How Ugly Do We Look After Exercising? Very

We all know we aren’t at our most attractive after working out. But how bad could we possibly look? I mean really? Bad.

Fast Company reports on French photographer Sacha Goldberger who snapped images of joggers in Paris immediately after a sprint, then again a week later in their regular clothes, in roughly the same pose. Placing the portraits side by side, the evidence crystallizes into incontrovertible fact: Running makes you ugly.

Read more. Via My Modern Metropolis.

Capturing Police Brutality? There’s An App for That

OpenWatch is a participatory citizen media project aiming to provide documentary evidence of uses and abuses of power.

OpenWatch consists of two parts, a mobile phone application for Android and iOS which invisibly records audio and video, and some simple server side software to collect the recordings.

[via Campus Progress]

New UNICEF Photography iPhone app showcases global efforts to advance child rights

UNICEF is pleased to announce their new iPhone app, UNICEF Photography, which showcases their efforts to advance children’s rights to health, development, education and protection.

Users of the iPhone now have one more way to see the work that UNICEF is doing around the world to advance children’s rights.

The app’s features include:

-- Photos of the Week: An editor’s pick

-- Can You See Me?: Profiles of individual children

-- In Focus: Mini-reports on children’s lives and the UNICEF’s work to improve their situations

-- Maps: Showing where images were made

Mobile Video Streaming Stats

Mobile data use grew by 77% for the first half of the year and YouTube accounts for 22% of that, according to a new MobileTrends Report released Tuesday by Allot Communications.

Video streaming grew 93% for that period and is the largest single application taking up bandwidth. Some 39% of mobile bandwidth is consumed by video. File-sharing represents 29% of mobile bandwidth. Web browsing takes up 29%.

[via Mashable]

With RFID wristbands, park guests instantly share photos on Facebook

At the Great Wolf Lodge chain of waterpark resorts, visitors can use RFID-enabled wristbands to transmit photos to Facebook over the course of their stay. Springwise reports.

Guests at Great Wolf Lodge resorts already use RFID wristbands as room keys and in-house charge accounts.

Now, beginning at the chain’s property in Grand Mound, Washington, its new Great Wolf Connect service allows guests to register their wristbands at a dedicated kiosk and link them directly to their Facebook account as well. Then, when they stop to pose for a photo at any of the park’s five camera-equipped “Paw Posts,” guests simply scan their wristband and their photo can be automatically posted to their Facebook wall.

Read full article.

With QR-Coded Dresses, a Fashion Statement and More

Thorunn Arnadottir integrated a few QR codes into his dresses, with a tribal twist. [via Paul Swanson+]

Arnadottir embeds the codes—made of Swarovski crystals—into the clothes as part of his line of dresses, QR U?.

More than just a visual reference to ‘online tribes’, the QR codes can be scanned with smartphones to link to relevant websites. For example, a dress designed for Icelandic musician Kali, from the band Steed Lord, links to the latter’s website and music videos.

... Arnadottir said his line of dresses explores “the notion of self-promotion and personal privacy in today’s digitally-networked environment”. Technology has amplified our voice and made fame more accessible, but by doing so, we are becoming our own paparazzi.

Read full article.

Bridesmaids get Harry Potter-style mobile advertising

CIO on a Harry Potter-style mobile advertising campaign for Bridesmaids.

Mediacom, in collaboration with Universal Pictures, has launched a mobile campaign for the film Bridesmaids.

The marketing company is using a mobile app that runs on on iPhone and Android phones, developed by Aurasma which recognises certain images once they are scanned into a smartphone's camera and runs animations on it. Static images on billboards or in magazines come to life, like the pictures on the walls in Harry Potter films.

Mediacom ran adverts in London's Metro newspaper, Closer, More, Grazia and the women's freesheet Style List, as well as some outdoor advertising in the run up to the release of Bridesmaids.

According to Aurasma literature, the application is free to download and alerts the user when they are in the vicinity of a tagged location, so that they can start it up and run the campaign.

Read full article. Via Paul Swanson+

Sexting Videos sold on the Internet by Adolescents

According to Corriere della Sera, Italian adolescents film each other with camera phones, swap videos and sell them on internet.

Once upon a time, it was football cards but today’s kids swap hard-core videos of their classmates.

... It’s only a short step from shooting videos at school to webcams. Marina, 16, has been taking her clothes off on Skype in exchange for mobile top-ups for the past two years. The first time was when she answered a message on Facebook eloquently entitled: “Wanted. Girls for sale. Web-based work. No commitment”. She’s earning money and the admiration of her peers for very little effort. At least, that’s the way she sees it.

Read full article.

20th Century Fox to offer digital downloads for Android devices

According to the Financial Times, 20th Century Fox is releasing movies on Android.

Buyers of Fox’s high-definition Blu-ray discs from October, starting with X-Men: First Class, will be able to download an Android-compatible digital copy of the movie from its website using their computer. This can then be “side loaded” onto an Android phone.

[via engadget]

Iran public execution outrages human rights groups

The Guardian reports on footage shows 'disturbing normality' of public executions with convicts hanged from bridge in front of crowds, including children.

This video, which was supplied to Amnesty by an Iranian human rights activist, Fazel Hawramy from kurdishblogger.com, highlights the use of public executions, in which officials publicly hang convicts from a large crane or a high place in front of crowds.

Activists said two weeks ago that Iran has executed an average of almost two people a day in the first six months of this year. Iran insists the executions are related to serious crimes such as drug-trafficking although at least two political activists have been identified among those hanged in the first half of 2011.

Amnesty International said Iranian authorities have acknowledged public executions of at least 28 people so far this year.

Read full article.

Cell phone users getting the picture

Increasingly, people are turning to their telephone for pictures. PJStar reports.

According to a recent survey in PC Magazine, 43 percent of the magazine's readers reported that they mainly use their phone's camera to snap photos.

In addition, the photo hosting website Flickr noted last month that the iPhone 4 had surpassed the Nikon D90 as the most popular camera used by members on the site.

Interest by cell phone users in the camera offered has increased, said Leon Horton, area sales manager for U.S. Cellular in Peoria. "Now people ask which phone has the best camera. It used to be more of an interest of the younger generation. Now even older customers want to take pictures with their phone," he said.

Read more.

Numbers on college kids and sexting

More than half of all college students have received sexually suggestive images via text messaging, and nearly 80 percent have received suggestive messages, according to research by University of Rhode Island faculty in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. [via Cellular News]

In their survey of 204 college students conducted last spring, they found that:

-- 56 percent of the students had received sexually suggestive images

-- 78 percent had received sexually suggestive messages

-- Two-thirds of the group had sent sexually suggestive messages. While most of the messages (73 percent) were sent to a relationship partner, 10 percent were sent without consent of the person who originally sent the message.

Related: N.J. bill to address teen cell phone 'sexting' approved by state Senate panel - Juveniles caught sending sexually explicit photographs via their cell phones would not face criminal prosecution but rather intense education on the ramifications under a bill approved on Monday by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa partner with ISIS for mobile payments

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa announced a new partnership with ISIS on Tuesday. ISIS is a mobile initiative that was formed in April of last year by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless in an effort to help foster the growth of using near-field communications for mobile payments. It’s currently being tested in Salt Lake City and Austin.

[via BGR]

He Sexts, She Sexts More, Report Says

A recent study has found that women are more likely to send sexually explicit text messages than men, but the findings may be skewed. The New York Times reports.

... There are major caveats to the study: Surveying users of a Web site for swingers does not compare to taking a nationally representative poll or conducting a community study.

Read full article. Image from 3G 4G Wireless Blog.

Google's Photovine

Though Google has said little publicly about Photovine, the service appears to be one in which consumers can take snaps from their phones and have them upload in a stream of pictures in the same way that tweets flow into Twitter. Presumably, if you subscribe to someone else's Photovine, you'll see their latest photos almost as soon as they shoot them.

[via CNet]

PayPal Intros Phone-to-Phone "Bump" Payments

PayPal this morning announced a new mobile phone widget that will let smartphone users tap their phones together to exchange money. The Android widget works on near field communications (NFC) technology installed on the phones to facilitate the transfer of funds.

[via PC World]

Android Market Update Brings Video Rentals To Mobile Devices

Video rentals on Android phones is something that’s been in the works for a while, but now it’s finally been released, reports ReelSeo.

In addition to renting movies, you can also buy books straight from the Android Market. As with the video rentals, this feature is currently only available to U.S. residents. This will be rolling out to other countries soon, though.

There are “thousands” of movies to choose from in the rentals section, covering all the usual genres from horror to documentary.

Rentals start at $1.99.

Here’s a huge one: Rented videos can be made available offline at the push of a button, and you can watch them “even when you don’t have a data connection.“

Read more.

Beck's Global Augmented-Reality Art Galery

Celebrating the twenty-five years of artist collaborations with Beck’s Art Labels, Beck’s has released a new project which will showcase a thousand new art projects worldwide via an augmented-reality application. PSFK reports.

From July to September, thirty Green Boxes will be set up around the world, displaying commissioned projects in augmented reality, viewable via the Beck’s Key iPhone app. Users of the application can also access exclusive information about the pieces and submit their own artworks for review.

Read more.

Zappos Ads Use QR Codes To Dress Naked Women

Online shoe and apparel shop Zappos has launched an ad campaign using QR codes to let consumers dress naked models featured in print ads. Mashable reports.

The ads seek to drive home the point that Zappos offers “more than shoes,” so that phrase is splashed across the otherwise nude women’s nether regions. The QR codes then lead to a website with a video showing what happened to the women after the ad. Consumers can choose an outfit for the women and go to Zappos to buy it.

Read more.

iPhone's New Face Time Commercial

Spotted on TUAW, Apple's new commercial on FaceTime on the iPhone.

Apple Files Patents for Augmented Reality, Transparent Screen

According to Mobiledia, Apple on Friday filed two patents related to augmented reality.

The AR patent gives Apple a way to populate live photos and video feeds from iPads and iPhones with digital information, allowing users to easily identify unknown objects and places.

The "Transparent Electronic Device" patent would give the iPad the same capabilities as the AR patent, with the added bonus that people make the screen opaque or transparent on demand.

Read full article.

Korea gets 1st 3-D phone

Adding to 3-D hype in the technology industry, Korea will get its first 3-D phone in the very near future, writes Korea Joongang Daily.

LG Electronics showcased its latest Optimus 3-D smartphone to the Korean media yesterday, saying it will start receiving preorders for the device today.

The Optimus 3-D runs on Google’s Android operating system and gives the illusion of three-dimensional images without wearing 3-D glasses. It was first unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this year, as the world’s first full 3-D smartphone. It has been released in some European countries.

One of the most notable features is that it can record, play and share 3-D videos and images. It is also expected to be popular with 3-D game players.

Read full article.

Facebook-to-Facebook video calling powered by Skype

Yesterday Facebook confirmed they were launching a new video chat feature powered by Skype, which means you can now see your Facebook friend's face in real-time.

Mark Zuckerberg spoke on stage about why mixing Facebook's social infrastructure with new apps like video chats will create new scenarios for their users.CNET's Rafe Needleman gets a demo from Facebook officials at the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. It basically looks like Skype video chat, in a room with all your Facebook buddies.

[via Cnet]

Previously: Facebook Will Launch In-Browser Video Chat Next Week In Partnership With Skype

Related: - Four Reasons Businesses Should Start Using Facebook Video Chat

Grocery Shopping in South Korea's subways with cameraphones

MIT Technology review describes how an International supermarket giant brings virtual goods to subway commuters in South Korea, eliminating the need for a physical store.

In a trial run, Home Plus has plastered a subway station with facsimiles of groceries, labeled with a unique code for each product. As commuters pass by on their way to work, they can use a mobile-phone app to take pictures of the products they want, then check out. The groceries are automatically delivered to their doorstep by the end of the work day.

The virtual grocery store has been a hit among more 10,000 customers, with Home Plus reporting a 130 percent increase in online sales.

Read full article.

Alibaba brings mobile wallet technology to China

For those who are unfamiliar with Alibaba, they have sometimes been called the Google of China, and they are fast gaining ground. As we all know, Google has recently joined up with Sprint in order to put out Google Wallet, which is Google’s NFC payment services, so it’s not really a surprise to see Alibaba follow suit with their own mobile wallet services – AliPay.
Ubergizmo reports.

However, unlike Google Wallet, AliPay is said to work on phones that do not possess the NFC technology. The app that is available on iPhone, Android and Nokia platforms have recently been updated, which brings about a new mobile barcode payment system. What the app does is that it creates a unique and disposable barcode that contains the user’s account information and transaction details, both of which will be encrypted.

Read more.

Mobile apps, QR codes sell homes

Online real estate listings have been common for years, but now an array of search tools and smartphone apps let buyers tap into a wealth of information on the fly. USA Today reports.

Some brokers are using quick response codes — or QR codes — on their "For Sale" signs and flyers. Scan the code with a smartphone loaded with a QR app and it takes you directly to a website with photos, additional details and in some cases videos.

Real estate company Coldwell Banker has in the past two years encouraged agents to use video cameras to record home tours and clips of themselves offering advice. The company has its own channel on YouTube and says it has about 70,000 videos posted, said Coldwell .

Read full article.

Sri Lanka's Killing Fields - Video Evidence

Produced by the Channel 4 in Britain, the program forensically investigates allegations that up to 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed as Sri Lankan Government forces moved in to destroy the Tamil Tiger army. ABCNet reports.

The program contains disturbing descriptions and footage of executions, atrocities and the shelling of civilians. It includes devastating new video evidence of war crimes. Some of this material was shot on video cameras; other scenes are taken from mobile phones used by Sri Lankan soldiers as trophy vision. Put together it creates one of the most confronting stories of war and conflict ever seen on Australian television.

Read more.

Presented by Kerry O'Brien, "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" goes to air on Monday 4th July at 8.30pm on ABC1. It is repeated on Tuesday 5th July at 11.35pm. It can also be seen at 8.00pm on Saturdays on ABC News 24. It is also available on ABC iview.