A long time ago we reported about quick ways to watch movies online but without having to download any software. I thought it was about time we gave you an update!
10StarMovies is the best solution for movies at the moment. 10StarMovies allows users to search for the movie they want to watch and then it provides the user with a huge range of movie website option. Simply select where you want to watch this movie from and it starts to stream. It even provides an ability to see what percentage of people actually said the stream worked fine.
Is music an important part of your life? Do you love listening to music while working or discovering new music bands and artists?
YouTube has a huge database of music clips of all imaginable genres and types. It’s a great source of inspiration – we just need more tools to enjoy it.
The following two tools will add a lot of fun to your YouTube music-listening experience: they will let you endlessly listen to your favorite music genres.
Zebralizer
Zebralizer is YouTube-powered online tool that will play your music as long as you want it to. It won’t work on Internet Explorer, nor will it work on FireFox if you are on Mac. Google Chrome has been the best option to use the tool so far.
The site has a fun search option that will suggest to you results while you are typing:
Once the results are loaded, music will start playing immediately.
While listening, you can browse through the search results to add any clip to the play list. There’s also a “radio” button that will instantly create a play list from the similar music clips to the one currently running.
You can even load the lyrics next to the current song and start singing:
The built-in player controls let you play the music louder, jump to the next track, watch the video in the full-screen mode and shuffle your current play list.
Jukesy
Jukesy is a fun, yet not widely-known web-based app that allows you to enjoy an endless sit-back-and-listen YouTube experience.
To select the genre, you can browse through the vast selection of popular tags (anything from “art rock” to “hip hop” can be found there) or use the search option.
Once the genre is chosen, you can enjoy an endless video and music stream: Just keep the tab open and keep working or browsing the web – the music of your preferred genre will play until you stop it.
The built-in player controls let you easily adjust the volume, toggle the full-screen view or repeat your favorite song.
That’s a great music discovery tool: With its vast search capabilities, you are most likely to come across a new song or band that will become your favorite one. Besides, the tool offers plenty of information about genres and bands (powered by Last.fm).
You can continue searching for music, while the current clip keeps playing. You can add a new clip to the play list or queue video clips right from the search results (without interrupting your current music stream).
If you create an account, you can save your play lists as well.
Are there any other tools for the similar lean-back music experience? Please share them in the comments!
Jennifer Moline writes for the PsPrint Blog. PsPrint is an online commercial printing company.
The WSJ is reporting that HTC has invested $40 million into streaming video game company OnLive. Does that mean that we will soon be seeing games on the OnLive cloud transfer onto phones also? Or could we see the HTC brand move onto more than just phones?
There are so many music streaming services available at the moment and it is going to be the future of the industry. Thus, how do you know which one is the best to use? Here is our list of music streaming services with basic details about each platform. Enjoy!
Availability: Finland, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK Pricing: Varies by country, but UK customers are offered:
• “Open,” 20 hours of lower-bitrate streaming with advertisements: Free
• “Free,” unlimited streaming at lower bitrates with advertisements: Free (with invitation)
• “Unlimited,” with no restriction on streaming and no advertisements: £4.99 per month (just under $8 U.S.)
• “Premium,” with no ads or restrictions, higher bitrate streaming, offline storage of playlist tracks, and mobile apps and streaming: £9.99 per month (just under $16 U.S.) Platforms: Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Symbian; BlackBerry under development; unofficial client available on Windows Mobile. Size of music library: Approximately 8 million tracks from major label and indie artists. Stream rate: 160 kbps for Free and Unlimited plans, 320 kbps for Premium. Offline storage: Premium subscribers only, up to 3,333 tracks. Other features: Desktop apps do a fine job managing all your offline music. Free trial of subscription: No.
Availability: U.S. and Canada. Pricing:
• Rdio Unlimited, with desktop players, mobile apps, and music downloads: $9.99 (U.S.) per month
• Rdio Web, unlimited streaming through web site: $4.99 per month. Platforms: Browser only through “Web”; browser, Adobe AIR desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry apps with “Unlimited” plan. Size of music library: About seven million tracks. Stream rate: Undisclosed, but representatives claimed it ran “higher than the 64kbps streaming bit rate offered by Rhapsody.” Offline storage: Playlists can be synced offline with Unlimited, no limits described. Other features: “Syncing” to iTunes and Windows Media Player, so that your existing offline music and playlists is reflected in your online Rdio dashboard, and you can access an online copy of your playlists anywhere. Free trial of subscription: Three days of Rdio Web, no credit card needed.
Availability: U.S. only. Pricing:
• “Rhapsody Premier” with unlimited streaming and (subscription-restricted) downloads to one phone or MP3 player: $9.99 per month.
• “Rhapsody Premier Plus” ups the total of portable synced devices to three: $14.99 per month. Platforms: Windows and Mac, with apps for iOS, Android, select Verizon Wireless phones, and compatible MP3 players. BlackBerry app in development. Size of music library: Over 10 million songs Stream rate: 128 kbps (MP3) for paid accounts, 64 kbps for free previews. Offline storage: Unlimited downloads of Rhapsody tracks, expire upon subscription ending. Other features: Free trial of subscription: 25 streams through the web site per month, and a 14-day trial of Premier, requires credit card and deactivation.
Availability: Global Pricing:
• “Basic” provides web streaming and customized “radio” stations: $4.99 per month.
• “Primo” covers the Basic plan, plus mobile access and offline storage: $9.99 per month. Platforms: Web-only for Basic. Primo adds iOS and Android devices. Size of music library: 7.4 million Stream rate: 256 kbps through the web, 64 kbps mobile. Offline storage: On mobile, with either 64 kbps AAC or 320 kbps MP3 files. Other features: Free trial of subscription: Three days of Primo service, no credit card needed.
Availability: U.S., UK, Canada, Germany and Japan Pricing:
• One-month, three-month, and one-year streaming plans; three-month and one-year plans also provide 15 song download credits every three months: $5-$7 per month
• “Napster to Go,” with unlimited song transfer for up to three mobile devices: $14.95 per month Platforms: Windows and compatible MP3 players. Size of music library: “Over 10 million.” Stream rate: 128-192 kbps, depending on track. Offline storage: Via download credits. Other features: Extremely annoying woman appears and starts talking to you in lower-right corner of web site when not signed in. She has human-like features. Free trial of subscription: Seven days of streaming, no download credits, credit card required.
Availability: Global Pricing:
• Streaming through Grooveshark’s web site, with ads: Free
• Grooveshark VIP, with desktop and mobile apps, no ads, customization options: $3 per month or $30 per year. Platforms: Desktop streaming through web for free; VIP members get Adobe AIR app for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and mobile apps for Android, Nokia, Palm, BlackBerry, and jailbroken iPhones. Size of music library: Seven million (unverified) Stream rate: 192kbps Offline storage: Yes (through mobile apps) Other features: Free trial of subscription: Have appeared in past.
Availability: U.S. only Pricing:
• 40 hours a month of streaming music, limited (five per hour) skips: Free.
• “Pandora One,” with unlimited streaming and skips, no ads, higher quality, and desktop app: $3 per month. Platforms: Web, Windows & Mac (AIR app), mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, webOS, Windows Mobile. Size of music library: 700,000 tracks. Stream rate: 64 kbps (AAC+) for free users, 192 kbps for Pandora One Offline storage: None. Other features: Free trial of subscription: None.
Availability: U.S., UK, Germany for continuous free streaming, 30-song trial in all other countries Pricing:
• Basic sign-up, with unlimited streaming (U.S./UK/Germany) and “scrobbling”: Free.
• Subscriber accounts, with no advertising, custom/”Loved” playlists, server priority, and international streaming: $3 per month Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, and iOS, Android, BlackBerry. Size of music library: 6.5 million songs. Stream rate: 128 kbps (MP3) Offline storage: None Other capabilities: Near-universal “Scrobbling”: Keep Last.fm informed about what you’re playing and liking through most media players and smartphone apps. Free trial of subscription: None.
Availability: U.S., Canada Pricing:
• Unlimited streaming but limited skips: Free.
• “Slacker Radio Plus,” with unlimited skips, no ads, mobile app caching for online-to-offline continuity: $4-$5 month (monthly or annual billing). Platforms: Web streaming through browser, and mobile apps: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, webOS, Windows Mobile. Size of music library: More than 2.4 million songs. Stream rate: 128 kbps (MP3) through web, sometimes 64 kbps (AAC+) mobile. Offline storage: Mobile apps can cache streams for playing when disconnected. Free trial of subscription: Seven days of Slacker Radio Plus, requires card and must be deactivated.
Here at Crenk we have talked a lot about online movies sites and which ones are actually worth using. We have noticed on our Watch Movie Links article that a lot of users have been suggesting Hotdog Movies, so we thought we would check them out.
Hotdog Movies is a great movies directory. Unlike Watch Movies Links you arent able to watch the movies directly on Hotdog Movies, instead they direct you to the leading sources so you have a choice of where to watch the movie. We all know that most of these sites arent completely legal, but Hotdog movies is trying to provide links they are legal and can be watched anytime and without having to download any annoying software.
Anyways, check it out and let us know what you think.
Creating web conferences with friends is not an uncommon thing to do within these days, but if you want to put a whole bunch of guys all together, it won’t be easy. Meeting24 is a free web app where you can create live meetings, up to 24 members.
Meeting24 is a simple and powerful web app; you just need a few seconds to set up your meeting room:
Create an account. It is completely free.
Set up the meeting room with just one step. This meeting will be available for 24 hours; you’ll receive an URL to use it with friends.
Send the URL to your friends. They don’t need an account to login, just by clicking the URL will be enough.
Even though the meeting is available for 24 hours, you can still create unlimited number of conferences with your free account.
Of course, you don’t need 24 members to set up a meeting. The only requirement to use it is a web browser with Flash.
Wal-Mart, in an effort to curb losses through falling DVD sales have decided to buy Vudu, the popular video streaming service which is installed as standard on many media devices and is used by millions of people.
The New York Times have reported that Wal-Mart have been informing various Hollywood institutions and production companies of the purchase and it will soon be in total control of the streaming service.
What little information there is about the deal seems promising. Wal-Mart will complete the deal once the creases are ironed out and Vudu will “continue developing entertainment and information delivery solutions such as Vudu Apps”.
This is quite promising an perhaps it’s just what the online entertainment industry needed. With another big player entering the field piracy is being dealt one last blow as customers demand more quality especially with the ever growing popularity of HDTV and now 3D. We’ll have more on this new takeover in the coming weeks.
The other day we profiled Swype here on Crenk, letting you know that it would be preloaded on the Samsung Omnia II. Now, I discovered that the popular video streaming service Qik will have an app that will come as standard on the second incarnation of Samsung’s Omnia smart phone.
Until recently, Ustream was the go-to service for streaming video. Celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher use it to broadcast live to their fans. By making this app standard on the phone, allowing people to easily stream video onto the web or other people’s phone, the balance may shift.
I think this is a good idea – and an addition that will improve the overall appeal of the phone.
The only other phones with Qik pre-loaded is the Nokia S-60 based phones. If the Omnia II is anywhere near as popular as the first version, Qik could be seeing some serious user numbers heading their way.
It’s not uncommon for us here at Crenk to come across web applications that do the same thing, the only differences are that some might do it better or worse than another. In this case, the team has come across a very interesting music listening application called TubeRadio.
Once again for the music lover in all of us, this just astounds me. Now it does not have the capability to tap into your own stored music, but as powerful as this search engine is, this could very well replace my Pandora or Last.Fm efforts, even if only for a little while. TubeRadio calls itself the Youtube for music. After you see the video below, you’ll know what I mean.
So what do you think? They search is amazing and very thorough. I’m surprised at how music it can find, and even more so by how seamless the integration of listening and/or watching your music can be. During the video the speaker mentions it being like your personal MTV. Yeah, MTV, from when it used to actually play music.
My experience with TubeRadio has been a good one. I’ve found what I want to listen to, it streams everything smoothly with little problem. In my opinion the only thing really missing is the ability to tap into my own music, but I can overlook that for now since I’m lining up some great music of my own, and of other recommended playlists.
Vuze is a handy piece of kit that lets you stream or download videos from the internet. Similar to services already available such as MegaVideo, only now you have the added functionality of a media player, library and subscription services for podcasts and specific genres.
You download Vuze here (less than 10Mb) and install it in under five minutes. No need to restart your PC or do any complicated set up, so already it was in my good books. Upon opening the program for the first time I was greeted by a fairly simple interface that the average computer user could navigate. Search Bar, Library, Current Downloads and even a helpful ‘Getting Started’ section to guide you through the stages (although you really shouldn’t need it).
One thing that caught my eye was HD. Lucky for me, my new laptop was indeed HD compatible so I decided to search for a HD clip. I typed in ‘Public Enemies’ into the search bar and up popped a load of results. I could either watch the whole movie or simply a trailer. The HD quality was outstanding which surprised me as the download took less than a minute. Sound and playback quality was also top notch. No jumpy movies like you get with browser players.
Another section is ‘Devices’. Now, Vuze is fully compatible with a host of portable devices such as your iPod, iPhone, laptop, and other portables. It also works a treat on the PS3 and XBOX 360.
If you’re a videographer you can also publish your content on the Vuze network. This is great for publicizing your stuff to a large audience and also for Podcasts looking to branch out. It’s really easy to upload etc.. There are also special packages available for those uploading load of content to give them priority and good exposure on the Vuze Network.
One area I think that Vuze could improve is with the extra content. There should be a minimal browser built in to allow you to view the community pages without having to kick-start Firefox. This would give it a seamless affect and just be handy in general.
All things considered however, this is a spectacular piece of software and one I’ll be using a lot from now on. I think web based video torrents are having their final farewells. 9/10
Meeting24
The other day we profiled 
It’s not uncommon for us here at Crenk to come across web applications that do the same thing, the only differences are that some might do it better or worse than another. In this case, the team has come across a very interesting music listening application called 
