Nielsen: Mobile Video Use Lags Behind

For all the promise of mobile video as a new media platform, in the second quarter, there were about 15.3 million active mobile video users, according to a recent Nielsen Mobile Video Report.

-- This represents just 7% of all those who have mobile phones -- roughly 220 million people in the U.S. The silver lining, of sorts, is that this number is up 70% versus 2008's 10-million subscriber mobile video mark.

-- Half of U.S. mobile subscribers -- 52% -- still carry phones that aren't even capable of viewing video, and that's just a bit better than the 62% number a year ago.

-- Almost all current mobile video users -- 78% -- are first-year users.

[via Mediapost]

Rage becomes first 'mobile phone' movie

The first major film to be distributed for free exclusively through a mobile phone has been released to the public, reports TechRadar.

Downloadable in seven parts, Rage has a star-studded cast – featuring the likes of Jude Law, Steve Buscemi and Eddie Izzard – and has been directed by Sally Potter.

Although the movie has been available in bite-sized DLC for the last week for iPhone users, it is now having its full-length mobile phone premiere, courtesy of interactive IPTV platform Babelgum.

iPhone gets MMS (finally)

MMS on the iPhone is live on AT&T at last.

[via engadget:mobile]

Home Movie Depot Offers ‘Reel of the Week’

Home Movie Depot today announced the official launch of its Reel of the Week program. This gives Facebook fans of the company the opportunity to receive a video of interest from the company every week, which can be enjoyed via their computer, cell phone or PDA.

Press release.

Taking professional photographs with the iPhone camera

Commercial photographer and active blogger Chase Jarvis believes the iPhone camera isn't a toy, but a work of art. He set out to prove it. His new book The Best Camera Is The One That's With You is devoted to showing just what the teeny 2-megapixel iPhone camera is capable of. USA Today reports.

To plug the book, he's launched an online sharing community and iPhone App today. The website is for iPhone camera fans to show off their work, and his $2.99 "Best Camera" App is a Photoshop-lite like program offering filters to tweak and improve the photos.

Read full article.

12mail: The First Video Messaging iPhone App

12mail, the first dedicated video messaging iPhone app, was approved for the iPhone app store Tuesday morning. It is an extension of 12seconds.tv and lets iPhone 3GS owners send video messages to Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and other iPhone owners.

Messages can only be 12 seconds long (hence the name), so forget deeply insightful conversations. Those on the receiving end without the iPhone app will either receive a direct message on Twitter or a wall post on Facebook with a link to a 12seconds.tv message.

[via PCMag]

Russian Billionaire Installs Anti-Photo Shield on Giant Yacht

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has a rather curious new addition built in to his latest oversized yacht. Lasers sweep the surroundings and when they detect a CCD, they fire a bolt of light right at the camera to obliterate any photograph.

[via Wired]

Related, albeit on a smaller scale:

-- Anti-paparazzi handbag

-- Anti-Paparazzi Sunglasses

Vigilante Taxi Drivers Reporting Crimes over 3G Phones

Taxi drivers in several Mexican cities have been fitted with equipement enabling them to send pictures and messages to the local police forces when they see incidents that should be reported.

Emergencies reported range from car accidents and street fights, to broken public lighting and water leaks. The equipment has a special number for more serious events such as kidnapping and assaults.

[via Cellular News]

Kodak SmileMaker iPhone App

Kodak's SmileMaker free iPhone app takes any old photo and puts a grin on it. Over 20 smiles to choose from.

[Spotted on Gizmodo]

Camera Phones Robbing College Football Stars of Privacy

With camera phones and professional autograph seekers lurking at every party, store, or restaurant, it has become much harder for high-profile college football players to go out in public.

There's no quiet campus life for last year's Heisman Trophy finalists and star quarterbacks Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Tim Tebow anymore, says The New York Times.

Tebow told the paper that women try to remove their shirts while posing for a picture with him. McCoy even called the cops because a man was banging on his door and yelling his name late one night. Bradford was repeatedly accosted by an autograph seeker that wanted to profit from his signature.

[via Switched]

Union Calls for Mobile Cameraphone Ban in Nurseries

The UK's Union for School Teachers, is calling for nursery staff to be banned from carrying mobile phones while at work over concerns that mobile phones with integrated cameras enable anyone to take photographs without the knowledge of those being photographed.

"A 'no mobiles' rule would protect children, prevent accusations against staff and reassure parents, many of whom had their confidence shattered by recent high profile events involving mobile phone cameras.

[via Cellular News]

Samsung Launched 12MP Cameraphone in India

Samsung India today launched the world’s first GSM Mobile handset with a 12 MP camera and full touch screen functionality – Pixon12 (M8910) in the Indian mobile phone market.

[via Telecom Talk]

Official Flickr iPhone app launches

Flickr has just launched their official iPhone app (not available though through the Swiss iTunes store).

Check out CNET's review:

With a photo montage and a clean user interface, the photo app has the look. As long as you're not too needy, it also has the touch.

In addition to viewing your photos and your friends' photostreams, you can also upload photos from the device to your Flickr account. If you've got an iPhone 3GS, the app also extends that uploading courtesy to videos that you can take on the spot or upload from your library.

Read more.

Film to premiere via mobile phone

Sally Potter's new film "Rage" will premiere on mobile phones when Babelgum offers one episode from the film per day for seven days via its free mobile application for iPhone and iPod devices, beginning on Sept. 21.

The episodic mobile release will be available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and Spain.

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

David Bailey's Nokia experiment

To promote it's N86 cameraphone, Nokia commissioned world-renowed photographer David Bailey to produce Alive at Night, an exhibition of images taken with the camera phone to promote its launch on Orange.

You can view the full exhibition online which premiered August 29 - after you sign up by e-mail for an "invite".

[via The Guardian who gives it a full review]

School Sued for "Illegal" Cell Phone Search

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Mississippi have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a middle school honor student, who it says was wrongfully expelled from school after authorities illegally searched his cell phone and found what they claimed were photos depicting "gang-related activity" - when in reality the photos mainly depicted the student dancing in the bathroom of his own home. Cellular News reports.

... The lawsuit charges that the searches and expulsion violated Richard's rights under the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as his rights under the Mississippi Constitution.

"This is a case where an honor student was expelled from school because a police officer and school officials decided without any basis that innocent pictures of a kid dancing conveyed 'gang-related' messages," said Reginald T. Shuford, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Racial Justice Program. "School officials and the police officer involved never pointed to anything that would suggest that pictures of Richard dancing were linked to a gang in any way. From the day he had his phone confiscated until the day the county school board expelled him, school and police officials showed a callous disregard for Richard's rights."

Drunk Driver takes cell phone pics of himself speeding

We knew that texting while driving is stupid. But what about using your cellphone to take photos of yourself while driving. Drunk. Speeding. Fishtailing. Running red lights. Crashing against a police car. And with no driver's license. It happened in Spain.

[via Gizmodo]