NBC News, a unit of Comcast’s NBCUniversal, has acquired Stringwire a service that will allow its news stations to live stream video content from the phones of verified citizen journalists. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Stringwire platform will the news station to recruit and direct contributors based on their location through Twitter to share videos which can be sifted through in order to share live on television. NBC has also hired on Phil Groman, the founder of Stringwire, to serve as the Product Lead for the division. He will be based in the San Francisco NBC office.

“Stringwire is at the leading edge of user-generated video products, with immediate value to our on-air and digital businesses. Long-term, we think there is great commercial potential,” said Vivian Schiller, SVP & Chief Digital Officer at NBC News, in a statement.

The service has yet to launch yet, but if you’d like to sign up to be a contributor, you can share your email address at this link.

Sony’s latest Hong Kong ad campaign for its waterproof Xperia is a cute story about how Water and Sony became BFFs. It doesn’t have a catchy tune like Australia’s Metro Train’s Video, Dumb Ways to Die, but who doesn’t like to have friends?

In this first video, Water meets Sony after killing off some other less-waterproof “friends,” including an iPhone jumping rope.

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is now testing what it calls “the most advanced humanoid robots ever built.”

You can watch the machine in action in the video embedded above. This 330-pound, 6-foot robot can climb stairs, negotiate obstacles and stay upright when hit with a 20-pound weight. Check it out:

ATLAS was developed for DARPA by Boston Dynamics. Software-focused teams from Tracks B and C of the DARPA Robotics Challenge will use the robot to compete in the first physical competition of the Challenge in December 2013 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.  The DARPA Robotics Challenge seeks to advance the technology necessary to create robots capable of assisting humans in disaster response.

Do you shoot in vertical video mode? YouTube Chescaleigh is talking to you!

if your video is the dopest but it’s portrait
then it’s bogus
don’t want some hocus pocus up in adobe
to choke these bonus components
that shouldn’t show in your video
if you go with an aspect ratio that’s not the grossest
you need atonement, if you haven’t turned your phone yet

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Twitter and Portland’s data visualizers Vizify is teaming up to help you attract more followers with a highlight reel dubbed #FollowMe. Each video comprises of highlights of your Twitter hsitory including photos, vines, and stats documenting your savvy microblogging skill – like who you interact with and when you tweet the most.

Unlike Vine, #FollowMe doesn’t have a time limit. You can even add music from Rumblefish’s library of 1 million songs as you cut and edit the video to your heart’s desire. Once you’re done, embed them into your tweets to attract more followers.
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Using video chats over AT&T’s cellular network is impossible, but the company is giving assurances that it  is working to resolve the issue by the end of this year. The service, or lack or service, renders new video chatting apps like Google Hangout ineffective.

AT&T has only allowed iOS users access to Facetime as recently last year after blocking the service, citing its own policy for prioritizing pre-loaded apps. There’s no telling how many customers have left the company for better video features, but with T-Mobile’s  new 4G wireless network, AT&T is no longer dealing with just Verizon’s superior connections.

Here’s the full announcement on The Verge:

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Users on iOS devices can finally start using a Google app for Google Chats. Google’s new chat app, appropriately call Hangouts, allows you to do what you’ve always done with Gmail’s desktop experience: text friends, start videos, and share photos in seamless conversations across multiple devices.

Google took note of an important aspect about notifications when creating this app – you only get one alert per new item that’s synced across all of your devices. If your notifications get too noisy, you can turn them off and check back later. Perhaps the company has heard complaints about Google Plus notifications. Read more

Mother’s Day is Sunday and the least you should do is call your mother - said Twitter. The social media site issued a witty public service announcement boasting about Twitter’s sharing platform quickly after Google’s Mother’s Day tribute this week.

Hopefully moms everywhere will enjoy breakfast in bed, a steady stream of thank-you’s and family fun. While moms are enjoying these and many other Mother’s Day traditions, it’s a safe bet they’ll also sneak a peek at Twitter. After all, moms (and moms-to-be) are doing everything from securing Twitter accounts for their babies to live-tweeting their C-sections to sharing funny motherhood experiences.

But even as much as moms love Twitter, we know that mom loves you the most.

While Google opted for a sweet, syrupy promotion for Google Plus, Twitter opted to tell users that social media doesn’t replace everything. That said, if you don’t have time to visit your Mom this Sunday, video hangouts with her on Google Plus is pretty great every day. Click here to compare the two ads. Read more

A typical cell phone has on average 25,107 bacteria per square inch. This makes it dirtier than most surfaces, including doorknobs and toilets. Maybe they’re just your own germs?

Like if you are watching (or reading) this on a phone.

Nanoveu’s EyeFly 3D is a thin film that manipulates the pixel structure of your iPhone screen using nano technology. The film easily attaches to your iPhone and works with Nanoveu software to give your Smartphones 3D viewing capabilities.

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