January | 2007 | MacRant

Archive for January, 2007

Smile If You Have Teeth

Posted in Blogroll, Tobacco on January 31, 2007| 2 Comments »

Do you believe RJ Reynolds or Philip Morris should have a right to advertise on a billboard across the street from a local school to promote their tobacco products?

I suspect the answer to that quesiton will largely determine if you read on.

In Marketing 101 they hammer home, know your demographics and lure them in as job #1. When you are limited by competitors or anti smoking laws then you do the next best thing and find a new generation of customers. RJ Reynolds or Philip Morris are doing just that. SNUS is a smokeless, spitlesss chewing tobacco substitute. Camel is running trials of SNUS in Austin, Tx and Portland, Or. RJ Reynolds product is called Toboka.

SNUS/Toboka are tiny dime sized bags filled with tobacco. The tobacco is steam pasturiezed, not fermented like most chewing tobacco, so users don’t have to spit out the juices. The small and tidy pouches are sold 20 to a tin and come in 3 flavors (spice, normal, frost). I’m sure the chewing gum conincendence is just that…

No-one from the tobacco industry would ever go on the record stating an intent to position and sale their product to kids. Rather, it’s a “young adult marketing strategy” and we want those hip young adults using our products. Targeting 20 somethings does waterfall down to the 16 year-old wanna-be-hip-ster youth.Chewing tobaccos, including SNUS, are safer than cigerettes, but can cause mouth and throat cancer and heart disease. I’m sure there will be a debate if the product can help you reduce dependence on cigerettes or adopt less-bad habits.

I grew up in a smokers house and remember blue-hazed filled automobiles and during the holiday’s you couldn’t see the Christmas tree let alone catch a breath. I have a bias, but I watched my father spend years doing the stop/start routine. After 25+ years of smoking he finally quit the nicotine habit which we were all very proud.

I’m a bit conflcted about a Tobacco Billboard advertisement. I don’t believe it should be visible from a school. A product that doesn’t look like tobacco, doesn’t smell like tobacco, can be used and nobody will notice is either brilliant or devious in targeting the youth demographic. I’m suspicious as these are the same companies that put 50+ carcinogenic compounds into cigarettes and we’re to take it on faith that SNUS is somehow a healthy product — That’s not logical.

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The Lives of Others…

Posted in Blogroll, gay, GLB, Lesbian, LWord on January 24, 2007|

I don’t want to scare you, but lately it’s getting a bit to frisky around here… Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications (not publicly available) released poll results which shows that gay, lesbian and bisexual people use social networks more often than straight people – 27% of the GLB group visited YouTube for “one hour or less” per week, compared to 22% of heterosexuals. The stats for Craiglist show a bigger gap – 20% of the GLB group compared to 13% of heterosexuals.

On MySpace, 33% of GLB users visit once per week, compared to 28% of heterosexuals. On Friendster, the numbers are 11% and 4%. Facebook has the dubious honor of being the “least gay” social network in the study – 11% of both GLB and straight people surveyed visit at least once a week. That might be partially explained by the fact that GLB users are on the web much more often – 32% are online between 24 and 168 hours per week, compared to 18 percent of heterosexuals. Meanwhile, 24% have visited personal blogs, compared to 12% of straight people. Most crucially, gay, lesbian and bisexual users are more positive about ads on blogs: twice as many feel positively about blog advertising (22% vs. 9%).

I’ve posted about demographics in this space previously, but in light of all these very active users of social networks, here are a few NEW sites getting ready to or have launched.

GLEE – A “social and professional networking site” for the LGBT community. It’s a product of Community Connect, which already has more than 16 million users on its niche social networks BlackPlanet, MiGente and Asian Avenue. The company conducted a survey of LGBT people who actively used social portals and found that 76% would prefer a gay social and professional network to either generic sites like MySpace and Friendster or existing gay dating sites. Community Connect already has a partnership with with Monster.com, which means they offer targeted job opportunities through the site.

OurChart – A social network spin-off of the Showtime series The L Word. The name “OurChart” derives from a chart in the TV series created by the character Alice, who uses it to map her relationships. Users will be able to create their own charts, as well as setting up a profile page. The founders include cast members Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey.

Olivia.com/connect – Is also a spin-off of sorts – it’s being released by the lesbian travel service Olivia Cruises and promotes itself as the “new online destination for lesbians”.

SocialButter – This gay and lesbian social network is set to launch in mid-January, providing a platform for “online socializing and real world connections”. It’s the work of one developer and powered by Ruby on Rails.

And now on the lighter side there is BrokeBack Future.

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Lost While Hiking? Use Your Camera GPS!

Posted in Blogroll, GPS, Nikon, Photography, Ricoh, Technology on January 23, 2007|

My photography stretches back far before the digital era, and many of my photo memories are etched into the emulsion of slide film. I was late to the digital party, but soon became enamored with all the information these cameras would record for me, like a diligent research assistant. My first digital camera recorded the date and time, image dimensions, and a few other features. As I bought new cameras and the Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) standard improved, more and more information was added that I had been too lazy to record.

The EXIF data records almost all the information, ranging from the obvious information of time and date, to the minute details such as the f-stop and shutter speed. There was, until recently, still a big gap in the EXIF — place or position. Now, Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled cameras will close the gap.

As a hiker, I’ve been interested in outdoor location-based photography and the GPS technology. I’ve watched the evolution of GPS photography, from the earlier Kodak cameras, gradually evolving to what is available now. Only a few cameras on the market today support direct recording of GPS data to EXIF—the Nikon D1X, D2X, and D2Hs; the Ricoh RDC-i700G; and the SurveyLab ike300 unit. For example the Red Hen Systems requires a consumer GPS unit and there are still cabling issues.

But, Ricoh just raised the bar. The new Ricoh 500SE is one of the first true GPS embedded/equipped digital cameras that I’ve seen. Very cool! The camera was specifically designed to optimize map-based workflows and includes built in Bluetooth or Wi-fi capability. There are bolt on units for the Nikon high-end cameras, but this is one of the first true GPS cameras I’ve seen with it built-in. The Ricoh 500SE captures “geo-images” or “geo-video” files, they are transferred to a PC, they are automatically converted to shape files or merged into geo-databases for instant integration into Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Points representing each file’s position may be hovered over to display a thumbnail of the file, or clicked on to access the original image or video.

A very positive trend and one I’m sure will accelerate more manufactures to come to market with GPS-ready cameras.

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A Cinnamon Dolce Week

Posted in Blogroll, Coffee, starbucks on January 22, 2007| 1 Comment »

I think I have an addiction to coffee. Not so much the substance itself, although I have my issues with it, but with Starbucks and all the trappings that comes along with the experience.

I laugh at people who pay a hundred dollars for a HDMI cable, or who are convinced that they need a $2,500 dollar Viiv PC to send e-mail to grandma, but show me a $4 Cinnamon Dolce Latte and I’m tempted to upgrade to Venti size. Speaking of, here’s the bucks scoop on the calorie content.

NUTRITION FACTS (venti size):
Cinnamon Dolce Latte with Sugar Free Syrup – no whip
Calories…..270
Total fat….14g
Cholesterol …45mg
Sugars…20g
Cinnamon Dolce Latte with Sugar Free Syrup – with whip
Calories…380
Total fat….23g
Cholesterol…80mg
Sugars…24g

NOTE TO DIABETICS OR SUGAR WATCHERS: The CDL with sugar free syrup still has as much as 24g of sugar!

So yesterday I ordered up a CDL, added a new Five-fruit Banana Muffin treat (it contains whole grains), picked up a new winter-themed mug, a Starbucks thank-you Card and a CD…paid $37 with the VISA which wasn’t max’ed out from the holidays and smiled out the door.

In the past 15 years I’ve gone from drinking whatever is in the break room — with cream-imitation, dairy dust — to grinding beans and speculating about how much better it would be if I brewed them in a Japanese/French press for exactly four and half minutes.

What I’m trying to say here is that it all started when I first sampled the Indonesian Archipelago Sumatra at a Singapore coffee shop in the Ex Pat district. I give up. I am a slave to the premium coffee industry, paying for the privilege of waiting for my Arabica lover to come and have its way with me. Clearly I’m going to be buying whatever they sell me, so here’s what I think my coffee ritual needs to be:

Step One: Roasting

Buying beans from Starbucks is so last year. Now I must experience the pleasure and satisfaction of selecting the best coffee beans online from all around the world and roasting them myself. I’ve ordered a commercial home roaster to set the beans on an appropriate journey.

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Step Two: Grinding

Current coffee grinders dice coffee beans the same, without acknowledging the specialness of each individual bean. The Indi-Bean 3000 allows me to insert one bean at a time, then analyzes the surface of the bean with blu-laser technology and uses a diamond blade to carefully carve it into symmetrical chunks. The chunks slide down a Teflon coated chute, and it’s ready for the next bean. It takes 30 minutes to grind enough coffee for a 12-ounce cup, but wow, can you taste it in every sip.

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Step Three: Water

For this I’ll need the perfect spray-mist for each morning’s cup, based on the bean, the outside temperature, the barometric pressure, and a host of other environmental factors. Some days I might be drinking melted arctic glacier water; the next, slightly filtered river water from the mouth of the Columbia. I’ll be in coffee heaven.

Step Four: Brewing

There are lots of ways to gently inject the water mist into coffee, but they all relate to time and temperature without giving much thought to setting a proper mood. The JavaStar 2200sx not only combines the grounds with the mist at a perfect 210 degrees Fahrenheit, but it provides the perfect romantic mood to get the coffee and the water ready to mingle in a most intimate manner. Sade plays directly into the mixing chamber and no coffee can resist the seductive power of this outrageously expensive device.

Step Five: The Cup

I don’t know about you, but I think coffee tastes best when served in a new winter-themed mug.

You’re likely asking about the beans themselves? You’ve probably heard about kopi luwak, the coffee beans that have passed through the digestive tract of a civet cat. Rest assured, I’m not going so far as to purchase cat excretions. Yet!

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Piracy Patch For Your Cub Scouts

Posted in Blogroll, Boy Scouts, DRM, MPAA, Piracy, Video on January 22, 2007|

Los Angeles area Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts have a new way to earn an activity patch — there’s a new “Respect Copyrights” activity patch offered by the LA area Boy Scouts and the MPAA.

I find this industry intervention creepy. I have no problem with Scouts being instructed in copyright law, but I’d bet a paycheck that the MPAA won’t be giving them an accurate description of the doctrine of fair use. So their badge isn’t going to signify a knowledge of copyright law so much as a knowledge of what the MPAA thinks copyright law should be.

This is about the money! The motion picture industry is a major economic engine. It contributes about $38 billion in revenue to the state of California alone. $34 billion of that revenue goes directly to Los Angeles County where the movie industry is the third largest job producer having created more than 246,000 jobs in 2005 alone. The worldwide motion picture industry, including foreign and domestic producers, distributors, theaters, video stores and pay-per-view operators estimated a loss of $18.2 billion in 2005 as a result of piracy–over $7 billion of which is attributed to Internet piracy and more than $11 billion attributed to hard goods piracy including bootlegging and illegal copying. We all know that motion picture piracy hurts more than the motion picture industry, and results in lost jobs and wages for American workers both inside and outside the movie industry and lost tax revenue for all levels of government.

I find this MPAA shallow attempt at fighting piracy, and rooting out pirates in the Scouts to be the lamest thing ever…they should give this patch out right after the ‘I can think for myself’ badge! I think consumer advocates should pull together and develop a “Respect Fair Use” activity patch.

The 52,000 Scouts in Los Angeles will not be required to act as spies to earn their badge, although snitching is not discouraged.

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Get A $249.00 Viiv™ PC?!

Posted in Blogroll, blu-ray, Console, Content Redistribution, Intel®, Macrovision, Nintendo®, Orb Networks, Outside-In, Playstation 3, PLAYSTATION®3, PS3, Viiv™, Wii™, YouTube on January 18, 2007|

When Nintendo® announced it opened up Internet access on the new Wii™, the people lucky enough to get the popular video game console got an unexpected gift ~~free~~ – “frii” – a simple new way to enjoy all of the digital entertainment on their home PC directly on their living room TV screen using Orb Networks™ software as the bridge.

Orb’s frii software allows you to enjoy all digital media from your home PC as well as online videos from the growing source of Internet TV and content sites on any other networked device with an internet browser – be it other PCs, lap tops, PDAs or mobile phones with streaming players – and now TV with the Wii. Also available for the PLAYSTATION®3.

Offering web browsing and internet connectivity on game consoles is simple and easy. And consumers want the freedom to surf the Web while sitting on their sofas. People can get any digital content on their home PC, be it videos, music, TV, photos, whatever they want, and watch it on their TV screen without limitations or additional fees, which is what Orb Networks promises and the Wii console deliver.

Let’s add this up. A Wii for $249, a frii Opera web browser, and frii Orb software. Isn’t that the cost of the Mediabolic DMA (Digital Media Adapter)? Stop the presses! Mediabolic was just acquired by Macrovision. I’m sure we’ll read how Mediabolic extends Macrovision’s capabilities in the delivery and enhancement of digital content blah, blah, blah. Bottom line is it’s ISS (It’s Simplicity Stupid!) – Simplicity is what consumers are looking for. Within 24 hours of Nintendo’s announcement, an avid fan had posted a tutorial on how to use Orb with Wii on YouTube, which thousands have already viewed at YouTube.

The net-net, is Nintendo has opened the door for millions of gamers to see the power of what the Internet can offer in terms of media freedom, choices and access: Sony will follow suit, and the content providers and programmers will take notice.

Did Intel® Viiv™ just became a bit less relevant? Is it relegated to a museum in a celebration of fascinating devices that don’t work? Watch and be amazed by the Wii!

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CES 2007 – An Incomplete Report

Posted in Bill Gates, Blogroll, blu-ray, CES, HD-DVD, IPTV, microsoft, OLED, Rescue, Sony, Technology, Video, Viiv™, Wii™, xBox 360 on January 16, 2007|

The Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a tech geek feast with thousands of consumer gadgets, technology, and accessories — far too much to cover in one read. CNET had more than 50 reporters covering the show, however, here are my observations on some relevant companies.

All my CES Photo’s are here.

AMD:
HP — new category of home servers. The HP MediaSmart Server uses AMD 1.8Ghz 64-bit Sempron processor.

Raon Digital — Korean based company launched the Vega (Ultra mobile device). An ultra portable PC device that looks like the Sony PSP. The Vega uses the AMD Geode LX800 processor running Windows XP Home edition. Excellent messaging with usage models laser beam focused on navigation, internet and multimedia.

LIVE! — Boasted they were powering the smarter HD experience. HDTV premium cable TV support (with the new ATI TV Wonder); Blu-Ray and HD-DVD playback at 1080p and enhanced audio features with integrated 7.1 audio amplifier. The TV Wonder can handle a number of standards, from NTSC analog television to ATSC over-the-air digital television and, of course, digital cable. The digital tuner is capable of handling all common HDTV resolutions, up to and including 1080p, due to AMD custom chips. Analog tuning capabilities are provided by an ATI Theater 550 chip, while an NXT2003 handles DTV duties. For digital cable, the TV Wonder does no video decompression. It simply receives encrypted data via the cable system and outputs a compressed video stream to the PC. Not just any PC can connect to this TV Wonder. It must meet a stringent set of requirements, including OCUR support in the BIOS and support for HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection). The PC must also be running one of the versions of Windows Vista—Home Premium or Ultimate—with built-in Media Center functionality. Media Center support for OCUR must then be activated with a code, much like Windows Vista activation. Other CES news for AMD here.

Bill Gates

IPTV:
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 — the video game console will soon get an online television service based on the company’s IPTV software. The service will offer on-demand video, channel guides, digital video recording, and other features. Gates told the CES audience that IPTV providers like AT&T, British Telecom and Deutsche Telecom can now use the Xbox 360 as their set-top box in those deployments. The Xbox 360 can now act as an alternative receiver and recorder. Gaming has always been the supposed killer app of interactive television, so by selling IPTV to the gaming generation, Microsoft may have come up with a brilliant marketing angle.

Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Players:
LG (BH100) introduced the first combo Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player. Although expensive at $1,200, the player puts pressure on other deck makers to adopt both formats and, more importantly, allows potential buyers to finally purchase discs according to which movie they like–not which player they own. LG also introduced a $1,199 computer drive, model GGW-H10N, capable of playing HD DVDs and playing and recording Blu-ray discs at up to 4x speed. It can also read and write DVDs and CDs.

Automobile Navigation and Infotainment:
Dash Express — is the first portable navigation system to have built-in two-way connectivity (cellular and Wi-Fi), giving drivers access to information via the Internet and the network of other Dash-connected users. The system display real-time traffic data, which comes from the network of other Dash drivers, while Web connectivity gives drivers a points-of-interest database served up by Yahoo Local, with whom Dash announced a partnership last week. Its Yahoo Local search gives drivers access to a points-of-interest database as big as the Web itself, and Dash throws in neat features such as the ability to search for gas stations by fuel price and for movie theaters by showtime.

Sync — In Gates keynote, generated a lot of buzz at the show and a CNET CES award, however, Sync is essentially the Microsoft Blue & Me product announced a year ago with Fiat. Fiat had a one-year global exclusive; now Ford has a one year exclusive in the U.S. market. Sync is more robust according to Microsoft, but it’s missing the GPS navigation feature. Sync is a small, in-dash computer running Windows Automotive, with 256 Mbytes of RAM and a 400-MHz StrongArm 11 processor. More than 50 cars already use Windows Automotive as an in-car operating system. Initially to be made available in twelve 2008 models across the Ford family and across the entire 2009 lineup from FoMoCo, the service will be a fully-integrated, flash memory-based system that enables drivers to call hands-free and to control a range of digital audio via voice commands and buttons mounted on the steering wheel. Microsoft stated that its software will be updatable, probably via the USB port. However, with Blue & Me cars, the user could request navigation instructions using the cellphone. A remote computer parses the request, confirms it’s the address or business you want, then downloads navigation instructions and rudimentary maps, navigating via arrows. The route instructions are spoken through the car speakers; the map information appears on the radio faceplate.

Mobile TV:
MediaFlo — Verizon Wireless partnered with MediaFlo to create a truly watchable TV-on-phone experience. V Cast Mobile TV offers full-length, live television programming on selected handsets via a dedicated UHF signal. There’s little of the pixelated, choppy effects of 3G video streaming, and audio/video syncing and channel switching is zippy. I’ve not been a large proponent of steaming TV on cell phones, but the quality of this solution will increasingly get people to use cell phones to watch videos.

HDTV:
Samsung — (FP-T5894W) wireless TV, the first of its kind, comes with a separate base station that accepts connections from A/V gear and wirelessly transmits to the 58-inch plasma panel via 802.11n at a range of up to 300 feet. Bit rates up to 150Mbps–plenty for 1080p video. This Samsung is the first big-screen integrated wireless TV I’ve seen. Sidebar: Samsung was the only booth with “no photo” tags everywhere. People ignored the tags, but made me wonder why they had them?

Sharp — claimed to have the world’s largest LCD TV: the 108-inch 1080p Aquos
Sony — BRAVIA Internet Video System. Sony announced this free service to be offered on the majority of new Sony televisions starting with several Bravia LCD TVs. The new televisions will accept an attachable module called the Bravia Internet Video Link, can stream broadband high-definition and other internet video content with the press of a remote control button. Sony said the module will be available summer 2007. Partners include AOL, Yahoo and Grouper, now part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, as well as Sony Pictures itself and Sony BMG. Executives from the first three companies joined Glasgow for a demonstration to show off a range of content from Movies to Sports events and even user generated content. The Sony Xross Media Bar (XMB), an icon-based user interface similar to what is already found on PlayStation 3 (PS3), PSP and a recently introduced Sony A/V receiver, made its debut in conjunction with the Internet video demo. The device doesn’t need a PC.

OLED – Sony had a dozen prototype organic-light-emitting-diode (OLED) screens, on display (see picture). They featured an incredible 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (compared to ratios of 5,000:1 for conventional LCD TVs) and a 180-degree viewing range, and, most of all, they were super thin—a 27-inch model was only 10-mm thick.

BRAVIA KDL-70XBR3, 70 inch 1080p LCD and first to offer x.v.Color, MotionFlow (120hz fast-frame rate), 10-bit pane and processing, Triluminos LED backlighting with 7000:1 contrast ratio.

Wireless:
Gefen — launched a $500 Wireless HDMI Extender showcasing 1080p video.

Samsung — showcased the SPH-P9000 WiMax Phone. The latest in mobile convergence device. It’s a PDA-based device utilizing Mobile WiMax and CDMA EV-DO connectivity for wireless access to the Internet and simultaneously providing mobile phone connection for voice communication.

CellSTART — allows users to control keyless entry, remote start and vehicle security systems through cell phones. The product uses proprietary software that provides a graphical interface on the cell phone for functions such as unlocking and locking doors, starting and stopping the engine, and providing notifications to users in the event of vehicle theft. CellSTART was developed by Crayon Interface, and is manufactured and distributed by JBS Technologies. CellSTART is supported by Crayon Interface’s Moshi wireless platform technology. Moshi turns cell phones into remote control and monitoring devices through graphical software downloaded over-the-air to phones and a data network for dispatching messages between cell phones and various devices.

Content:
Starz (Vongo) — partnered with Microsoft to bundle/pre-load Vongo’s application on all PCs and Laptops shipped with Vista OS. Vongo is a video downloading service offering unlimited subscription access to hit movies, TV shows, and more, all for just $9.99 per month. Subscribers can browse the video library from a TV set through a networked PC when the TV is connected to a Windows Media Center Extender such as Xbox 360. Users and download the movie and stream it to another part of the home network. Downloads can reside on up to three devices, including laptops and portable media players (based on Microsoft’s Portable Media Center Version 2).

CBS — partnered with Sling Media’s “place-shifting” technology to let users access premium home channels while away from any Internet-connected device, on a test of a service that will allow users to share short segments of CBS programming. The Clip+Sling service will allow owners of Sling Media’s Slingbox device to clip and share content directly from live or recorded TV shows with both other Slingbox owners and others over the Internet.

Sony — BRAVIA Internet Video System a free service to be offered on the majority of new Sony televisions starting with several Bravia LCD TVs. The new televisions will accept an attachable module called the Bravia Internet Video Link, can stream broadband high-definition and other internet video content with the press of a remote control button. Sony said the module will be available summer 2007. Partners include AOL, Yahoo and Grouper, now part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, as well as Sony Pictures itself and Sony BMG. Executives from the first three companies joined Glasgow for a demonstration to show off a range of content from Movies to Sports events and even user generated content. The Sony Xross Media Bar (XMB), an icon-based user interface similar to what is already found on PlayStation 3 (PS3), PSP and a recently introduced Sony A/V receiver, made its debut in conjunction with the Internet video demo. The device doesn’t need a PC.

HDMI v1.3:
The new standard for the highest-quality digital A/V connection, and being dubbed as “the 1080p of 2007.” HDMI Licensing LLC, the company behind the connection, along with Mitsubishi and Dolby, did their best to convince people about the benefits of the new HDMI standard. The net-net: HDMI 1.3 has more than twice the bandwidth of the previous version (10.2 Gbps vs. 4.95 Gbps), which allows manufacturers of all flavors to offer a range of future extras. These can include: Deep Color (HDMI is limited to 8-bit); Wider Color Gamut; support for Dolby and DTS lossless audio formats; Lip-Sync compensation. The only confirmed devices with HDMI 1.3 are the PlayStation 3 and the upcoming Toshiba HD-XA2 HD-DVD player and Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 1080 projector (model EPM-TW1000).

Operating Systems:
Vista RESCUE — hard to miss, from the gigantic Vista banner at the airport, to the exclusive space completely separate from Microsoft’s main booth, promoting the new operating system (Consumer launch set for Jan. 30, 2007). Most all hardware vendors talking about its plans to incorporate Vista in upcoming models so the buzz on the floor is positive and interest seems high.

OEMs:
HP — Touch-screen capability is a standard feature in Windows Vista Home Premium, and HP has put it to use in a $1,799 TouchSmart PC IQ770. Many features you’d expect in a midrange all-in-one PC system (DVD burner, Wi-Fi, wireless mouse and keyboard), HP also included an application suite called SmartCenter. The apps include an organizer/calendar and photo-editing software that are all touch screen-driven and ridiculously easy to use. Families will want this.

Sony — VAIO XL3 Digital Living Room System. Included a Blu-ray DVD burner, CableCard support for digital cable reception, and Windows Vista Home Premium. Had a Core 2 Duo, 2GB memory, a 500GB hard drive, and a GeForce 7600 GTL graphics card with an HDMI output. It also comes with both NTSC and ATSC tuners, for analog cable and over-the-air HD, respectively. Not cheap for a $3,300 PC, but Blu-ray burners and Sony-engineered component-style chassis have never come cheap.

Sony — VAIO TP1 Living Room System. Spherical shaped PC encased in lacquer white elegant skin. Dubbed the PC intelligence for your TV-browser with built-in TV tuners, wireless LAN, Media Center and HDMI connectivity.

Alienware — Area 51 m9750. Core 2 Duo (overclocking is an option) up to 2GB of 667MHz RAM and two 7,200rpm hard drives with up to 400GB total capacity, and two Nvidia GeForce Go 7950 graphics cards in a scalable link interface for fast gaming performance. Laptop is Vista-based w/ 17-inch screen is the first to hit the market with two graphics cards. Also includes an integrated TV tuner as well as a Blu-ray drive. Alienware is trying to hit a price point for less than $2,000–which would make it one of the most affordable gaming laptops.

Home Storage/Servers:
HP — a new batch of devices unveiled at the Microsoft keynote is the HP MediaSmart Server (AMD 1.8Ghz 64-bit Sempron processor), which runs Windows Home Server. You can access into the MediaSmart Server from an Internet-connected computer anywhere in the world to access your files and applications, leveraging enhanced security features. With four hard drive bays and four USB ports for external drives, Vista-compatible the MediaSmart Server can be an ideal solution for centralizing and sharing your growing media library.

Hardware & Software Innovation:
Powercast (formerly Firefly Power Technologies) — (Pennsylvania start-up; John Shearer, CEO) is looking to change the way we interact and charge our handheld gadgets. They use energy from a transmitted RF signal to power small, battery-operated devices–cell phones and wireless PC peripherals. The transmitter can be placed in anything that plugs into the wall (lamps, alarm clocks, and so on) and can send a low, continuous signal to small gadgets that contain an embedded receiver.

EyeSpot — Offers drag and drop flash video editing direct to consumers and in partnership with companies like Blip.tv and Veoh. Competitor Jumpcut was acquired by Yahoo! last month. From cell phone ring tones to short video clips, online multimedia editing is clearly being bet on as the next step for the YouTube generation. Veoh has Michael Eisner and Overture’s last CEO Ted Meisel on its board. Blip.tv is the foundation of CNN’s new citizen video initiative. Partnerships like this make Eyespot look like VideoEgg, the company that provides browser based video capture to social networking sites from Bebo to Dogster. Liz Gannes reports that Eyespot also has partnerships with Lions Gate Entertainment, Current TV, Zomba/Jive, TVT, Columbia, Epic, Island Records, and Concord Records.

Bones in Motion — location-aware application developer. Launched at DEMO 2006 their first products is BiM Active and BiM Active Online which are fitness tracking and logging solutions for people living healthy lifestyles. Partnered with Verizon Wireless, runners can easily track, store and share running routes and important training information while listening to music on their Verizon Phones.

JuiceCaster — Mobile Social Network. Juice Wireless, creators of the moblogging platform JuiceCaster. As a consumer-facing site, I found it unconvincing – not clear if it’s mobile photo sharing, or moblogging? Perhaps it’s MySpace for cellphones? It’s hard to tell.

WaveMarket — WaveBlog enables consumers to create location-aware multimedia Weblogs with their mobile phones using an innovative map-based interface. Content can be for private use like a family photo album, or published publicly where the user-generated comments and pictures are categorized, ranked and location-tagged to enable dynamic real-time mobile communities. SMS messages link you to the hippest club-goer through the Entertainment Portal community, allowing you to view pictures of club scenes in real-time. Sell your restaurant reservation to someone nearby. Be warned by the Weblog community of pickpockets around the Roman Coliseum. Mobile users will become the biggest sources of location-specific information and media, accessible by mobile phone or PC.

Smarter Agent — combines mobile location technology, such as GPS, with information about real estate, neighborhoods and interesting places around you. By delivering location-relevant content to mobile devices and the Internet, consumers and professionals can learn, interact and transact with the world around them.

ES3 — A method of identifying content properties such that “the content” can be rendered in many different ways targeting the needs of the end-user. Solution increases revenue opportunities for the Content Provider/Portals and increases Broadband efficiencies for the Telcos. Based on “rich” Meta Data, the ES3 method can identify and “remove” undesired content elements at time of rendering and allows for personalization of content by the end-user

Raon Digital — Korean based company launched the Vega. An ultra portable PC device that looks like the Sony PSP. The Vega uses the AMD Geode LX800 processor running Windows XP Home edition. Excellent messaging with usage models laser beam focused on navigation, internet and multimedia. No information on software eco-system support.

Agere — The portable media usage scenario is: user has cellphone, user has portable media device, user wishes portable media device could be integrated into cellphone so user only needs to take with them one device. Agere’s new BluOnyx device, by way of Bluetooth, SD card, or USB, users load up their BluOnyx which wirelessly transfers via Bluetooth to the user’s cellphone for playback. Ability to easily broadcast video to everyone (or just your specified friends) in your vicinity via Bluetooth, or quickly backup your phone to a portable hard drive are interesting ideas, it’s not clear that the novelty is enough to get you to leave your media player at home.

Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps…

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Playstation 3 Unleashed My Savings

Posted in Blogroll, microsoft, Playstation 3, PS3, Sony, xBox 360 on January 12, 2007| 1 Comment »

The Playstation®3 (PS3) became available in North America on November 17, 2006. Lots of hype and marketing buzz led up to the launch. Unfortunately PS3’s were being sold on eBay for more than $2300 and reports of violence surrounding the release include a customer shot, campers robbed at gunpoint and the fatal police shooting of a college student suspected of stealing video game consoles in Raleigh, NC. In California, two GameStop employees fabricated a robbery to cover up their own theft of several PS3 and four Xbox 360 consoles. All this put a rather negative spin on what would normally be a positive launch.

Sony’s game unit is expecting a $1.7 billion loss this fiscal year with an estimated loss of $250 for every PS3 sold. I help contribute to their “loss” and was fortunate to obtain a system three days before Christmas. Fry’s lowered their 7 game bundled requirement to ‘only’ 3 games so, I dug deep into my savings and walked out (admittedly a bit nervous thru the parking lot) with a black lacquer shiny object.

Before I detail how I’ve been riding the XBox pony for a long while and decided to switch to a PS3 vs. upgrade to the XBox360 let’s review some of the technology.

The basic configuration of the PS3 console has a 20 GB internal hard drive. The “premium” version comes with an internal 60 GB 2.5″ Serial ATA hard drive, IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity, multiple flash memory card readers (SD, CompactFlash, Memory Stick), and features a chrome-colored trim.

Cell Broadband Engine™:
The heart of the console is the multicore Cell Broadband Engine™ (CBE) architecture. Dr. H. Peter Hofstee is the chief architect of the Cell Synergistic Processor, and Cell chief scientist at the Austin STI (Sony -Toshiba – IBM) design center. It’s a new processor architecture which extends the IBM 64-bit Power Architecture™ technology. The multicore CPU with 8 SPU (Synergistic Processor Units) were launched November 9, 2005.

Blu-Ray Disc™ (BD):
Included is the next-generation media format player that delivers high-definition resolution at 1080p. Previous blog on HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray here.

Online Connectivity:
Always on connectivity with the gigabit networking to the internet to access communication features and play on line games. The PlayStation Network, is a response to Microsoft’s very successful Xbox Live network. Sony provides a unified online service for the PS3 console and the service is always connected, free and includes multiplayer support. However, developers are permitted and will charge a subscription fee.

Controller:
The PS3 SIXAXIS sensing system allows users to maneuver the controller as an extension of your body. It has finer analogue sensitivity, more trigger-like R2 and L2 buttons, a PS button, and a USB mini-B port for charging the internal battery and use for wired play. The PS3 supports up to 4 simultaneous controllers over Bluetooth. The SIXAXIS is named for its ability to detect motion in the full six degrees.

Media Connectivity:
HDMI connector for highest resolution via a single cable. If you have an older HDTV, i.e. one that doesn’t support 720p resolution, prepare to be disappointed. The PS3 will down-rev your video to 480p, not up-rev it to 1080i. HDMI and DVI have the same video signal, so if you have a DVI port on your TV you lucked out! (Audio must be handled separately though.) Simply adapting from an HDMI port to a DVI port does the trick. You can use a HDMI to DVI adapters from Gefen.

User Interface:
The system includes a user interface called XMB™ (XrossMediaBar). The horizontal row shows system features in categories, and the vertical column shows items that can be performed under each category. The main screen for XMB is called the “home menu”.

Contents and Install:

Most new owners will fire up the console without looking at the manual–and they probably won’t run into any trouble. It’s easy to hook up, even if you do some tech reading before.

Once turned on, the PS3 will ask you to choose a language and a time zone, and set the time/date. You then create a user account, sign in, and are presented with the Xross Media Bar (XMB) navigation interface, which looks similar to the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld.

The first order of biz was to properly configure the high-definition output. I did this by navigating to the video settings and changing the unit’s output to 1080p over HDMI. The difference was incredible. I attached the audio connections via an option fiber-optic cable, and set the PS3 to send audio over that route (while still transmitting video via HDMI). The result: Easy setup and great sound.

I wanted to view what the Playstation Network had to offer so I signed in with my user account and surfed thru some offerings.

In the PS3’s system settings, I noticed that my new unit’s hard disk had approx 52GB of its 60GB total available, and that the operating system was version 1.00. The first game I loaded–NBA 07–included the 1.02 system update and installed it before I could begin playing. Though the installation took only a few minutes, having to wait at all was a little frustrating. The PS3 manual says that some games have their required updates built-in to help you avoid having to patch via the Internet.

The default background color changes depending on the current month of the year. Mine went from blue to silver (black & white) after I updated the system software. This confused me for a good while until I dived deeper in the book.

Bonus Features:
Bluetooth: My blackberry bluetooth enable head phone/set works with PS3, and very well I might add for a solid gaming experience.

Why PS3 vs. Xbox 360
1. Noise – The PS3 runs much more quietly than the Xbox 360. The PS3 unit itself doesn’t get hot and lock up like large number of users continue to report on the 360. Sure you can buy another fan base, but then the air around it tends to warm the family room after a few hours of continuous play.

2. Blu-Ray Disc Player – Included and it upgrades my media experience. If you price an Xbox 360 with the $199 HD-DVD then you are with-in $25 of PS3 and the Xbox 360 only does 1080i not “P”. I’m told there is a firmware update that does support “p”. Even if you pay for the remote (the Xbox 360 comes with one) to make the PS3 the entertainment-centric package it’s claiming to be, you’ll be spending a total of $525 or $625, depending upon which version of the player you get. That’s far less than you’d pay if you bought a dedicated Blu-ray Disc player today; they range in price from $899 for the Philips BDP9000 to $1500 for the soon to release Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1

3. Supports AAC (iTunes default). The PS3 can play music CDs, access song information from AMG (the All Music Guide) and copy/rip songs to its hard disk. By default, it does it in AAC format at 128 kbps, but you can create MP3 and ATRAC files if you prefer. I’m not sure about WMA, but I don’t rip my music in this format since I’m running iPod’s.

4. HDMI-output, gigabit networking, and built-in Bluetooth 2.0 support.

Pesky Issues:
Audio:
You are forced to select Audio output through the HDMI connector, Component cables or the fiber-optic audio port. I don’t always like to power my home theater amp and associated surround speakers and will play a game just on the HDTV speakers. No option to do this now and I’m required to power up the amp for audio.

Controller:
Unlike the DualShock, the PS3 controller has no force feedback (rumble) support in controller. I like this feature during game play and hope they update the controller.

Parting Shots:
The PS3 at first glance seems like an expensive box, but less so when you compare its cost to the cost of a stand-alone Blu-ray player, a high-end PC graphics card, the Xbox 360 with its HD-DVD add-on, or even a Media Center PC.

The PS3 was worth the wait! And don’t sit too close to your HDTV when playing… I tried it and felt sick!

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