Webware

MTV.com announced a new homepage design Tuesday that focuses more on content, rather than aesthetic changes. It will launch Wednesday morning.

MTV.com's basic color scheme will remain the same. The navigation at the top of the site will also remain unchanged. Even the prominent promotional box toward the top of the page, which MTV calls "The Marquee," will maintain its position on the new home page.

Not much has changed from the current page.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

The biggest change made to MTV.com comes in the form of a new module, called The Daily Fresh. Placed just below The Marquee, The Daily Fresh will feature content MTV grabs from both its own pages and third-party sites.

The Daily Fresh is basically a news feed. As MTV.com's editorial staff creates more content, the best stories will be hand-picked by MTV editors and placed in the feed. Those same editors will also place user-generated content that relates to one of the company's television shows, music videos, or news stories into the module. To accommodate those site visitors who want content outside of what MTV provides, The Daily Fresh will feature articles or videos its editors find from other sites across the Web. Eventually, MTV.com plans to feature a "submit" link to give site owners the opportunity to have their content featured on the music site.

The Daily Fresh underscores what is a slightly modified strategy for MTV. Instead of being a place for visitors to check out music news and the latest music videos, MTV wants to make MTV.com a hub for all the other online content MTV Networks offers on sites like VH1.com and MTVU.com. To do so, MTV.com will now syndicate some of the better content from its sister sites to the home page.

MTV also wants to give users a voice. To do so, it has partnered with a video technology firm called Innovid. Through its partnership with Innovid, MTV is allowing users to tag specific moments in videos, write a comment about the moment, and share that with friends on Facebook and Twitter. Those comments are also featured in the video's timeline. So far, the feature has been rolled out in a few videos on the site, but the company hopes to make it available on every video the site offers in the near future.

Although MTV wouldn't divulge exactly how it plans to "create more innovative ads"--a key component in its strategy for quite some time--it did say that it plans to hold a special advertising event on September 9 to celebrate the release of The Beatles: Rock Band on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

The new site, complete with The Daily Fresh

(Credit: MTV Networks)

When visitors get to MTV.com on September 9, they will see an ad that will display exclusive, unreleased content from the game. MTV said that the ad will feature seven "touch points" that visitors can click on. When they do, they will see in-game videos, sneak peeks of gameplay elements, and other features it wouldn't disclose.

MTV plans to offer Facebook Connect support at some point in the future, but it wouldn't say exactly when. Based on how the company's executives were talking, though, I'd expect to see it sooner rather than later.

Although I didn't have the chance to demo the new home page, it looks like an iterative update. The top half of the site has barely changed, while the bottom half features a few new modules that some users might find useful. If they don't find them useful, MTV said that it's willing to change. According to the company's execs, the update is experimental and it plans to modify the site's design based on usage patterns.

With its new home page, MTV wants to become one of the many sites Web surfers visit every day. It wants to be a media hub for entertainment. It's certainly possible. But whether visitors will respond well to the site's few changes when it launches Wednesday morning remains to be seen.

Once PDFs, the change to files could signify big changes afoot at Google Docs.

The sharp eyes over at the Google Operating System blog noticed that Google quietly changed some wording in Google Docs from "PDFs" to "files." While small, this could signal that Google Docs may soon support the viewing and editing of other file types, and possibly double as an online storage service--like the fabled GDrive.

Google has long-allowed users to upload PDFs to Docs. These could be viewed in Google's online viewer, but not edited. However, the service would not allow other items such as photos and videos to be imported, despite Google offering other products like Picasa and YouTube that would accept these files.

Google began an overhaul of its Docs service late last week, and noted that it was putting in some small changes ahead of a much larger release which was just around the corner. Some of these changes included the addition of special search modifiers that would let users more easily hone searches for their files. Many of these came from Google's search engine and Gmail.

If, in fact, Google Docs allows users to upload other file types for viewing and re-downloading from other locations, it's still a long way from the promise of an integrated, cloud-based storage system. All signs of a GDrive from Google have pointed toward a software component that will allow users to access their Google storage as if it were a local hard disk. Google is also expected to release the service in advance of its Chrome OS, which will make heavy use of files that are stored in the cloud.

We all spend some of our time at work doing things that have nothing to do with our job. We surf the Web. We play games. Sure, we all need our downtime, and the enlightened manager knows that. But still, we'd rather just surf in private than deal with the raised eyebrows.

That's why we need ways to ensure that when our boss surprises us or sneaks up behind us, she'll think that we're actually working. Here's a list of apps and services that help.

Camouflaged Web services

1Cup1Coffee makes a list of games look like Windows Explorer.

(Credit: Don Reisinger/CNET)

SpreadTweet If you're a Twitter fanatic, try SpreadTweet. The software hides your Twitter stream in what looks like an Excel window. It displays everything in plain text to make it look like a real spreadsheet. It's sure to fool any boss.

1cup1coffee 1cup1coffee looks like a Windows Explorer pane (so don't use it on a Mac), but all those Word documents and Powerpoint presentations are actually a collection of Flash games. Simply click on one of the "files" and you can play a game in what looks like your Windows Explorer window. If you hear your boss, you can hit the back button and you'll be brought back to the file listing.

Stealth tips

Anonymizer If you don't want the IT folks to know what you're up to, spend $30 and get Anonymizer. The software redirects your Web traffic through its servers to not only safeguard your IP from outside sources, but also to get your employer's IT people off your trail.

C.H.I.M.P. lets you see behind you.

(Credit: ThinkGeek)

C.H.I.M.P. Rearview Monitor Mirror While playing a game or doing something you shouldn't, just glance up at the C.H.I.M.P. Rearview Monitor Mirror to see if your boss is approaching from behind. The mirror won't hide what you're doing, but it will give you some time to switch to something more appropriate. And in case you're wondering, C.H.I.M.P. stands for Chimp Has Invincible Monkey Powers. Yeah, I don't get it either. But it is worth the $6.99 price tag.

Don's Boss Page Don's Boss Page (no relation) is full of great boss trickery. If you want to aimlessly browse the Web, but make it sound like you're working, you can keep clicking the site's keyboard audio clips to make others think you're typing.

Quick tip: Resize your windows When I was an accountant, I used Outlook. To make everyone think I was so engrossed in my e-mail, I resized Firefox to fit perfectly in the Outlook preview pane. Anyone who walked by thought I was just reading an e-mail. If they ever got too close, I'd switch to another message. It worked beautifully.

Panic switches

Don't Panic 1.2 If you don't want to get busted by the boss, try installing Don't Panic 1.2 onto your Windows machine. The software will allow you to minimize multiple windows at the same time. You can also maximize multiple windows simultaneously to ensure your boss will be happy when they walk by.

Or just use keyboard shortcuts Brush up on your knowledge of keyboard shortcuts. Whenever you hear someone coming, you can quickly drop a few keys and you'll immediately look like you're working.

Abort! Abort!

(Credit: Firebox.com)

StealthSwitch You'll have to pay $40 to get it, but StealthSwitch is worth the price -- until your boss finds it. Once connected to your computer via USB, StealthSwitch sits on the floor. While playing a game or doing something you shouldn't at work, you can quickly tap the StealthSwitch when you hear your boss approaching. It immediately makes the current window invisible and brings you back to a window that's related to your work. Once your boss walks away, you can tap the StealthSwitch again to get back to your game. The $25 USB Panic Button is similar, if you're quicker with your hands than your mouse and don't mind a garish missile-launch control button sitting on your desk. Simply push the plastic covering up, press the red button, and the tool will automatically change the screen on your computer to a spreadsheet, your favorite picture, your company's Web site, or anything else you set it to switch to.

YouTube on your PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii looks a little sexier with a new portal site designed specifically for video game console browsers.

(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET Networks)

Don't have an Apple TV or a TiVo box, and have been lusting after watching YouTube videos from your couch? If you've got a Nintendo Wii or a Sony PlayStation 3 video game console, the Google property has just released an overhauled version of its living room-friendly console interface that puts it about on par with those two offerings.

By visiting Youtube.com/TV in your Opera or PS3 browser, you get a new layout that lets you browse and search through videos. Additionally, videos can be set to go full-screen by default, including large, remote control-friendly buttons that don't make you squint. There's also an option to autoplay the next video in a playlist or from search results after the current one is over.

One thing to note is that the special TV version of the site cannot be accessed in your PC's browser without using a special browser add-on like User Agent Switcher, which can trick YouTube into thinking that you're visiting the site from your console. If you've got a Mac Mini hooked up to your TV, this might be your best bet.

PlaySpan, a company that specializes in digital microtransactions and payment services, announced on Tuesday that it raised $16.8 million in Series B funding from Easton Capital Group, Menlo Ventures, Novel TMT Ventures, STIC Investments, and other undisclosed investors.

According to the company, the new funding will be used to expand its operation into Europe and Asia, which company executives believe are untapped markets that offer growth potential for PlaySpan.

"Online-game publishers and social-media application developers are looking for new sources of revenue beyond traditional advertising and subscriptions," Karl Mehta, founder and CEO of PlaySpan, said in a statement. "We are enabling a new business model in the form of microtransactions for users that prefer the pay-as-you-go model."

PlaySpan sells virtual goods in more than 200 different video games with the help of its subsidiary, PayByCash, which supports more than 70 payment options. The company also provides offline payment options with its Ultimate Game Card, which is sold in 7-Eleven, Blockbuster, and Wal-Mart stores.

See also: Twofish.

Big-name professional athletes are known for throwing money around almost as much as they throw balls, but it's not every day you hear about them investing in a social-networking site. Youth sports network Weplay, however, is an exception: Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, and LeBron James have joined its $8.6 million Series B funding round, announced Tuesday.

The round was led by Deep Fork Capital, which has invested recently in mobile networking start-up Moblyng and visual search site SearchMe. In addition to the well-moneyed jocks, existing investor FirstMark Capital contributed.

Weplay's Series A round, announced earlier this year, was led by FirstMark and had participation from other current and former pro athletes like basketball player Tony Parker, soccer player Brandi Chastain, and swimmer Summer Sanders as well as Silicon Valley regular Ron Conway. The Creative Artists Agency and Major League Baseball Advanced Media have also invested.

The site itself is intended as a hub for youth athletes, their parents and coaches, and other enthusiasts where they can safely network, share photos, and keep track of their favorite teams as well as share their own on-the-field antics.

Flash games can be obscenely fun to play, but not so easy to make. There is, however, a wonderful market of game building tools, including standouts like Microsoft's Popfly, and Sploder that have seen steady improvement. PlayCrafter is a new entrant to the fray with a tool that lets you build very simple, enjoyable games that run right in your browser.

Like the Incredible Machine and games that have come since, Playcrafter is a piecework creation tool that centers around combining various parts ruled by an in-game physics system. All game pieces are drag and drop, and each bucket of parts can be customized by color, point value, or in some cases down to their interaction with the in-game physics engine (hello, zero-friction mini golf).

Included in the builder are genres like Breakout (see Pong), Mini Golf, and Memory. These are simply templates, as you can remove each element to begin anew. There are also various sets of ready-made parts that plug in to the building environment. You can simply mix and match these to create a franken-game that blends genres completely.

Making a good game is about more than templates. Playcrafter requires a little bit of gaming know-how to create games that make you want to come back for more. The good news is that you can dive right into a creation that's half-baked in order to play-test it, and figure out where the weaknesses are, something that makes building games almost as fun as playing ones created by others.

Creating a new game is a drag-and-drop affair. Even newbies can put together complex levels without using a lick of code.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

When finished with a creation, you can share it with others in the built-in community page. The "fair," as it's called, shows which games have received the most play, along with their general difficulty level. You can also quickly eyeball which ones are worth playing from their thumbnail and see when they were last edited.

Playcrafter is off to a really fantastic start. There's a revenue sharing system in place that rewards game makers for heavily played titles, and enough game types to let you build 10 or more titles that are completely different from one another. Players looking for a truly unique experience, however, will still want to rely on honest to goodness game developers that distribute their work to sites like Kongregate, Miniclip, and others since Playcrafter is missing some of the deep community elements like in-game chat, and a rewards and payment system that will let creators make premium titles--all things to expect in future updates.

Video of the tool in action is after the jump.

Toys are an important part of being a child. When we get older they become shinier and more expensive, but for many, they're fun to play with for a short time and we lose interest.

To help curb the potential costs and storage required, there's BabyPlays, a service that approaches toy enjoyment in a similar fashion to Netflix. BabyPlays is a subscription service that lets you pick what toys you want delivered to your house each month. Each of the plans lets you receive a different amount of toys. There are no late fees, and when you want a new ones shipped out you simply pack up the old ones and send them in.

In case you were wondering, the toys are sterilized between rentals. Also, if your little one is in love with the toy and you feel like buying it permanently you can do so for 20 percent of its cost.

See also: Swaggle, which lets parents swap and loan out used toys to one another.

If you've used Netflix before, BabyPlays.com's system is no different.

(Credit: BabyPlays.com)

Comcast, the United States' largest cable operator, says the set-top box's days are numbered.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday, CEO Brian Roberts predicted in a keynote address that by the end of the year, "virtually the entire cable industry will support Tru2way," an "open cable" standard that would render the bulky boxes moot by directly integrating any U.S. cable provider's service with a variety of devices. Initial partners in the Tru2way endeavor include Motorola, TiVo, Intel, Samsung Electronics, Microsoft, LG Electronics, Cisco Systems, and Sun Microsystems.

Roberts also showed off a device, unveiled on Monday, that Comcast has co-branded with another partner, Matsushita Electric Industrial unit Panasonic. The AnyPlay, which has an 8.5-inch display screen, can record up to 60 hours of video, and it plays DVDs and CDs. It is slated to begin selling in the United States later this year.

Although Comcast CEO Brian Roberts indicated earlier to Reuters that Tru2way marks a step toward an "open, national, and interoperable structure between cable companies," the Consumer Electronics Association has argued that Tru2way would not be the truly open system that the Federal Communications Commission wants because it would not be compatible with the technologies of noncable video suppliers.

Ahem, DirecTV and Verizon Fios? The "era of closed cable" may be coming to an end, as Roberts said, but the wars between providers of television, broadband, and telephone services are far from over.

Indeed, the AnyPlay device is designed to play and record shows from any U.S. cable operator's system--but not those of satellite providers.