RipCode Brings Streaming Flash Video to iPhone & iPad
For websites that find themselves stuck in the middle of the ongoing feud between Apple and Adobe, there might be another way out of the mess – Ripcode . According to the company, its latest product is a server-side solution for websites that want to get their Flash-based content onto Apple’s iPad and iPhone. Sponsor The somewhat futuristic sounding “TransAct Transcoder V6 can intercept Adobe Flash-based file or live video” and translate the video into a format compatible with both the iPhone and the iPad. As the company points out in its blog post , Flash is used in a number of settings, especially live streaming of news and sports and other video content. And while HTML5 is one solution, it is not yet widely adopted and the company’s transcoding service offers an immediate and seamless solution. The transcoder is a completely server side solution, meaning it does not have to be installed by users or pass by Apple’s scrutiny to get into the app store. Instead, it runs on the website server and detects the requesting platform and transcodes the video as needed. “The ‘Flash on iPad’ dilemma is really just the latest in a long line of speed bumps on the road towards ‘any-content, any-time, any-place, any-device’ that we all desire. Fortunately, our technology removes this barrier in a way that is attractive to content hosters, a key device manufacturer, a key video player provider, and the end user alike,” RipCode CEO Brendon Mills says in the company’s blog. The best part of this solution, as far as it relates to both Apple and Adobe, is that it has nothing to do with either. And rather than having to swap out services and modify your whole website, a simple server-side install handles the issue entirely, outputting the appropriate video format for whatever the device. The service supports a number of formats and will be demonstrating this week at the NAB 2010 in Las Vegas. Discuss
Reusing and Recycling With Toyota Conversations by Tweetmeme
In the kids book “George Saves the World by Lunchtime”, George saves the world through recycling. His four tips are reduce, repair, reuse and recycle. When Toyota decided to build Toyota Conversations Powered by Tweetmeme , they applied the same approach. The collaboration is about more than simply utilizing a social media tool to reach out to customers. It also allows Toyota to meet business objectives like reducing resources, while at the same supporting customer-friendly initiatives such as transparency and engagement. Sponsor Reduce Simply by automating the collection of content, Toyota minimizes the number of people, time and level of effort required to run a highly engaging website. No one is needed to create content, no complicated workflow and approval process – no manual push to live. The content is published for the most part by fans and nay-sayers of Toyota alike. This means Toyota staff can concentrate on curation, conversation and engagement. Reuse The entire site, from front to back, is reusing existing resources. The hardware, software and interface design is developed and delivered by Tweetmeme. The platform existed – Toyota is just tweaked existing data to deliver relevant, real-time content to the press, its customers, its employees – and let’s not forget the competition. Recycle Instead of building from scratch, Toyota is recycling an existing idea and repurposing it for its own needs. As such, the solution was most likely delivered in a quarter of the time (or less) that it would have taken Toyota to build a similar solution. And even if Toyota tried to create the experience from scratch, it most likely couldn’t replicate the Tweetmeme model as it also gained the brains, years of research and development and data management skills of Tweetmeme. Management is RELATIVELY happy as the solution is inexpensive, quick to market, and from a development perspective, generally risk free as it is a proven solution that Tweetmeme will continue to evolve. The data geeks are happy because they have a new toy to play with, while the marketing team is thrilled because they have a platform to view real-time what customers are saying, and respond accordingly. These concepts of reuse, reuse and recycle on the Web are not new , however Tweetmeme example is a solid case study that demonstrates these concepts well. Discuss
Mobile Lab Benches – For Efficient and Comfortable Lab Work
Mobile lab benches provide much needed flexibility inside the laboratory. And they are very convenient to work with too. Imagine that you do not have to call up your maintenance guys just so you can move your workbench across the laboratory. In a laboratory setting, many things can change in the blink of an eye [...]