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Qpicker. Netflix Instant Queue selection aid for those in need

Do you use Netflix? Many do unless youre Canadian and happen to be disappointed by the lack of content the service offers.

For those, myself included, who use Netflix, be it through Apple TV, PS3, iPhone, iPad, or any of the numerous other access methods, its possible you struggle from a bulging Instant Queue.

For those that suffer from queue overload and cannot decide what you want to watch, thankfully there exists a new service, Qpicker, which can assist you with your film selection. Its free, fun, and dead simple to use.

Heres how it works:

Qpicker selects an option for one to watch, or if youre not satisfied and want to have a little fun, simply select pick a different movie.

Qpicker flips through your queue until you find something that fulfills your film fancy.

Upon discovering what you want to watch, hit the watch button, a separate browser window opens and your film begins playing through Netflix.

One thing that Qpicker lacks, which some may desire, is a genre selection option so the service shuffles through your queue, selecting only certain types of film. To me this isnt that much of a loss given that the reason one uses Qpicker is because they have no idea what to watch in the first place.

Qpicker is a grand option for Netflix users who have trouble picking an item to watch, its free and super simple to use. Give it ! a try an d let us know what you think.

Optimize the standard YouTube player with DVD-like controls

embedplus Youd think the YouTube player would have more options by now, controls similar to whats available on a DVD remote, things like skipping scenes and zooming would be nice options to have.

A free service called EmbedPlus aims to fill the void of the missing features within YouTubes basic player and brings users options like scene marking, annotations,
with additional tools such as slow motion, and the ability to read the videos real-time commenting from YouTube within the player.

To begin customizing a video, users simply provide EmbedPlus with the URL from YouTube. After that, adding a few scene markers and notes (annotations) is an easy process because it embeds the original video within the page enabling users to reference the time stamps or points that should be marked as scenes.

What we didnt like: Its not a big deal but if we had to nitpick, the design of the annotations are kinda lame and wed like to see a more creative and more attractive use of video notes.

Why its cool: EmbedPlus is a useful tool for content creators, bloggers and anyone who shares video on the web. And, giving your viewers the option to skip scenes as opposed to snipping out scenes with services like snipsnip.it offers more value to your visitors.

Weve created video with EmbedPlus to show you how it works, if this is the first time youre viewing this video, enjoy. Enter the Egyptian hypnosis.

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Image: Remote

Nokia CEO Reportedly Planning A Boardroom Clear Out

A number of high-profile executives have been making their way out of Nokias headquarters on their own accord as of late but if reports from Germany business weekly Wirtschaftswoche are correct, many more could be exiting the company as Nokia CEO Stephen Elop begins a radical restructuring of his management team.

Reports suggest that Mary T. McDowell, head of Nokias mobile phones unit could soon be leaving, as could Niklas Savander, manager of Nokias markets unit. Tero Ojanpera, services and mobile solutions manager and Chief Development Officer Kai Oistamo are also expected to go, with it suggested that Elop has ordered headhunters to source suitable replacements for these and other executive board members.

The Nokia Blog quite rightly points out we could learn more about Nokias strategic shift on February 11 at Capital Markets day in London. Whether cuts are announced or not, we do think we could see some of the first major decisions made by Stephen Elop coming to light since his appointment as Nokias CEO.

We arent sold on the Nokia/Microsoft partnership but stranger things have happened. We will of course keep you updated on everything related to the worlds biggest mobile phone manufacturer.Image Credit

Nokia reportedly planning 'organizational changes,' mobile phones exec on the outs

Looks like Capital Markets Day is shaping up to be quite the barnburner for Nokia. In the wake of news that Microsoft and Nokia may have some sort of tie-up in the works, Germany weekly Wirtschaftswoche is reporting that newly appointed CEO Stephen Elop will be bidding adieu to a number of high-ranking officials. Citing "company sources," the paper stated that Mary T. McDowell, a bigwig in the mobile phones unit, as well as Niklas Savander, the manager of the markets unit, could be on the outs. Moreover, Kai Oistamo (Chief Development Officer) and Tero Ojanpera, the manager responsible for services and mobile solutions, may also be enjoying their final weekends as Nokia employees. It's all part of a monumental strategy shift, and if it all pans out, it'll be Elop's first major move since taking over as CEO last September. Of course, Anssi Vanjoki more or less left on his own accord, and the company has essentially forged ahead with little to no change since. We're told that Nokia has hired headhunters to scout top people to fill said slots, but it's hard to say why Elop feels that new brains are needed. Here's hoping it's the start of something... competitive.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nokia reportedly planning! 'organi zational changes,' mobile phones exec on the outs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 11:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART]

It was an interesting week in the Twitterverse, with top topics spread out over a wide gamut of news, cultures and countries. The protests in Egypt took the top slot, of course, with each day yielding new developments about the countrys political unrest. Social medias role in the protests also fueled the Twitter discussion.

A few developments in the world of soccer kept the sport in its usual location, hovering near the top of the trends chart. This week it comes in at number two.

And word of Britney Spears new album and music video brought her name back into the Twitter zeitgeist. The buzz landed the pop singer at n! umber th ree.

For the full list of top trends, check out the chart below, compiled by our friends at What the Trend. Because this is a topical list, hashtag memes and games have been omitted from the chart.

You can check past Twitter trends in our Top Twitter Topics section, and read more about this past weeks trends on What The Trend.