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Blippr takes Twitter model, applies it to product reviews

In case you can't read from the screenshot above, Blippr lets users browse and rate commercial products including books, video games, movies, and music. The twist is that these reviews are incredibly short at just 160 characters, or the limit on an SMS message on your mobile phone. Twitter, the popular micropublishing tool pioneered this idea, and the folks at Blippr think it might work on product reviews.

The fact that I need to write more about it is also one of the reasons that Blippr doesn't fit he bill for what it was created for. Sometimes reviews just need to be longer to give a product or service justice.

Coming back to the review system, the written reviews are coupled with a 1-4 rating system that uses emoticons (aww how cute) to establish a metascore for how good an item is. In addition to the rest of the Blippr users scores, you can get see a quick friends score as long as your Blippr friends have rated said item. These scores are shown at the top of each review and help sort through content.

Blippr doubles as a social bookmarking tool, letting you create custom lists and subscribe to the day's hot list of products that are getting buzz. There are no ads on the site, so to supplement an income for the creators, the entire thing runs off affiliate links to various online retailers.

Here's the thing, I like this service at a very visceral level. It rips off a lot of GUI from Flickr, but I'm OK with that because writing 160 word reviews is simple and brings that same publishing happiness that Twitter does. What I don't like is that same limitation ends up amounting to something more like one-line comments on a blog post than something constructive or substantial like you'll find on the native user review systems on popular Web retailers such as Amazon and Netflix. Sometimes the details really do amount to something.

The service is in private beta, although the folks at Blippr were kind enough to offer Webware readers some invites. To get yours, click here. More shots after the jump.

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Where Phil Ryan says you're nothing if you don't have integrity

EPISODE 35

Today we're talking about how writers are back on the job, Knight Rider and its disease ridden red headed step-child, Netflix on the Xbox 360/PS3, and Apple TV updating its software. Then we rant about Spore and its newly announced September 7 release date.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Netflix says no to HD DVD

Word was out this morning that Netflix was giving up on HD DVD, but now Netflix is getting personal about it. I just received the following e-mail:

Dear David,

You're receiving this e-mail because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.

While we will continue to make … Read more

Netflix picks Blu-ray, rattles HD DVD

If Warner Bros.' decision to go exclusively with Blu-ray Disc was an industry-rattling earthquake, Monday's news that Netflix would begin to phase out HD DVD rentals is an inevitable aftershock: much smaller impact, potentially damaging, and still leaves everyone feeling unsettled.

By the end of the year Netflix will no longer offer HD DVD movies to customers, opting to exclusively stock Blu-ray Discs in its online rental service. In the company's announcement, Netflix said it made the decision based on Blu-ray's recent momentum--Universal and Paramount are the only remaining major Hollywood studios with agreements to release … Read more

Windows Media Center plug-in puts Netflix in living room

Do you find Windows Media Center's blue, remote controlled fa?ade easier to navigate than the cold red, white, and yellow world of Netflix? Then check out Andrew Park's new plug-in for the Vista version of Windows Media Center called MyNetflix. The plug-in lets users link to their Netflix account, search for movies, and make changes to their queue without leaving the couch.

Users navigating from their computers can also partake in Netflix's streaming service, letting them watch movies without having to wait discs to come in the mail. Because of the reliance on software, users enjoying … Read more

Why Blockbuster brick-and-mortars will be gone in five years

Over the past few years, Blockbuster has been a victim to a changing environment in the movie rental industry that has seen a mass of people leave brick-and-mortars in favor of online services like Netflix.

No better evidence of this is shown than the comparison between the net income Netflix enjoyed in 2006 ($49 million) and the net loss Blockbuster incurred -- $588 million. Just one year later, Blockbuster was able to turn things around slightly and enjoyed a net income of $54 million, but in 2007, the company didn't have such great luck. According to its most recent filing (September 2007), Blockbuster incurred a loss of $35 million in just one quarter.

So what's really going on at this company? Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anything good. After examining Blockbuster's 10-Q filed in September and evaluating prior year annual reports to estimate the impact on its upcoming annual report sometime next month, it not only looks like this company is in dire straits, I would venture to say that all of its brick-and-mortars will soon be closed. In fact, I give it about five years.… Read more

Apple TV: Best of the movie rental set-tops?

It's going to be a few more days before the world gets a crack at the new and improved Apple TV. Looking to kill some time during that interminable delay? It's a perfect opportunity to check out the major competing hardware options that already offer the same on-demand Internet movie rental functionality. … Read more