angello’s music, “was not even danceable and was frankly giving me a migraine” She claims she wanted him to spin Bob Sinclair or Daft Punk. Angello stated that Hilton repeatedly asked him to play hip hop and was getting on his nerves.
Perhaps now Paris realizes that if she wants a career in music she’ll need a lot of Afrojack, Dutch House and Autotune!
Hef’s Runaway Bride – It Can Happen to Anyone
It’s Summer and everyone’s getting dumped like they’re going out of style. Hot weather and the summer life mean out with the old and in with the new; that’s exactly what it means for Hugh Hefner as well (although not by choice).
Five days before what was to be an extravagant wedding (at the Playboy Mansion), Crystal Harris called it off. Initially, TMZ broke the story that her and Hef had a nasty argument; the two-and-a-half years they dated were over and the life they were building together would come to a shattering end. Crystal was sure to set the record straight explaining to Ryan Seacrest: “It was mutual between Hef and I.” But was that really setting the record straight?
It seems obvious by now that the two didn’t have a massive fight, but in reality the breakup was not so mutual. While the (ex) couple has remained civil, Hefner can be seen venting his sadness on Twitter. His Tweet announcing the two would not be getting married was simply the statement: “The wedding is off. Crystal has had a change of heart.”
But was it for everyone’s best interest or was the motive a bit more selfish? The breakup was not only just days before their wedding, but coincided with the release of Crystal’s new single “Club Queen.” It’s hard to ignore the obvious media attention she could expect surrounding the breakup. What do you think?
Since then, Hefner was mostly worried about their dog Charlie, who he seemed to genuinely miss. In a happy turn of events, and perhaps to highlight how amicably the breakup turned out, Crystal brought Charlie back.
The good news is Hugh can move on quickly, and who can blame him? He’s surrounded by beautiful women and “happy to be single.”
Make sure to get in style and hopefully you won’t be next.
Remember Jamiroquai? Here’s a Free Track to Remind You!
Remember Jamiroquai? Sure you do… Virtual Insanity, Cosmic Girl, Runaway, Space Cowboy, and more!
Their timeless style of jazz-funk, acid-jazz and electronic disco was ahead of its time.
“Smile” is a feel good track with a down tempo beat, soulful guitar riffs, relaxing vocals, and jazzy instrumentals. It’s bound to put that frown on your face upside-down! You can download Jamiroquai – Smile for free right here!
Jamiroquai – “Smile” by Jamiroquai1
The band is currently enjoying the success of their most recent studio album, Rock Star Light Dust, which was released in the UK last November. The album has yet to be released in the U.S. market.
Jamiroquai – Love Foolosophy [Live]
Calvin Harris & Rihanna Take Over The World
Why should you care about Calvin Harris? Well here are a couple reasons…
If this isn’t enough, Beatportal caught up with the Scottish DJ and producer—here is what he had to say…
Can you tell us a bit about your new track “Awooga”?
“Awooga” is a track I made exclusively for Beatport which is strictly for the clubs and released on my label Fly Eye. It’s a big-room electro record and it’s been going off in my DJ sets.
It’s been a while since you last released a single – we’re guessing you’ve been busy working on your upcoming album, but what else have you got coming up?
I’m going to be releasing a lot of tracks this year, and the album will come later. I’ve been working with different people on some big singles; the first features Kelis and she sounds amazing on the record. We just shot the video in Vegas, and that’s shaping up to look great too!
It will be your third artist album – what can we expect from it, and how has your sound evolved and moved on from the last two?
I’m going for pretty epic-sounding dance records. I guess the whole sound has just moved on in terms of production as I’ve got a new studio and some new gear to make the sounds I wasn’t able to make before.
Other than the new singles and the album, what else have you got planned for the coming months?
I’ll be carrying on my residency in Las Vegas and touring all over the place. I’m also going to Dubai, which I’ve never been to before, so that should be amazing.
You toured with Rihanna earlier this year – how did you adapt your set to suit a crowd that wouldn’t necessarily be at one of your club nights?
I did alter my set, as there were lots of younger people in the crowd that I wouldn’t normally DJ to, but her fans are really good and they go nuts!
From your Tweets, it’s apparent that you’re quite a straight-talking person, but have you ever considered closing your account because of the grief it can sometimes cause?
There are definitely some strange people on the Internet, but that’s nothing we didn’t know already! There are too many upsides to the incredible things you can find on Twitter to delete your account, though.
You featured on Dizzee Rascal‘s “Dance Wiv Me” back in 2008, but it wasn’t until last year that urban music really dominated the charts – do you think the urban-dance crossover is paving the way for dance music’s popularity with the mainstream again?
It certainly seems to be the way things are headed right now. A lot of US urban artists are looking to European producers to create the mainstream dance music sound, so it’s a very exciting time for dance music.
Who do you rate as an up-and-coming artist?
There are loads, but to name a few Burns – signed to Deconstruction Records – is great, and so are Thomas Gold and Michael Woods.
And finally, what was the last record you listened to?
Burns’ “Skeezer.”
Dr. Dre & Chrysler Put ‘Beats’ in the Ride
Imported from Detroit.
Dr. Dre is redefining what it means to “Let Me Ride” with a recent partnership between Beats by Dr. Dre and the Chrysler Group.
Instead of rolling through Compton in a tricked out low-rider, Dre is now cruising around in the 2012 Chrysler 300S, which sports a 522-watt 12-channel amplifier from his “Beats by Dr. Dre” audio line.
The interior of the 300S Series offers a ton of features that appeal to young city dwellers. It not only includes Beats by Dre’s revolutionary new speaker system but also 12-way heated front power seats and an 8.4-inch touchscreen entertainment and communications system.
“Our partnership with the Chrysler Group will set the bar for the way music should be heard in cars. Beats by Dr. Dre has always been about restoring the emotional music connection between an artist and the listener, and Chrysler vehicles beginning with the Chrysler 300S will let drivers hear music the way the artists intended.”
– Jimmy Iovine | Chairman, Interscope Geffen-A&M Records | Co-founder, Beats by Dr. Dre
With artists like Diddy, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber using Beats by Dr. Dre products, it’s clear that these headphones are a force to be reckoned with in the audio world. Italian producer/DJ Benny Benassi was even spotted wearing a pair last time he was in DC at Club Glow.
With 522 watts of power over 12 channels, the new Chrysler 300S may be equally as much mobile music studio as it is a vehicle.
Are Angry Birds Going to Take Over the World?
If you ask us, this whole Angry Birds thing has gotten a little out of hand. What started off as a simple way to kill some time (and pigs) on your cell phone has since earned a cult following and so much more. Admittedly, it is an addictive game: hours have been lost and cell phones have been smashed (out of frustration) when stuck on a level.
January 31 of this year was when the takeover began. Rovio, the maker of angry birds, announced Angry Birds: Rio (The Movie) would be coming out on April 15, 2011 (accompanying game trailer). Unfortunately for those of you who have been holding their breaths since January, it will be at least another 3 years wait for the movie. Why the drastic change in timeline you might ask? Well, Rovio is taking the movie (and future endeavors) so seriously that they purchased an animation studio. They plan on doing a great deal of the movie in-house. Just to recap, this is what happened: cell phone game created, got insanely popular, planned to base a movie off of it, purchased a studio, and now they’re in the filmmaking business as well. Sounds like a lot to us as well but wait, there’s more.
While the US may have caught the Angry Bird(s) bug, we have nothing on Barcelona, Spain. I think everyone has seen the funny videos of insane fans creating life-size angry birds, but what happens when T-Mobile takes it seriously? You’ll see below, s*** just got real. Angry Birds has now gone larger than life, complete with explosions and a live band.
Angry Birds, possibly (literally) blowing up a city near you soon.
A Titanium Collar Stay That Opens Beer and More?
Ever been stranded on your yacht in the middle of the Potomac and dropped the only bottle opener overboard? Yeah, we haven’t either but, with the Titan Multi-Tool Collar Stays you would be prepared. For that matter, you’ll be prepared any time a collared shirt and bottle opener happen to be necessary in the same setting. This is more often than one would think, just wait until the fraternities hear about this one.
At first glance these are clearly something different, maybe just a gimmick one would think. Sure, a collar stay crafted of titanium seems like extreme overkill but this one does so much more. Need to open a beer, tighten (or loosen) a screw, cut an annoying loose thread, or just keep your shirt collar from looking terrible? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this gadget has you covered.
Four will set you back a steep $50, but you will be one of the few and proud to own a shirt accessory made out of titanium with functionality that would make MacGyver jealous.
Pricing and more information can be found via: exuvius.com. Not sure what a collar stay is? Guys please take note, a lot more people need to use these. This is one instance where using Wikipedia as a reference should be okay. And here is what they have to say about collar stays:
“The stays ensure that the collar lies flat against the collarbone, looking crisp and remaining in the correct place.”
Nintendo Reveals New System
Nintendo has revealed its brand new system!
On June 7 at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Nintendo revealed the Wii U. Coming to stores in 2012, the Wii U is yet another innovative product from Nintendo.
A groundbreaking feature of the Wii U is that it includes a 6.2 inch touch-screen controller! This controller will also include a microphone, gyroscope, accelerometer, dual analog controls, two shoulder buttons and triggers, a front-facing camera, and a stylus. The Wii U will also be equipped with HD graphics.
The controller is bad ass. You can shoot ninja stars with it, use it to zoom in on your TV and in-TV browser, make video calls to your friends, control software with the stylus or even snipe bad guys with the telescopic lens!
Visit Nintendo.com for more info on the brand new Wii U system and super controller, available in 2012!!
- Do you think the Wii U will take over as the premiere gaming system on the market?
- What happens when the PS4 comes out? And when will that be?
- What is the best system right now?
Let us know!
