360 DEGREES Weblog

Vitamin D Video has officially gone out of beta and is now available in 1.0. The basic, single camera version of the software is available now for free while a two camera version costs $49 and unlimited cameras costs $199. The software watches a web-based camera – including many popular models from Linksys and D-Link – and records motion as it it happens, even alerting you when humans step into the frame.

I’ve been using the beta for months now with a Linksys WVC54GCA and I consider the software an early warning system for the home. Since I work up in the attic I can’t always tell if I’m facing a friend or a foe at the front door so I rely on Vitamin D to ping whenever someone comes into the frame. Special motion sensing systems also pick up lights and other activity outside while the system can also email clips to a mailbox whenever an event occurs or ring a chime.

German airline Lufthansa is relaunching its FlyNet in-flight broadband service. Lufthansa was the first to launch in-flight broadband in 2004, then powered by Boeing’s Connexion system, which Boeing phased out in 2006. Now, in partnership with Panasonic Avionics, Lufthansa has announced that it will bring back FlyNet mid next year.

In the meantime, Lufthansa has found an innovative way to get its name pinged around the web. Through its free MySkyStatus service, fliers can sign up for flight status updates to be posted automatically to their Facebook or Twitter profiles. Available for flights on any airline, passengers enter their flight details and Facebook or Twitter login details beforehand, and MySkyStatus will post regular updates about their departure, altitude, location and arrival as they travel. Besides providing social media addicts with a cool new trick, MySkyStatus reminds us of FlightCaster for the helping hand it gives anyone expecting the arrival of a friend or coworker.

MySkyStatus taps into two growing consumer trends: the whole world is engaged in ongoing conversations that smart brands can be part of (foreverism), and ‘real-time’ is becoming an integral element of many products and services we use (nowism). In using this as a marketing tool (a short “powered by Lufthansa” is tacked on to every update), the airline smartly chose to open MySkyStatus to people flying with any airline, thereby initiating conversations that its competitors might not be part of.

Looking to take 802.11n to places you never thought possible? You know — like your studio apartment on the Upper East Side? TRENDnet’s Wireless N Travel Router (which was announced way back at CES) is tailor made for cramped spaces, fitting within the palm of your hand and offering up a single WAN port, a carrying case and a USB socket. Unfortunately there’s no internal battery to keep this puppy alive in the wild, but for $79.99 we can’t kvetch too much.

One of the ironies of the networked world is that we often end up communicating more frequently with those across the planet than we do with the people living right next door. Stackd is a site that aims to change all that by helping to connect those who work in the same vicinity.

Now in beta, Stackd was created by New York-based Supermetric to enable its own neighbouring office workers to get in touch, whether “for business or beers,” as the site puts it. Currently focused on Manhattan and Brooklyn, the site is free to use for both individuals and businesses, which are encouraged to list their offices on the site. After signing up with Stackd, users can browse by address through the listings of other businesses in their area, hook up and expand their social network locally. The site explains: “We would like to think that it’s the people around you that should be part of your social network: people you meet in the elevator rather than on Facebook, people you follow to the 14th floor instead of on Twitter. Online social networks are great for what they are. We built STACKD to tap the potential of the place you stick around most: the office.”

Thanks Springwise

Sonos’ wireless home audio system is great for convenient, hiss-free streaming, but it’s pretty pricey. The S5 changes that (a little), by incorporating a receiver and speaker into one unit—compared to the $350 ZP90 which requires separate powered-speakers.
The ZonePlayer S5 will be $400 on November 10, and gives you an all-in-one option to extend your Sonos music network into a new room. It looks a little like the Bose SoundLink on the outside, and inside has a 5-driver speaker system consisting of two tweeters, two 3-inch mids, and a 3.5-inch sub.

You can control the S5 using the Sonos CR200 touchscreen controller, or via free apps for the iPhone/iPod touch and Mac or PC

A few days ago, RadioShack rebranding got some buzz, some people understood that RadioShack was renamed “The Shack”, but that’s not what’s happening : “The Shack” is a new brand creative platform that will be unveiled during a three-days launch event taking place in New York City and San Francisco, august 6-8. “This creative is not about changing our name. Rather, we’re contemporizing the way we want people to think about our brand. THE SHACK speaks to consumers in a fresh, new voice and distinctive creative look that reinforces RadioShack’s authority in innovative products, leading brands and knowledgeable, helpful associates.” said Lee Applbaum, RadioShack’s Chief Marketing Officer.

I am appointed by RadioShack alongside my colleagues tech bloggers Gina Hughes from TechieDiva, Beth Blecherman from Techmamas and Ponzi Pirillo from Ponzarelli.com to present Tech Makeovers during the event (aug. 6, 7.30-10 am SF time. aug 8, 10 am-noon and 3-4 pm SF time). I will be in San Francisco with Beth, Gina and Ponzi will be chatting with us through a giant Netbook from NYC.

Netogether is a three-day event taking place in New York City ’s Times Square and San Francisco ’s Justin Herman Plaza on August 6, 7 and 8. The event will connect the cities with two, 17-foot laptop computers with webcams that allow live video and audio exchanges. Netogether will feature live music, celebrity appearances and contests to demonstrate how technology can keep people connected – even 3,000 miles apart.

Business-focused social networks and being spaces for mobile workers are both familiar concepts by now, but not until recently had we seen them united and offered jointly through a single global brand.

Hub Culture is a private social network aimed at helping members connect, exchange knowledge, forge deals and create value. With primary bases in several urban hubs—including London, New York, San Francisco, Bermuda, Singapore and Hong Kong—Hub Culture has more than 60 representatives in major cities around the world dedicated to assisting other members with advice and knowledge in their home areas. Membership is free but requires invitation; benefits include personal online profiles, the ability to form groups with file sharing and wikis, knowledge brokerage to help drive deals, and invitations to private events. There’s even a private digital currency dubbed Ven that’s used to allow members to pay for knowledge, favours and other soft areas that it might be difficult to charge money for.

What makes Hub Culture especially interesting is where it enters the physical world. Hub Culture Pavilions are currently being developed around the globe to provide a shared physical space, support services and online collaboration tools that help members connect and work together. The first permanent one just opened on Carnaby Street in London, and temporary ones are already up and running in Amsterdam, New York, Ibiza and other locations around the world. Free wifi and broadband, luxury workspace, online storage and work tools, and premium snacks, coffees and teas are among the benefits enjoyed by Pavilion members. Membership is limited; at the new London Pavilion, individual members must pay anywhere from GBP 29 per month for a full membership to GBP 59 monthly for one that includes VIP valet services. Hub Culture is managed by Hub Culture Services, a London-based consultancy.

By combining global social networking with the flexibility and environmental benefits of a shared local workspace—effectively blending the best of online and off—Hub Culture may just have hit upon the model that’s needed to support the new breed of globally minded, heavily wired, eco-conscious and cost-cutting workers around the world.