Instagram, it’s only paper

Image via CrunchBase

As most people have heard by now, Facebook bought Instagram (a photo sharing service) for $1bn last week.  Some people think it was a crazy move and confirms that another Internet bubble is forming while others think it was a wise strategic move.

Let’s look at the bubble side of things and the valuation.  Facebook didn’t actually hand Instagram a check for $1bn, most of the $1bn was in Facebook stock – which has its own ‘crazy’ valuation now approaching $100bn – and any cash probably came out of the funding round that

Instagram had just recently completed.  In other words, the real cost was simply the cost of closing the deal (lawyers).  From the perspective of FB and Instagram the deal seems like a winner.  If FB don’t float for the big bucks, Instagram’s valuation would have plummeted anyway and having Instagram does add value to the FB proposition.

This then give rise to the next question, is FB worth $1oobn?  Who knows.  Sure they have incredible reach but how much money can they really make and how well will they survive the next ‘big thing’.  For those of you have been online for awhile you’ll remember that Yahoo used to be the big kid on the block with Excite (who?) close on its heals.  Microsoft was the evil empire, Apple almost went bust, google was a small start up and Janet Street Porter said the Internet was a passing fad.  In other words, things can change very quickly on the Internet and there are no givens – for anyone!

Excite (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles

• Zuckerberg closed Instagram deal without Facebook board approval (arstechnica.com)
• Instagram wanted $2bn in Zuckerberg’s secret Facebook negotiations (slashgear.com)
• Explore Instagram Photos without the Apps (labnol.org)

New iPad sales hit 3 million

The new Apple iPad has just hit the three million sold mark – in one weekend!  No matter how you slice it, that is seriously impressive and no matter how much others try, no one it seems can emulate the success of Apple launches.  Even more impressive for a company that almost went to the wall 10 years ago but managed to save itself by making an MP3 player -oops sorry, that’s Dell speak, Apple made an iPod with attitude.

It’s quite simple on the one hand, their success that is, it’s because people are buying an idea, a concept, an ideology – not just a boring piece of technology.  When someone buys a Dell, they’re buying  a piece of equipment, end of story.  When someone buys an Apple product they’re buying a lifestyle.  It’s all in the spin.

Sony almost got it right.  Other than Apple they were the first ones to understand mass consumer electronics and the need for style and dependability – and that people will pay a premium for it.  The problem is they could never quite master that ‘cool’ thing. Dependable, nice looking, functional, good value, yes.  Cool, nah.

For a great vid that explains this much more succinctly than I ever possibly could, watch Simon Sinek.  I have watched this numerous times.  It seems so straight forward and easy, but it’s not, otherwise we’d all be doing it.

Related articles

• Apple Sold Three Million New iPad Units To Date (pocketnow.com)
• The New iPad – A Boon To Photographers And A Tip (photofocus.com)

JailbreakMe 2.0

JailbreakMe 2.0 is a website that will jailbreak Apple i-devices simply by visiting http://www.jailbreakme.com from within the i-device’s mobile version of Safari.

One of the very first methods developed for users to “jailbreak” the original iPhone was via a website called JailbreakMe. Those who owned the iPhone could simply visit this website right from the iPhone mobile version of Safari and the website would jailbreak the iPhone, allowing owners to install unofficial applications and utilities that Apple will not allow into the official App Store. One such utility, for example, is capable of software unlocking the iPhone, ie allowing it work on other mobile service carriers.

This jailbreak service worked for a short period of time before Apple was able to identify the mobile Safari loophole and block it.

While other methods of jailbreaking have since then been released, JailbreakMe 2.0 is now capable of jailbreaking any iOS device (iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads) that runs either iOS 4.0, 4.0.1, or 3.1.2.

Safari: Download Flash Video

Here’s a neat trick for downloading flash videos right from within the Safari web browser. While there are tons of free programs or plug-ins out there that will do this for you, this trick uses features built right into the Safari browser.

By downloading these videos and a compatible player, you can watch the videos anytime you want, even without an internet connection! Additionally, if you have a handy video converter utility, you can put these videos on your iPod, Android, iPhone, PSP or other personal media player or smartphone.

Most online videos that use a flash player are actually streamed in a file format called “.flv” which stands for flash video. Examples of such videos are located on YouTube, Vimeo, and other popular video sites.

Here’s how to get started:

1. First of all, you’ll want to make sure you have Safari. If you’re using an Apple computer running Mac OS X, Safari should already be either in your dock or your Applications folder. If you’re using a PC, you will have to download Safari from here: http://www.apple.com/safari/
2. Launch Safari and go to the video of your choice. If you’re on YouTube, for example, go ahead and start the video and click play.
3. Now you’ll want to launch the Safari Activity Window from either the Safari Menu Bar on a Mac or the Safari Tool Bar on a PC. This utility allows you to see every single component, as it loads, that is involved in making a web site look and behave the way it does. You’ll also be able to see how much space, ie memory, that the component takes up.
4. You should be able to spot a single component that is bigger in memory size than all the others. Additionally, this component should also still be downloading, ie the streaming video. You’ll see the number go up right in front of your eyes as more of the video loads in the player on the actual website.
5. Double click this downloading component when you’ve found it and Safari should automatically add it to your Downloads list as a file that ends with the extension “.flv”

That’s it! You’ve now got the video downloaded on your computer to watch whenever you want. However, you will need a compatible player.

If you’re on a Mac, I recommend you install Perian, which will enable QuickTime to play back almost any kind of video file.

If you’re on a PC, I recommend you use either VLC or MPlayer. Either player is capable of playing back many, if not all, of the popular video formats.

Mobile YouTube

Most smartphones, like the iPhone and Android-powered phones, come with a YouTube app of some kind built-in. Regardless of the phone’s model or OS, the app is usually pretty pretty basic in terms of functionality and really just delivers the core set of YouTube features.

If you want a better, more powerful and robust YouTube experience on your smartphone, then I recommend you visit the actual YouTube website on your smartphone browser. It should automatically forward you to the new Mobile YouTube site, which has been completely redone all in HTML5.

Check out the new features in this official YouTube video: