Map your mind 2.0

This is an app that gives great demo. It looks great and it's got a lot of capability, but I found if you're using it to capture your own ideas, or maybe map out the ideas that pop up in a meeting, the interface slows you down, at least at first. On the other hand, if you want to annotate a map with notes, links, and pictures, and you have the time and gumption to create the map in the first place, Spinscape will handle it. It also does some useful automatic lookup in Wikipedia and other sources to fill out nodes if you're gathering data and ideas on a topic.

If in your mind's eye your ideas and plans look like molecular models, Spinscape might work for you. But if they look like outlines or Gantt charts, steer clear. (We have invite codes for the Spinscape private beta; read to the end of the story.)

Spinscape intrigued me, since I've never used a Web-based tool like it. A quick bit of research on the Web and Twitter, and a timely press release, yielded four interesting competitors to this app. Despite the fact that they share a design point -- creating graphical representations of networks of ideas -- they have very different capabilities.

MeadMap is a mind mapper designed for students, and probably the best of these apps for people who think in outlines. It creates networks left-to-right, not from the center out (in Rafe terminology, the sun-and-planets view). It's fast and easy to use. It also allows real-time collaboration and supports live chat with collaborators, which is very useful. Downside is a limited feature set: You can't import pictures, for example.

Mindomo is the mind mapper for Microsoft Office junkies. Its interface mirrors Office 2007's look and feel, and it has a crazy number of little options you'll never use (just like Office). It also lets you change the overall layout of your map; it doesn't force you to use the sun-and-planet view.

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Apple losing money in new movie deal

Apple drew a lot of attention when it announced that it will offer movie downloads the same day they come out on DVD, but the deal won't mean a windfall for Apple--at least initially.

The reason for that is Apple will lose money on every sale, a source said.

Apple announced on Thursday that it had reached an agreement with a group of film studios, including the six largest. Apple said that starting this week, iTunes customers will be able to purchase newly released movies for $14.99, while most catalog titles are $9.99.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is paying the studios nearly $16 for each sale, but a source close to the negotiations told CNET News.com that Apple is paying closer to $15.50 than it is $16.

It's not uncommon for retailers to sell a new product at a loss. The question is whether Apple will eventually boost the prices or if the company can convince the studios to take less.

The only way a dialogue like that would even begin is if Hollywood sees boffo sales out of Apple.

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Get multiple Web chat services on your desktop with 1 application

The other day we told you how to get Facebook chat in your browser's sidebar, but what about if you want to run it as a standalone desktop application? If you're a Mac user you're in luck with Gabtastik from Mesa Dynamics. It lets you run Facebook chat, and several popular Web chat services on your desktop without having to open your browser.

Besides Facebook, it supports the Google Talk, and Meebo, which means you can jack into all of the major chat networks such as Yahoo, MSN, and AIM. You can also tweak the opacity to blend into the background when you're not using it--a great feature for people with small desktop real estate who like to keep several windows open.

I gave it a brief spin earlier, and it essentially opens up a mini browser to get your credentials then resizes. You also can only use one iteration of each service at a time, which might quell the usefulness for folks who want to run two or more of the services at the same time.

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Overstock.com will extend reach to Canada, Europe

Discount online retailer Overstock.com announced on Thursday that it will be selling its products outside the United States for the first time.

"We're actually right smack dab in the middle of integrating," Jake Bailey, Overstock's director of international sales, said in an interview with CNET News.com on Thursday. No final date has been given for the launch of international sales, but Bailey said it will be before the end of 2008.

The Salt Lake City, Utah-based company has inked a deal with E4X, which runs a service called FiftyOne Global Ecommerce. The partnership has enabled Overstock to start billing and shipping to a total of 34 new countries--Canada, as well as 33 European nations. FiftyOne lets a participating retailer ship to a U.S. address and receive U.S. currency, while the buyer pays in his or her home currency.

Not all of Overstock's products will be able to be shipped overseas. Some bulky products, like massive HDTVs and large pieces of furniture, will continue to be available only in the States. But, Bailey said, "for the most part, it's going to be the bulk of our product offering."

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Now chat with your facebook friends through Digsby messenger

Digsby put out an important update yesterday that's made this blogger's life easier. It took Facebook's Web-only chat service and integrated it into a desktop application, something that Gabtastik did to a limited degree by loading it in a standalone Webkit-powered mini browser.

While residing outside of people's primary browsers, Gabtastik's efforts were still running the pop-out version of normal FB chat. Digsby's solution is far more powerful. Despite the fact there are no API plugs for chat (for now), you can maintain conversations with several folks just like you would in any normal IM app. And because Digsby plugs into other IM networks, you can have chats with your buddies from AIM, Yahoo, and more, all within the same app.

The biggest winners in this situation are power users, who are getting a huge leg up over FB chat users who are accessing the app from their browsers if only for the notification options. You can get pop-ups on when your friends come online, even if your browser is minimized, as well as view a past transcript of chatter.

In addition to adding FB chat, Digsby also fixed several problems with Yahoo Mail, which wasn't working because of the two different variations of the mail app that Yahoo's got floating around. Since we last wrote about it, the service also added an autoupdater so you'll never have to download a new version with installer every time there's a new version.

While Digbsy continues to push forward, Cerulean Studios' Trillian is still not yet at an open beta for its upcoming Astra product (coverage). I've been using (and enjoying) it on a daily basis, but services like Digsby have been tempting me if only for the social-tracking features that remove the need for multiple aggregation apps.

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Audi launching sport version of TT this year

Following the sport versions of Audi's larger cars, such as the S4, S5, and S8, the diminutive TT gets its own sports version, the TTS. Audi announced today that the 2009 TTS would launch in late 2008.
We got a preview of this car at the 2008 Detroit auto show, and came away baffled by its engine specs.
We were highly impressed by the 2008 Audi TT Coupe and Convertible, when equipped with the 3.2-liter V-6 and Quattro all-wheel-drive, but Audi specified a 2-liter turbocharged four cylinder for the TTS.

Stats published with Audi's announcement today clear up that mystery, as the TTS' powerplant delivers 265 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque, beating the V-6's 250 horsepower and 236 foot-pounds of torque. Audi managed to squeeze 133 horsepower per liter out of the turbocharged direct injection four-cylinder engine. The TTS also comes standard with magnetic damping and Quattro, two Audi technologies that do wonders for handling, and Audi's S-Tronic dual clutch transmission. Audi estimates 4.9 seconds to 60 mph for the TTS, comparable to the BMW Z4 M. The TTS will be available in Coupe or Convertible form.

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TV in a USB key by "TubeStick"

Some people love their Macs so much that they want to do everything with them. Actually, let's qualify that--we're talking about watching TV. And if you're a Cupertino loyalist who isn't quite sold on an Apple TV, there's a convenient way to get basic reception on the computer.

Equinux has released its "TubeStick," a hybrid tuner that comes in the form of a USB key that includes two receivers for HD broadcasts and digital or analog cable signals. It was announced earlier this year but is now for sale at $129.

Also included is an antenna and software for the iPhone and iPod as well as the computer for portable viewing, with some basic TiVo-like functions (scheduling, rewind, etc.). The TubeStick can be used with Windows machines too, but it's clearly being marketed for the Apple Nation with a paint job in basic white.

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Google launches gNews for iPhone

Google launches gNews for iPhone, adds international flavors Google continues to create special mobile variations of its other pages, which now includes Google News and support for users of Google Apps. Google Apps users can now check their mail using the same interface regular Gmail users have been enjoying, with the added benefit of being signed in to use the other mobile Google services.

The updated news viewer allows users to browse by the front page or by section, and features a built-in search tool. It's still essentially a link repository to other third-party sites, but it's now far easier to parse through on smaller screens than its original format.

What really makes the updated News page shine is that it integrates YouTube videos in the related stories. If there are videos for a selected subject, you can view them as thumbnails, which when clicked will jump you to the handset's built-in YouTube viewer. Short of actually having Flash, this is the closest you'll get to being able to casually watch Web videos while browsing other news networks. You could also use a conversion tool like vTap or Avot mV, but this new system requires one less step.

I still think most iPhone users will be inclined to use Safari's built in-search tool, which can be set to use either Google or Yahoo without having to venture to a search page first. With the speed of EDGE, I often find myself skipping any unnecessary page load when it comes time to search on the go, something that won't be fixed until the purported 3G version of the handset comes out later this year.

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If Chanel made a mobile phone

The Chanel Choco phone is a concept conjured up by designer Fred de Garilhe, and apparently Chanel had nothing to do with it. But neither of those facts will stop anyone from lusting for one.

If we understand it right, the phone is supposedly made of two movable parts. When you slide up the right-most column on the 4-by-4 design, it reveals the keypad as well as the screen. The internal optical-fiber system then projects the visual components, such as the digits on the keypad, onto the relevant parts made of still glass. All of which proves the point that, once again, everything sounds brilliant when it's only a concept.

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eBay releases complaint against Craigslist

The mystery over what prompted eBay to sue Craigslist last week appears to have been solved.

Apparently eBay feels that its ownership stake in Craigslist was unfairly reduced because of eBay's rival online classifieds service Kijiji, which was launched overseas in 2005 and in the U.S. in 2007, according to the 26-page complaint, which was filed in Delaware's Court of Chancery and made available online by eBay on Wednesday.

According to the heavily redacted copy of the complaint, which names Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and CEO Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist views Kijiji as a competitive activity that cancels some shareholder rights eBay acquired in 2004 when it bought a stake in Craigslist. In response, Craigslist reorganized its stock structure in January, reducing eBay's stake in the online classified site from 28.04 percent to 24.85 percent, and in the process losing the ability to elect a director.

However, eBay feels Craigslist overstepped its rights and sued for diluting its stake.

"The original agreement between the two parties always envisioned that there could be competitive activity," eBay spokeswoman Kim Rubey told the Associated Press.

The complaint also discloses that Meg Whitman, who was CEO of eBay at the time, offered to buy the remainder of Craigslist in a letter to Craigslist in July 2007. Whitman's letter was in response to a letter Buckmaster sent that expressed "'negative' feelings toward eBay's launch of Kijiji," and "we are no longer comfortable having eBay as a shareholder."

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