Last month TechCrunch reported this little gem that was, still in Private Beta. Now this online video encoder is available to the public, and you should be using it.

Hey!Watch, a French product, is dead simple, very functional and takes the load completely off your own computer - as an online product should.

What they’ve done is make it possible to upload your videos and then walk away, shut down or continue with your other activities without dealing with encoding. It’s all done on their side. Plus, there is not many formats these guys aren’t covering. From iPod and iRiver devices to DVD, VCD and every other video format you can think of, it’s just a matter of deciding.

Clever use of RSS means you can upload files via a feed and also view converted files through another feed. You may never actually have to visit the site!

Not only that, Hey!Watch has also gone ahead and allowed straight online video transfers. That means you can directly encode feeds from sites like YouTube, Google Video etc. and you won’t need to download the finished file until you have the format you are going to use!

They’ve covered almost every possibility from the aforementioned video sites to DailyMotion, Revver and everything in between. With the handy Bookmarklet or Firefox extension this is a one-click process.

The Free account allows for 10 monthly encoding sessions, a maximum video length of 10 mins, and no simultaneous transfers or encoding; enough to satisfy the casual user. If you need more, paid packages start from only $4.99 a month.

Via [TechCrunch] Product [Hey!Watch]

Microsoft has released a firmware update, version 1.2. The zune firmware patch is around 22MB. The updates do not add any new features, but it improves the existing features such as image lag, switching modes, and switching from videos to music.

Instruction for updating for Zune player firmware from Microsoft:

1. Install the version of the Zune software that was included with your Zune device.
2. Connect your Zune device to a computer, and then put your Zune device on a stable surface.
3. Note If the battery in your Zune device is critically low, we recommend that you charge your Zune device before you continue.

For more information about how to charge your Zune device, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 927348 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927348/) How to charge the battery in your Zune device

4. Open the Zune software. You receive a message to update your Zune device. If you do not receive this message, follow these steps: a. Click Options, point to Sync, point to , and then click Check for Zune Device Updates.

Download the Zune firmware

Via [Zuneboard]

Thanks to Popular Mechanics the staff for giving us this Zune vs. iPod comparison.