Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

The idea of Reality TV with music has been around since American Idol where people auditioned to be put into the knock out competition where eventually the top prize was a juicy record contract and a nice cash prize.  This idea has now moved into the Internet domain (no pun intended) with YouTube, who is now taking auditions for their own Symphony Orchestra.

The idea of an organization having it’s own orchestra is nothing new (it all started with the BBC in 1930) but this is a good example of how the world is becoming more globalized and encouraging anyone to have a go.  The idea is that people will film themselves playing parts of the specially selected Symphony (which I will talk about later) to show their talent, as well as one to show their overall personality.

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Sections: Audio, Web, Websites

Hopefully you all read the first post on President-Elect Obama, technology and the future (if not, it is here) in which I started addressing what Obama’s election means for the world of tech.  Having looked at how Obama will work for an open Internet, I will now delve into Obama’s plans for a connected democracy and infrastructure.

The first thing that Obama has promised to do is to create a more transparent government, a policy that has probably been prompted by the manner in which the Bush administration has been very secretive.  He will attempt to do this by “creating a new level of transparency, accountability and participation for America’s citizens” through the use of technology.  Presumably, this will be done by extensive use of the Internet, as well as other technology such as mobile phones, as shown in the selection of Joe Biden as his second man. 

Continued after the break.

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So, the elections are over and Obama has won, but what does this mean for the world of tech?  In the run up to the election, Obama set out his priorities for what he will do in regards to technology if he got into the white house, but how will this affect the average American? 

This is the first of a three part series about how the election of Obama will affect the tech world, which fit in to three categories: open Internet, connected democracy and infrastructure, and teaching children and adults. 

This year saw technology take a very important place in elections with texts, YouTube and television playing massive parts.  But it was also present in the policies that the two candidates put forward and due to the nature of the massive industry it was a big part.  So what are his policies?  Keep reading.

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In private beta testing mode since January, the England-based ProofHQ has just opened it’s program up to the the public. What makes it so appealing to so many is the obvious allowance for collaboration. ProofHQ makes this simple with the use of several formats on the web. Blogs, social media applications…users are able to comment and give feedback on a project that can be seen by anyone working on it by using embeddable objects.

There is no cost for this new personal version, unless you want to upgrade to a more advanced package that offers more storage.  The free package only allows for five proofs a months (50 megabytes of storage), and the upgrades run anywhere from $29 to $99 a month. However, you can get a feel for it to see what you think by taking advantage of their 14 day free trial offer. It is both PC and Mac compatible.

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Sections: Computers, Software / Applications, Web, Web 2.0, Web Apps, Websites

As we mentioned earlier in the week, Hulu has, as promised, opened their doors to the public.

“Today we are excited to leave our private beta and open Hulu.com to everyone in the U.S.. Our streaming video service is free - anyone in the U.S. with a broadband internet connection and a computer can just press play to enjoy.“

The launch brings with it over 50 content providers and includes full TV shows such as The Simpsons, The Office, The Incredible Hulk, Miami Vice, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Arrested Development, Firefly, Friday Night Lights and also over 100 full-length movies. If you are looking for a large content selection along with a nice looking and easy to use interface then Hulu would be a great place to check out.

Read [Hulu Blog] Watch [Hulu]

• JVC promotes that which needs no promotion
• Sony’s Home beta temporarily shuts down for maintenance
• Reality TV meets Symphonies and Youtube

Sections: Video, Content, Web, Web Apps, Websites, Online Music/Video

Online video service Hulu will be opening its doors to the public in just a few days. As of Wednesday March 12, 2008 anyone will be able to sign up and use Hulu, where before (and currently) it is has been limited to invitation only sign-ups which has been in effect since they first launched just over four months ago.

In addition to opening the service to anyone, Hulu will also be adding the previously rumored Warner Bros content as well as a selection from twenty others to include the NHL, NBA and Lionsgate. Hulu will be offering more than 250 TV series and about 100 movies at the time of launch.

For anyone that was unable to get a beta invite, I would highly suggest checking it out on Wednesday. Being skeptical at first myself it proved to be a very nice way to view TV shows online.

Read [Reuters] Read [TechCrunch]

• JVC promotes that which needs no promotion
• Sony’s Home beta temporarily shuts down for maintenance
• Reality TV meets Symphonies and Youtube

Sections: Video, Content, Web, Web Apps, Websites, Online Music/Video