Video #1:
In this clip we hit up the GDGT Launch Meetup party to find out what the coolest tech and gadget gifts are for 2009, and chat briefly with company founders Peter Rojas and Ryan Block.

Video #2:
In this clip we get a peek at the latest in the Blackberry Curve family with a look at the new 8520 smartphone. I also asked Blackberry about the Apple iPhone rivalry is affecting them, though it’s worth noting Blackberry’s sales since the iPhone launched have soared exponentially. continue reading...

Don’t hold your breath, I know I won’t.

But after seeing projections for online video advertising slashed from $1.35B to a paltry $550M earlier this year by eMarketer, I think media companies and investors are getting the idea: UGC isn’t going to do the trick, marketers want professional content. continue reading...

‘Twas 2005, IGN had just acquired my old company, AskMen… and I was being marginalized, so I was looking for something to do. One day on a flight to NYC, I happened to read about one Rocketboom: an online video blog, or vlog, in BusinessWeek.

I never really got Rocketboom, but the concept of producing low cost video for the Web was intriguing. I never really liked the “one person talking in front of a camera, pontificating, day in, day out” model but I knew that there could be more to it. So while the programming is not my thing, giving credit where credit is due, Rocketboom was indeed a trailblazer… and Sony - who just bought the 50% of Sony BMG it did not own - was looking (I presume, of course) to bolster its original content programming for Crackle… who is one of the many companies trying to gain traction in a YouTube-dominated world. continue reading...

When Guba’s CEO resigned, he said that YouTube had won the game in online video… we said that the times would get harder for second tier sites because Google would not be able to make YouTube even stronger.  VC activity in the space slowed down, as exits became less obvious.  Today we’re seeing the fragmentation of online video file sharing services: Veoh is moving into one area and Sony becomes the latest to carve a niche:

Sony is trying to edge into Internet videos with a Web site to be introduced today called Crackle that will feature short segments by aspiring filmmakers, many of whom Sony paid for their productions. continue reading...