We're excited to announce new integration with Google Gadgets! For those not familiar, a gadget is essentially a mini webpage providing a wide range of dynamic content. Google's gadget directory is a listing of literally thousands of gadgets which can be integrated seamlessly into your digital signage. Plus, not only can you utilize any existing gadgets, but those of you with a background in web development can create your own.

We've provided a quick howto to help you get started here: http://support.reveldigital.com/kb/advanced-topics/google-gadgets-howto

Those of you using the Google Chrome web browser will be familiar with the Chrome Web Store which is a collection of web based apps. We've just been added to the list, so those with Chrome just head over to https://chrome.google.com/webstore and search for RevelDigital. Installing our app will add us to the collection of apps presented on your homepage which amounts to a glorified shortcut. For those of you not running Chome - no worries as there is no additional functionality provided by the Chrome app - it's just a convenience thing!

We're excited to be partnered with MeeBox at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Jan 10-13!

MeeBox is a hardware company with an impressive range of products from tablets to all-in-one touch screens and we have found their products to work exceptionally well with our digital signage services. Please visit booth South 2 - 25619 and see our products in action. On display will be a range of MeeBox offerings including their MeeBox Touch Pro which will be running RevelDigital signage as an interactive kiosk.

Visit the CES website for show information and we'll see you there!

Playlists now have support for virtually any RSS or ATOM feed containing images and/or video. This means you can easily import your existing image galleries from sites like Flickr, Picasa, and Google+ directly inline with your existing RevelDigital media. Just open a Playlist and add a new RSS Feed source. Then enter the RSS url provided by Flickr, Picasa, etc. and your done.

We have also included support for Podcasts (sometimes referrred to as Vodcasts) which are really just RSS feeds containing video or audio. As an example check out the PBS podcast site for their television series ScienceNow: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/rss. You'll find a number of feeds any of which could easily be integrated into your signage.

We've provided an example using Picasa in our Knowledge Base here:
http://support.reveldigital.com/kb/advanced-topics/using-rss-galleries-from-flickr-picasa-google-more

We've rolled support for QR codes directly into our Template Designer making it easy to integrate QR code functionality into any template. For those not acquainted, the QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) provides quick access to websites, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Smart phone users with the appropriate app can just scan the code with the phone's built-in camera and will be instantly presented with the website or phone number associated with the code. To get started just create or edit any template and select the QR code from the Library.

Practical examples of QR code usage:
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-qr-codes-can-grow-your-business

For more technical information on what exactly QR codes can represent:
http://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/BarcodeContents

Our Google Calendar integration was such a big hit we decided to work out a Google menu board. This time we utilize Google Spreadsheets to manage a menu board template in real time. This provides an alternative method for users familiar with Google products to update menu items and pricing.

Login to your RevelDigital account and check out the Template Gallery where you'll find a new menu template creatively titled 'Menu 2'. You'll notice two zones named 'Left' and 'Right' which represent placeholders for the Google spreadsheet items. Any number of these zones can be added to the template each of which can contain any number of menu items. Feel free to tweak the template background, playlist, etc to match your own creative requirements.

We've provided a knowledge base article with a step-by-step so please check it out here:

http://support.reveldigital.com/kb/advanced-topics/google-docs-integration-menu-board

Version 390 scheduled for release on Friday, Sept. 2nd.
This is an automatic update and will be installed upon release.

This update to the player software includes mostly performance related fixes and enhancements but of course we added a few cool new features as well.

We thought it high time to demonstrate some of the more advanced capabilities of our template scripting engine. Scripting provides the ability to do some really neat things on the player and in this example I'll show how a little script can provide easy integration with the Google Calendar app.

We will be upgrading our network throughout the next few days and you may experience periodic website downtime. This will not affect your player devices or disrupt your existing signage in any way. With this upgrade we hope to provide better service with greater bandwidth, faster website access, and faster player updates. Thanks for your patience!

Now available throughout the platform is a set of merge tags which provide a powerful method of customization for templates and playlists. Merge tags are simply special text tags which can be placed in your template module properties or even in playlists. These tags then get substituted for actual live data when the content gets deployed to your various player devices.

A simple example of how this feature can be utilized is with the template weather module. By inserting this tag: *|DEVICE.LOCATION.POSTALCODE|*  in the Location field of your weather module, you've essentially generalized the weather for all of your players across your network. This means each player will now use it's own specific postal code to determine the weather.

For more information and a list of available tags please visit our knowledge base article here:
http://support.reveldigital.com/kb/advanced-topics/merge-tags

Free example templates are now available in our new template gallery. Click the Templates tab in your account and you'll find the 'Template Gallery' button on the left. This will provide an ever expanding collection of ready to use templates which are free to be modified and displayed by all our customers. Each template comes preloaded with example playlists and are essentially ready for display. Just customize with your own media and schedule to play! This gallery will also provide a means for us to demonstrate more advanced template concepts including scripting, layering, and masking. So keep checking the gallery because you never know what might show up.

We've just released our new API providing all you code monkeys out there access to your account. This API gives developers a simple framework for mashing up RevelDigital with 3rd party software, websites, handhelds, etc. Endpoints are available in XML and JSON. Access to the API requires a key which can be requested by emailing support@reveldigital.com. Please reference our wiki for all the gory details at wiki.reveldigital.com.

As you may have noticed, we have undergone a transformation recently. Not only has our home page seen a makeover, but our entire platform has been through a major architectural overhaul. This was deemed necessary for a couple reasons; customer feedback and growing pains. We work hard to ensure our product is as efficient and friendly as possible and your feedback has proven invaluable to us. The redesign provides more breathing room by utilizing 100% of available screen space. Navigation has been simplified by consolidating what used to be separate edit and details pages, and task sections have been reorganized to provide access with a single click. This is just the initial roll-out and we've got a few more surprises coming in the next months. Our server side also saw some changes to better accommodate growing data and bandwidth requirements. You'll notice the platform URL has changed reflecting our migration to a distributed service model. This helps prevent congestion which in turn helps to ensure performance of both the management website and your player hardware. Another bonus of our work on the server side is the coming availability of a publicly accessible API. This will allow 3rd party integration of our services opening up some really interesting opportunities for anyone willing to write some code. We hope you find these changes beneficial and as always we'd love to hear what you think, good or bad!

Our new integration with Picnik provides a wealth of tools for image editing and manipulation. Just click the Edit button next to any image in your media library and you'll see the new Picnik link!

• Fix your photos in just one click
• Use advanced controls to fine-tune your results
• Crop, resize, and rotate in real-time
• Tons of special effects, from artsy to fun
• Astoundingly fast, right in your browser
• Awesome fonts and top-quality type tool
• Basketfuls of shapes from hand-picked designers

We've just rolled out a new template designer and would love to hear your feedback. You'll find it right next to the existing designer so make sure you give it a try. We'll be phasing out the existing designer in a few weeks.

Some of the new features -

• WYSIWYG! More accurate representation of live content
• Editing is now available in preview mode
• Larger design surface
• Simplified interface
• 100% Javascript. Flash no longer required
• Integrated RevelScript editor
• Support for any resolution, orientation, and multiple displays

Free components to enhance your templates

Tired of the same old template components? What a coincidence, so are we! That's why we've created the Component Gallery with an ever expanding list of dynamic components designed to maximize the effectiveness of your digital signage.

We currently offer a number of enhanced weather components, an RSS feed component with support for images, and of course a Twitter component. Stay tuned as more and more components become available.

Click the Component Gallery link under Media for more info!

Our template engine provides for limitless design possibilities by allowing any template zone or module to be blended and masked into another. All this can be done with our simple online template editor! Need a hand? We are always available to help design or re-design your templates for maximum impact.

New security options for your signage users

Version 230 of our player software has been released

This is an automatic update and will be installed within the next few days.

• New alert system for distributing network wide alert messages
• Automatic display adjustment (resolution & orientation) based on template selection
• Performance enhancements to television, marquee, and slideshow modules
• Expanded access to internal player functionality from scripting engine