Software : Twitter reportedly considering in-house video hosting

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Twitter reportedly considering in-house video hosting Posted: Reports on Tuesday claimed that Twitter is flirting with the idea of launching an in-house video hosting service. The social network is continuing to look for ways to maximize revenue through official portals, and sources say a video solution may now follow the photo-hosting service that arrived in June 2011. In the past Twitter delegated media uploads to third-party solutions like yFrog and Twitpic, but has been steadily tightening its API conditions to marginalize external apps and services. Although the company continues to rely on on third-party options like TwitVid for the sharing of direct video uploads from smartphones and tablets, those days may be coming to an end. However, according to an AllThingsD report, the company would still expect "most people to post clips using links from sites like YouTube, Hulu and Vimeo." Consistent experience Those familiar with Twitter's considerations say that the move would help the social network in its push towards a more "consistent experience" for users. The report claims that if the talks come to fruition, a new video player would be embedded directly within the media-rich posts that Twitter has been moving towards with its recent updates. This would also help advertisers enjoy better "click through" rates for promoted tweets, allowing Twitter to make more money from each video. And that's the bottom line. Discussions are still going on internally and no decision has been made for sure, according to the report.

Angry Birds Star Wars soaring in November Posted: The rumors are true, as Rovio begins to pull back the curtain on their biggest partnership yet to create Angry Birds Star Wars. Launching on Nov. 8, the game will recast the popular disgruntled flyers as "Star Wars" characters. However, "they are not Angry Birds dressed up as Star Wars characters," according to Paul Southern, Lucasfilm Ltd. vice president of licensing and consumer products marketing. "They are characters in their own right." Promo art shows Luke Skywalker taking on the role of the iconic Red Bird, along with aviary adaptations of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO, and R2D2. The pigs, of course, will transform into the stormtroopers and even Darth Vader himself, with masks and helmets giving the traditional "Star Wars" villains an appropriately pig-like snout. The birds strike back The game itself will follow the mold of the recently released Angry Birds Space, as planets from the "Star Wars" universe offer their own gravitational fields and environmental hazards from the desert of Tatooine to the freezing cold of Hoth. "We wanted this to feel like one of the biggest, if not the biggest, entertainment launches of the year," Rovio Executive Vice President of strategic partnerships Andrew Stalbow said. To build on top of the game's release, Rovio partnered with Hasbro for a range of Angry Birds Star Wars toys, including figurines, plush dolls, play sets, and a new version of Jenga where players must break apart a pig-shaped Death Star. Rovio also partnered with Rubie's Costume Company to create four Halloween costumes based on the beaked versions of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and a Stormtrooper. All of the festivities begin on Nov. 8, when Angry Birds Star Wars gives new meaning to the Millennium Falcon on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Mac, PC, Windows 8, and Windows Phone 8.

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