We were really excited to be at Mix 08 on March 6 in Las Vegas, where iBloks unveiled a total 3D ad solution with iBloks InstantAd™. The need to empower people to be able to build highly interactive and more engaging experiences is what iBloks 3D advertising platform has set out to accomplish. The vision is clear to increase user engagement with powerful interactivity and compelling 3D visualization everyone wins, the consumer, the client, the publisher and iBloks. All this can be done in under five minutes and then posted on anywhere on the web or in email with just a few lines of code or a simple email link.

Already Microsoft leveraged the iBloks InstantAd platform to deliver more than fifty partner companies on their website with Silverlight 2.0, (which is Microsoft's cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences.

We were excited about this and here is what MS had to say, “Microsoft is pleased to be working with iBloks to deliver a comprehensive, self-serve platform for rich media advertising. The iBloks InstantAd product offers one of the most compelling solutions available today to customers,” said Beti Chung, Emerging Business Team Portfolio Manager, Microsoft Corp. Go to www.ibloks.com/learn to get more info and www.ibloks.com/showcase to see the Microsoft companies involved in this partner program.

Our clients and partners have said it best so let me quote them directly. “Premiering iBloks Video Messenger™ widget that includes access to over 300,000,000 Windows Live Messenger consumers unleashes a powerful widget that enables our fans to easily IM each other and watch videos together. By making their lives more interesting and providing convenient access to amazing content from films like Aliens vs. Predator Requiem we are delivering on our commitment to entertain and delight fans.” said John Cosley, Director of Digital Marketing at Fox Home Entertainment.

“Microsoft is pleased to be working with innovative companies like iBloks to expand the range of applications and websites taking advantage of Windows Live platform services to deliver compelling and engaging experiences to millions of consumers. Today’s announcement recognizes that services such as iBloks Video Messenger™ widget can offer compelling new video experiences for consumers worldwide,” said John Richards, Director of Windows Live platform at Microsoft Corp.

Since iBloks Video Messenger™ can be deployed on a web page, as a video ad or as a gadget on places like FaceBook, Google, Windows Live Spaces and other social network sites with simple embed tag it is really easy for companies to get started leveraging the power of video and IM coming together. To get started go to http://www.ibloks.com/support/api/videomessenger/

In the last year, iBloks has worked closely with companies and partners to create a great experience for our customers and as a result we have made a number of changes to our website. To that end we are now working with over fifty companies to provide them with video advertising solutions and highly interactive 3D experiences. Check out our showcase to see the great stuff companies are doing with us and we are proud to serve them and their customers....

On Jan 22 we announced we were selected as a Microsoft Start Up Zone Accelerator program participant and we are humbled by this. We appreciate the support they have given us over the past two years and are excited to be working with them on a number of exciting initatives.

We look forward to continuing to keep you posted in the upcoming months. Sorry it has been so long but we have been super focused to serve our customers first and blog later.

Today iBloks will be showcasing our newest iBloks and functionality at the Microsoft Mix ’07 event. We are delighted to be a part of this event because it showcases the best visual presentation available on Windows and in a browser.

We are excited to be the first software as service execution of WPF. This capability allows iBloks to manipulate multimedia on-the-fly with 3D XAML objects to create instant 3D experiences that are immersive and fun. This unified 3D web service empowers people to take media in from any website or device (eg: Live Spaces or mobile phones) and merge that with an iBlok XAML object to create a final rendered movie or experience in real-time.

So if you want to offer your customers and clients next generation, truly stunning experiences and make it easy to implement try us out. We have focused on delivering a world class turnkey experience for both our clients and our customers. We even have a few glowing testimonials like this one to back up what we are writing.

“iBloks empowered us to easily create world-class animated web content in minutes, and monetize our traffic immediately. Instantly, people could hear and see what was going on backstage at the Grammy’s, and it was really easy to use."- Benjamin Kayne, Director, New Media, Westwood One.

Live in 3D. Now is the time when you are able to easily experience the creation of 3D expressions with iBloks. This 3D experience from iBloks will offer you a more interactive, visually engaging and fun experience than traditional 2D. Our goal is to continue to empower people everywhere to be able to create and share in 3D in a way that is fun and easy. To check out how you can get started go to www.3d.ibloks.com. All you need to do to get started is select a 3D mod that is waiting for you to add your photos, video and music to complete your first 3D iBlok. Our goal was to make it as easy as possible for you to create and share in 3D. We are excited to bring this vision one step closer to reality and for those of you who are the early fans of iBloks we appreciate your continuous support of our company. Your creation of the iBloks that you are sharing with your family and friends has been a big part of how we have grown and continue to get more and more people playing with iBloks. We are always open to your suggestions on how to make iBloks better so let us know at feedback@ibloks.com.

Well March is the month when the true spirit of college athletics is at its prime and we are excited to be able to empower NCAA fans everywhere to show the support of the tournament with iBloks. Whether you are at a party taking pictures, lucky enough to be at a playoff game or just a raving fan, iBloks let’s you show your team pride with customized iBloks for each school. We no longer require a download to create 3D iBloks so everyone can enjoy making and watching them on any Mac or PC. To be a part of the action go to our Madness in 3D page. We added in a chance to for you to win a video iPod if you create or share a team iBlok so what are you waiting for? It’s time you enjoy the power of 3D.

The GRAMMY Awards are really an amazing event and have been around for almost fifty years, forty nine to be exact. This year they will expand the fields they honor to recordings in 108 categories across 31 fields. These recordings span from rap to classical and the actual Grammy Awards event is just a small subset of the vast talent that is recognized by the academy. For a complete list of 49th GRAMMY Awards nominees, click here.

This year iBloks is proud to be working with Westwood One at the Grammy’s with www.grammysradio.com to promote these talented artists and let their fans get a chance to see them up close and personal with our 3D iBloks Grammy Radio Stage. The photos, music and video are coming from the behind the scenes footage captured at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The final preparations are being made for the big Grammy Awards event on Sunday. Before the big day, people have the chance to download and remix the photos and videos of their favorite artists by going to www.iBloks.com or www.grammysradio.com . They are empowered to do this by creating their very own 3D iBlok of the Grammy Stage and putting themselves on the same 3D stage with their favorite artist.

This was a big week for iBloks as we get ready for the Vista release and even the Microsoft team announced iBloks in their partner press release. This was from Microsoft and this blog sums up the iBloks details …

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 23, 2007 — An array of innovative, third-party programs that bring to life the technology advances in the Windows Vista™ operating system will debut next week along with Microsoft Corp.’s new operating system, making it easier than ever for people. Major media firms and other companies will be among those releasing Web-based services directly (with) some ultra-realistic 3-D programs and innovative applications from new-media.

“These partner programs will offer people a more interactive, visually engaging computing experience — the Windows Vista experience,” said Tom Caputo, group product manager for the Windows Client Group at Microsoft. “The industry partners that developed these innovative applications are among the first to realize the potential of Windows Vista to deliver information, entertain and educate people in new ways.”

New Programs Add to the “Wow” Factor
• A similarly broad range of industry partners has taken advantage of the advanced graphics and the new Windows Aero™ user experience in Windows Vista to create high-definition, animated programs and Web sites.
• Share digital media. A unified online service from iBloks Inc. lets people drag and drop their favorite photos, video clips and music into fun mix-and-match instant 3-D movies that they can share with friends online through instant messaging, email or on digital devices.
So please check out iBloks next week as Vista comes and we all begin to deliver on the promise for 3D for people everywhere.

Over the weekend, we were able to preview iBloks being featured in the Microsoft Vista Pavilion as an innovative software company. We are in great company there with only five other companies. The others are household names like the New York Times, NASCAR, and NorthFace (the outdoor gear store). This opportunity would not have been possible without the input from our customers during the last year, the support of the WPF evangelist team especially Tim Sneath and the awesome development team at iBloks. Thank you all.

Last night we attended two key events for CES. The first was Bill Gates keynote and the second was the Digital Experience. Bill's keynote focused on connected experiences and the idea that the last missing link was the ability for software, hardware and services to work together with seamless integration for the ultimate customer experience. At iBloks, our vision has always been in line with this notion as we designed our unified service to be able to empower people to create, watch and share their iBloks across the devices that matter to them most.

Bill then introduces Robbie Bach – President of the consumer entertainment division for Microsoft (my former boss from when I was with Xbox and Xbox Live). Robbie shared the fact that there are over 5 million members on Xbox Live, which they now refer to as the largest living room social network. With a little more than 10 million Xbox 360's sold, this is an awesome number because it means great retention of customers from Xbox and great new adoption by the expanding market of new Xbox 360’s customers.

Before we knew it we were off to Digital Experience which was a press event for the press to preview companies like iBloks before the official kick off of CES. It was very well attended and we showcased our 3D Vista iBlok to over 100 attendees in about three hours. To check out highlights from CES go to www.ibloks.com and see our CES iBloks that we are posting during the show.

Thank you for a great 2006. Many of you have provided us with feedback and features you wanted to make iBloks be better. In the last month we have tried to incorporate your ideas into our service to make it the best it can be. Changes we made to iBloks included the ability for you to have a My iBloks page where all your iBloks are located. We added comments to iBloks so that other people can comment on your iBloks and you can do the same. Additionally we added more iBloks to our home page so you could see more of your great work right away. We have many more changes in store over the next year and look forward to your continued involvement with iBloks. If you want to make sure your voice is heard please send your thoughts to feedback@ibloks.com, we are always looking for your honest opinion of what we are doing right and what we need to fix.

May 2007 be an amazing year for you, your families and friends. Peace.