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How-to video aggregator HowCast announced today that it has hit 500,000 downloads of its iPhone app and a quick spin of the service shows why - it's fabulous. Just six months after launching, HowCast is already the second most popular free app in the Lifestyle category - behind the YellowPages and ahead of AAA Discounts. That's pretty impressive.

HowCast was founded by a team of former Google and YouTube employees and raised $8 million in venture funding before it launched. The iPhone app is a great way to learn new things on the go and it's a lot of fun.

How-to video site Howcast collaborated with the US Department of State to develop a media-rich web site for the Fifth Summit of the Americas, a strategic meeting between diplomats and world leaders from the western hemisphere, including President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The pressing issues headlining this summit will be human prosperity, energy security, and environmental sustainability. The summit, located in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, runs from April 17 (tomorrow!) through April 19, and there is an opportunity for the public to submit questions to be addressed on the final day.