Sadly, the free version of Roxio Buzz Lite is no longer available through the Roxio Labs web site. Tens of thousands of you downloaded Roxio Buzz, some of you gave us feedback, and posted videos online, and we are grateful! But now it's time to move out of the lab.



You can continue to buy the full version of Roxio Buzz 2.0 on the Roxio eStore here: http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/buzz/standard/overview.html



Again, thanks for your support!

The latest version of Roxio Buzz is now available. Buzz Lite 2 is on the Roxio Labs site at:

http://www.roxio.com/enu/solutions/roxiolabs/products/buzz/default.html

The full version now also adds video capture from DV Camera and Webcam!

http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/buzz/standard/overview.html

Other new features include:

• Upload to Roxio eWire – the digital media delivery service for sending large files to friends and family.
• Improved interface for options and sign-up wizards, better handling of file size estimation and multiple target selection.
• New home screen with recent videos and photos for easy access.

Unfortunately we had to remove support for the GoFish video service as they are no longer accepting video uploads of user-generated content.

At long last, MediaTicker 3 is available. Some of the new features...

• Video file support! Now all your videos show up in the ticker, too.
• Expanded RSS support. RSS (0.91, 0.92, 1.0, 1,1), Atom (0.3, 1.0), and iTunes extensions.
• Windows Vista Aero support. Get the Vista look and feel.
• RSS feeds images are now indicated with the RSS badge.
• Save your feed list online with your free Roxio MyAccount.
• New search options for Flickr tags, RSS feeds, and Google.
• Share RSS items via email.
• Only show the most recent feeds or photos automatically.

The benefits of storing your feeds on your Roxio MyAccount are pretty cool. You can use the same feed list to power MediaTicker running on several machines, and still use the options page to select which ones you want to see. Plus, you never have to worry about losing the feed list that took you months to build if you switch to a new computer or lose your hard drive. Just log-on with a fresh copy of MediaTicker and all your feeds will show up!

Check out the "10 Awesome things you can do with MediaTicker" list (on the MediaTicker download page) for more ideas on how to get the most out of MediaTicker.

Much to write about today with MacWorld going on...

First, the iPhone update. Well, I'm a little disappointed that they didn't announce Flash support and Exchange support for Calendar & Contacts, but the features they did put in are pretty cool. Customizable home screen, locate current position in Maps, create Home icons for web pages, and send SMS to multiple people.

Amazingly, two new pieces of hardware - an ultrathin notebook called MacBook Air and a home backup server and wireless base station called Time Capsule. Time Capsule includes up to 1 terabyte of storage and uses the new, faster wireless standard 802.11n for typical speeds of 74 Mbps (about 3.5x faster than 802.11g). Combining the wireless with the hard drive is a bold move, but 802.11n will last for many years, so it's not as if you will be stuck with an outdated wireless device anytime soon. And guess what, AppleTV has 802.11n as well, and that's fast enough to comfortably stream really nice HD video around the house (802.11a/g can do it, but a low signal or other network activity can break performance), so Time Capsule + AppleTV = happiness for your HDTV screen.




For AppleTV, new features coming soon through a software update (you will be able to access all the store features without a computer!):

• Movie rentals, both HD- and DVD-quality
• TV show, music, and music video purchases
• Photos from Flickr and .Mac web galleries
• Direct access to over 125,000 podcasts

(BTW, if you are not already using Roxio Crunch (Mac or Windows) to prep your videos for AppleTV, you should get it - gives you a lot more to watch on AppleTV if you have a large collection.)

Apple finally got the message and is starting movie rentals on iTunes (I doubt any credit will go to Microsoft for offering this on XBox marketplace for the past 18 months). It's a mad dash for the OnDemand world as Comcast, AT&T, Apple, Microsoft and others fight for your "click to buy/rent" dollar.

Apple never ceases to impress, and even with all the noise from CES last week, they put on a good show.

A couple weeks ago I took the new Virgin America flight to NY. They have really upped the anti for the user experience in domestic travel. They're like the Apple of airlines. As you board the flight you know it's going to be different because the cabin lighting is violet and purple, almost like a nightclub. Groovy music floats around in the background, and the leather seats are equipped with iMac-type white plastic meal trays.

But the real fun begins when you have to turn off your electronic equipment, because Virgin offers a complete interactive media experience right in front of you. "RED" is Virgin America's in-flight digital media experience, and wow, does it make those 6-hour flights pass quickly.

A touch-screen interface lets you play movies, TV, music videos, video games, and radio. You can order food and drinks anytime during the flight (even pay for meals by sliding your credit card through the device). A remote controller found in your seat-arm includes a full QWERTY keyboard and gaming controls. The email feature wasn't ready yet, but was supposedly rolling out shortly.

To top it off, you can text chat with other people on the flight simply by picking a seat number. You can even chat while watching TV, along with other people watching that channel. Leave it to Virgin to make flying a social opportunity.

So if you're lucky enough to have VA as a flying option, take it. It's just more fun.

Microsoft pumped out a new version of it's Zune software, also updating the device software for the first generation players, and as a Zune owner I'm very pleased.

First of all, this is probably the most beautiful app Microsoft has ever released. It's simplicity belies its functionality. We all love Apple stuff, but IMHO it leap-frogs the iTunes design. It's clean, sexy, modern, and easy to use.

The integrated Zune Marketplace has tons of podcasts now, including video podcasts. Yes!

The marketplace also uses the points system employed by XBox 360. So you can spend your dough easily in Zune or XBox using the same .NET Passport account, credit card, and purchased points. Brilliant. Makes it very easy to empty my wallet and get my digital media fix with minimal hassle.

The Zune device software isn't much different, but it's got a nice modern interface update, better scrolling dynamics, and wireless sync to your Zune PC.

Now, as with any app, you really don't get to understand it's shortcomings until you've used it for at least a month, so we'll see if it holds up, but I am very encouraged by the direction.

One little nasty: Even though I have a subscription account for unlimited downloads to my Zune, they still make you pay for new releases. WTF? Well, at least they now offer DRM-free (not copy-protected) MP3s to make up for this travesty.

Microsoft is trying to develop more of the "social" promise by letting you publish your tunes list on the Zune network, so you can show everyone how cool (or geeky) your music collection is.

Overall: a significant upgrade with no discernible drawbacks.

....and we're back. Sorry about the hiatus. Home projects, holidays, yadda yadda. Oh, and also we've been working on a whole bunch of cool new stuff, but I can't tell you more until CES.

Anyhoo...

Just found this really cool looking product from Dymo called DiscPainter, for printing images onto your burned CDs and DVDs. I don't know if it's been tested with Creator yet, but we do support label making and this is essentially a printer driven interface, so it should work just fine. Let us know on the forums if you've tried it.

I just want to print so I can watch the pretty colors spin. Woooow, man.

Get the latest Roxio news, tips, and how-to's in this month's newsletters...

Mac: http://docs.sonic.com/labs/dwnld/mac_nl_oct.html

PC: http://docs.sonic.com/labs/dwnld/pc_nl_oct.html

For you MediaTicker fans, version 3 beta is now available! We want your feedback!

Get MediaTicker 3 (Beta)

• Video file support! Now all your videos show up in the ticker, too.
• Expanded RSS support. RSS (0.91, 0.92, 1.0, 1,1), Atom (0.3, 1.0), and iTunes extensions.
• Windows Vista Aero support. Get the Vista look and feel.
• Faster startup performance. Images start showing up fast regardless of how many feeds you have.
• RSS feeds images are now indicated with the RSS badge.
• Save your feed list online with your free Roxio MyAccount.
• New search options for Flickr tags, RSS feeds, and Google.
• Share RSS items via email.

Complete press release here...

A cross section of reviews in U.S. trade, daily and online publications, including PC World, The Jersey Journal and TechNews World, echo PC Magazine's praise of Easy Media Creator's ease of use and comprehensive feature set. The headline of PC World’s recently published review states: “…when it comes to ease of use, Roxio is king,” while The Journal’s technology editor writes, “I have both on my Windows computer, but I find myself reaching for Easy Media Creator more often. I prefer that it’s simpler to get in and out of, so I can do my work quickly.” Those sentiments were also shared by TechNews World technology columnist who could not think of “a video – or image –related project this thing won’t handle”, and made a fair analogy that Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 is “like the Swiss army knife of audio, video, backup, copy and photo tools.”