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New Media News Every Morning

Star Wars extreme fans sought for video contest

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fanboys.jpgDailyMotion, a video sharing Web site, and The Weinstein Company are running a new fanboy video contest announced today to find the ultimate Star Wars fan. The winner of this online contest will win a walk in role in the upcoming comedy Fanboys, as well as having his or her video promoted on the Fanboy Web site and included as a special feature when the feature film comes to DVD.

Contestants will need to submit their videos through the official contest Web site. The competition, which runs from July 25, 2007 to August 31, 2007, will find Dailymotion users voting for their favorites throughout the competition. The producers will choose the winner from the 10 finalists that received the most votes by the users.

Fanboys is described as a comedy which “follows a group of young friends on a cross-country quest to break into Skywalker Ranch and see Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace before it is released. The film stars Sam Huntington (Superman Returns), Chris Marquette (Joan of Arcadia), Dan Fogler (the upcoming Kung Fu Panda), Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) and Seth Rogan (Knocked Up).”

Originally posted on July 25, 2007 @ 5:42 pm

Wells Fargo introduces mobile banking

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wells-fargo-mobile.jpgThe many customers of large bank chain Wells Fargo have a new way today to access information on their funds via their mobile phones. Wells Fargo Mobile, a browser-based mobile banking solution, has been introduced on a nationwide level.

Wells Fargo Mobile users, once enrolled in the service, can visit the mobile URL wf.com to view balances of checking and savings accounts, mortgage, home equity, brokerage, auto loan, student loan, and credit card accounts. Transaction history can be accessed and money can be transferred between eligible accounts.

Wells Fargo covers the mobile based service with a security guarantee and says it uses the same layered security approach and technology as all sessions on wellsfargo.com. The bank chain, which operates over 6,000 locations, first introduced online access to banking accounts in 1995.

Originally posted on July 24, 2007 @ 1:35 pm

Verizon enables YouTube uploads on select phones

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verizon-youtube.jpgVerizon Wireless said today that if you are a customer and also a user of YouTube you’ll be able to connect the two easier through your Verizon mobile phone so you can both send and enjoy YouTube video. Verizon says its the first in the nation to offer mobile users the ability to send recorded video to YouTube.

Verizon customers can record video through their mobile phones and then upload those videos directly to YouTube using the number YTUBE (98823). Users must first link their phone with their YouTube account through the Web site. Videos posted will reportedly be available to view in minutes.

Verizon also made mention of how users of V Cast-enabled phones can access a selection of YouTube videos through the YouTube channel on V Cast. The V Cast service costs 3.00 for 24-hour use or $15.00 for a monthly subscription.

Originally posted on July 24, 2007 @ 2:09 pm

NowLive user broadcast service adds widget

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nowlive.jpgNowLive, a relatively new online service which combines social networking and user-generated broadcasting, announced a new widget today for making it easier to get a talk show noticed by the online masses. This widget can be plugged into a variety of Web sites.

The NowLive Talk Show widget lets anyone with a social networking profile on sites such as MySpace or blog sites like LiveJournal, Blogger and TypePad embed their own live talk show directly into their personal profile. NowLive in general works by letting one dial a local phone number to create voice streams for his or her new talk show. Talk show hosts can interact with listeners through a variety of tools and the shows are later made available as downloadable podcasts.

“Bloggers, podcasters and anyone who wants to be heard can be on the air in less than 60 seconds,” said NowLive Co-founder & CEO Kevin Bromber. “But unlike traditional radio, a social broadcast lets the audience actively participate in the show from their computers and cell phones.”

Originally posted on July 23, 2007 @ 3:36 pm

U.S. broadband use up, says CEA

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cea.jpgThe Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the trade group for the consumer electronics industry best known for putting on the yearly CES show in Las Vegas, released research today which suggests 72% of American adults have broadband access. They see an increasing demand for content-rich entertainment options and lower prices for access as key factors in future high speed Internet adoption.

The research study determined 57.8 million U.S. households subscribe to broadband at home, an increase of 21 percent in the last 12 months. 75 percent of households with Internet access subscribe to broadband. For these households, 65 percent decided to upgrade for a faster Internet connection. For non-subscribers, 15 percent say price is the number one reason they don’t have broadband in the home.

Broadband access outside of the home is also on the rise, with consumers going online through work, public libraries, and schools as well as even through portable devices like wireless phones.

“With 20 percent of non-broadband subscribers expecting to adopt this service in the next two years, future growth looks strong,” said CEA President and CEO, Gary Shapiro. “Yet, competition among broadband service providers must stay robust for this expected growth to prevail. Consumers must have access to media-rich entertainment content they can use anytime, anywhere at a reasonable price.”

Originally posted on July 23, 2007 @ 2:51 pm