Movies, Television and Friends

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Tom Long
Go to Apple site

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.


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Steve, Where Are You?

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Tom Long

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.


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Buyer's Remorse – A Woeful Tale

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Tom Long

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 who are going to have a battery that lasts them all day without charging. Going to Europe? Just buy a SIM card there and swap it in and you’re practically a local. (A tipster on Google Buzz told me that is what he did for his daughter spending the summer in Italy.) Add in the sweet music player interface and iPhone-like fixed bottom row of icons for all screens and HDMI out and 720p video recording and . . .

Crap. Just 1 year and 11 months to go on my contract. (But maybe by then the U.S. will have one with a front-facing camera.)

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Be a Lucky Dog

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Tom Long

Download DoggCatcher

I 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.
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MORE Hulu Commercials

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Tom Long

clicker over Hulu FTWIs 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 and found that a lot of people are noticing the same thing.    This saddens me because I have been a frequent user of Hulu’s desktop app – I even have it as a menu item in my Windows Media Center.  It is clearly better looking than any of its competitors.

What really scares me is whether if I pay the ten bucks I will get the old level of commercials or the new higher number of commercials?    Thank goodness Clicker and Boxee offer other, better ways to view internet TV.   I have Boxee as a Media Center plug-in also and, like Clicker, Boxee gives me the choice of watching on the site of the source network.  XBMC ,this creates an opening for your great service to expand into internet TV.

I wonder how long it will be before the network websites increase the number of their commercials also.  Now, where is my Clicker app (for Android, please)?

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