Crenk » Luis Sandoval

Twitter Peek Offers Lackluster Appeal

Luis Sandoval — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:43:29 +0000

Back in the early 90’s there was this song, “Things That Make You Go Hmmm…”. It’s this song that I sadly have to reference when mentioning the Twitter Peek. Unlike the song that had some redeeming qualities this doorstopper is the clunkiest piece of technology I’ve seen yet (a disclaimer, I do not own one).

This product is made by Peek. The same company brought you the horrors that were the Pronto Peek and the Meet Peek. I’m not sure why I would want any of these devices since my smartphone does it all, and when I’m not at my mobile, I’m at my desk.

Perhaps therein lies the truth. It’s not geared towards me, the tech savvy geek, but rather the Twitter uninitiated.Despite the millions of users, there are still many demographics who have not embraced it. What a simple bridge to get them to join.

Clever plan or failure upward? Too early to tell, but one thing is for sure, based on their past successes, the Twitter Peek might make a small splash.

The Twitter Peek can be purchased on their website or via Amazon.

Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication

Luis Sandoval — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:53:50 +0000

Heard of Twitter? Sure the whole world has by now. Lone tribes on far islands have heard about Twitter. This massively immersive and widely used micro-blogging network has become a staple for both our personal and professional lives. The world seems to still be feeling the “Twitter effect” as industries adapt their existing messages to fit the fast paced world of this social network.

But do you ever feel like you’re being left behind? Perhaps not enough time to get the right message in a timely fashion? Now there’s a solution to that.

Twuffer presents itself as the buffer between you and your timed messages. By using the web application, you are able to preset messages on a timed schedule to be released on your network at the times you think most important. The possibilities of this type of functionality are as endless as your creativity.

The web app is easy to use and can serve you to better time your announcements, set reminders for yourself or others, engage in timed online activities, or, as the site suggests, make it appear as if you never sleep. The practicality of this app seems pretty straightforward.

The application is currently in beta, but your able to explore what it has to offer pretty seamlessly. I suggest you give it a try to announce regular days when your podcast or blog post will go live, or perhaps some other similar campaign to see if Twuffer is right for you!

Internet Music Innovation with Songbeat360

Luis Sandoval — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:41:11 +0000

Today finding the music you want, when you want it has been channeled to using sites like the Amazon store or iTunes. Sometimes, when looming for an obscure song that is not mainstream, you’d be lucky to find it. This frustrating experience paired with the perceived greedines of corporate music labels has forced many of us to find our music on peer to peer networks or bitorrent sites such the Pirate Bay.

Songbeat360.com is an amazingly innovative way of integrating a music player with a music search. Now you can listen to your favorite songs while searching for more. You are essentially still building your own station, much like Pandora or Last.fm, but on this music player you have the ability to download your music immediately.

Bypassing the need to go to the likes of Amazon or iTunes may please some, but does the pricing compare? Based on the site, the application is an Adobe Air app, and comes with 25 free credits. Credits are used when a search is done, and searches are supposedly capable of returning up to 500 results, ensuring you will fond what you need. For further credits, those can be purchased via a stored credit card. For $15 you receive 1000 credits for more music, which breaks down to a whole lot less than $.99 per song on the iTunes store. This is of course assuming you find what you want in one search.

Is the next revolution to your music search? I’d say know, but it’s definitely interesting. The pricing alone is attractive, and if the quality is the same, I can see this web app becoming extremely successful.

Social Networking with 6rounds Expands Online Community

Luis Sandoval — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:02:37 +0000

Social networks as they exist depend on the number of friends you start off with and thus you expand your network based on your existing network and grow from there. For many, not having an online presence makes it heard to start a social network when there is no online network to utilize to start. For many this can be frustrating and for many becomes the reason why they do not adopt the social scene. What if there was simply a network that didn’t rely on existing friendships and paired you with new people based on your profile to participate in unique shared experiences?

6Rounds is the answer and the unique network is sure to make a splash in the world of social engagement.

The network itself is designed to be a fully interactive experience incorporating the best of micro-messaging and video networks. There’s now a space for those not interested in hosting entire video shows, or who lack friends to build on a social profile on Facebook or Twitter.

6Rounds functions as a completely unique and diverse network that no user will get the same experience from their engagement. The network allows users to come together in a “live” setting where they will be challenged with “using a combination of webcams, real-time games, social activities and media engagements, we present a wide range of opportunities: from watching videos, playing real-time games, listening to music, Facebooking and Youtubing, to shopping together and beyond,” says the site.This sound a little like speed dating with the entertainment provided, and none of the relationship awkwardness attached. I can see how this would be appealing to both veteran and new entry supporters of social engagement.

The network is free and looks to combine the best of social networking, instant messaging, and video content to create an ever changing user experience.

Screenjelly Records Your Screen

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:00:32 +0000

Screenjelly is perhaps the easiest screen recorder you'll ever use.

There are a lot of applications that claim to be the leader in capturing and recording your screen. Well I’m not making that claim with Screenjelly, but I will say it’s the easiest I’ve ever used.

Why?

Well unlike most other free screen capture applications, you don’t need to create a profile or sign up for an account. You also don’t need to download anything or log-in for access, you simply go to the site and start the process. The ease of use is a welcomed approach for new users who are not familiar with existing screen recording applications. There is little barrier into the service and users do not get mired down with having to check their emails to authorize emails and other such necessities when creating a new account.

Screenjelly also has a close relationship with Twitter, where you can easily share your recordings directly with your followers, and instantly get feedback. It’s pretty tempting if you’re looking at doing something quick. There are no screen share capabilities to pass it on to someone else, there’s not meeting function for chat function to share with other users, this is just purely setup to record what’s on your screen and the audio being sent via your microphone.

New Social Network for Pet Lovers

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:00:12 +0000

screenshot for Cute as Hell, social network for pets

Are you one of those people that gets sick of people who dress up their animals? Perhaps you are brought to tears of pain by friends who go on and on about how cute their pets are? If this describes you, this is not a social network you need to join.

On the other hand, if you’re a die hard pet lover, then this new social network is one you can’t miss. Cute As Hell is a pet lovers dream where owners share information, photos, videos, and can connect with other pet lovers from around the world. Think “Thunderdome” is just for post apocalytpic meat heads looking for destroy one another? Well go beyond your image of “Thunderdome” and consider it a pet vs pet arena where owners put their pets to the cute test as voters decide who they think is dominant.

Get your pets ready, get those photos and videos ready and put your pet to the test on this network. Lots of awesome prizes are up for grabs. Perhaps now is the time your pet actually did something for you.

Ready. Set. FIGHT!

Reputation Management For Your Brand with Verified Pages

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:00:38 +0000

Recently there’s been a wave of news regarding brands that have been misrepresented on various social networks for

the purpose of deceiving and sharing misinformation. It has become frustrating for users to determine if a brand is honestly being represented online or managed by someone impersonating said brand. These problems can now be overcome with Verified Pages, which focuses on sharing which brands are online and where their social profiles are.

This site has been a long time coming, and users can now safely connect with the brand of their choice, having comfort that they are not communicating with an impersonator. Brands that have connected with Verified Pages understand the importance of their brands reputation.

If you’re looking to provide end users with the comfort of knowing they are connecting with the real deal, then I highly encourage you to register your brand. If you are someone looking for a specific entity to contact, search the site and find out where you can find them.

Photo Credit Darwin Bell

Nike+, Running in the Right Direction

Luis Sandoval — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:19:42 +0000

: Image by booyaa via Flickr

I’ve just recently started running for fitness and I had my eye on the Nike+ system to pair with my iTouch. Running is something a lot of us fear, perhaps some of you out there MIGHT enjoy it, but far more prefer other methods of exercise. Still, the Nike+ system is the device that is supposed to have revolutionized running as a sport and as a frequent user of this device, I have to say it’s upped my game, and helped me train harder.

This small device, running $30USD for the sensor, and approx. $75USD for the USB bracelet, sends information to your iPod and tracks your progress monitoring information like pace, distance, time, and calories burned. All the while you are able to run to your own music track and when you’re feeling run down, activate your own power song to push you those extra miles.

To add even more functionality to the device you are able to connect your device to your computer (both MAC and PC compatible) and upload your data to the Nike+ website, adding you to the mix of already thousands upon thousands of runners out there at all levels. You can monitor your progress, join challenges, track milestones, and join in a social network of sorts with other runners out there. It’s useful on so many levels, and allows you to buy Nike specific music tracks that they’ve put together for you, training modules that go further than what comes pre-loaded, accessories and gear, and even create a Nike+ animated character for a badge that can be placed on your own site or your Facebook account.

All in all, I highly recommend this device if you’ve not gotten it yet, and you’re running. Even if you don’t like running with music, that’s fine, leave it off, but keep the stats, once you calibrate it, it’s priceless.

Zumbox: Turn Your Snail Mail Green

Luis Sandoval — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:18:20 +0000

: Image via CrunchBase

The world over there is a common word that we all understand when it comes to virtual messages…spam! That same concept can be related to the countless pieces of junk mail we receive in our snail mail boxes. In an attempt to curb physical mail, Zumbox was created as a way to save paper and go greener.

Zumbox is a virtual mailbox that is accessible from anywhere in the world, and all your mail can be directed to this. No major warehouses needed with hundreds of scanners, it simply takes your mail from teh database that your mail is created in and sends the file directly to your account. You can browse your mail just like you would browse it in your home after checking your mailbox.

It’s a great idea, and I’m completely behind it, but the one drawback is immersion. This concept would have to be fully accepted for Zumbox to saturate the market and reduce 100% of all physical mail. Still it’s a great start and I encourage you to at least input your address. The service is free, it’s easy, accessible, and leaves less of an imprint on the planet then all the junkmail you receive. With special filters, reduced junk mail, checking your “mail” may actually be fun again…save for the bills.

Brandstack: Instant Branding for Your Company

Luis Sandoval — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:05:10 +0000

Entrepreneurs and start-ups alike are prime candidates for branding opportunities. Existing companies looking at changing their appearance, their direction, or product/service may also be looking for a way to change their existing branding, and what’s quicker than instant?

Nothing.

BrandStack is the quickest way to get your new logo and start building your brand. The depository has hundreds of designs, but along with the logos, you also get domain names pre-registered for you along with other additions that will get your business off the ground instantly.

Previously known as Incspring, Brandstack is literally stacking the layers of possibilities to make your endeavors as profitable and successful as possible. Founder Wes Wilson is always looking for designers who want to upload their extra logos to the site and further expand what it has to offer. A definite most for those looking to purchase and build, and designers looking to sell their extra or new designed logos.

Give BrandStack a try and take the stress of the creative process off your shoulders and start with the real details that will help build your company for your customers.

Mobile Devices Can Prevent Speeding Tickets

Luis Sandoval — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:59:29 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

…perhaps not entirely true, we’re on our way to making this a reality thanks to the mobile app Trapster. From time to time many of us find ourselves hurrying from one place to another. Crenk does not support breaking the law, but if you find yourself going over the speed limit, knowing where the speed traps are can really save you some dollars and grief.

Naturally all of the speed traps must be reported by other users. With a click of a button or a phone call to the number given, everyone’s app can be updated within a matter of minutes all will be notified of where the speed trap is and avoid or adjust speed if necessary.

I’d really love to hear if this app has saved you from getting a ticket, or what your thoughts are if you have used it. Be sure to let us know!

Random Posts

Classy, Unobtrusive Twitter “Follow” Badges

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:49 +0000

We at Crenk scour the net for stories, apps, humor pieces, and useful additions for your productivity and websites. Here’s a quick something that a lot of us on Twitter have been looking for, a classy badge.

Lots of sites out there offer Twitter badges that you install and more often than not they can take up valuable real estate on your site, so here’s a nice SITE that can help you instantly create a very unobtrusive “Follow” badge for your site that users can click on, while saving space on your site.

It’s not an issue for everyone, but I thought it would be useful for some.

Social Networking Site for Collectors

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:00:50 +0000

While social networks are great at connecting people and bringing them together for various aspects, sometimes a nice site is what you’re looking for. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and such just don’t server your needs, and perhaps you’ve tried the Ning communities to no avail.

For those of you out there that are collectors of various things such as stamps, bottle caps, dolls, coins, or just about anything else, Colnect is for you. This social networks brings togethers collectors from around the world to buy, sell, trade, and share stories and locations with people. This niche specific network is amazingly popular, so if you’re a collector and missing that special, cornerstone piece to your collection, perhaps this network can help you complete your empire!

Shared Education For the Online Community

Luis Sandoval — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:00:42 +0000

Remember the days of sitting in a classroom or auditorium listening to long drawn out lectures on topics that you just did not care for. College requirements dictated that you sit in this class and pass before you “pass GO and collect $200.”

Now with Lectr, you have the ability to find the topics you like, and listen some some of the world’s best recorded lectures on any topic. These degreed professionals were recorded and now the community benefits by having their lectures shared with the entire online community.

Topics range from Physics, Chemistry, Math, Biology, and Criminal Justice. These recordings come from some of the most prestigious colleges and universites from around the globe, all at your fingertips.

Give it a try, get your education on, and learn something!

Intro to New Apps Thanks to AppGiveaway

Luis Sandoval — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:52:52 +0000

: Image by The Pug Father via Flickr

All of us with an iPhone or iTouch know the addiction of downloading applications. For those of us with the 1-click purchase mode have probably found ourselves just clicking away before we realize we’ve spent some major money on what we think are useful applications.

For the rest of us that don’t have that luxury and are happy to play with free apps, perhaps this site is for you. AppGiveaway is a site that offers you promo codes to get iPhone apps for free or at deeply discounted prices. This is a great site to be introduced to apps that perhaps don’t get a lot of press, or get lost in the shuffle. The site introduces its readers to unique games, productivity apps, financial apps, etc.

Give the site a try and explore what they offer. I won’t say every app they offer promos for are worth it, but it’s a matter of introduction and taste, what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

The Ultimate Google Cheat Guide

Luis Sandoval — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:51:32 +0000

: Image via CrunchBase

There’s a lot to find when surfing the net late at night, and thanks to RSS Feeds, a lot of the internet can come to you with some nice key words.

For those of you that want to sharpen your skills in searching, perhaps get more power out of Gmail, or even maximize your RSS efforts in Google Readers, this interactive guide is right up your alley.

This guide is not necessarily supported by Google, but they are aware of it, and having used some of these amazing “hacks” to get out of my google applications, it works and you’ll be happy to have used it.

Read the GOOGLE GUIDE!

All Your Data Connected Virtually Thanks to PogoPlug

Luis Sandoval — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:38:17 +0000

How many of you have thumb drives lying around with little use for them? Perhaps you’ve got several external drives that you have to keep plugging in and unplugging when you are not using them. This frustrating experience cycles because there’s never been a suitable solution for all this.

If you’ve not checked out PogoPlug, then this little device could be a life saver for all of you. PogoPlug is a device that allows you to plug all of your USB devices to it and via a portal, you have access to all of your data from any computer/laptop in the world.

Before you throw them away, take a look at PogoPlug and keep all your data accessible. The PogoPlug comes in at a reasonable $99 offering easy setup, easy sharing, and the kicker…iPhone access for those needed to access their PogoPlug on the go.

Push Apps Finally Coming to iPhone?

Luis Sandoval — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:50:40 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

With the release of the Palm Pre not even a month ago, the biggest attraction in the earlier stages was the ability to run multiple apps in the background as you navigate your device. Chances are, people are using their mobile devices much like they use their desktops or laptops, with multiple applications open, cross referencing their needs and multi-tasking as necessary. This functionality has escaped most mobile devices until the Palm Pre really focused on this ability in its new handheld device.

Is it the best execution, perhaps not, but it’s a step in the right direction!

Those using the iPhone have long griped over the lack of push apps and the ability to run apps in the background. While there is no sign of any progress on the background app idea, there seems to be more development in the “push” sector.

After reading TechCrunch’s article on how AIM for iPhone is coming out with push support, it’s noticable that more apps in the future will be offering push support to allow users to still get their messages, emails, and updates without actually having the app open.

Is this long overdue? Perhaps. Is this a suitable replacement for the lack of apps running in the background? Probably not.

What are your thoughts? What apps do you use that you wish has push functionality?

Random Posts

Clipta Video Search Offers More Results

Luis Sandoval — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:09:43 +0000

For a long time YouTube has been the king of the video search. There have been numerous other video sites, and like the rest, they all fall short in their ability to really attract a wide audience onto their site. Recently I was made aware of Clipta Video Search, in what appears to offer a better interface than YouTube and offering more diverse results.

Clipta also offers distinct categories to make it easier to find videos with less of a chance that a mislabeled video would be placed under any given category. The community on here appears to be active and there is definitely some control behind the scenes to offer the users a better experience. While it may not rank as high as YouTube for your video searches, give it a try!

Get That Missing Album Art For Your Music List

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:42:10 +0000

It never fails that sometimes when I try to import my music CD’s that I don’t have the right album art to show in my music player. When it comes to music I’m picky, and I like my music to be labeled correctly, ratings, rankings, album names, and definitely album art.

If you’re like me, then All CD Covers might be the place to stop in order to fill the missing void of album art you might have in your playlist. With over 100,000 album art and growing, there is a good chance you’ll find what you need.

As an added bonus they also offer movie and game cover art for all of your media. It’s a nice one stop shop to get yourself caught up and make your file listings attractive and cataloged just right.

Kick Productivity Into High Gear with ActionMethod

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:09:56 +0000

I’ve been a big fan of Behance products offline, for my meetings, site sketches, and to-do list from time to time. Now they are tackling productivity online with their new online app and comparable mobile app to always stay on top of the things that you need to do daily.

Action Method was introduced this year as the premiere application to manage your projects, tasks, planning, and meetings. The application allows you to create projects, create tasks, assign tasks, and manage a calendar. If tasks are falling behind you can nudge the people to whom you assigned them to in order to remind them of deadlines. Color coding is a big winner for this app as it’s easy to find what you’re looking for with alternating colors.

Have an iPhone or iTouch? No problem, your web application syncs with your mobile app so your to-do list is never far away. Incredibly useful and sure to improve with future updates, the app is free to download, and free for up to 50 tasks, premium service for unlimited tasks comes in at $12/month or $99/year.

Adobe Air Provides Desktop Gaming

Luis Sandoval — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:58:10 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Imagine the ability to entertain yourself without loading up your browser, without loading up a game on CD, but rather using your own desktop as the battleground for a game of authentic Asteroids, using your desktop.

Adobe Air makes it happen and over on the UK’s Sci-Fi website, they are offering an amazing Asteroids replica using your mouse cursor as a ship, and your file folders as the asteroids. As your folders come crashing into you, shoot them to scatter your files across your desktop for more target practice.

Do you lose your files?

Nope, they just temporarily disentegrate as you release your frustration on presentations, projects, reports, and spreadsheets. Give it a try, destroy bordem for good and have a blast…literally.

MySpace An Endangered Species?

Luis Sandoval — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:49:07 +0000

: Image via CrunchBase

There is no doubt that the market is becoming overrun with social networks. While there is value in a great number of them, after awhile they all starte to look the same. With only slight variations it makes a person wonder why one would be different from the rest if they are all so similar. That being said, the grand-daddy of the social network medium, MySpace, might be on the endangered species list.

It’s no surprise that during an economic crunch that “re-structuring” is inevitable, but recently we’ve seen a large number of the U.S. staff released from the company, and now the wave appears to be hitting Europe. After reading an article on TechCruch it got me thinking if MySpace is even relevant anymore.

It’s become a marketing ground for new bands, comedians, and other entertainers. The playground to the 15 and below crowd, it fails to reach the depth that other social networks like Facebook have reached in recent years. Much like AOL was a pioneer and has slowly been phased out of importance, is the same happening to the social networking pioneer MySpace?

Do you still use MySpace? If so for what? Do you find it relevant in your life, why or why not? I’d love to gauge the readership of Crenk and find out if MySpace is even a blip on the radar in terms of connecting with people.

Geeks + Wine = Success

Luis Sandoval — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:08:22 +0000

It’s come often during my late night work sessions that energy drinks just don’t do it, and soda is just overdone, not to mention sludge for the body. After a long time of coding, designing, writing, or developing, I just want to take a break, relax and kick my feet up to some good tunes, or a good movie. Nothing scratches that itch better than a good glass of wine.

I’m by no means a wine expert, so I can either fumble my way through wines I will mostly not like, or I can turn to the experts of Hello Vino and adapt my tastes, my menu, or my event to the wines that will make it a success. Hello Vino has added a mobile app that has helped me select a wine on the go while I’m shopping for an evening with friends or just with my wife. The application does a great job of pairing wines, giving you reviews, and pricing it for you to find exactly what you need on so many levels.

The database consists of over 1 million unique wines, all of which will surely find their fan base on the go always on the hunt for the perfect wine.

Blellow, Social Network for Freelancers

Luis Sandoval — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:40:54 +0000

Blellow burst onto the scene a few months ago, and after winning a few awards paired with an explosive launch at SXSW, the social networking site is experiencing explosive growth. For any self starters, entrepreneur, freelancer, or contract worker, this network has been the hub for meeting new people, finding job leads, and joining project teams seeking specific talents. Companies are welcome to also post their job listings for a reduced nominal fee to attract some highly talented professionals.

The unique name is an extension of its unique community. Putting together some of the best aspects of popular social networking sites, it fosters creativity, innovation, and looks to be the dominant force in finding work for the self starters around the world. While Elance and Odesk serve as bidding job boards, Blellow looks to use its extensive network to rely on recommendations and friendly introductions to new people to pair people with the right project.

If you’re looking to expand your contacts, find unique job postings, and converse with people in a specific industry or topic, then Blellow is the place to network!