New ScreenCastsOnline Logo Competition

Whilst I've been happy with the new look of the ScreenCastsOnline Web site, I really would like a spiffy new, professional looking logo. I found a wonderful design site where you can start a competition and invite designers to submit ideas for a logos, stationary, business cards etc and award a prize for the winner. I started up a competition a few days ago and there are already over a dozen entries! Checkout the contest here: ScreenCastsOnline Logo Contest Of course, if you're a budding designer yourself, I suppose there is no problem with you signing up to the site and making your own entry! Let me know what you think.

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Interview - Struggling Entrepreneur

I don't usually cross post on my blogs but this is a link to my other blog where I've posted a link to an interview I did with Fred Castaneda, host of the “Gain Control of Your Day” and “The Struggling Entrepreneur” Podcasts. Fred interviewed me during the Podcast and New Media Expo in Ontario back in September. It's mainly about the business side of podcasting but you may find it interesting! Thanks Fred! Link

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Direct Podcasts to Your iPhone

Apple have made a big deal that the iPhone uses the real internet and you can access virtually all standard Web sites via the Mobile Safari installed on the iPhone. And they're right! Flash playback aside, the iPhone truly does give you the real Internet in your pocket. However, that's not stopped a great deal of effort from many developer to create iPhone specific sites and services. One such service which has just been released in beta is Wizzard Medias new iPhone Podcast Directory and Receiver at iphone.wizzard.tv What's ground breaking about this new impressive service is that it allows you to completely bypass iTunes and get both audio and video podcasts directly streamed to your iPhone in real time. No more having to traipse back home to sync up your iPhone with your iTunes, they are just there available online and ready for streaming. Audio files will stream amazingly well even with just and EDGE connection but video probably needs wifi. There's already a Podcast Directory setup (and as Libsyn are now part of Wizzard) the ScreenCastsOnline free video podcast is already in the directory), but if you create a free account you can copy your current iTunes subscriptions over to the service to personalise it. This really is a super service and well recommended that you try it out. Here's a rough and ready video from Dave Mansueto to tell you more about it:

Technorati Tags: iTunes, Podcast Tools, podcasts

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Insuring the iPhone

I just happen to have a special policy with my bank (who shall remain nameless) that covers holiday insurance for the year plus insurance for my mobile phone. As a new iPhone owner, I thought I'd let them know I've changed my phone and get the iPhone insured. The abridged conversation went like this: Me: Can I put my new Apple iPhone on my policy please? Clerk: Ah, let me just check with my supervisor.....Erm yes, but you have to be aware we can't fully cover them! They don't go on our normal policy Me: What do you mean? Clerk: Well, the cover only goes up to £300 and the iPhone costs more than that with extras and things. Me: Excuse me? It's only £269 at the Apple store! Clerk: Well yes but we can't get them. Me: So what happens if I make a claim? Clerk: Well we'd send you a cheque for £300 minus your excess, so about £265 Me: That seems fine! Clerk: What's the iEMI number? Me: 01 136..... Clerk: No that's wrong, it must start with 35 Me: Well that's what the phone says? Clerk: Hang on while I speak to my supervisor......Weird, that's seem OK. Weird, very Weird. After finishing the conversation, the following gem: Clerk: So please be sure to take good care of the Phone Me: Excuse me! What do you mean? Why do you say that? Clerk: Well, the iPhone is the first phone Apple has produced. They're not used to making phones. It might not be very durable. Me: (Restraining myself) Oh I see! Clerk: Besides you're only covered for loss or theft. So I let him off the hook at that point as I think he had my best interests at heart! Interesting to see what the reaction (and FUD) the iPhone can generate though :-)

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Why the FUD over the UK Launch?

Eek! Even TWIT are at it! Really Wil Harris, you should be ashamed of yourself. I was shocked to hear the misinformation that there were NO!!! queues for the iPhone at the UK launch. As from my previous post, there were at least 120-150 queuing up outside a relatively small Apple store in Manchester, which was probably replicated in all the other Apple stores throughout the UK. Not to mention the huge crowds at both Regent Street and Glasgow. No-one ever expected to see the sort of queues that happened at the launch in the US but to say there were no queues is just downright wrong! MacDaily News are reporting:

Nicholas Christian reports for Scotland on Sunday, "Gadget fever showed no sign of abating across the UK yesterday as customers continued to queue to snap up the new Apple iPhone [on Saturday]." "At the height of the frenzy on Friday night, iPhones were flying off the shelves at the rate of 4.2 per second," Christian reports. "A spokesman for O2... said yesterday: 'We don't have any official collated figures yet, but what we can say is that the sales are more than exceeding our expectations, and our expectations were pretty high," Christian reports. Stephen Hayward reports for The Sunday Mirror, "As many as 70,000 of the £269 must-have gadgets were expected to be sold over the weekend as Apple, O2 and Carphone warehouse stores stayed open longer to cope with the demand." "More than 400,000 are expected to be sold in Britain in the run up to Christmas and 10million worldwide in 2008," Hayward reports.

Besides which, I wonder how many UK peeps who would normally expect to get an iPhone on launch day already had a hacked phone from the US. I'm sure many of those decided to stick with the hacked phone for now. And what's with all this, not used to buying a Phone plus a contract? Granted the iPhone is on the top scale but it is a new class of device and other high end smart phones are available for a premium price plus a contract. Rant over (but I'll still keep listening to TWIT and Wil is a good guy really :-))

Technorati Tags: iPhone

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