the swizzle spot

2008-09-09T05:26:00.001-07:00

Because I have surely exceeded my Apple budget for the year and because I hate the feeling of buyer's remorse brought on by obsolescence, here is a list of products I do not want Apple to announce today at the "Let's Rock" event:

iPhone 3G with 32GB* memory (likelihood: low, too much work has gone into the complex operator subsidy pricing models for the 8GB and 16GB models which are still very, very new)
iPod nano with 32GB* memory (medium, feasible in similar enclosure at same price)
$199-249 iPod touch with 32GB* memory (medium, a direct move to phase out iPod classic)
Apple TV with DVD or Blu-ray drive (low, would kill content sales if they included an optical drive)
Mac mini with Blu-ray drive and Apple TV software parity (medium, would carry same price as existing models and be positioned as a PC not an Apple TV replacement)
A faster and cheaper MacBook Air with 2 USB ports, an Ethernet jack and more than 100GB of SSD storage (very low, since today's event is reportedly all about iPod/music/entertainment)
A significantly redesigned MacBook Pro enclosure at same or lower price/specs ratio (very low, see MBA comment)
A significantly redesigned MacBook enclosure with discrete graphics card and same or lower price/specs ratio (very low, see MBA comment)
A touch tablet with price/spec ratio similar to current MacBook (medium, the hottest Apple rumor since the iPhone became real but it's hard to see the value outside certain vertical business applications given how great iPhone and MacBook are)
Some other breakthrough product that I am too mundane to imagine (medium, always a possibility with Apple)

That said, there certainly are some announcements I would welcome:

Apple TV update that supports a useful subset of Dashboard/iPhone widgets and extended storage using Time Capsule and/or external hard drives (medium)
A 500GB or 1TB external hard drive that's designed to fit under or on top of Apple TV (low)
iPhone software update 2.1, where 3G connections are fast and reliable and battery life doesn't suck - and hopefully with copy/paste (medium, but probably only if needed to support the next two)
iTunes 8 software with smarter playlists and store recommendations based on music characteristics (high, very straightforward evolution with too many rumors not to be true)
iTunes music subscription via downloads a la Napster and Rhapsody and/or streaming channels a la Last.fm and Pandora (medium, the only chink in the Apple music strategy relative to competitors)
Some other breakthrough product that I am too mundane to imagine (medium, always a possibility with Apple)

*32GB because that's how much space I need to carry around all my music and photos with enough space left for a good mix of applications, movies, TV shows and podcasts - and any new music that I will acquire before this time next year.

2008-07-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

I think Microsoft just found Jerry Yang his next job...

July 23 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp.'s Kevin Johnson, who oversaw the bid to buy Yahoo! Inc., is leaving, adding to the challenges facing the software maker's Internet unit.

The company will conduct a search for a new online-services leader.

2007-08-16T17:19:00.001-07:00

Uh... I'm married and on Facebook, but at least I'm not old. I don't think.

"What's up with the 40-and-older crowd on Facebook? From my perspective--as a 17-year-old girl brought up to be hyperaware of my surroundings, especially online--I have to be a little skeptical of the people who are adding me as friends on Facebook."

2007-07-27T01:29:00.001-07:00

My favorite iPhone review so far, if only for this: "The glass touchscreen keyboard is kinda freaky (though if there was ever a moment for an ad campaign to license Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Put 'Em on the Glass," this is it)." Do you not remember this classic from Seattle's x-large rap pioneer!?!

2007-06-06T16:54:00.001-07:00

ESPN ranks the 60 NBA Finalists using a simple mathematical formula based on number of wins and margin of victory... the Jordan-led Bulls team from 1996 that won 87 of 100 games is #1, and three other Bulls teams from that era are in the top 7 (#4 - 1991, #5 - 1997, and #7 - 1992).

2007-06-06T01:05:00.000-07:00

I've never done it, but I've come pretty close once or twice... 855,000 Phones Dropped in UK Toilets Yearly.

2007-06-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

iPhone ad parody spoofs 2001: A Space Odyssey.

2007-03-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

I just came across GrandCentral, a free service that gives you one number that rings all your phones. Includes several cool features like transfering ongoing calls from one phone to another, listening to voicemail messages while they're being recorded, setting custom ringback tones, and funnest of all... playing a "disconnected" message to thwart that geek you met at the bar last night.

2007-03-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

This past Christmas I really wanted to get WiFi-enabled digital picture frames for both sets of grandparents so we could stream pictures of our family's new addition, but after lots of research was unable to find a frame that didn't require an expensive service subscription. I ended up scrapping the idea, although I did get this Philips frame without WiFi for my wife to take to work.

But things are looking up, as I just discovered this recently launched Kodak EasyShare frame with WiFi that lets you share photos over the Internet for free. And it's only $30 more than I paid for the smaller Philips frame. Shhh, don't tell my parents or in-laws.

2007-03-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

I'm going to declare this the official first blog post announcing the gamma release of Yahoo! Go 2.0 for Windows Mobile. Yahoo!'s site claims 77 phones supported now - including a handful of Windows Mobile 6 phones and the Lobster (!) - although all the PPCs, landscape SPs, and 6 phones say "coming soon." Yeah!

UPDATE: They weren't kidding when they said "coming soon." I just tried to download and install this on a Samsung i320N (i.e. the EDGE Blackjack) and Yahoo!'s mobile site wouldn't let me. I agreed to let them send me a text when the phone was supported. Bummer. I guess while I'm waiting I'll download the installer to a portrait SP (I hope I have one with Windows Mobile 5.0), copy it to the i320N and see if I can get it to work that way.

2007-03-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

I know I'm late in pointing this out and I'm sure you'll think it lame of me to be drooling over this, but Sony is promoting a line of 007 branded products in conjuntion with the Casino Royale movie. If memory serves, all of these products are used prominently in the movie along with limited edition silver Cyber-shot camera phones from Sony Ericsson. Sony is even offering bundles that come packaged in a "sophisticated aluminum attaché case." Sweet!

2007-03-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

Standalone digital cameras a thing of the past? Maybe not. Enter the
consumer digital SLR. These cameras won't fit in your pants pocket, but for as little as $300 they give you a terrific 12x optical zoom on top of a typical compact point-and-shoot model's feature set. That's right... 12x. Optical. Zoom. Not the puny 3x you normally get. And most definitely not that fake ass digital zoom stuff used to puff up spec sheets. This is the real deal. So you can finally capture decent quality photos of your favorite band or team - even from the nosebleeds. They're still not going to get you a gig with Rolling Stone or a contract with Sports Illustrated, but if your cameraphone leaves you wanting check out this consumer digital SLR review by David Pogue. The accompanying slide show does a great job highlighting the pros and cons of this class of cameras.

2007-02-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

I just took action against Seattle winter driving frustration by publishing an annotated map that can be used to track local road conditions when bad weather hits. Read about it on my other blog.

2007-01-10T00:15:00.000-08:00

I’m sure you tracked the keynote minute-by-minute, poured over all the new analysis and speculation, and signed up to be notified when it’s available, so I’ll spare you a recap of all that. What I want to know is… how will you type on the iPhone while driving with no tactile feedback!?!

2006-03-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

The new Nike commercial with kids reenacting signature Jordan moves in modern day playground and gym settings is totally sick. I get a little shiver every time I see it - just like I do any time I see old highlight footage of the real thing. Darren Rovell's article on the "Let Your Game Speak" / "2nd Generation" commercial over at ESPN.com is worth the read.

2006-01-06T23:57:00.000-08:00

It's finally here... Palm Treo 700w smartphone with Windows Mobile now available from Verizon!! Don't be fooled by the relatively negative reviews by David Pogue of The New York Times and Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal... go into a Verizon Wireless store and check it out for yourself. I'm pretty sure you'll still want one.

2005-10-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

Mimobots... crazy, cute USB Flash drives... from 256MB to 2GB.

2005-10-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

Olive Symphony and Musica digital media boxes for your entertainment console. Unfortunately no AAC support, so I'd have to re-rip all my music. Damn you, Apple... why'd I have to drink your Kool-Aid!?!

2005-10-06T02:16:00.000-07:00

Now your pooch can ride up front with you... Honda WOW concept car with in-dash dog. But what about tunes? Woof woof. Growl growl. I guess.

2005-09-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

Seattle's always quirky The Presidents of the United States of America make the first phonecam music video for their most recent hit song "Some Postman."

Apparently 12 phones were positioned at different angles to capture video of the band performing (at half speed to accomodate the poor recording quality). I think the phone model that's being used is the Sony Ericsson K750 with 2 megapixel camera. After capture, the video was transferred over Bluetooth to a Mac for editing. The music for the video was obviously recorded at a much higher quality than a phone could have captured.

Good stuff, definitely worth the 3 1/2 minutes it takes to watch and forward on to your geek friends.

2005-09-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

ArsTechnica uses then abuses the iPod nano, and discovers that it will keep playing music even if you run it over with a car. In their tests, the display suffers only minor cosmetic damage when put through a series of "moving drops" (to simulate jogging / running / biking / driving) - they had to drop it from 9ft onto a cement sidewalk before it stopped working correctly. That should provide some solace to everyone that's experienced a cracked or scratched nano display, shouldn't it?

2005-09-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

Rent my DVR... well, not **my** DVR, but someone's.

2005-09-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

This looks pretty sweet... Harman Kardon Bridge iPod dock. Only $100, out for Christmas.

2005-09-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

Since I'm sure it will be covered ad nauseum by every publication over the next few days, I'll keep my summary of the new Moto ROKR E1 iTunes phone brief... BORING!!

I'll take a 4GB black iPod nano please... same $249 price (actually 99 cents cheaper), no two-year service contract, lots more storage (1,000 songs vs. 100).

As expected, the ROKR E1 is just a minor update to the E398 - white instead of black plastic and an iTunes button. I've already got an E398... wonder if I can get the iTunes software for it?

It seems clear that Moto has several more iTunes models on the horizon. And I wouldn't be surprised if Apple is working with other handset vendors as well. Hope some of those are more revolutionary than this one. I would love to see a Nokia Nseries model that supported iTunes, but I think an Apple / Nokia partnership of this nature is unlikely considering their similar brand aspirations.

A couple of specific nits about the ROKR E1...

Use of TransFlash memory format sucks. This format is not as widely used, so higher price per MB than miniSD and harder to find. Good thing Cingular seems to be including a 512MB card.

Although the ROKR E1 commercials make it appear otherwise, I'm a bit concerned that the product descriptions make it seem like you have to manually pause the music when a call comes in:

"Pause music when you need to take a call" - Cingular's site

"You can even pause the music when your phone rings, so you won’t miss any incoming calls" - Apple's site

This should happen automatically... incoming phone calls trump everything on a phone. Period.

2005-09-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

Went to Bumbershoot yesterday to see The Donnas and Garbage, and was disappointed to find that they aren't handing out wristbands this year to get into Mainstage concerts in Memorial Stadium. That practice has been an institution for as long as I've been going to the festival. This year, they're handing out tokens instead... same purpose, but not the same experience.

2005-09-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

Looks like the Nikon P1 and P2, the first digital cameras with integrated Wi-Fi will be duds as they only allow you to transfer photos to a computer with special software installed. Not much of an improvement over USB, and probably better addressed by Bluetooth.

Kodak's upcoming EasyShare-One promises to offer support for uploading photos directly to their ~~Ofoto~~ EasyShare Gallery online photo service... cool. The EasyShare-One features a 4MP image sensor and 185MB of internal storage and is expected to be out in October for $600.

Think Nikon needs to partner with Shutterfly, Yahoo, or Yahoo's Flickr asap. Wonder if the P1 and P2 are able to support that or if we'll have to wait for future models?

2005-08-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

I was in no way involved in this shameful incident....

When somebody passes out drunk, you can’t deny that it’s funny to torture him a little — tie his shoelaces together, smear lipstick across his face, hide his car keys. Maybe it’s even funny to cut the guy’s pants open with a boxcutter. But to put swizzle sticks up his ass?

PervScan --> Man Assaulted with Swizzle Sticks

2005-08-09T00:21:00.000-07:00

Nokia intros mobile search app for the latest Series 60 handsets: 6630, 6680, 6681. Props to them for delivering a rich client app and not just something you use through the browser... just a better user experience, especially given high latency of mobile networks and abundant on-board storage for caching past searches for quick recall. I assume they'll bundle this with most future Series 60 handets, including the first Nseries models (N70, N90, N91) that should be widely available (at least in Europe) before the end of the year.

2005-08-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

Cheerleaders' chant helps foil hit-and-run... seriously.

2005-07-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

The iPod is now officially this decade's Air Jordans... a highly desirable possession worth killing for.

2005-06-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Just came across an ad in Rolling Stone for the Sony NW-E507 Network Walkman (1GB), which looks like a promising new Flash-based portable audio player.

The NW-E507 is $50 more expensive than a comparably-sized iPod shuffle, but goes shuffle three better with an FM tuner, a cool-looking OLED display, and jog-dial navigation. Apparently supports WMA playback, but probably does not support DRM-protected music from Napster, Rhapsody, Yahoo!, etc. (and definitely not iTunes) - you want to buy music digitally for this guy, it's Sony Connect for you... blech!

2005-05-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

The final 2.0 release of MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search is now available for free download. I'm not sure I've ever said this about a product before, but Windows Desktop Search may actually change your life!

Disclaimer: I've never used any other desktop search tool for Windows, including Google Desktop. I use Google all the time for Web search and consider it superior to MSN for that purpose, but I've never been able to get their desktop search tool to install on my PC. I used and really liked the Lookout plug-in for Outlook for several months before I transitioned to the MSN tool.

I've been using the beta of MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search since a day or so after its public release, and it's completely changed how I organize email and files on my work computer... basically I don't organize any more! I only move email on a handful of specific topics to personal folders, and files either go on my desktop or the root level of My Documents.

I've long struggled to find the optimal hierarchy for saving email and files, but now I don't have to worry about it because Windows Desktop Search is always available and works very well. And it's great to be able to quickly transition from a desktop search to a Web search with one click - very helpful when I'm searching for images or specs of the latest smartphone.

Now, the product is not perfect. First, it's not as tightly integrated in the OS or applications as the Spotlight feature of Mac OS X Tiger. I'm sure something very similar will appear (next year!) in the Longhorn release of Windows, but it's debatable whether Microsoft will do as well as Apple at getting all the small things that really matter right. Second, you can't save searches for quick re-use later. Third, only in limited instances does it auto-filter search restults as you type (I believe Apple's iTunes was the first widely-used app to offer this).

That said, for what it does offer, MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search is an incredible product. I highly recommend it to anyone that uses a Windows PC.

2005-05-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

Interesting article in The Seattle times about the design process for Xbox 360. I was especially intrigued by the four-quadrant chart the team used to frame its thinking on the appropriate design aesthetic: mild to wild and architectural to organic. Whereas the original Xbox was wild and architectural (like a Hummer!), the Xbox 360 is apparently mild and organic (like a Porsche 911!). I'm definitely excited to get my hands on it!

2005-05-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

I'm fired up about a post I just read on Russ Beattie's blog about why Yahoo! adopting Windows Media DRM for their new music service is a bad thing.

I agree with him on the ultimate outcome (Microsoft wins, Apple loses), but totally disagree that this is bad for Yahoo! or for consumers. Yahoo! and consumers, as well as PC and consumer electronics manufacturers, all benefit (read that "revenue") from the ubiquity of Windows Media technology far more than Microsoft. The reason that Microsoft will beat Apple is not because they are evil but because Microsoft has a better media strategy and they execute it well.

2005-05-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

Is there an official home for those cute little RSS images you see on many blogs that link to the feed URL? I'd like to add one to this site - and I realize I can just steal one - but a few quick Google searches didn't turn up anything so I'm curious.

2005-05-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

On the subject of Amazon.com RSS feeds, I also found two other sites that let you create feeds for specific searches, like this one for top-selling CDs.

If you're interested check out the Amazon RSS Feed-Builder at onfocus.com and the Amazon RSS Feed Generator at oxus.net.

It's also worth mentioning Moreover's RSS News Feeds creator, although it doesn't allow you to create Amazon.com RSS feeds.

2005-05-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Want to integrate your Amazon.com Wish List into your Web site or just want to make it easier for friends and family to know what you want? xanadb.com shows you how to create an RSS feed of your Amazon.com Wish List.

Here's what I want and what my wife wants.

2005-05-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Cool... Amazon.com Dashboard widget for Mac OS X Tiger. Allows you to search 15 product categories on US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, and Japan sites. Of course has "Click to Buy" link, but missing "Click to Add to Wish List" link.

2005-05-13T01:27:00.000-07:00

I can get an Xbox 360 over there? Today? Cool!

Happened to be on Flickr a few minutes after reading up about the new Xbox 360 and noticed this photo under Everyone's photos on the home page.

2005-05-13T00:58:00.001-07:00

It's finally here - well most of the specs are official at least - after months and months and months of hype... Xbox 360: always connected, always personalized, always in high def. Sweet!!

2005-05-13T00:58:00.000-07:00

Someone needs to create a Mac OS X application that makes it easy to create nice-looking blog posts related to Flickr photos. The default formatting of posts created using the Flickr Web site are no good for me and I assume many others. I tried - and failed - to use MarsEdit for this, but MarsEdit still would have required lots of manual HTML editing. I want point > click > publish simplicity. I should really post this on the FlickrIdeas forum and/or create the app myself.

Update:I just realized you can accomplish this on the Flickr site by going to your blogs page and customizing the layout settings. Five built-in layouts to choose from, and if you have HTML and CSS skills can set up the layout exactly like you want it. I'd still like to see this incorporated into a rich client app for Mac OS X that doesn't require any code editing.

2005-05-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Anyone know if it's possible to view and upload to Flickr photostreams in MarsEdit for Mac OS X?

I've tried inputting settings manually with both "Other Blogger-compatible" and "Other MetaWeblog-compatible" selected in Software drop-down of site edit window with no luck.

For RPC URL I've tried...

http://www.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?

feed://www.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?

If you've figured out how to make this work please let me know by posting a comment.

2005-05-13T00:45:00.000-07:00

MSN... I'm putting you on notice on this blog like I already did on my Space... I won't blog on Spaces until you support posting with external editors, like my personal favorite MarsEdit for Mac OS X.

2005-05-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

Great line from morning DJ yesterday referring to Jerome James and Danny Fortson carrying injured Vladimir Radmanovic off the court during Sonics game 1 loss to the Spurs on Sunday: "That was about their only good play all day." That's about right.

2005-05-05T01:54:00.000-07:00

Just noticed the third beta of the Opera browser for Windows Mobile-based smartphones was released last week. It's been in public or semi-public beta for at least six months; not sure why they're taking so long to get the final release out.

This beta is still not as feature rich as the Series 60 version, but it's based on a much newer rendering engine and certainly performs well in terms of page loading speed. I think much of it's speed is due to built-in support for the Opera Mobile Accelerator proxy service. If I had to pick a favorite feature I'd say keypad shortcuts, but I really hope they add page tags and jump-to-text features from the Series 60 version.

While I'm certainly biased, I think the Internet Explorer browser included with all Windows Mobile-based smartphones generally provides a better user experience - up/down smoothly scrolls page and navigates links, don't have to double select form fields, no three-level-deep menus. I also like the flexibility of having three vs. two layout styles to choose from: single column, desktop, and default (resembles desktop with no horizontal scrolling). Opera's single column view just doesn't work great on all sites.

It will be interesting to see how strong demand for Opera on Windows Mobile is once the final release is out. I don't see very many people paying $29 (plus another $18/year for use of Opera Mobile Accelerator service) for a product that duplicates a built-in feature that works well and will only get better. Even at sub $1/unit OEM pricing (I have no idea what they really charge) I think it will be hard for them to prove the incremental value it adds. Or maybe I'm completely wrong.

2005-05-05T00:59:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with the new RSS features in Safari 2.0 that comes with Mac OS X Tiger, and noticed something interesting... none of the default bookmarks in the Shoping or Tools and Reference collections are RSS feeds. And there are only a couple feeds in the Kids and Travel collections.

Why haven't major sites like Amazon.com, eBay, Expedia, WebMD, and Monster.com caught the RSS fever!?!

I can think of dozens of ways these sites could leverage this technology to keep their users up-to-date on topics (or products) of interest: new CD and DVD releases, Wish List updates, new items up for auction, special travel deals, health and wellness tips, job postings, yadda yadda yadda.... as has already been proven by numerous first tier media outlets, RSS doesn't have to be just for geeks that want to spout off to other geeks.

Am I overlooking some big hurdle that makes it impractical for these companies to adopt RSS?

2005-04-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

Opera CEO bails on promise to swim from Norway to USA after raft accompanying him on his journey "suddenly punctured in open sea." What a load of BS.

2005-04-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Opera 8 downloads surpassed 1M in 4 days... track Opera CEO swim from Norway to USA. Even if this is real - and it would be too disastrous from a PR perspective not to be - there is no way he swims the whole way unless he takes lots of rest breaks on a boat along the way. Which means his trip could take several weeks or even months.

2005-04-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

This guy is crazy!! Earlier this week the CEO of Opera Software made the following promise...

“I will swim from Norway to the USA if download numbers of Opera 8 reach 1 million in four days.”

Results will be revealed on Monday, April 25. They apparently hit 600k downloads in 48hrs, so I think he’s up for a long, cold swim.

2005-04-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

I can't wait... upcoming video games revive great movie characters with the real stars that made them famous: Al Pacino as Tony Montana, Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, and Sean Connery as James Bond.

2005-04-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

A few interesting updates on world of Symbian from latest SymbianOne newsletter...

Sony Ericsson Java Platform Strategy

CodeWarrior update from Nokia

Symbian C++ Tutorial blog

Series 60 fails US usability tests

2005-04-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

This would be terrible... disappearance of juniper plants in UK threaten gin supply. I'm also aghast that gin isn't considered hip.

2005-04-12T23:47:00.000-07:00

PDAs are getting really boring... if the Tungsten E2 is the most exciting thing palmOne can bring to market. Nothing to see folks, move along. Wake me up when the LifeDrive ships.

2004-12-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

My thoughts on the iTunes phone from Apple and Motorola over at Russell Beattie's blog. I couldn't resist because there must be close to a hundred comments and not one mentioned Apple's secret weapon that could be key to their market entry strategy.

2004-11-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

Smartwrap headphone cord control. Brilliant!

2004-11-30T01:05:00.000-08:00

Very interesting story about building a business from innovative Mac software company Panic - The True Story of Audion.

2004-11-30T00:45:00.000-08:00

Nokia Collector syncs files between Nokia 7280 lipstick phone and a Mac. Sounds like it may also work with other Bluetooth-enabled phones. Not sure this is necessary given that Mac OS X already includes a sync client that works with many Nokia phones. Also weird considering all the hype Nokia is spreading about Lifeblog.

2004-11-30T00:44:00.000-08:00

Phil Torrone strikes again... BroadCatching using RSS and BitTorrent to automatically download TV shows. While this is neat, it's too dependent on unreliable moving parts to be useful for me. I like having Tivo do all the heavy lifting.

2004-11-30T00:32:00.000-08:00

If only people bought applications for PDAs and smartphones like they buy games for portable gaming consoles... we'd have high-powered PDAs for super cheap.

2004-09-21T01:06:00.000-07:00

An abbreviated - so as not to give away all the great moments but still get you excited - recap of highlights from Sunday night's Beastie Boys show in Seattle.

2004-09-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

Where were you when Barry hit #700? I was at the gym with Stairway to Heaven blasting on the stereo. Unforgettable.

2004-08-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

My iPod really understands me! Is the Random feature on the iPod really random?

2004-08-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Why do we have to wait for mobile operators (aka "the man") to roll out cool shit like the Musikube iCapture music identification application!?! I've got a smartphone, I'm a music junkie, and I've got an all-you-can-eat wireless data plan - just let me install it on my own and start pumping bits across your network. Oh, I get it... you want me to pay an additional $2.99/month for that privilege. Ridiculous. Power to the people.

2004-08-14T01:19:00.000-07:00

Which do you think is better? iPod vs. The Cassette

2004-08-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Pokia retro phone... this is dorky but getting lots of popular media coverage. The Pokia is an old-fashioned phone handset that connects to a modern cell phone. Not handsfree, but no Bluetooth required. According to the "inventor" it's a great way to pick up women. I'm sure.

2004-07-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans... great line-up: Beastie Boys, The Pixies, Green Day, Sonic Youth, Cypress Hill, BRMC, The Killers, and many more.

2004-07-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Apple iTunes for Motorola phones... the limited storage capacity of the current generation of phones really limits them as compelling portable music players imho, but I'd love to see this on the next Windows Mobile-based Motorola phone!

2004-07-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is by far the geekiest undertaking I've heard about in awhile...iPod as Universal Infrared Remote Control... impressive. PT never ceases to amaze me.

2004-07-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Props to the power of the Internet and fast, high-quality customer service...

All of a sudden one day last week my Tivo stopped changing channels on my cable box, which was annoying while watching live TV and caused the Tivo to record the wrong programs the rest of the time. I double-checked the Tivo settings just to make sure nothing had changed (it hadn't), then lived with it for a few days because I dreaded having to crawl behind my entertainment center after a long day at work.

Tonight I finally got around to looking up the problem on the Internet, and quickly came across a post on the Tivo forums that described the problem was due to a Comcast update that disabled the serial port on the cable box. I called up Comcast customer service as suggested in the forum, and within two minutes the problem was fixed. I was even able to verify that channel changing worked again while still on the phone with the cust serv rep.

Thanks Tivo users! Thanks Comcast!

2004-07-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Apple and BMW partner to deliver a better in-car iPod experience. You store your iPod in the glove compartment and control playback using controls on the steering wheel. Seems like kind of a bummer that you have to create special playlists and that song information isn't displayed on the dash - not to mention having to purchase a BMW. Apparently Alpine will soon be releasing a new iPod-compatible receiver that will enable much better integration and should work with most any car make/model. The Alpine receiver displays song information and can be used to control playback, and it sounds like you won't have to create special playlists. Can't wait for the day when there's a standard hardware/software interface that makes it seamless to plug your portable music player of choice (be it a dedicated device like an iPod or a multi-purpose device like a mobile phone, handheld, or something else that hasn't been dreamed up yet) into your car.

2004-06-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

Got a Gmail account today... without even asking or begging. I know someone who works with someone at Google. I told the person I know about Gmail a few weeks back, she asked her Google colleague for an account and got one, and today the person I know sent me an invite. Of course, logging in to write this note I see that as a Blogger user I could have requested my own account. Whatever.

2004-05-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

What would happen if Dell bought palmOne?

2004-04-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

PT is now writing a weekly how-to column for Engadget... and here are the first fruits of his labor... Read RSS feeds on your iPod.

2004-04-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

infoSync World : Datacomm Report: Feature phones to dominate

2004-04-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com subsidiary A9.com has quietly released a beta of their new A9 search engine powered by Google, which includes Search Inside the Book results and a personal search history that tracks results you've previously viewed and is accessible from any PC. Oh, and of course there's an A9 browser toolbar. Another cool, but not necessarily useful, feature of the A9 search engine is the Site Info feature that enables you to view traffic stats and user reviews for any site that shows up as a search result - this treats the site just like any other product on Amazon.com. This feature appears to be powered by the Alexa traffic analysis service, which is designed to translate Web users' browsing habits into a community resource or some other such nonsense. Alexa is an early dot-com that I thought had long ago gone out of business but is apparently now owned by Amazon.com. Surprise, surprise... Alexa has its own browser toolbar.

2004-03-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

Such a simple idea (and apparently widely used)... Web service for shortening long URLs.

2004-03-16T11:49:00.000-08:00

pPod helps Pocket PCs masquerade as iPods. Update: Apple legal department steps in; utility name changed to Pocket Bop (pBop for short). Update: Application no longer available. Boo hiss, Apple!

2004-03-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

Onfolio introduces a $30 Internet Explorer plug-in that purportedly makes it easier to collect, organize, and share snippets of information while researching on the Web.

2004-03-05T21:17:00.000-08:00

EA and 3DO founder Trip Hawkins back in the game with new company Digital Chocolate developing games for mobile phones.

2004-02-26T00:05:00.000-08:00

Wired article about a UK professor who studies and writes about the social impact of personal stereo devices. Currently interviewing iPod users for an upcoming book.

2004-02-20T00:35:00.001-08:00

My favorite DJs of all time: 1) Terminator X, 2) Jam Master Jay, 3) Hurricane. Although I'm not as familiar with their work, Mix Master Mike and DJ Shadow aren't bad either.

2004-02-20T00:35:00.000-08:00

I might have paid big bucks to go to music school instead of a plain ol' liberal arts school if they had turntable class back then.

2004-02-20T00:26:00.000-08:00

I find this to be incredibly funny... Polaroid warns customers not to 'shake it' - damn OutKast! C'mon folks... just smile at all the free publicity you're getting. Before this song took over the world no one even knew you were still in business.

2004-02-08T10:55:00.000-08:00

Brighthand — Survey Says Smart Phones Too Hard to Use

2004-02-07T01:31:00.000-08:00

Microsoft launching special edition Xbox in Japan, complete with a dakimakura (sleeping pillow). Great quote from Japanese journalist: "I guess they're supposed to be used ... as pillows to hug, of course ... and for other obscene purposes that I would rather not mention."

2004-02-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Silence available for just $0.99 from the iTunes Music Store!! The tracks mentioned in the CNET article are interesting... but a quick iTunes search actually turns up something much more intriguing. This track from the DDP album La Esquina Del Crem, which although not silence begins with an alarming message indicating that if you continue playing the track on your CD player you may ruin your speakers and your ears. Unfortunately you have to buy the whole album to get this track. "New Sonic Experience" indeed.

2004-02-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

Sweet!! Apple is offering an RSS Feed Generator for the iTunes Music Store.

2004-02-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Annoying... I'm excited that a Mac sync solution is finally available for my Windows Mobile Smartphone, but the only trial available doesn't work with my Motorola MPx200. C'mon Information Appliance Associates, please start offering a trial of of the Smartphone version of PocketMac. I'm not buying unless I can try this out first.

2004-02-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

I need to try out a bunch of mobile phones and pdas in my job, so am looking for a car mount solution that will flexibly handle numerous devices of varying dimensions. A co-worker that's knowledgable on such things recommended I look at Gomadic's offerings. After looking over their product catalog I think I'll likely go for the Universal Auto Vent PDA Mount - might not be perfect, but it sounds flexible and only costs $20. Stay tuned, I'll post a brief review once I've had a chance to try this (or another vendor's product) out.

2004-02-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

Now that the latest mobile phones are starting to incorporate fairly high quality still and even video cameras, I'm starting to get really interested in mobile imaging. Lots of pre- and post-Christmas shopping left me wishing I had a camera phone, both for comparison shopping and for getting quick spousal input (even when the gifts are for her). More recently I've been thinking it would be handy to snap pics of the open/close signs at restaurants, coffee shops, and stores I frequent (I'm always running up against closing time). Given that, I'd love to hear peoples' recommendations for camera phones and moblogging solutions.

2004-02-01T00:41:00.000-08:00

Last one... my favorite classic NES games... Baseball Simulator 1.000, Contra, Double Dragon, Ice Hockey, Super Mario Bros., Tecmo Bowl, and original Zelda. And Final Fantasy, Kung Fu, Mega Man, Top Gun, and even Duck Hunt (remember the light gun!?!) weren't bad. Ah... when games were so simple but could still entertain you for hours and hours. Actually, I find I get far less enjoyment from most games released in the last decade than from any of these classic NES gems.

2004-02-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

Same topic... I also found two pretty cool video game music sites... Video Game Music Archive and GameMusic.com.

2004-02-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

Inspired by that Wired article, I hopped online and did some further investigation about Minibosses and NESkimos. I was able to locate quite a few song samples from both bands, and even found clips from a Minibosses' TechTV The Screen Savers appearance. I highly recommend you check these out. I found myself getting nostalgic for the classic NES, and discovered I could get my hands on a console and a few of the best games of all time for $20-30 - should I!?!

2004-01-31T23:50:00.000-08:00

Just read this Wired article about the band Minibosses that rocks classic NES game soundtracks. Article also mentions another similar band NESkimos. No lyrics, just straight-ahead guitar rock that isn't half bad. Apparently no Baseball Simulator 1.000 - my all-time favorite game - yet.

2004-01-31T14:34:00.001-08:00

A post over at my buddy Kevin Lisota's site just prompted me to evaluate the NewsGator news aggregation software/service. Subscribing to the monthly service seems to offer the two features I most want: a way to read syndicated content from my Windows Mobile Smartphone and the ability to synchronize subscriptions across multiple devices. Seems a little pricey, but I may just have to sign up as I regularly access my favorite sources from three different devices depending on what I'm doing and where I'm at.

2004-01-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hollywood Records teams up with Xingtone to deliver ring tones direct to consumers, cutting mobile operators out of the equation.

2004-01-30T00:29:00.000-08:00

State of the Art: Phones, Too, Get TV Time... courtesy of David Pogue... TV on cell phone? Not ready for prime time. Cell phone video camera? I'm lovin' it™... "I hate it" style... "I hate it" conspiracy stylecreative style... factualstyle. Now the inspiration, in five languages.

2004-01-30T00:16:00.000-08:00

I love this guy's sharp tone and no bs writing style. Always good for a laugh.

2004-01-12T22:02:00.000-08:00

Great Mac OS X Panther feature Exposé comes to Windows. I'm sure the name will be changing soon. ;)

2004-01-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

Don't see this happening in the US any time soon... people seeking treatment for SMS addication