Check Out the Companies That Make ReadWriteWeb Possible

Our readers know ReadWriteWeb as the blog that's ahead of the technology curve. Our sponsors know us as that, too. Once a week we introduce our sponsors to our readers and let them know a little more about who they are and what they do. You can say thanks to the companies that make ReadWriteWeb happen by tweeting them (see the link below each sponsor) or following them using our Twitter list.

Interested in being a ReadWriteWeb sponsor? Our readers are smart, tech-savvy decision makers; 40% have a graduate degree or PhD, and over 45% play a key role in information technology purchasing decisions. More than 1 million people on Twitter follow us to stay abreast of the latest Web technology trends from around the globe. To find out more about our sponsor packages, visit our advertising page or email our COO.

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Skip to info about: Medill School of Journalism: Digital journalism programs | Skytap: Cloud solutions for enterprises and ISVs | BTBuckets: Free personalization and on-site behavioral targeting tool | Mashery: API management services | Rovi: Entertainment Data Solutions | SES London Conference & Expo: Search and social marketing conference | Columbia University's Journalism and Computer Science Masters Program: A new dual-degree Masters of Science program | Site24x7: Online website monitoring service | Conduit: Customized components | Alcatel-Lucent: Application developer platform | WatchMouse: Monitor Website Performance and Functionality | SendGrid: Cloud-based email delivery service | Toopia: Our iPhone app developer

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Medill School of Journalism

The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University offers programs that combine the enduring skills and values of journalism with new techniques and knowledge that are essential to thrive in a digital world. You might have a passion for creating finely crafted prose, or for telling stories using visual tools. Maybe you are invigorated by the possibilities of interactive publishing, or by videography for the small screen. Maybe you are an experienced professional looking to renew and retool your multimedia skills. You can find your niche in Medill's graduate journalism program.

Thank the Medill School of Journalism on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

Skytap

Skytap provides cloud automation solutions for enterprises and software vendors to develop, test, migrate, evaluate, demo, and train on new and existing applications in the cloud. Skytap Cloud is ideal for distributed Dev/Test, Training and Sales Demo teams. Teams are empowered to:

• Create multiple cloud environments in seconds
• Run existing applications without any code changes
• Deploy virtual data centers, take snapshots and collaborate
• Accelerate bug resolution cycles by 75%
• Reduce operating costs by 70% annually

Customers of all sizes can deploy Skytap in a day. Try Skytap for free.

Thank Skytap on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

BTBuckets

BTBuckets is a free personalization and on-site behavioral targeting tool that allows websites to increase engagement and ultimately maximize conversion rate optimization (CRO) by clustering and targeting specific user groups. With a simple installation process (a single tag implemented on your site's webpages just like Google Analytics), BTBuckets can update and adapt your website in real-time to create the best experience for that specific user segment without the need to change any HTML code on your website.

BTBuckets segmentation capabilities include behavioral, demographic, customer life-cycle, technographic and firmograhic. Install the BTBuckets browser extension to create segments from within the Google Analytics interface and target these users immediately.

Thank BTBuckets on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

Mashery

Mashery is a platform for Web services, allowing companies to manage their APIs using Mashery's expertise. At the "Business of APIs" conference, Mashery CEO Oren Michels explained to the audience that while APIs are a technology, their use is a business decision. He went on to say that Mashery has helped customers such as WhitePages.com, Thumbplay, Compete.com, and Calais. Check out the white paper "Five steps to scaling your business development using Web services" to discover how you can use APIs for your business.

You can find out more about APIs and their business use at www.mashery.com.

Thank Mashery on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

Rovi

Rovi's entertainment data solutions allow online stores, portals, social networking sites, service providers, and application developers to differentiate their offerings, drive usage, and increase sales. By becoming a Rovi Data subscriber you gain access to our descriptive metadata on music, movies, TV shows, books, and video games, which you can deploy across multiple platforms.

Thank Rovi on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

SES London Conference & Expo: 21-25 February 2011

As search continues to evolve in new directions and marketing is becoming more like conversations, marketers are being challenged to learn how to leverage all the new forms of media and technologies. SES London is taking the lead in dissecting the new search landscape and figuring out what it means for you. We're leaving conventional thinking behind and will bring together the brightest minds in digital marketing and the veterans of search to deliver you an entirely new perspective. Providing digital marketers with the foundational know-how and the latest industry techniques - commitments we are devoted to build upon.

Session highlights:

• Key Points in Launching a Global Website
• Content Marketing Optimisation
• Marketing to the European Union
• Augmented Reality Revisited
• Is Search Remarketing/Retartgeting Right for You?
• Local 2.0: The Evolution of Local Search

ReadWriteWeb readers, enter RWW20 and save up to £753 when you book now through 4 February.

Thank SES London Conference & Expo on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

Columbia University's Journalism and Computer Science Masters Program

Apply now to Columbia University's new dual-degree Master of Science program in Journalism and Computer Science.  Students will receive highly specialized training in the digital environment, enabling them to develop technical and editorial skills in all aspects of computer-supported news gathering and digital media production.  This program will offer the highest caliber of computer science and journalism training at Columbia University. The inaugural class will enroll in fall 2011 for a total of five semesters at the Journalism and Engineering schools, learning the fundamentals of reporting and writing while developing a working background in computer science and software design.   Application deadline is January 15, 2011.

Thank Columbia Journalism School on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

Site24x7

Site24x7, an online website monitoring service which allows users to monitor their website, web application and online web transactions. Users can get instant alerts when their website goes down. Site24x7 allows monitoring from across 25+ global locations.

Site24x7 pricing starts from $1/Month/URL. Sign-up for a 15-day Free Trial!

Thank Site24x7 on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

Conduit

Conduit enables Web publishers to distribute their offerings both directly and through its global network of 250,000 publishers and their 170 million users. The Conduit platform is a powerful marketing tool that allows you to offer the best of your site through apps or a Community Toolbar, sending desktop alerts to your users, and much more.

The Conduit platform opens a new world of content sharing. Your site visitors can add your content right to their browser by clicking on a branded 2go button that you place on your site. You can also share your content in the Conduit App Marketplace where all the publishers and users in the Conduit network can grab it.

The platform has been adopted by major brands such as Fox News, iWin, Major League Baseball, TechCrunch, and Travelocity, as well as thousands of small and medium organizations in 120 countries.

If you would like to Conduit your website, go to www.conduit.com.

Thank Conduit on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry, is turning the network into a powerful platform for developers.

With the launch of the Alcatel-Lucent Developer Platform, the company provides service providers and enterprises with tools that enable third-party developers to build, test, manage and distribute applications across networks, including television, broadband Internet and mobile. Alcatel-Lucent's introduction of a radical new business model combines network APIs with other third-party APIs, and opens revenue sharing opportunities to support developers in their pre-revenue wallets and provides an additional revenue channel for service providers.

The developer platform is part of a larger push by the company to combine the trusted capabilities of service providers with the speed and innovation of the Web.

Thank Alcatel-Lucent on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

WatchMouse

WatchMouse monitors website performance and functionality 24x7 from over 50 locations worldwide. Monitors for your website, server or API can be set up in minutes and provide valuable insight into how your users experience your site. Features include Multi-step Transactions, Real Browser Monitoring (including Javascript front-end), and Public Status Pages as used by ReadWriteWeb, Twitter, WordPress, bit.ly and more.

Thank WatchMouse on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

SendGrid

SendGrid is a cloud-based email delivery service that delivers email on behalf of other companies to increase deliverability. With SendGrid, you can rest assured that your email will reach your customers' inbox. Integration takes just minutes via SMTP or can be done through a simple REST API. SendGrid can take the hassle of sending email completely out of your hands, and allow you to focus on being awesome at your core business.

Thank SendGrid on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

Toopia

Nicolas Koenig is the developer who made our beautiful iPhone app a reality. He runs an iPhone development shop from the Netherlands called Toopia. Toopia also created the Thermometer iPhone app, which enables your iPhone or iPod touch to get the current temperature based on your location. The RWW app lets you read us on the go, follow us on Twitter, share stories on Facebook and Twitter, and browse at your leasure using Read it Later and Instapaper. Download the ReadWriteWeb iPhone application here.

Thank Toopia on Twitter for making ReadWriteWeb possible.

The companies above pay our rents or mortgages and we appreciate it. We hope you'll stop by their sites and see what they've got to offer.

Have you got a smart company that could use some more visits by the sophisticated readers of a blog like ReadWriteWeb's? Drop us a line and let's talk.

Thanks to all our sponsors and our readers for your support!

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Report: Mac App Store Launching Before Holidays

Apple may be planning to launch its Mac App Store this month, according to an unnamed source cited by the blog Appletell. If true, that would be ahead of schedule - Apple CEO Steve Jobs originally promised a launch within 90 days, when plans for the Store were revealed at an Apple press event in October.

Could the pre-holiday launch have anything to do with Google's Chrome-related announcement being revealed tomorrow? We wouldn't be surprised.

Sponsor

According to Appletell's source, developers were told to have their Mac apps ready by today, Dec. 6. However, a launch this week now seems unlikely, the source said.

Another blog site, MacRumors, can confirm that developers were asked to begin submitting apps to the store back on Nov. 3. Apple also recently released a new version of Mac OS X (10.6.6) to developers, the version that includes support for end-user access of the Mac App Store.

Expected Tomorrow: Chrome Web App Store

Could Apple's sped up plans have anything to do with Google's Chrome announcement tomorrow?

Multiple sources are reporting that the search giant will either launch or provide an update on the status of its operating system, Google Chrome OS. And a major part of that OS is the Chrome Web App Store, whose launch is expected at Tuesday's event.

Image Credit: Download Squad

Both Engadget and All Things D have heard that the Web App Store will arrive tomorrow for end users who have installed the beta version of the Google Chrome Web browser. The beta version arrived last week, introducing support for Web apps as well as an update for syncing apps between computers where Chrome is installed.

These two "desktop" app stores - one from Apple, the other from Google, are even more different than the companies' mobile app store offering. Like iTunes, Apple will apply similar restrictions to its Mac Store, allowing for a "curated" selection of apps. But these are desktop apps - meaning, actual software installed on the computer. Google's Web App Store, however, involves only applications that run in a browser. But Google's philosophy for its Web App Store is different too - it's an "open" marketplace for apps, where the only requirement is a standards-compliant browser. It doesn't even have to be Google Chrome. All Web apps are welcome in the Chrome store - a small, one-time fee of $5.00 is the only obstacle, and is only there to keep the spammers out.

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API of the Week: UserVoice API

UserVoice, one of our favorite idea management services, launched a new API today. UserVoice has completely revamped its API, which is available in two varieties: a free read-only version and a more powerful commercial version. The company built its new Facebook Page App and iPhone SDK using the new API.

Sponsor

The SDK is particularly interesting. As UserVoice points out in its announcement, iPhone users frequently give apps bad ratings because of one bug or missing feature. Using the iPhone SDK you can build a UserVoice community right into an app and collect feedback within the app, hopefully stemming bad reviews elsewhere. The SDK is available here.

The new API can be access through your UserVoice account in Apps & Plugins section of the Admin Console.

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The Best Budget Camera Lenses [Bestmodo]

If you're shopping for a new lens of some sort, you've come to just the right place. Here's ThePhoblographer's list of the best lenses you can get your hands on without breaking the bank.

Canon

• Canon 50mm F1.8/F1.4: When I first moved to Canon, I started out with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. Though it has some slight quirks to it (autofocus is a bit hard to do at time and can be slow) it is still a wonderful general purpose lens and an excellent lens for when videos need to be shot at something like a concert. Stopped down to F4, it is wonderfully sharp.

If you can afford it, the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM is much better and is one of Canon's best buys.

• Canon 100mm Macro 2.8: Known as one of Canon's sharpest lenses, users will appreciate the versatility available with using a lens like this. One can go from shooting portraits, to macro products, to the fine details at a wedding, and to even sports shooting when put in a cropped sensor body like a 7D or a 50D (available at a rebate at the time of writing this article.) One really can't go wrong with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM.

• Canon 85mm F1.8: This is my second favorite lens in my camera bag. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM allows for super sharp portraits, headshots, and even candid moments when shooting events or a wedding. What's great is that you have a telephoto reach without having a really large lens that tends to attract attention: therefore making the photographer more discrete and also allowing them not to disturb their subjects.

• Canon 35mm F2.0: The Canon EF 35mm f2.0 is a great lens for events or photojournalism type shooting. This lens is great for capturing environmental portraits, and also for giving a real feel for what the vibe is like at an event. Combined with a flash, it can be great on the dance floor of a party and delivers sharp results with wonderful color.

Nikon

• Nikon 50mm F1.8/F1.4: The Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF is sharper than Canon's but doesn't deliver as pleasing out-of-focus areas. In fact, it's quite a bit sharper and comes with a slightly higher price as well. The Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF is used widely at concerts and weddings in addition to photographers who capture portraits with cameras like a D300s. Many wedding photographers actually do this and deliver some fantastic and lovely results. I've seen some prints from photographers in Brooklyn shooting by the Brooklyn Bridge, and combined with their SB-900 flashes, it does some great work on quite the budget.

• Nikon AF-S 35mm F1.8: I've tried this lens on the Nikon D3x before. For the price, Nikon photographers get a lens that will stick with them in their bags forever. A lens like this is sharp, focuses surprisingly fast, and can be used for photo shoots, shooting couples, portraits, weddings, etc. Many portrait photographers I know actually use the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX.

• Nikkor 28mm F2.8D: Nikon's wide angle primes are becoming legendary, and the Nikon 28mm f2.8D AF is quite worth its weight in dollars. A lens like this is great for getting up close and personal with your subjects, like children, dogs, etc. Otherwise, it is great for shooting landscapes and some street photography.

• Nikkor 85mm F1.8D: Although it's not the absolutely gorgeous F1.4, the Nikon 85mm f1.8D AF is a lens that is seen on many Nikon photographers' cameras. This lens is the essential lens for portrait photographers and those looking to do in studio work. Stopped down to around F2.8 it becomes super sharp. The feel and construction of this lens will also not disappoint.

Panasonic and Olympus Four Thirds/Micro Four Thirds

• Panasonic 20mm F1.7: As perhaps the most favorite lens amongst Micro Four Thirds photographers, the Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f1.7 delivers wonderful results in all types of lighting and also does this in a small pancake type body. Zach Honig over at Tech, Travel Tuna and PCMagazine uses this on his GF-1, which he really loves. Some of the results I've seen deliver things I never thought possible on Micro Four Thirds.

• Olympus M. Zukio 17mm F2.8: An alternative to the 20mm for those that want a wider field of view, the Olympus 17mm f2.8 Lens is still a great lens for the Micro Four Thirds system due to sharp image quality and wide aperture.

• Olympus 25mm F2.8: The Olympus 25mm f2.8 for Four Thirds is one of the most beloved lenses in the system. Vincent Pastore uses one (he wrote for this blog previously.) Additionally, most Olympus photographers carry it around when shooting for fun.

• Sigma 24mm F1.8: This is a lens that anyone seriously committed to the Four Thirds standard needs to get if they are also on a budget. Though it isn't the Panasonic 25mm F1.4 that one would sell their soul for, the Sigma will still deliver very pleasing results to users.

• Olympus 50mm F2 Macro: A 100mm on Four Thirds, this lens is great for events, macro work, products and portraits. The sharpness offered by this lens is really something to consider when you need a compact telephoto.

ThePhoblographer is a site that reports on the latest trends and happenings in the photography world. The site also reviews gear in the field review format which tests gear in the way that photographers and enthusiasts would actually use them in real-life situations.

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EmbedPlus Adds Extra Video Controls to YouTube Embeds [Videos]

Embedding YouTube videos is a pretty useful feature, but it only gives you basic player controls. With EmbedPlus, you can start your videos at a certain time, skip self-defined chapters, add annotations, zoom, and more to tweak the video to your liking.

If you're sharing your own video, you probably don't need anything extra, but when you share other people's videos, sometimes you want to tweak the video—start it at a certain point, ignore more boring parts of the video, or just add notes to the video to get your point across. YouTube doesn't let you do this, but free service EmbedPlus adds these and some other pretty neat features to YouTube embeds.

To embed a YouTube video with EmbedPlus, just grab the YouTube link of the original video you want to share, paste it into EmbedPlus, and tweak the size, start time, and scene markers for your video. It'll give you a new embed code that you can paste into your blog, PowerPoint, or another social network. Hit the link to check it out.

Update: Unfortunately, some sites (like ours) are reformatting the html and making EmbedPlus videos appear as standard YouTube videos. For a lot of sites, this shouldn't be a problem, but to demonstrate what a tweaked video might look like, you can check out my enhanced version of our Hackintosh guide by clicking here and playing the video on that page.

EmbedPlus [via AddictiveTips]

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