The free version is pretty basic and your video creation is limited to one minute, but it does have some cool features, like professionally designed themes and transitions, plus a sharing feature to export your video to YouTube or Facebook. You do have to allow permission for the application to connect, just like Facebook does for sharing. That calls for a certain amount of trust, doesn’t it?

Plus you’ve got to have Google Apps installed on your server, which is not an average daily user thing. But it’s a huge deal for small business, and a great group collaboration tool, if you can afford it.

The Stupeflix Studio App allows you to mix and mash up photos and videos, add text to any image or video, add in a soundtrack anywhere in the timeline, create discrete groups to separate videos and images, and manipulate special effects in each group.

There’s five different slide transitions, or what Stupeflix calls a “group effect,” applying that effect to anything inside that particular group. Auto is set by default, which cycles through all five transitions.

There’s no way to tweak audio levels in the basic free version, and video editing is limited to the time you allow for each element inside a group. Video runtime starts at zero, there’s no way to edit different segments of a video, start at 0 and set the time per element, just like a slide show.

Unlike YouTube who’s announced their online video editor, where you can trim the beginning and/or ending of your videos. Plus YouTube gives you the ability to add soundtracks from their 10K file AudioSwap library, and you don’t have to fret about file formats. Plus they say it’s one click publishing now without the upload.

Nice!

Fade to black…

Google says the whole point of this experiment is to make searching fun. That’s cool, but why can’t do I the same things I’m seeing done in the demos?

However, it’s pretty boring to watch someone else’s search. Unless it’s Jeff Beck, who put together his own Google Search Story promoting his new album.

Back to the drawing board…First, I had problems getting Search Stories to use Google Maps, it tells me it only uses KML or KMZ files from Google Earth. Strike one. OK, then Google Earth wouldn’t connect to the Earth Server. Back to maps. Loaded in my directions, switched to Street View, then I couldn’t save the file to Search Stories. Strike two.

I tried to spice it up with video by going to YouTube. It looked pretty sweet in Google’s demos, but again, Search Stories wouldn’t pick up the data from YouTube. In fact, there’s more than more example loaded on Google Search Stories home page that appears to have way more editing options that I find available. Strike three.

But I’m a die hard geek, so I’m trying it again. This time I actually planned a story, but Google only gives you six search lines to use, even though there’s seven search fields. The last one doesn’t have an active tab to select your search method, using Search the Web, Images, Maps, News, Blogs, Products or Books.

Idea! I’ll use a recent blog post as my storyline about Fiesta in San Antonio. That should be a good search criteria for images, and make a good movie. Right? Here we go…

After trying to upload to YouTube twice, I gave up (again.)
UH OH!! I’m using Firefox, better go back to Google Chrome. Maybe it’s browser problems.

See what I mean? I just can’t resist playing with this new toy! So I’m back in Chrome after closing Firefox, and starting over from scratch. Google didn’t even save my Description and Video Options, like the video Genre and Title. This time I’m saving everything in TextPad. (Don’t use Windows Notepad for text editing anymore; it drops in unknown lines you can’t see, and you’ll have problems later. Especially with code!)

Built my searches line by line, assigned the background music, do a quick demo, enter the Title, Description and Genre. Wait for the build…please wait…p-l-e-a-s-e w-a-i-t. OK done.

Uh Oh! Upon review, the first map comes up in New York! But I entered “Battle of Flowers Parade in San Antonio” into Maps, just to be precise. So what am I doing in New York? Oh wait, that’s just the default map location in their demo. Next slide please….there’s San Antonio!

More images, good. Uh Oh! Back in New York again?!? They have Fiesta in Manhattan too?!? Whoa, back in good ol’ San Antone on the next slide. Good thing I’m not in Google Earth, the whiplash from that trip would snap my neck like a pretzel.

OK, enter the Title, Genre and Description. Time to upload to YouTube and cross my fingers…

ERROR! Google tells me…”We were not able to submit your search story. Please try again later.”

What!?! That’s three times it’s failed and I rebuilt my search, and even switched browsers and made sure I was logged into my Google Accounts plus YouTube! Ah well, it’s just a new search toy anyway. They don’t say it’s a Beta…

OK, after going around the block a couple of times, I see some things I’m doing are wrong.

I was using URL’s copied straight from the browser’s address bar. Sometimes they work, if they’re under 50 characters. If longer than that, gotta use bit.ly to shorten them, but no guarantee Search Stories will pick up the information and use it.

Just use plain and simple search words, just like you do in a regular Google search. (or Yahoo, Bing, etc.) The URL’s don’t always work.

Also, make sure you’re logged into your Google Account or Gmail and of course, YouTube so the search service can find and authenticate you. Login or lose your work.

Maybe I’ll try again later. View my first Google Search Story.

Now what the..? I switch over to my YouTube account, and there are all THREE of the video searches in My Videos! Google Search Stories gave me the same error 3 times and fooled me into thinking my videos were lost. Haha, the joke’s on me, I guess.

In reviewing them I see the 2nd one really is messed up, it lost an entire Search line. Can’t afford that, there’s only 6. Yes, there’s another mistake on the other one. Scratch 2, I got one good video left.

Well, whaddya know? I’m finished with 2 Google Search Stories! Now what do I do with ‘em? Hmm, seems this would apply in the classroom, or used as a presentation tool. I sometimes wonder if Google ever asks “Why?” before they build something like this? Nah, build it and they will come. And Search.

Search Stories doesn’t always work like Google’s demos on their home page.
Where’s the cool video you can pull in from YouTube? I wasn’t able to click a link in a search result like the dude did on a YouTube page. Google’s Search Stories are just screen shots, as far as I can tell.

Where’s the awesome Map features with Street View that you can zoom in on and travel cross-country in two seconds? Did I miss something here?? Please tell me if you know, or leave a comment with your experience with Search Stories. That’s why I’m blogging this. Login, Live and Learn.

Thanks for reading, and Good Luck with Google Search Stories!

Are you overwhelmed by the information overload on irs.gov? Yeah, me too. Maybe this will help…

Did you know the IRS has a YouTube Channel at youtube.com/irsvideos

I found it on their Multimedia page, under Newsroom.

IRS.gov also has Audio Podcasts in mp3 format. Like these Last Minute Tax Tips!

Last-Minute Tax Tips – April 2010

1865: Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant in Northern Virginia, ending the American Civil War.

1959: NASA announces the first Mercury 7 astronauts.

2003: Baghdad falls under control of U.S. led armed forces; Saddam Hussein goes into hiding.

2005: Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles in Guildhall, Windsor.

Source: Associated Press YouTube Channel

The video tells all, but the website is updated sxsw.com

There’s 2 iPhone apps available to help keep track of all the events happening March 12th through March 21st.

SXSW Play: Discover New Media
my.SXSW: Social Networking & Scheduling

Official SXSW YouTube Channel

Follow SXSW on Twitter

SXSW on Facebook

Apple’s YouTube video says the release date is April 3rd, which is the word across the web.

The Wi-Fi version ships first, followed by the 3G model sometime later. Apple will be accepting pre-orders for both starting this Friday, March 12th.

Steve Jobs has said the iPad won’t support iPhone tethering, but there’s alot of people looking for just that option.

Engadget has a review that highlights several shortcomings; no camera, no multitasking, and still no Flash!

The iPad looks sleek and sexy, but I can’t justify the cost between $500 and $1000 when I can do the same things on my iPhone, albeit on a smaller screen.

Happy Owl Studio is making some good looking cases. They’re giving away an iPad on April 15.

I’ve never considered Google as an ISP or internet service provider. But Google is about to start testing ultra-high speed fiber optic broadband in several areas across the country.

google.com has issued a request for information from interested parties to participate in their experiment, claiming the possibility to deliver internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what is available today. They call it “think big with a gig.”

They’re talking about one gigabit per second, optical-fiber-to-the-home connections, serving anywhere from 50,000 up to 500,000 people. That’s a lot of bandwidth!

Currently that kind of territory is being served and expanded upon by the likes of AT&T and Verizon, who are locked in head-to-head competition over optical-fiber-to-the-home connections. It’s still developing, but you can find it in the larger metropolitan areas in the newer homes and apartment communities.

usatoday.com has a good article that argues both the pros and cons of such a fiber network.

There’s more info on Google Fiber on their webpage.

3D TV, 3D video, digital imaging, cyber security, high performance audio, home health care monitors, home environment energy monitors, smart digital picture fames and photobooks, smarter touchscreens, eBook readers, netbooks, tablets, and wireless everything including cameras, printers, TVs, and digital picture frames.

Wireless inside cars or (auto)mobile hotspots is happening with Ford Sync. www.fordvehicles.com/

Products to watch for: Canon 3D camera and smart printers, Panasonic 3D camcorder, Casio projector, Yogen USB hand charger, Abbee by Myine an FM radio system that strips commercials out and stores songs to your digital music player, and Toshiba Cell TV. tacp.toshiba.com/

Acousticom Sound Egg gives you 5.1 surround sound in a chair, delivering incredible sound to the listener, but keeping sound confined to the chair’s environment. Great for apartments, dorms and hospitals.
store.acousticom.com/

PowerMat charges up to 3 devices, like the iPhone, iPod, or Blackberry, without the messy wires in three different styles. www.powermat.com/

Lenovo SmartBook Skylight laptop has a full size keyboard and built-in 3G wireless, it’s optimized for Web2.0 applications, plus ten hours of battery life offers all day computing. shop.lenovo.com/

The 3M MPro120 Pocket Projector displays images and videos from computers, netbooks, MP3 players, iPods, smartphones and digital cameras with built-in speakers. www.3m.com/

Names to watch: Canon, LG, Panasonic, PowerMat, Polk Audio, Samsung, Toshiba, Yogen.

Keep tabs on what’s happening in consumer electronics with the Consumer Technology Group’s websites:
www.npd.com/
www.napco.com

CES Official Site: www.cesweb.org

CES on Facebook: www.cesweb.org/facebook

CES on Twitter: twitter.com/intlCES

Consumer Electronics Association YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/cesonthetube

In their latest video, attendees talk about cool products they’ve seen so far at the CES 2010 show.

Consumer Electronics Association www.ce.org

CES 2010 www.cesweb.org

2000: Napster gets sued for music file sharing violations by Metallica, Dr. Dre, Madonna and A&M Records. The site shuts down the following year after an RIAA injunction.

2001: iTunes launches as the killer music app for the iPod.

2002: Napster files Chapter 11 and is forced to liquidate it’s assets.

2003: MySpace & WordPress debut. WordPress becomes a leading open source content management system.

2004: Firefox 1.0 debuts as an alternative standalone browser to the bloated Mozilla web suite that includes Netscape.

2005: YouTube & Google Earth debut. My first blog posts appear on ThisCrazyCosmos.

2006: Twitter debut, Facebook opens registration to the public, instead of just students.

2007: DailyRover, my new blog about the web goes online.

2008: Google’s Chrome browser debuts after public beta. Napster is purchased by Best Buy.

2009: Internet Explorer 8.0 is introduced as the first real Windows browser upgrade since IE7 in 2006. Google Chrome replaces Safari as the number three web browser of choice, behind Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

2010: What will happen next? Will Twitter finally find a way to make money? More users than ever will Tweet this coming year, especially from the Olympic Games via iPhones and other mobile platforms.

It’s a given that Chrome will take market share from both leading browsers as Google continues world domination. YouTube will continue to create new sensations from home video, and Facebook just keeps getting bigger. I’m sure someone, somewhere is already making predictions for 2010.