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> The Kindle amazes me. Everyone who ever had to watch a black & white TV knows full well that color is better. So why is it that the Kindle is my go-to device for reading? The display is easy on my eyes – I would argue that it is better than reading print. [...] Do No Evil How many internets are there? Google, by virtue of its Android operating system, is in business with cell phone carriers and manufacturers. So it is no surprise that they recently sided with Verizon, the largest wireless broadband carrier, to argue that Congress should not give the FCC the power to require neutral [...] I’m not normal?
I view the social web as falling into two categories, ‘Facebook’ and ‘Other.’ Despite my distrust of the underlying business model and corporate philosophy of Facebook, they do offer a seamless and simple service for sharing words, photos, and videos with friends. For some, it just makes sense to connect socially in Facebook and never venture beyond her borders. But if you’re really into writing or photography or videography you may have other favorite sites for presenting your media. Tinkerers, control-freaks, and fanatics will not be satisfied with the one-size-fits-all (or you’re the wrong size) Facebook approach. Some of us try to fix this using Facebook Connect on other services and piping what we do there back into Facebook but isn’t that really a vicious cycle in which who we are is squeezed back into the Facebook mold? Facebook is slick and simple and will satisfy the needs of the majority of people. If you’re one of them, join up and take the time to get your privacy settings the way you want them. Or you could just accept their recommended settings. (Don’t forget to walk into your boss’s office in your underwear in order to be consistently open should you choose that level of sharing.) Okay. Normal readers have now signed up for Facebook and set up their privacy settings. Tinkerers, control-freaks, and fanatics – follow me. Continue reading You Sayin’               Some time back, I asked Clicker, “Now, where’s my mobile app?” This week they delivered. Sort of. Unlike OrbLive, Clicker does not provide a mobile player so viewing is pretty restricted. (I’d like to hear from those of you with Froyo on your Nexus Ones whether the flash sites work well or at all.) They offer a FourSquare-like check-in and badges thing that will appeal to some. One can see what is available to view on one’s playlist, add shows to the playlist, and find out what one’s friends are watching if they are Clicker users. (Not really that likely, but they can be invited using Facebook Connect.) You can also share your Clicker activity through Twitter. It’s a beginning. I have to say I wish that Boxee would make a mobile app. It already mixes my internet TV and internet video and social connections brilliantly. The mobile app would be a real kick. Can you imagine Boxee on the iPad? Pleeeaase, Avner. Clicker gave me an app when I asked for it. Hulu has gone crazy with their commercials and subscription fee so I am slowly backing away from them despite their beautiful desktop player. Boxee has an opening here to jump to the fore. The Flixster web app kicks off with an annoying splash advertisement which is a MAJOR turn off so I am seriously searching for a better alternative. While the relatively new IMDB app has a “IMDb Everywhere” feature that lets the user post on Twitter or Facebook as well as the ubiquitous Facebook “Like” button, it does not support user reviews or ratings.
 I grew up idolizing Steve Jobs. I admit it. He is an inventive genius whose contributions have shaped the course of world technology. He has no peer in his field. On top of that, his keynote addresses have long been held up as an example of how to make a technical presentation. Again, who bests him in this area? This is the Steve I have revered for years. But the iPhone 4 and his handling of the blow back, have me wondering what happened to that Steve of yore. He approved a typically lovely graphical user interface (GUI) and hardware touted for its sharp industrial design. Very Apple. But he also allowed (or as Bloomberg puports ignored the warnings of) his engineers to make a ridiculous error in placing the antenna where it had to come into contact with the users hand, which would attenuate (screw up) the signal. To compound that the hot zone was placed exactly where nearly every user and every one, including Steve, that Apple portrayed using the phone, would hold it. Not cool. Not Apple. Where is my inventive genius? In response to what some have called Antennagate, Steve made a defense. They do it, too. He correctly pointed out that other manufacturers also have hot spots. He just neglected to point out that they didn’t blatantly place them in a position that they would routinely come into play.
After reading Phone Arena’s review of the Samsung Vibrant, I have to admit I’m feeling “Incredible”-y remorseful for not waiting. I carry a great camera with me at all times (Sony HS5V Cybershot) and typically don’t post from my phone so the sub par camera performance doesn’t bother me. But how I envy those [...] Download DoggCatcherI no longer have a care in the world. Just a few days ago I was mourning the easy iPod function on my iPhone. But I’m all better now. Although I have an Android phone, I am fully capable of automatically downloading my audio and video podcasts automatically. Here is the best part: I no longer have to sync with a computer to make it happen. The worst part is that I actually had to pay for an app. This is crazy but I actually felt like it was seven bucks well spent. I average over an hour a day listening to podcasts as I commute. It is a big part of what makes commuting bearable. With apologies to the iPhone users of whom I am no longer one, you can try this app out for 24 hours and return it if it doesn’t float your boat as well as it does mine. The good news for you Android folks is that want to try it is that I am going to explain it to you better than DoggCatcher explains itself. Even their screen shots appear to be of a defunct version. They do tell you what DoggCatcher can do. I’ll sum that up right now. Is part of the move to Hulu Plus subscription service an increase in commercials on Hulu’s free service? It would appear so. I went to catch up on back episodes of Burn Notice and was ready to pull my hair out from all the commercials. So, I did a quick search on Twitter [...] Rumors are flying that Google is about to take on Facebook with a new product named “Google Me”. I’m just arrogant enough to offer them some advice on how they can use the tools at their disposal to beat Facebook at their own game. Facebook has a polished and attractive user interface (UI). Their vulnerability lies in that they are a closed ecosystem and their business model relies on exploiting your information for their advertisers. The closed ecosystem means it only reveals media posted on their site by their users. Their business model means your privacy is their poverty. Google Me can build on some pretty nice services Google already provides. Google is first in web search. Google Profile allows us to link to the applications we already use (even if they are not Google’s so it is an open ecosystem). Google Reader is the most popular aggregator of RSS feeds. Here is how I would take the Reader back end and tie it in to Profile, Search, and my Google Contacts to make Google Me Googlicious. There is only one reason I go to Facebook. I have to if I want to see what media my friends regularly share there. But if they want to share a YouTube video or Picasa Album they have to re-post that content or link to it on Facebook. What if I could have all of their content fed to me? The content could be available in Facebook-like categories: All (News Feed); Mini-posts (Tweets, Facebook posts, etc.); Posts (Blogs, Buzz, etc.); Albums – with filters for Images, Videos, All (Picasa, Flickr, Facebook, etc.), Music (last.fm, Pandora, etc.), Podcasts|Vodcasts, Movies (IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes), and Location (Latitude, Gowalla, FourSquare, Yelp). Continue reading Google Me – My Way  At Last Yesterday, Amazon released the app that was the last major step to my saying I was as happy with my Droid Incredible as I was with my iPhone. Once again I can read everything from Tom Cocoran to the NIV Bible from my phone. I’m not big on reading physical books any more. [...] |
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