I am just thrilled to be reviewing and giving away these cleaners from Terracycle, a company known for creating an all-natural fertilizer made from worm poop. But don’t worry, there’s no worm poop in these terrific cleaning sprays, just concentrated essences of plants, shrubs, fruits, herbs and grasses with natural minerals and water. Even better, TerraCycle then packages the ready-to-use cleaners in reused soda bottles with end-run spray tops, making one of the most affordable and environmentally friendly cleaning products on the market.

I received three cleaning products to try for myself, and I am happy to say that all of them work really well. I used TerraCycle Natural All Purpose Cleaner all around my house as I cleaned this weekend. It took care of spilled shampoo that had dried on the floor of the bathtub, coffee stains on the kitchen counter, and mystery gook that was on the walls in the hallway. I talked to James from Terracycle on the phone about the giveaway, and I asked him to please find out for me exactly what oils are used in the cleaner, because the smell…well, it smells like the people who live in East Lansing near M.S.U., the ones who buy their shampoo and laundry soap at the Food Co-Op. I suspect patchouli.

TerraCycle Natural Bathroom Cleaner made my shower, sink, and toilet sparkle and I like knowing that I’m not leaving harmful chemical residues behind. And ammonia-free TerraCycle Natural Window Cleaner got all the toothpaste globs off the mirror and took care of the dog’s nose print streaks on the picture window in the family room. In addition to these, Terracycle also makes a Drain Maintainer and Cleaner that is biologically friendly and packaged in 100% recycled containers. If these cleaners are strong enough to tackle my messy house, they are sure to work in yours! I’m naming Terracycle cleaners a MOMREVIEWS FABULOUS FIND and sending them a badge they can use, too!

About TerraCycle, Inc.
Tom Szaky, a 25-year old entrepreneur and Princeton University dropout, founded TerraCycle (www.terracycle.net) his freshman year. The company debuted its revolutionary worm poop plant food packages in reused soda bottles at Wal*Mart and The Home Depot in 2005. TerraCycle products are the first consumer products to earn the right to carry the Zerofootprint™ seal. The seal signifies that the materials and manufacturing process used to produce its products have virtually no negative environmental repercussions. In July 2006, Inc. Magazine named TerraCycle, “The Coolest Little Start-Up in America.”

**GIVEAWAY: Three winners will get three products-the Bathroom Cleaner, the All Purpose Cleaner, and the Window Cleaner. Products will be shipped directly from Terracycle, and can be shipped anywhere within the continental United States and Canada. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post with your first name and a VALID email address. Honestly people, stop wasting my time entering with fake email addresses. You just ruin it for everyone else.

If you would like to post this banner in a blog post and mention this giveaway, let me know in your comment and I’ll automatically enter you in all the currently running giveaways. You must also leave your URL in your comment.

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Steve Bowbrick, the chair of the great Techcrunch / BBC Common Platform Debate, has posted a summary:

I'd like to see a follow-up meeting soon. I'm also planning to put up a web site (probably a wiki) for the further discussion of these matters. Do let me know if you'd like to help.

Further to the links below, there are also reports from Arthur Guy, Alan Patrick and Martin Belam and a short thread on the Backstage list as the debate continues at Techcrunch UK. Ian Forrester of BBC Backstage had his video camera [Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |Part 6]:

There's been discussion around Panorama and Shiny Media (see, for example, Charles Arthur's blog), with Panorama editor Sandy Smith commenting at the original post.

Debate continues on the Local Video Public Value Test [pdf], with Roy Greenslade posting under the provocative title BBC's Website Plans Threaten Regional Groups, But Does That Matter?, Peter Preston discerning "a baroque row" and Andrew Grant-Adamson remarking:

It is worth going back to the source material and looking at BBC's proposal. Done properly, the scheme could help make local independent news websites more viable. Most of the local content would be made available for embedding (with BBC branding) in both commercial and not-for-profit sites to supplement their own coverage. The BBC also says it would link to coverage by other local news providers.

At the Guardian's Organ Grinder, Matt Wells gives the details of the latest Media Talk podcast:

On the latest Media Talk podcast, Maggie Brown helps me cut through the BBC's 88-page submission to Ofcom in the latest PSB review. It's much more interesting than you think...

Indeed it is. Barry Tebbs has put in a Freedom Of Information request which reads:

What is the total expenditure into the research and development of visual subtitling on Internet provided Video information and programs?

There's video of Peter Price hacking and mashing in Click's story on Mashed.

Finally, the Guardian's Neil McIntosh posts on his personal blog about, well, most of the above topics. Read all about all of it in the post The BBC Goes A'Trampling.

Alan Connor is co-editor, BBC Internet Blog.

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A follow-up to Nick's iPlayer Beta Round-Up below.

BBC DG Mark Thompson's interview with the FT [see linked video above] has attracted a lot of attention, especially this section, which Brand Republic and, among others, TV Squad interpret as a plan to develop a set-top box:

Mark Thompson, BBC director-general, told the Financial Times it was "looking very hard at" forming an alliance to introduce "a very simple standard" for getting online video from computer screens on to standard televisions.
Similar devices such as Apple TV have been on sale for some time but have not gained a mass following.
"There are many things out there in the market, but what we haven't yet got is a simple standard, to mean that you can get services like iPlayer and Kangaroo [a joint venture to deliver archive and popular programmes online]," said Mr Thompson in a video interview.

There are also a few features on iPlayer in today's Online TV supplement to The Guardian [not available online], including a graph of the growth:

the.blog.by.adam reviews the beta and ends with a suggestion:

A suggestion I have for the BBC is to add one more function. Well a button, called 'Random Programme'. This would be an excellent feature and would do exactly as it says on the tin. It would give viewers a chance to watch programmes that they wouldn't select normally and it would just add a bit of character to the page as well.

Another review with a lot of detail, from Donald Kelly, ends with an update after James Cridland feeds back on the feedback:

You can see the response of James Cridland of whom is head of Future Media & Technology in the Audio and Music Interactive team. Phew! What a title!

Phew indeed. The Register focuses on navigation of audio content and Last Played (as well as inspiring this characteristic Backstage thread):

Successful negotiations with music rights holders mean the new radio player will let listeners fast forward and rewind in smaller increments. Licensing restrictions on the old BBC radio player mean music stations cannot be rewound, and can only be fast forwarded in chunks of five or 15 minutes.

Lenina Crowne, having found her TV broken, is considering moving to just 4oD and iPlayer [wot no ITV.com? - Ed].

And at WebTVwire, Dave Parrack takes us through the features and concludes:

With the iPlayer now available on PC, Mac, Linux, Virgin Media, the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and Nintendo Wii, the range of devices, and potential audience are increasing all the time.
I predict good times ahead for the BBC on-demand service, but then, they are using our money to fund it.

Alan Connor is co-editor, BBC Internet Blog.

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It appears that Verizon Communications chief executive Ivan Seidenberg is getting somewhat irritated at suggestions that perhaps one day Verizon could be swallowed up by the consolidation of the telecoms industry, and he gets right irked at the idea that the acquirer could possibly be Vodafone, we posted his views on Vodafone earlier (see here)

Seidenberg told the Financial Times: “We’re not for sale. And in case you didn’t get that the first time, we’re not for sale. OK?”

Seidenberg is full of self-assurance with Verizon Communications who with market capitalisation of $102 billion is the second largest telecom company in the US, and fifth in the world. He highlighted Verizon’s growth, stating revenue is up 8.5 percent on a pro-forma basis in 07, and says: “Investors always want more, but we are in a pretty good place.”

Seidenberg shrugs off any concerns that the wireless market growth within the US may be coming to an end simply because in excess of 80 percent now own a mobile phone, but instead highlights how consumers increasing use of mobile phones for data activities is providing Verizon with a new revenue stream, and states: “Machine to machine” technologies, such as heart monitors sending signals to the internet, will further increase demand for its network.”

Seidenberg is confidant Verizon is well placed to be a winner in the battle between companies for revenue from the mobile internet, and reserves his most acidic remarks for Apple and Steve Jobs.

“There goes the conspiracy again, you’re declaring them a winner before they’ve earned it on the field,” says Seidenberg.

Full article here

So, not getting enough music entertainment from your iTunes library? Maybe you want something extra as well? How about some seriously pumping satellite tunes for your Apple iPhone? If so Apple iPhone users can now enjoy the yummy goodness of live streaming satellite radio via Sirius by using an application aptly called uSirius.

The uSirius application works in much the same way as iRadio whereby you are connected to the Sirius satellites, and well as the Apple iPhone doesn’t actually support that functionality, instead the music is pumped through your Apple iPhone via WiFi or EDGE.

And when you get hold of the Apple iPhone 3G next month you can also get uSirius radio via HSDPA as well. The only real problem is that actually getting on the Sirius Satellite Radio is going to hit your pocket because it costs. However, there is apparently a free three day trial before you are required to register, so at least you are allowed a test drive, and if you happen to like it you can purchase it.

No having to wait around for the new Apple iPhone 3G with this application either, so music to your ears there then… if you’ll pardon the pun. So if you are a fan of Sirius Satellite Radio and have yourself an Apple iPhone go grab it from installer.apps.

Source – mobilemag

According to Marketing Week’s “sources in Japan and Korea” Sony is getting to launch a PlayStation branded mobile phone, which just may call into question its long standing partnership with Swedish mobile manufacturer Ericsson. Could this well be the end of Sony Ericsson?

Apparently the new mobile phone will incorporate “elements” of the PlayStation Portable, the PSP. Furthermore, it is understood that this PlayStation branded mobile phone could well hit the shelves in time for the big Christmas shop 2009.

At present Sony Ericsson uses the sub-brands Walkman and Cyber-Shot in its mobile handsets, and last week Sony Ericsson launched its F305 gaming mobile phone to a somewhat mixed reception, with one analyst saying “strange” that the model did not include the PlayStation branding.”

Apparently the sources in Korea and Japan say that Sony is currently working on converting their present PSP model into a phone, and analysts say this would be “relatively easy” because the PSP is already equipped with WiFi.

Rumour has it from industry sources that the relationship between Sony and Ericsson is at present “frosty” and says Sony has learned from its “strategic error” of giving its Walkman branding to Ericsson, while an insider confirms that Sony “never give its PlayStation branding” to the Sony Ericsson venture.

A Sony Ericsson spokesperson states that the mobile phone maker “never comments” on future product announcements. While Sony PlayStation simply declined to comment.

So I ask again…Could this be the end of the Sony Ericsson partnership? What do you think?

Source – marketingweek

This news goes out to all you music lovers, Vodafone has teamed up with MySpace to show off the all new “Vodafone Music Reporter”, which is user-generated content of the company’s musical events, oh yes MySpace and Vodafone has announced the all new launch of an online global interactive platform.

The name is pretty nifty in itself and “”Vodafone Music Reporter” which is an interactive profile which is hosted on MySpace, will indeed be used to share the operator’s music, initiatives, including summer festivals such as Music Unlimited Cologne in Germany and Vodafone TBAs in the UK. Vodafone Music Reporter profile will also feature other things such as user-generated content which will help create communities for many music fans initially in UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Music fans in the above countries will be able to click on

Music fans in the four countries can click on www.myspace.com/vodafonemusicreporter_uk where you will be able to share music experiences, upload and download content including pictures and videos related to Vodafone Music Unlimited events and you will also be able to enter a stunning competition to demonstrate your reporting skills across the Vodafone Music Unlimited events this summer and win the chance to become part of an MTV show episode online and on mobile. Pretty cool ah, for more information please do visit Vodafone MySpace profile here.

All you people who have been waiting patiently for the release of Opera Mobile 9.5 to come out can begin jumping up and down with joy, because the long awaited Opera Mobile 9.5 is very nearly ready! Yes, at last the people over at Opera have announced that an initial beta test is earmarked for the 15th of July at www.opera.com, when all you Opera greedy people will be able to get your grubby paws on it.

Furthermore, Opera must have been feeling a tad guilty about keeping everyone waiting so long , as they addressed the reason: Some versions of Opera Mobile 9.5 are already shipping on great phones like the HTC Touch Diamond, and some of you have asked why we wouldn’t be able to release it publically yet. As you probably know, releasing a version that works on a large variety of phones is more complex than making it work on one specific phone. You should also expect a few differences between the versions that are pre-installed on phones and the public version of Opera Mobile 9.5.

“Opera Mobile is the fastest, most secure browser available for S60 and Windows mobile handsets.”

So there it is in black and white from Opera themselves, and it’s not that long till the 15th July is it, I can almost hear Opera fans cheering!

Source – wmexperts

No, I’m not giving away a million dollars, not that I wouldn’t if I had the chance! I’ve been asked to share a website with you called No Debt Today, which has programs to help you with debt reduction. They specialize in helping people tackle what might seem like an impossible amount of debt, starting with a free, no-obligation debt consultation. No Debt Today offers three types of programs:
*If you need to consolidate a variety of debt both secured and unsecured, they work with your creditors to reduce the amount you owe and then group all your monthly payments into one.
*If you have just credit card debt, No Debt Today can get your total amounts due reduced into one lump sum payoff, or a much lower monthly payment.
*If you need to get caught up on back taxes (local or Federal up to 10 years’ worth), No Debt Today has solutions for that as well.

I’m speaking from experience when I say, don’t let your debt drown you. Use the free debt form on the No Debt Today website to get a free online debt consultation. There is no obligation to do anything and you can take as much time as you like to decide. You don’t have to feel like you are trapped under piles of debt anymore!

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A new video has been released over on the official PS3 blog which gives us all a detailed look at the long awaited in-game XMB that is due to be released in the upcoming 2.40 firmware.

Eric Lempel who is the director for the PSN, shows us how he is able to navigate the XMB whilst having GT5:P paused in the background. It all looks very slick as he browses through all of the menus in the XMB, while taking time to surf through his messages. It seems to be the update all PS3 fans have been waiting for, as a PS3 owner myself, I had often found it very frustrating to have to go out of game to read a message whilst playing COD4 online, this update looks to have solved that problem completely, which will please a lot of you I’m sure.

He also demonstrates the ability to play your own music from the hard-drive whilst in game, another feature that has been on the top of some of your wish-lists. He did not go into detail on ‘trophies’ which is another new feature due to be on the 2.40 firmware, but as you can see in the video, there is already an icon for it, and another video is due to be released with more information on this.

This new firmware is looking very impressive indeed,check out the full video below.. hopefully it isn’t too long before we get our hands on the new firmware ourselves, stay tuned to hear more information.

Source: Read

Written by Alan for Product Reviews
In Sections: Gaming, Sony Playstation 3
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