Cameraphone footage of Saddam’s Execution made its way to video sharing sites

Saddam’s Execution Video Makes it to Google Video, YouTube and Revver.

"This video video shows Saddam Hussein being hanged from the vantage of a witness using his or her cellphone.

This shows almost everything -- except for the snap of the neck, viewer discretion advised".

[Mashable! via Techmeme]

More from the BBC:

"New footage of Saddam Hussein's final moments reveals the former Iraqi president exchanged taunts and insults with witnesses at his execution.

The grainy images are believed to have been filmed on a mobile phone.

Unlike on the silent, official film showing a subdued Saddam Hussein, the execution is a charged, angry scene.

In it people chant the name of radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and tell Saddam Hussein to "go to hell", while the former leader mocks their bravery."

Nokia Releases 5-Megapixel N95 Commercial

Cameratown reports that Nokia has released a commercial for their new 5-Megapixel N95 camera phone - which can be viewed on YouTube.

The Nokia N95 is an all-in-one multimedia computer with a pioneering 2-way slide concept, integrated GPS functionality, a 5 megapixel camera and support for high-speed mobile network, making it easier to watch and record videos, listen to songs, take high-quality photos, browse the internet, or catch up on email while on the move.>

More than 77 pct Chinese mobile users sure to buy 3G handsets

A survey released here Thursday claims that more than 77 percent of Chinese mobile users are keen to buy 3G handsets when they become available, reports China View.

" According to the survey by the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID), 17 percent of users say they might buy 3G handsets and merely 6 percent of users say they would not buy one.

... China has more than 455 million mobile users and the figure is rising by more than 5 million a month. The country has been preparing for the launch of 3G service for years and is expected to issue 3G licenses next year."

YouTube New Year's Eve Countdown

YouTube and Warner Music Group Corp today announced the first-ever YouTube New Year's Eve Countdown.

The promotion will celebrate New Year's as it happens around the world with new videos featured every hour from New Zealand to Los Angeles.

As New Year's Eve rings in around the world, special messages from YouTube celebrities as well as award-winning artists from WMG labels Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Records and Warner Music International will be featured on the homepage.

In addition to videos from top YouTube personalities, WMG will provide special video content from New Year's celebrations with its artists as well as music videos and concert footage. "Almost-live" videos from New Year's concerts will be uploaded directly from the venues as the events occur with ShoZu-enabled mobile phones.

YouTube is also requesting your videos: We're looking for some great New Year's videos to feature on the homepage on December 31 and January 1! Create a special video, add it to this group and we might feature it on the home page! We're looking for:

Try to keep it clean, keep it under 2 minutes, and if it's great, we might feature it!

[Press release]

Attention Tokyo shoppers: This add was brought to you via RFID

Stores in central Tokyo are set to beam news of special offers, menus and coupons to passers-by in a trial run of a radio-tagging system. CNN reports.

"The Tokyo Ubiquitous Network Project, which launches in the glitzy Ginza district next month, sends shoppers information from nearby shops via a network of radio-frequency identification tags, infrared and wireless transmitters, according to the project's Web site.

Shoppers can either rent a prototype reader or get messages on their cell phones. The tags and transmitters identify a reader or phone's location and match it to information provided by shops.

RFID uses a tiny computer chip to store data, which are transmitted wirelessly by a tiny antenna to a receiver -- in this case, the reader or the phone.

The technology has raised concerns about the erosion of privacy in society."

John Edwards Embraces YouTube, Viral, SMS

Presidential hopeful John Edwards jumped his own announcement of his plans to campaign in 2008, scheduled for today, by posting a video on YouTube yesterday in which he pre-empts the news.

Edwards' appeal is for Americans to join his OneCorps campaign, and his call-to-action is to do so either on his Web site or via SMS (text 'hope' to 30644). He makes sure to ask viewers to forward his message to friends.

And it seems to be working.The enthusiastic feedback on his YouTube page runs very much toward "you've got my vote."

DirecTV Offered on Cell Phones

According to the LA Business Journal, cell phone service provider MobilePro Corp. said on Wednesday that a subsidiary will offer Direct TV's satellite TV service to its customers.

"CloseCall America will initially offer the DirecTV service in 14 states, including Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania."

Audience members submit clips of live concert with cameraphones

Howard Rheingold on Smartmobs via Wired reports on a live band oustourcing the taping of their performance to their fans in the audience - with their cameraphones.

" At the Austin City Limits fest in Texas last fall, Indi rock group The Shins unveiled their new title "Phantom Limb.”.

But instead of hiring, professonals to capture the moment, the group fansourced it, inviting the crowd to record the performance with cell phones and digicams.

The result is a groovy (albeit grainy) group effort used to promote the single’s early release."

... To pull it off, the Shins teamed up with user-generated-video upstart Current TV and instructed concert-goers to upload raw material to Current TV’s Web site. Roughly 200 spectators submitted footage, which producers then edited into a five-minute montage of at least one image from nearly every shooter."

Guest Bloggers on textually

I'm taking a break over the holidays but two wonderful bloggers will be filling in for me: Gerrit Visser from Smart Mobs and Nuno Bastei from 21talks.net.

Multiply Yourself

The Multiply Yourself pix-messaging campaign, running through New Years Eve, allows you to upload your picture onto a 19,200 square foot billboard in Times Square. [via PSFK]

Photos sent in via mobile phone (text MULTIPLY to 59566), e-mail (multiply@vibes.com) or uploaded online multiplyyourself.com are then rotated through the Reuters and NASDAQ boards up until the ball hits bottom.

Police 'sex assault' turns up online

Human Rights Watch urged Egyptian authorities Saturday to prosecute a group of police officers whose alleged sexual assault of a Cairo minibus driver was recorded in a cellphone video and has cropped up on the Internet, reports IOL.

"In a statement, the United States-based human rights group said Imad al-Kabir was detained for 36 hours last January after intervening in a dispute between police and a cousin.

Whilst inside the Bulaq police station, it said, Kabir was bound by his arms and legs, "severely whipped", then "raped... with a stick while one (police officer) videotaped the episode with a mobile phone".

YouTube clip leads to arrest in Canadian murder hunt

A video clip posted on YouTube has helped Canadian police in the investigation of a nightclub murder, reports The Register.

"The Hamilton Police posted a clip from club surveillance cameras onto the popular video sharing site in an appeal for information.

The clip - showing people arriving at Sean Price hip-hop concert last month - was viewed by more the 34,000 people.

On Tuesday a baseball cap-wearing man seen on the clip, wanted for questioning, turned himself into the authorities.

It is the first time police have used YouTubeas a tool in a criminal investigation.

Canadian police said they used YouTube rather than more conventional Crime Watch-style TV programs because of its popularity with young people, such as the concert goers they were seeking to help them as witnesses. The surveillance footage has since been pulled from the site."

Related post: - Fighting Crime Using Videos on YouTube

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

The history of video phones and their role in the media

Mad4Mobilephones wrote an essay a while back on the history of video phones and predicts the near future:

"... Video technology in mobile telephones will have an impact on society in many ways according to those who study trends in culture.

One impact will be in the number of people who will be on the scene during breaking news events and able to record those events on their telephones and transmit them, making news gathering quicker, more accurate, and increasingly more the realm of amateurs as first gatherers rather than of the reporters who cover news for a living. This of course goes along with the tendency for news commentary to be reported on blogs before the traditional media, causing a societal shift in the way the press functions.

... It won’t be long before memory cards and phones improve enough that large amounts of video can be saved and stored. Prices will continue to drop, according to most estimates, and more people than ever will become owners of mobile phones that include video technology. In many ways the days of Captain Kirk and George Jetson are upon us, as video messaging and video communication take place on our telephones.

New Verizon phone lets you take pictures underwater

This is actually not new, but I missed it. Verizon's Casio made flip phone, the G'zOne Type-V, is water proof and you can take pictures underwater with it's 2 megapixel camera feature, according to journalist for Pioneer Press, who tested it.

"It also has V Cast streaming video and Global Positioning System capabilities for use with Verizon's VZ Navigator software. It also works as a computer modem on Verizon's high-speed data network."

Picture from Mobilemedia.

"How to make a joint" mobile video

A mobile video showing how to "make the perfect joint" has been banned following a complaint from a teacher, reports the BBC.

"The video was accompanied by "the top ten activities to try when you're caned".

It was available for download to mobile phones via the Tocmag service that lets users download films to their handset. It was downloaded an estimated 5,000 times.

Update: In a nice gesture, TocMag has issued a formal apology. Hey, not their fault and they reacted promptly when informed.

‘We unreservedly apologise for this oversight and we’re doing everything in our powers to ensure it doesn’t happen again,’ said Tocmag founder Brad Ells. ‘From the outset of this project, we realised illicit content is a serious problem with user-generated material. We have conducted a review of our censorship process and ramped-up the resources we devote to ensuring Tocmag is a clean service.’

Saturday Night Live' on your Cingular phone

A partnership between Saturday Night Live' parent NBC Universal, Broadway Video Entertainment, and Cingular Wireless was announced Tuesday and will offer various forms of SNL media content, including original mobile-only programming, to Cingular's phones.

Saturday Night Live is one of the longest-running network entertainment programs in American television history. [via New.com]

Swedes like to watch mobile TV in bed

Swedes like to watch mobile TV in bed, according to a consumer survey conducted by Telia in Stockholm this Fall. [via Cellular News]

"Two-thirds of total mobile TV watching takes place in the home, followed by on the way to work, school, practice or when waiting for someone.

The majority of users mainly watch mobile TV in the morning between 7:00-8:00AM and in the evening between 5:00PM-10:00PM. On average, users watch 30 minutes at a time."

BBC starts experimental citizen journalism project

The BBC has launched a citizen journalism project to explore new multi-media story telling ideas using mobile phones and GPS, reports Journalism.co.uk

BBC Innovation is collaborating with the University of Brighton, Nokia and mobile and web engagement specialist Ymogen for the Geo-stories project to investigate how video, stills and text combined with location and time information can create new narrative formats.

The month long project, which started this week, will culminate when students from the University of Brighton present the results of the citizen journalism experiment as an online gallery on January 18".

Reuters Offers Free Videos to Mobile Phones

The news agency, Reuters has announced the launch of the first free, ad-supported mobile news video service in the USA, making it the first major news organization in the U.S. to offer such a service to mobile phones. Cellular News reports.

"The service is available to consumers through the Reuters mobile site and it contains breaking news and business video segments optimized for select smart phones such as the Nokia E62, Palm 700w, and Blackberry Pearl."

Strap On Zoom Telescopes

Strap On Zoom Telescopes for Nokia and Sony Ericsson cameraphones from Brando Workshop.

[via Uberphones]

Mobile Junk 20

Beginning today, VH1 Mobile will offer "Mobile Junk 20," a new mobile application that gives users the ability to upload video and photos taken with their mobile devices.

Sprint is the first carrier to offer the application and Sprint customers can download the application via their phones, at www.sprint.com/digitalloungeor by texting "junk" to short code 2323.

Content submitted using the new application will be considered for inclusion in future episodes of the TV show "Web Junk 20."

Web Junk 20 is a 2006 program in which VH1 and iFilm collaborate to highlight the twenty funniest and most interesting clips collected from the Internet that week.

[Press release]

Free 'YouTube' Type Service for Mobile Phones

Mobl , which claims to be "the world’s first free mobile video sharing service", launches in the UK today, according to 3G.

"The service enables users to upload video clips that have been filmed using a mobile phone to www.moblr.com where they can be shared with friends, family and the Moblr community. Videos can be accessed and shared anywhere, anytime and for free from a mobile phone.

How does it work?

Upload: A video shot using a mobile phone can easily be published on the Moblr site. Users can either upload the clip directly from their mobile phone or send the clip by MMS or email. The clip can be named and tagged before it goes public so others can search for content easily.

Viewing: All videos can be accessed for free from users’ mobile phones or PCs. Most recently uploaded videos are posted on Moblr’s home page and users can search all videos by category and tag.

Reader was charged £950 for two hours' TV

Watching television on his mobile landed one O2 customer with a bill of almost £1,000, reports The Times Online.

"Michael Schaefer, 46, an IT specialist from Ealing, west London, was charged £950 in just four days by O2 after using his 3G phone to view TV for just two hours."

... After a lengthy letter to the operator, complaining that he was not aware of the charge and arguing that he was simply taking advantage of 3G technology, O2 eventually waived his fee."

The MySpace Generation Expands its Range to Mobile

Teens are expanding their social networks to the mobile realm, according to the latest monthly statistics from m:metrics. The measurement firm found that with 70 percent of 13 to 17-year-olds engaging in social networking or otherwise creating content, Italian teens best their peers in Western Europe and the United States. [via Cellular News]

"Although teenagers and young adults make up only six to 10 percent of mobile subscribers, they generate more than their fair share of mobile content..

Phone-to-phone photo messaging is the most popular category of user-generated content.

Italy ranked first in video messaging, followed by Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States."

Regular Folks, Shooting History

Digital technology makes 'Citizen Journalists' out of eyewitnesses eager to click and post, writes The Washington Post in a lenghty and thorough artcle on the rise of cameraphone reporters.

Nothing that hasn't been covered here before, but there are some interesting new stats and quotes from Kyle MacRae, who runs Scoopt.

"In 15 months, Scoopt has registered almost 12,000 people in 97 countries".

"With so many camera phones making celebrity photos so easy to come by", MacRae said, he is trying to get the balance right between newsworthiness and privacy.

We're stuck in the middle trying to find a sensible approach," he said. "But I do know that you can't turn this off. Sooner or later, every news story will be captured first by a citizen journalist."

Fighting Crime Using Videos on YouTube

Canadian police posted a video of two men wanted for questioning on YouTube in addition to giving it to local television stations for broadcast, reports The New York Times.

"Other police forces have also discovered YouTube. Some have looked into apparent crimes that appear in YouTube postings, and a police force in England used the site to distribute an appeal for help from the parents of a murder victim. Sgt. Lasso, however, believes he may be the first investigator to directly employ YouTube as a crime-fighting tool.

After a week, YouTube had not brought the police in Hamilton any closer to finding the men, although Sgt. Lasso said the experiment was still worthwhile. "

'You' named Time's person of 2006

"You" have been named as TIME magazine's Person of the Year for the growth and influence of user-generated content on the internet. The BBC reports.

"The US magazine praised the public for "seizing the reins of the global media" and filling the web's virtual world.

The magazine said naming a collectivity rather than an individual reflected the way the internet was shifting the balance of power within the media through blogs, videos and social networks.

Time cited websites such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Wikipepdia, which allow users to interact with the web by uploading and publishing their own comments, videos, pictures and links. "

Excerpts from TIME.:

If you look at 2006 through a different lens and you'll see a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It's about the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people's network YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes.

Who are these people? Seriously, who actually sits down after a long day at work and says, I'm not going to watch Lost tonight. I'm going to turn on my computer and make a movie starring my pet iguana? I'm going to mash up 50 Cent's vocals with Queen's instrumentals? I'm going to blog about my state of mind or the state of the nation or the steak-frites at the new bistro down the street? Who has that time and that energy and that passion?

The answer is, you do. And for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, TIME's Person of the Year for 2006 is you.

Read also: - Enough about you (TIME magazine)

Auditions Come to YouTube

Agents are asking actors to post auditions on YouTube or MySpace, hoping to gauge actors' potential popularity by monitoring the reactions of average Internet users. The WSJ reports.

"It's the latest twist on an entertainment trend that's taken off in the past two years -- unknown, often amateur performers who are discovered by the music, television or film industries after capturing an audience online. Now, rather than scouring sites like YouTube for fresh talent, some companies are experimenting with a more direct approach.

"The online auditions make it easier for actors outside New York and Los Angeles to audition for national casting calls without driving hours to stand in line for a tryout.

Teenagers have begun posting audition tapes on YouTube and MySpace for a series called "The New 22," . The casting call was placed through koldCast.com, to let actors post online auditions. In exchange, the company gets dibs on selling product placements in movies and TV shows that use actors found through the service.

... Dreamscape Films, an independent production company, is asking those auditioning for "The Interior" to download a script page from its Web site and upload an audition video to YouTube. So far, 250 people have submitted auditions for the show's four main roles."

Geert Heetebrij, co-creator of the show, says at first he and his co-creator intended to judge the clips in part by the number of hits they got on YouTube and the number of stars viewers gave them. After seeing those numbers fluctuate, he now says he suspects actors are pumping up their own hit counts and giving bad reviews to others. So he'll focus more on comments from viewers instead of the other metrics."

Germany outraged by Afghan Skull photos

German best selling daily newspaper BILD has published photographs of soldiers posing with human skulls and bones in Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004, reports Al Jazeera.

According to RXPG News, the photographs were taken with camera-phones.

"The German army is to bring seven of the soldiers before a disciplinary tribunal over allegations that they played mocking and obscene games with skulls found on an Afghan roadside."