The browser is called Google Chrome. Promises are faster browsing, integration with the open source community Google Gears and a Javascript VM. The browser will also change the way users browse content–with a revised tab structure and a ready-at-hand gallery of your most visited sites as you launch the browser.

On the heels of the launch of Microsoft Internet Explorer 8, also in Beta format and available for public download, Google Chrome is following suit with special new privacy features; principally an “incognito” session/window which enables users to browse without passing browsing data to a computer.

This certainly creates a lot of dialogue about the future of browsers

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Today’s Contentinople announced that the video/multimedia platform, CONVIVA, received a $20M B Round funding. See the article by Contentinople writer, Ryan Lawler.

According to the article, Conviva received the funding to “target broadcasters and sports leagues that want to broadcast live video on the Internet” with “a brand new and built from the ground up” platform for live web video delivery. This is important news for digital distribution. It demonstrates significant movement in the henceforth slow-to-market aim to make the Internet the central vehicle for complex media access.

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Our firm, Mitra Creative,  just launched a small but important site for Ricky Lizalde, one of the Season 4 participants on Bravo TV’s celebrated Fashion Design show, “Project Runway”. The site is for Ricky’s new Fashion Lingerie line, LIZALDE.

Ricky succeeded to progress through “Project Runway” Season 4 until late in the season and was distinguished by his win of the show’s “Levi’s Challenge”. The launch of his new Lingerie line follows his work for such fashion giants as Vera Wang, Oscar De La Renta and others.

We wish Ricky luck on the new line and are thrilled to have begun what we hope to be a long and strategic business alliance with the design of his website.

See Ricky’s video intro. from Bravo TV’s ”Project Runway” website:

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Former Google employees just launched a new Search Engine–Cuil (www.cuil.com). According to a Reuters article today, Cuil, which is being launched to compete with the Search giant, “goes beyond prevailing search techniques that focus on Web links and audience traffic patterns and instead analyzes the context of each page and the concepts behind each user search request.”

There is new layout and “psychology” to Cuil. It enables searchers to reference cross-topics in a more graphically engaging, social networking-intelligent manner.

Read more of the Reuters article (via Yahoo! Tech News) here.

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Contentinople announced today that Yahoo! will open its search to external developers as “search-as-service”. This is an important trend: opening their search code and enabling search customization. Access to tools which will support truly personalized search is revolutionary, similar to the social media phenomenon of YouTube where video content became inherently socialized.

Read the article on Contentinople here.

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Another negotiation between media giants — this time, between Hollywood and a web goliath — will further chip away at the current digital content delivery dividing lines.

According to an article published in today’s “New York Times”, by Media reporter, Brooks Barnes, “Google is experimenting with a new method of distributing original material on the Web, and some Hollywood film financiers are betting millions that the company will succeed.” Episodes of Seth McFarlane’s popular FOX Broadcasting animated series “Family Guy“ will be made available exclusively for online viewing.

Google’s expected distribution method extends beyond exclusivity, to innovation. The NYT article goes on to say that Google’s “AdSense advertising system” — dynamic video banners — will bring Family Guy episodes “to thousands of Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for Mr. MacFarlane’s target audience” as well as on YouTube.

Google’s move is a wise one. Not only does will it utilize the web in new ways to reach new audiences, it will create a revolution in codifying advertising ROI.

I discussed with a wise colleague a couple of years ago what the then pre-Google YouTube would eventually become. He articulated plainly what was already in my mind, “television.” It is now here.

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Today, a great article appeared on Light Reading’s ever-intelligent, entertaining Contentinople.com, the 2007-launched “website covering the rise of the digital media industry.” The article, by Contentinople contributor, Erin Barker, further demonstrates the connection between “Big Media” and Web 2.0.

According to the article, “Slide, producer of the Facebook/MySpace SuperPoke application” has joined forces with media giant, Vh1,  for an exciting syndication initiative. According to Barker, “10,000 SuperPokes will be randomly selected to air on Vh1, as animations with the sender and recipient’s names at the bottom. That’s right, on television.” This is a powerful endeavor, further demonstrating the power of Social Networking to reach wider audiences. It also envisions the future of media, where lines between online and television content will one day be erased and content pushed and pulled to audiences in many new and innovative ways.

Read the Contentinople post here.

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YOUTUBE continues to actualize the digital multimedia/video revolution that has been long-coming, and about which Mitra Creative’s team has been aware for many years.

Many of the current innovations in the communications applications and true socialization of video and other rich media were pioneered some two decades ago in incubation centers like the MIT Media Lab (now “The Media Lab”), the NYU Tisch School of the Arts and many more. Our team observed the budding of this revolution and deeply respect the empowerment in this regard that came from the visionary YouTube.

In an article published today, YouTube has taken a step that those of us in the digital/interactive space, as well as in the filmmaking, multimedia software development and other spaces had eagerly awaited and hoped for. The “video sharing site” (that’s what people call YouTube, though it is clearly much more) has just introduced a dedicated “channel”, called a “Screening Room” for Independent Filmmakers. Read the AP/Yahoo! article about the new YouTube Indie Film Screening Room by writer, Ryan Nakashima.

This is a very important step. It means the loosening of the controls that have been a stronghold on creating, distributing and socializing some of the most important of all media. Independent films, for example, took home the largest number of Academy Awards® in the 2007 ceremonies (2006 films). YouTube’s move better enables the “voice” of independent film production.

We are excited!

VISIT THE YOUTUBE INDEPENDENT FILM SCREENING ROOM: http://www.youtube.com/ytscreeningroom.

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It was announced today that, after three years of development, Mozilla will release Firefox 3, a refreshed version of their popular browser which has become a serious competitor to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer .

According to an article from Newsfactor.com by AP writer, Nedra Pickler, which was published today: “Firefox already has more than 18 percent of the global market, according to Net Applications. With the release of Firefox 3, Mozilla could see a boost in downloads and market share. Microsoft’s next version of Internet Explorer won’t come to market until later this year.” According to the article, the major focus of the release is on security and personalization.

It will be interesting to see how this new release will fit into the “browsersphere”.

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Several months of talks of an acquisition of the pioneering search engine, Yahoo!, by Microsoft ended today. On the same day, an announcement was made that Yahoo! signed a deal with the other giant, Yahoo!’s to-date rival, Google. Reports on the deal are that Google ads will now appear in certain Yahoo! Search Results.

The next couple of months should be very interesting to watch.

Story from CNN Money, Thursday, June 12, 2008.

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