Nani hands on video
Nani4.3 inch Wide VGA LCD Screen.D1(720x480)WMV9, MPEG1,2,4, DivX, Xvid.Phone(Japan W-SIM).Portable Digital TV(Japan OneSEG).WiFi(IEEE802.11g/b).Windows CE 5.0 Professional PlusMicrosoft Office Viewer.This multimediaphone is developed by Korean venture named Tinnos, Inc. in corlaboration with Japanese comapny, Sophia systems.
Nani hands on video
Nani4.3 inch Wide VGA LCD Screen.D1(720x480)WMV9, MPEG1,2,4, DivX, Xvid.Phone(Japan W-SIM).Portable Digital TV(Japan OneSEG).WiFi(IEEE802.11g/b).Windows CE 5.0 Professional PlusMicrosoft Office Viewer.This multimediaphone is developed by Korean venture named Tinnos, Inc. in corlaboration with Japanese comapny, Sophia systems.
BenQ confirms Apple iPod iPhone
Apple iPhone is no longer a rumour. An iPod phone is definitely coming.BenQ insiders say that Apple will launch an iPod with phone functions within the next few months. Several phone makers in Taiwan, including BenQ suppliers, are in talks with Apple procurement executives to cut a manufacturing deal on an iPod Phone.Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision to tipped build the
Why Buy an iPod When You Can Get the iPhone Without AT&T
Considering to purchase an iPod ? Why not get the iPod++ (aka iPhone) that has all the features of an iPod, plus a camera, internet access, touch screen keyboard and an excellent interface. Lech Johansen (aka DVD Jon), who became world-famous after writing a DVD copying software, has published a hack to activate the iPhone without iTunes or the two year voice and data contract from AT&T. Add
Apple Adds Low Resolution Digital Camera to iPhone
One of the most eagerly awaited mobile devices on the planet is undoubtedly the iPod cell phone popularly known in rumor circles as the Apple iPhone.While consumers can expect to buy the iPhone handsets early next year, the latest buzz is that these iPhones will also include a 2.0-megapixel digital camera in addition to the iPod MP3 player.If the news is true, I wonder who would be willing to
Jonathan Ive: The Designer of Apple iPhone
[The first iPhone Call - Steve Jobs talking to designer Jonathan Ive]Popularly known as the Apple Design Guru or even the Armani of Apple Computers, 40 year old Jony Ive heads the design team at Apple, reporting directly to the CEO Steve Jobs.Ive's team has designed key Apple products including the Powerbook G4, iMac, Mac Mini, iPod and now the revolutionary iPhone, a mere prototype of which sent
Apple iPhone (iPod + Cellphone) in Q4 2006
The much awaited Apple iTunes cellphone (called iPhone) will hit the shelves later this year.Apple is working on "an iPod with phone functions" and could end up using Hon Hai Precision, a Tiawanese contract electronics manufacturer, to help them make the phone, says Johnny Chan, a J.P. Morgan analyst based in Hong Kong. Hon Hai has a big role in making the iPod Nano.Barron's Online reports while
iPhone vs Nokia N95, BlackBerry Curve, Treo, Samsung BlackJack
Just ten days ahead of the much-hyped iPhone launch, Apple has released a smartphone matrix comparing the physical dimensions, talk time and battery life of some of the most popular smartphones that are available in the market today. As per the matrix, Apple iPhone is the thinnest smartphone (half the thickness of N95 or Treo 750) with the largest screensize and Wi-Fi capabilities. [pdf] While
iPhone Books, Training DVDs and Accessories on Amazon Store
Just hours before the iPhone launch, dozens of iPhone books, training DVDs and accessories like LCD screen protector, iPhone car chargers, iPhone Leather pouch, etc have gone for sale at the Amazon Online store. David Pogue's missing iPhone manual is very likely to rule the market. iPhone: The Missing Manual - Written by New York Times columnist David Pogue, this book teaches you how to extend
iPhone Skins for Windows Mobile Phones & PalmOS Keep the Lawyers Busy
"Creative designers" have created iPhone skins for Palm Treo and other smartphones that anyone can download from the web to make their phone look like the iPhone.Though these skins don't add iPhone like features to your mobile device, Apple is unhappy because the iPhony themes use the actual iPhone icons made from the screenshots available on the Apple website.Therefore, Apple lawyers are having
199 iphone wall paper
Related Stories iPhone Wallpaper Downloads
iPhone Colorful Wallpaper – 199
iPhone Colorful Wallpaper – 201
iPhone Colorful Wallpaper – 200
Some very cool concept phones from Japan
I just love seeing concepts from all over the web and there is an abundance of concepts. But rarely do I see Japanese concepts. Why is everything Japanese just cooler to me? Anyways these concepts are not pics or renderings. They were actually built and put on display. The concepts were presented by the Japanese mobile operator AU KDDI and like all things Japanese...they are to the extreme. The
Some very cool concept phones from Japan
I just love seeing concepts from all over the web and there is an abundance of concepts. But rarely do I see Japanese concepts. Why is everything Japanese just cooler to me? Anyways these concepts are not pics or renderings. They were actually built and put on display. The concepts were presented by the Japanese mobile operator AU KDDI and like all things Japanese...they are to the extreme. The
Sony Ericsson K810 to be available in red
Yet another leak from the carphonewarehouse. This time they are letting us know that the Sony Ericsson K810 will have another red color in addition to the black and gold. It actually looks nice. An all silver or white one would also be nice. This new red flavor is expected to be available in September this year.
Sony Ericsson K810 to be available in red
Yet another leak from the carphonewarehouse. This time they are letting us know that the Sony Ericsson K810 will have another red color in addition to the black and gold. It actually looks nice. An all silver or white one would also be nice. This new red flavor is expected to be available in September this year.
New Nokia 5310 XpressMusic info
Badger from mobile-review have posted some new juicy details on the unannounced Nokia 5310 XpressMusic. It sounds really good and it will be cheap. I can't wait for official announcement. Here is what he posted."The 5310 is very thin - Think SE AI without the 3G. Its black with a rubbery feel to it. 2mpx camera no AF - as Expected dedicated music buttons HCSD is supported.Very nice low cost
New Nokia 5310 XpressMusic info
Nokia5310 XpressMusic phone is a super-slim S40 candybar handset. The handset is only 9.9 millimetre thick and weighs only 70 grams. No wonder it is called a super-slim phone. It is being said that the 5310 XpressMusic phone from Nokia is the company’s answer to Sony Ericsson’s W880 model because of its dedicated music controls on its left edge. The phone enables you to “sideload” music bought
The Picasso phone
This is not some made up Chinese phone. This is the official Picasso phone. It's design is inspired by PABLO PICASSO RUIZ, the famous Spanish artist. the phone's model name is GF901 and will make it's first appearance in Taiwan. The phone comes in 3 different colors (black/red/blue) and has the shiny mirror front (even has that external screen that can't be seen when it's off). Kinda reminds me
The Picasso phone
This is not some made up Chinese phone. This is the official Picasso phone. It's design is inspired by PABLO PICASSO RUIZ, the famous Spanish artist. the phone's model name is GF901 and will make it's first appearance in Taiwan. The phone comes in 3 different colors (black/red/blue) and has the shiny mirror front (even has that external screen that can't be seen when it's off). Kinda reminds me
New Samsung i620 Windows Mobile 6 smartphone
Features: Operating System - Microsoft® Windows Mobile® standard (WM6) GSM/GPRS - Tri Band (900/1800/1900 MHz), HSDPA Wireless - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 Camera - Yes Memory - 64MB RAM / 128MB ROM microSD™ External Memory Slot The Samsung SGH-i620 Smartphone has a compact slider form factor, with a slide down QWERTY keyboard. Use the 5-way navigation keypad to access applications quickly. For
New Samsung i620 Windows Mobile 6 smartphone
Features: Operating System - Microsoft® Windows Mobile® standard (WM6) GSM/GPRS - Tri Band (900/1800/1900 MHz), HSDPA Wireless - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 Camera - Yes Memory - 64MB RAM / 128MB ROM microSD™ External Memory Slot The Samsung SGH-i620 Smartphone has a compact slider form factor, with a slide down QWERTY keyboard. Use the 5-way navigation keypad to access applications quickly. For
TWUIK Visual Album Demo
TWUIK, is a UI technology that we recently launched at JavaONE '07. It allows carriers, developers, content providers to easily create high impact visual UI, snazzy animation and dazzling graphics for your applications. Without any esoteric graphics and math techniques, developers and content providers can create fluid, stutter-free effects and experiences. You can catch a glimps from our YouTube
TWUIK Visual Album Demo
TWUIK, is a UI technology that we recently launched at JavaONE '07. It allows carriers, developers, content providers to easily create high impact visual UI, snazzy animation and dazzling graphics for your applications. Without any esoteric graphics and math techniques, developers and content providers can create fluid, stutter-free effects and experiences. You can catch a glimps from our YouTube
Sony Ericsson S500 vs W580 pics
Walkman against emotional. Like I have said before Sony Ericsson managed to give unique identities to each of these phones. The S being stylish and the W being music centric and hip. After seeing these 2 phones side by side, I must say that I prefer the W580 look. The S500 looks a bit cheap in real life (the W580 doesn't suffer from this). Currently, my eyes are set on the grey W580. Which
Sony Ericsson S500 vs W580 pics
Walkman against emotional. Like I have said before Sony Ericsson managed to give unique identities to each of these phones. The S being stylish and the W being music centric and hip. After seeing these 2 phones side by side, I must say that I prefer the W580 look. The S500 looks a bit cheap in real life (the W580 doesn't suffer from this). Currently, my eyes are set on the grey W580. Which
Sony Ericsson W580 hands on video
Here is a 6 minute video showing the Sony Ericsson W580 in action. This phone in it's grey color is absolutely gorgeous. I think I will wait for the price to drop and maybe buy it. Enjoy the video!
Sony Ericsson W580 hands on video
Here is a 6 minute video showing the Sony Ericsson W580 in action. This phone in it's grey color is absolutely gorgeous. I think I will wait for the price to drop and maybe buy it. Enjoy the video!
Sony Ericsson P1i: Ain't happenin', just ain't happenin'
After a day and a half I realize that a smaller secondary phone may not have to have a qwerty.
Sony Ericsson P1i: Ain't happenin', just ain't happenin'
After a day and a half I realize that a smaller secondary phone may not have to have a qwerty.
PDA Battery(iPhone)
Rechargeable BatteryModels:iPhone, (1400mAh, 3.7VDC) Package Include:Rechargeable Battery x 1 Assembly Tools x 1 set Instruction Menu x 1 20$ US from brando
PDA Battery(iPhone)
Rechargeable BatteryModels:iPhone, (1400mAh, 3.7VDC)Package Include:Rechargeable Battery x 1Assembly Tools x 1 setInstruction Menu x 120$ US from brando
One really long Sony Ericsson P1 hand on review
When I mean long...I mean 9 minutes long. Too bad it is in French.
Sony Ericsson K770 Cyber-shot phone
At just 14.5mm slim and finished in a fashionable Truffle Brown, the K770 can take pictures as good as a standalone digital camera; pictures can be printed up to A4 size. The camera can also be used for video and comes with a powerful photo light for indoor photo-taking and filming. As with all Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot™ phones, ‘ease of use’ sits at the heart of the experience. To take a picture,
New Symbian Samsung i570
Samsung i570- Symbian S60- HSDPA- WIFI- full slide down QWERTY keyboard- landscape oriented QVGA display- 2 mega pixel camera- 160 MB memory- microSD support- measures 96x60x16 mm- weighs 123 gramsPics from mobilemania.sk
New Symbian Samsung i570
Samsung i570- Symbian S60- HSDPA- WIFI- full slide down QWERTY keyboard- landscape oriented QVGA display- 2 mega pixel camera- 160 MB memory- microSD support- measures 96x60x16 mm- weighs 123 gramsPics from mobilemania.sk
New Samsung F110 Adidas phone
This phone was created through cooperation between Samsung and Adidas. This phone is designated as a sports phone with personal trainer applications like a pedometer, heart beat monitor, calories-counter and a voice coach feature that talks during work outs. The phone also features a 2 mega pixel camera, microSD support, FM radio, quadband/EDGE support and bluetooth stereo.
New Samsung F110 Adidas phone
This phone was created through cooperation between Samsung and Adidas. This phone is designated as a sports phone with personal trainer applications like a pedometer, heart beat monitor, calories-counter and a voice coach feature that talks during work outs. The phone also features a 2 mega pixel camera, microSD support, FM radio, quadband/EDGE support and bluetooth stereo.
O2 looks to iPhone to maintain growth
O2 expects the launch of broadband and Apple's iPhone to maintain its momentum during the second half of the year, after it outperformed the market over the past three months. O2 refused to confirm that it has won the right to sell Apple's music-oriented handset exclusively in the UK, despite evidence appearing in source code on Carphone Warehouse's website.Peter Erskine, chief executive of O2,
O2 looks to iPhone to maintain growth
O2 expects the launch of broadband and Apple's iPhone to maintain its momentum during the second half of the year, after it outperformed the market over the past three months.O2 refused to confirm that it has won the right to sell Apple's music-oriented handset exclusively in the UK, despite evidence appearing in source code on Carphone Warehouse's website.Peter Erskine, chief executive of O2,
Sealing up your Nokia N95 picture guide
This is an original and creative way for all you folks who wants to protect your valuable Nokia N95. This is a good way to totally prevent scratches but will that transparent cover leave residue when peeled off.
Sealing up your Nokia N95 picture guide
This is an original and creative way for all you folks who wants to protect your valuable Nokia N95. This is a good way to totally prevent scratches but will that transparent cover leave residue when peeled off.
Sony Ericsson W3i concept
This slick concept is made by SE_cz over at esato. This guy is very talented and have created tons of other cool concepts. Anyways, this phone is of a slider form factor and seems to be thin. It has a huge 480x800 touchscreen and has all touch sensitive buttons. Here are the given specs.- 16 GB storage- 256 MB RAM- WIFI/UMTS/HSDPA/EDGE- 5 mega pixel camera with xenon flash
Sony Ericsson W3i concept
This slick concept is made by SE_cz over at esato. This guy is very talented and have created tons of other cool concepts. Anyways, this phone is of a slider form factor and seems to be thin. It has a huge 480x800 touchscreen and has all touch sensitive buttons. Here are the given specs.- 16 GB storage- 256 MB RAM- WIFI/UMTS/HSDPA/EDGE- 5 mega pixel camera with xenon flash
Another watch that is a mobile phone
Yet another mobile phone watch made by the Chinese. This one looks alot better than the M300 but it is still far from looking normal. It is quite huge and bulky. It has a usable screen and has a built in 2 mega pixel camera. Like all of these watch phones, using them requires a bluetooth headset. It even comes in many different colors to suit your liking.
Another watch that is a mobile phone
Yet another mobile phone watch made by the Chinese. This one looks alot better than the M300 but it is still far from looking normal. It is quite huge and bulky. It has a usable screen and has a built in 2 mega pixel camera. Like all of these watch phones, using them requires a bluetooth headset. It even comes in many different colors to suit your liking.
Cell phones light up operating room during blackout
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The light from the cell phone screens allowed surgeons to complete an emergency appendix operation during a blackout in a city in central Argentina, reports said on Saturday.Leonardo Molina, 29, was on the operating table on July 21, when the power went out in the Policlinico Juan D. Peron, the main hospital in Villa Mercedes, a small city in San Luis province."The
Cell phones light up operating room during blackout
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The light from the cell phone screens allowed surgeons to complete an emergency appendix operation during a blackout in a city in central Argentina, reports said on Saturday.Leonardo Molina, 29, was on the operating table on July 21, when the power went out in the Policlinico Juan D. Peron, the main hospital in Villa Mercedes, a small city in San Luis province."The
Sony Ericsson X1550 Smart concept
Specifications- UMTS- HSDPA- WIFI- bluetooth- WIMAX- 8.2 mega pixel camera with Leica lens- 6x optical zoom- 2 mega pixel front camera with Leica lens- 2 x 32GB flash disk drive (SSD - solid state disk)- miniSD/MMC slot- Intel sARM Core Duo 2x 1.88 Ghz- 1GB RAM- nVidia nMobile graphics chip (T&L, 64 unificated shaders, 128 MB RAM, full DX10 support)- 32 bit high resolution touchscreen- mini USB-
Sony Ericsson X1550 Smart concept
Specifications- UMTS- HSDPA- WIFI- bluetooth- WIMAX- 8.2 mega pixel camera with Leica lens- 6x optical zoom- 2 mega pixel front camera with Leica lens- 2 x 32GB flash disk drive (SSD - solid state disk)- miniSD/MMC slot- Intel sARM Core Duo 2x 1.88 Ghz- 1GB RAM- nVidia nMobile graphics chip (T&L, 64 unificated shaders, 128 MB RAM, full DX10 support)- 32 bit high resolution touchscreen- mini USB-
Nokia 5300 black edition spotted for sale
Looks like the Nokia 5200/5300 black edition is official...well kinda. It has been spotted for sale at the big Swedish katshing site. This probably means an announcement very soon...
Nokia 5300 black edition spotted for sale
Looks like the Nokia 5200/5300 black edition is official...well kinda. It has been spotted for sale at the big Swedish katshing site. This probably means an announcement very soon...
Samsung G600 hands on video
In addition to the Samsung G600 demo video, now we have a whopping hands on video from T3. Definitely worth checking out despite it being brief. The G600 sure makes the Nokia N95 look fat...
Edje virtual keyboard mimics iPhone
Here is the video description:This demo was written to 1) find out bugs with EFL and 2) evaluate usability of iPhone virtual keyboard layout without owning one (they don't sell it here in Brazil). Done in python, about 230 lines of code.
Edje virtual keyboard mimics iPhone
Here is the video description:This demo was written to 1) find out bugs with EFL and 2) evaluate usability of iPhone virtual keyboard layout without owning one (they don't sell it here in Brazil). Done in python, about 230 lines of code.
"I'm Ready for My Close Up Mr. DeMille"
Since the introduction of sites like YouTube, it seems like everyone and their brother are shooting and creating videos on pretty much any topic that you can imagine. Just the other day I saw a video on giant robots playing foosball. Since it's obvious that a lot of people out there love to make short films, we thought it would be cool to host a film festival - a Treo-specific film festival to be
"I'm Ready for My Close Up Mr. DeMille"
Since the introduction of sites like YouTube, it seems like everyone and their brother are shooting and creating videos on pretty much any topic that you can imagine. Just the other day I saw a video on giant robots playing foosball. Since it's obvious that a lot of people out there love to make short films, we thought it would be cool to host a film festival - a Treo-specific film festival to be
Arrow Electronics Announces Integrated Motorola MicroTCA Systems
Arrow's Design and Supply Chain Expertise Back Motorola's Innovative MicroTCA Communications Server Technology to Deliver Application-Ready PlatformsMELVILLE, N.Y., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The North American Components (NAC) business of Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW) today announced the availability of development systems that integrate Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) MicroTCA(TM) products for
Arrow Electronics Announces Integrated Motorola MicroTCA Systems
Arrow's Design and Supply Chain Expertise Back Motorola's Innovative MicroTCA Communications Server Technology to Deliver Application-Ready PlatformsMELVILLE, N.Y., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The North American Components (NAC) business of Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW) today announced the availability of development systems that integrate Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) MicroTCA(TM) products for
Nokia spy phone
Doesn't this just look a little crazy? Looks like it's in the middle of a transformation...
Nokia spy phone
Doesn't this just look a little crazy? Looks like it's in the middle of a transformation...
More pics from the Samsung U700 event
Here are some more lovely pics at the promotion event for the Samsung U700 (U708) in Taiwan. Like I said before they created a really nice/elegant/stylish atmosphere. the phone is being presented with a really nice stylish case and the WEP-420 bluetooth headset designed by Bang&Olufsen.Pics from mobile01
More pics from the Samsung U700 event
Here are some more lovely pics at the promotion event for the Samsung U700 (U708) in Taiwan. Like I said before they created a really nice/elegant/stylish atmosphere. the phone is being presented with a really nice stylish case and the WEP-420 bluetooth headset designed by Bang&Olufsen.Pics from mobile01
Presentation: Second Life and Beyond
In the past few weeks I've been curiously exploring Jaiku, Twitter, and even Facebook (more about those in future posts); and that is mostly why I haven't been posting to my blog as much as I would like to. Another thing I've been doing is trying out different virtual worlds (There, Kaneva, Multiverse, ...). I was curious to see if Second Life is really the best in social virtual worlds we currently got. And I must say I now appreciate my Second Life more :)
The reason behind my "virtual worlds exploration" is that I will probably have to do some introductory presentations about virtual worlds (and in particular Second Life) in the next few months, and that is also why I spent the past week making a "master presentation" on the subject. My goal was to create a presentation with a brief explanation of what virtual worlds are, of what is Second Life, and of different things we can do with Second Life. And here is the result:
I think this presentation can be used for different audiences by taking out some slides, so I hope you will also find it useful for some of your presentations. As it is meant as an introductory presentation, I didn't focus on details, but rather on presenting the key facts and some of the most attractive aspects of virtual worlds and Second Life. I posted the presentation on SlideShare along with comments for each slides with links to sources I used, so I suggest you take a look at those comments as well. And of course: your comments/suggestions regarding this presentation are welcome either on SlideShare or on this post :)
The reason behind my "virtual worlds exploration" is that I will probably have to do some introductory presentations about virtual worlds (and in particular Second Life) in the next few months, and that is also why I spent the past week making a "master presentation" on the subject. My goal was to create a presentation with a brief explanation of what virtual worlds are, of what is Second Life, and of different things we can do with Second Life. And here is the result:
I think this presentation can be used for different audiences by taking out some slides, so I hope you will also find it useful for some of your presentations. As it is meant as an introductory presentation, I didn't focus on details, but rather on presenting the key facts and some of the most attractive aspects of virtual worlds and Second Life. I posted the presentation on SlideShare along with comments for each slides with links to sources I used, so I suggest you take a look at those comments as well. And of course: your comments/suggestions regarding this presentation are welcome either on SlideShare or on this post :)
Exactly how many iPhones did you really sell, Mr. Jobs?
One of the things I like about the English language is the number of words that have multiple meanings. Take the word hysterical. It can be used to describe someone who is reacting irrationally, with an extreme excess of emotion. As in, for example, all the stock traders who heard that AT&T had activated only 146,000 iPhones in the last two days of its fiscal quarter, concluded that iPhone sales must be far below expectations, and beat Apple's stock down 6% in a single day (link).
Then the next day Apple releases its own quarterly report, and it turns out the company sold 270,000 iPhones in the same period. This is leading to all sorts of convoluted explanations for why the numbers from AT&T and Apple don't match (link).
So now everybody says that it was all a misunderstanding and the iPhone is actually selling great, but there's another aspect to the story. None of the US mobile operators are very good at tracking what has sold through their retail stores. Unlike a consumer electronics chain, they do not keep tight track of their inventory because they care a lot more about selling service plans than they do about selling hardware. So although I'm sure Apple knows exactly how many iPhones it shipped to AT&T, I doubt anyone knows exactly how many actually sold through to users.
Our industry, and those of us who hang out on the web in particular, has a hunger for quick information and snap judgments. Real, high-quality data is slow to gather, and usually too expensive to give away free (link). Often it doesn't exist at all. So we make sweeping conclusions based on anecdotes, and we're far too quick to judge successes and failures.
The bottom line: The iPhone is probably selling well, but lots of phones sell well to enthusiasts in the first month and then fall flat. We won't really know how the iPhone is doing until we have a couple of quarters of sales data to look at. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you a stock picking service.
Which brings me to the other definition of hysterical: A situation that is very funny. I think that one applies here as well.
Then the next day Apple releases its own quarterly report, and it turns out the company sold 270,000 iPhones in the same period. This is leading to all sorts of convoluted explanations for why the numbers from AT&T and Apple don't match (link).
So now everybody says that it was all a misunderstanding and the iPhone is actually selling great, but there's another aspect to the story. None of the US mobile operators are very good at tracking what has sold through their retail stores. Unlike a consumer electronics chain, they do not keep tight track of their inventory because they care a lot more about selling service plans than they do about selling hardware. So although I'm sure Apple knows exactly how many iPhones it shipped to AT&T, I doubt anyone knows exactly how many actually sold through to users.
Our industry, and those of us who hang out on the web in particular, has a hunger for quick information and snap judgments. Real, high-quality data is slow to gather, and usually too expensive to give away free (link). Often it doesn't exist at all. So we make sweeping conclusions based on anecdotes, and we're far too quick to judge successes and failures.
The bottom line: The iPhone is probably selling well, but lots of phones sell well to enthusiasts in the first month and then fall flat. We won't really know how the iPhone is doing until we have a couple of quarters of sales data to look at. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you a stock picking service.
Which brings me to the other definition of hysterical: A situation that is very funny. I think that one applies here as well.
Design lessons from the Nintendo Wii
"Every time we ship product to the market, whether it's in Japan or here in the U.S. or in Europe, it sells out in a matter of days.... If you see one, buy it. Don't assume that you can come back later and find one." --George Harrison, SVP of marketing and corporate communications, Nintendo of America, quoted by Reuters
For a marketing guy, Nirvana is when the world gives you permission to say something utterly outrageous, without anyone questioning it or even believing that it's marketing. Nintendo reached Nirvana two weeks ago.
Coincidentally, that's also when I wandered into the local Wal-Mart, on the off chance that they might have a Wii in stock. I had been looking for one for eight months, ever since my wife shocked me by telling me that she wanted a Wii for Christmas. (This from a woman who has traditionally had about as much interest in video games as I have in quilting. Her only explanation: "It looks like fun.")
Anyway, I walked into Wal-Mart, and sure enough, there was a single Wii box locked into the glass display case. Did I follow Mr. Harrison's "advice," and buy it on the spot? You bet I did, especially after the clerk told me someone else had called the store and tried to reserve my Wii. Tough luck, buddy. Wal-Mart doesn't do reservations. Try Toys-R-Us.
So I bring the Wii home, and now I find that I'm going through stages in my feelings about it, much like the Kubler-Ross model of the stages people go through when confronting grief (link). The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The stages of Wii (so far) are delight, disgust, and anticipation. I have no idea what'll come next.
The delight stage was all about discovering the controller. There has been plenty written about the Wii's wireless, motion-sensing controllers, but until you actually play with them it's hard to understand how much fun they can be. I set up the system after everyone else was asleep, feeling that it was my responsibility to do some thorough testing that night, so there would be no risk of the family being disappointed if the system didn't work properly.
The first thing I tried was the Wii's tennis game, which was astonishingly easy, and fun. You just swing the "racket" at the right time, and you'll hit the ball. The controller has a vibrator in it, so you feel a little jump when you make contact. But the best feature is that there's a speaker in the controller too, so when you hit the ball you hear the familiar pock sound from your hand, rather than the television. I didn't notice the speaker when I set up the Wii. The first few times I hit the ball, I kept wondering how Nintento had manipulated the TV's stereo to make it seem like the sound was coming from my hand.
The tennis game's graphics are embarrassingly bad (it's like playing tennis against a salt shaker with a head on it), but the gameplay was so fluid and immediately rewarding that I didn't care.
Great new technology products give you a rush, a feeling of empowerment as you realize that you can now do things you simply couldn't do before. The first time I used a Macintosh was all about that. HyperCard was the same. And WordPress came pretty close. The Wii fits in that company because it opens up a whole new paradigm of gaming.
After testing the tennis game tennis thoroughly, my arm started to tighten up, so I decided to try some different games. That was when I entered the second phase of Wii discovery...
Complete disgust. There have been plenty of press reports about people accidentally throwing the Wii's controller through a window when they got too enthusiastic, but I may be the first person who almost did it intentionally. In contrast to the tennis game, some of the Wii's games are infuriatingly bad. The Wii's golf game is ridiculously difficult to control -- I couldn't even get my golfer to point in the right direction, let alone control a shot accurately. Fortunately, the game requires you to give up on a hole after 20 shots; otherwise, I might still be playing. Even a simple whack-a-mole simulation became an exercise in frustration as I tried in vain to position the hammer on the screen.
The common denominator of these games is bad use of the controller. The golf game has several modes, in which you choose direction for a shot, elevation, and so on. The controller's just not accurate enough to make it work. In Whack-a-Mole, the problem is that you're supposed to move the controller like the tip of a joystick -- forward, backward, left, right -- like the slider on a Ouija board. That's OK on a table, but when you're holding the controller in midair your arm gets tired really quickly. Human arms aren't designed to move like that on an ongoing basis.
The ironic thing is that those games actually work pretty well on a traditional joystick.
There's a lesson here about the strengths and weaknesses of integrated systems design. The controller on its own would not have been successful -- it's terrible for controlling traditional games. But the games on their own would also have failed -- bowling was one of the worst games on the Nintendo GameCube, but it's one of the best on the Wii. To get a breakthrough, you have to design the hardware and software together as an integrated system.
But that same integration also presents a lot of challenges to game designers. The Wii requires a thorough rethink of how a game is structured and what you can do with it. You can't just take an existing game, port it directly, and expect it to work well. At a minimum, the whole interface has to be rethought. But really what we should be doing is rethinking what sorts of things you can do in a game. What about a game in which you draw images on the screen using the controller, or conduct an orchestra? I don't know if either of those would be entertaining, but it's the sort of stuff we should be thinking about.
Which brings me to the third stage of Wii discovery...
Anticipation. I have one word for you: lightsaber. Like every boy who grew up watching the Star Wars movies, I've always had a secret desire to play with a lightsaber. Not one of those plastic things they sell at Toys-R-Us, I'm talking about a real lightsaber that makes that buzzing noise and can cut through steel like butter. I'm not sure what I'd use it for -- it seems a bit like overkill for tree pruning -- but I know I want one.
With the Wii, we finally have a device that can make it happen, at least in simulation. Supposedly there's a Lego Star Wars game on the way for the Wii, which will let you control your lightsaber directly. I am both impatient to get it and dreading it. The dread comes because this is a port of an existing game rather than a redesign. Some reports say you won't really have full control over your lightsaber (link).
The disappointment could be crushing, so I'll have to test it before I let the family try it. To protect them.
One thing's for sure -- if it works, my wife's not going to be wasting the Wii on tennis anymore.
Updated download links - Files-Upload
Updated download linksI have updated a number of the download links using the free file sharing service files-upload.com and will try to have all download links completed very soon.The change over is because filebucket.eu seems not to function any longer, which happened previously with filebucket.net. There was no notice of any up and coming changes. I was grateful for the free service filebucket
Stun Gun Cellphone
Stun Gun CellphoneHaving previously reported on Stun Guns being designed like mobile 'phones in MTS Newsletter: http://trewmte.blogspot.com/2007/05/mobile-phones-to-be-used-in-counter.html, below is yet another Stun Gun designed as mobile phone (cellphone). With this design, which gives a vague impression (but not distinctly promoting a particular brand name) of being a Nokia or similar brand
iPhone: Control iPod functions through headphones
The little microphone/switch that bulges out on the right side of the headphones included with the iPhone can do some neat tricks other than answer or hang up a call. When not in a call, you can use this switch to control the iPod functions of the iPhone. It’s a testament to Apple’s designers to implement something simple like this that would be easy to overlook.
Consumers whine about AT&T force-selling iPhone ac...
There’s no doubt that the Apple iPhone’s launch was a runaway success, and new owners of the handset couldn’t be happier. But Gizmodo reports some flimsy incidents that might dampen the parade a bit. According to the report, AT&T might be cashing in on the launch by forcing consumers to buy two accessories if they want to get the handset. This happened in two stores in Seattle, one in California,
The iPhone launch report card
The iPhone launch has come and gone and now it’s time to recap the moving parts. Here’s a look at the key components and how they graded out.The product: AIt’s hard to find a negative review on the iPhone. Apple set a high bar and delivered. Mitch Ratcliffe calls the iPhone spectacular. Jason O’Grady gives […]Infineon a big winner in iPhone teardown EE Times commissioned Semiconductor Insights
Here’s what you need: a complete iPhone walkthroug video
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Convert that iPhone into a 6th Gen WiFi-enabled iPod
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6 Steps To Getting The Most From Your iPhone Batte...
I’ve had my iPhone since launch and days one and two were very worrisome for me in terms of battery performance. The first day I only made it to around 5pm before my charge was gone (starting at 8am). The second day I made it to around 10pm. But now — a few charges later — my battery life just keeps improving. Today I went a full 18 hours with moderate to heavy use of all features. I think the
Apple iPhone Cell Phone Review - Battery Life
We run our battery life tests using the default settings that the phone uses, doing a factory reset before each test. And this poses an issue for the iPhone; by default, the WiFi scanning is enabled, so the iPhone is constantly scanning for WiFi networks (but not connecting to them; we did not set up a WiFi network for these tests). When time permits, we’ll be running additional tests to
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If you sync IMAP mail account settings from your computer to iPhone, and the IMAP folders on your computer are all shown under your Inbox folder, then it might not work as expected on iPhone. If this is the case, you may need to specify what is called an IMAP path prefix. You can enter the IMAP path prefix by choosingSettings > Mail > Account > Advanced > IMAP Path Prefix Example of an
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Mail settings let you customize your email account for iPhone. Changes you make to accounts settings are not synced to your computer, allowing you to configure email to work with iPhone without affecting email on your computer. Account Settings The specific accounts settings that appear on iPhone depend on the type of account you have—POP or IMAP. Note: Exchange email accounts must be
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This article explains how to compose, forward, and reply-to emails using your iPhone. It also covers how to check and read your emails. Sending Email You can send an email message to anyone who has an email address. You can send it to one person or a group of people. Compose and send a message Tap Type one or more names or email addresses in the To or Cc (carbon copy)
iPhone: Supported protocols for VPN
This article covers the basics about the VPN protocols that iPhone supports. For making sure VPN is properly configured to work with iPhone, you should contact your network administrator or IT Department. You also might want to refer them to this article. iPhone supports the following configurations of PPTP and L2TP/IPSec protocols for VPN (Virtual private networks): PPTP + MSCHAPv2L2TP/IPSec
iPhone: Email Account Setup
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To connect to the Internet, simply use Mail, Safari, YouTube, Stocks, Maps, or Weather. When you use any of these applications, iPhone does the following in order until connected: Connects over the last Wi-Fi network you used that's available.If no Wi-Fi networks you've used are available, shows a list of Wi-Fi networks in range. Tap a network and, if necessary, enter the password to join.
iPhone not recognized in iTunes for Windows
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iPhone: Not recognized in iTunes for Mac OS X
Note: This article is for Mac OS X users. If you are using a Windows PC, please refer to support document 305716. If you are experiencing a symptom where iPhone does not appear in the Source list in iTunes after you connect it to your Mac, refer to the troubleshooting suggestions below. Check the iPhone Display When you connect iPhone to your computer, the iPhone should display an
Syncing iPhone with your computer
When you connect iPhone to your computer, items are automatically synced between the two according to your preferences. You can, for example, enter phone numbers and addresses of friends and family members on your computer, connect iPhone to sync, then unplug iPhone and tap a friend's name on the touch screen to call. You can sync Contacts—names, phone numbers,
How to verify iPhone hardware is working correctly...
How to verify iPhone hardware is working correctly If you have issues with your iPhone, try these tips first. Will not power on Turn iPhone off and turn it on again. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on top of iPhone for a few seconds until a red slider appears, and then slide the slider. Then press and hold the Sleep/
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About iPhone and iPod Accessories
About iPhone and iPod Accessories The iPhone uses the same dock connector as the iPod, so properly designed accessories can be used with both the iPhone and the iPod. While there are thousands of accessories that have been designed specifically for iPod, not all of these are fully compatible with iPhone yet. This is because
iPhone: Basic troubleshooting
iPhone: Basic troubleshooting If iPhone doesn't appear in iTunes or you can't sync iPhone The iPhone battery might need to be recharged. For information about charging iPhone, see "Charging the Battery" in the iPhone User's Guide. If that doesn't work, disconnect other USB devices from your computer and connect iPhone to a
iPhone: Charging the battery
iPhone: Charging the battery iPhone has an internal rechargeable battery. To charge the iPhone battery: Connect iPhone to a power outlet using the included cable and power adapter to charge the battery.Or connect iPhone to your computer (not your keyboard) using the included cable to charge the battery and sync. Your
iPhone: Turning on/off and resetting
iPhone: Turning on/off and resetting To turn iPhone on Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears. To turn iPhone completely off Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears, then slide the slider. When iPhone is off, incoming calls go straight to voicemail.
Check Retail Store availability
1. Check iPhone availability after 9:00 p.m. the night before you would like to buy an iPhone. iPhones arrive most days and availability is updated nightly. 2. iPhone sales start at 9:00 a.m. Be sure to get in line early as quantities are limited. 3. First come, first served. Please check back after 9:00 p.m. for tomorrow’s status. After your local
BMW 135i and 128i on BMWUSA.com Website!!!
I haven't been this excited since... who knows how long. When I visited BMWUSA.com tonight, I was shocked to see that they've got the material for the 1-Series... and best of all... it's got the 300HP Turbo engine available for the 135i. This is going to be the best sports compact car... period! Better than Acura RSX, Civic Si, VW GTi, Impreza, Focus, etc, etc.This car will touch the Mitsu EVO, G35i, and IS350 league. Very exciting indeed.
Web 2.0 Applications
iPhone to Support Third-Party Web 2.0 Applications Innovative New Way to Create Applications for iPhone WWDC 2007, SAN FRANCISCO—June 11, 2007—Apple® today announced that its revolutionary iPhone™ will run applications created with Web 2.0 Internet standards when it begins shipping on June 29. Developers can create Web 2.0 applications which look and behave just like the applications built into
Battery Life. Durable Glass.
iPhone Delivers Up to Eight Hours of Talk Time Now Features Durable Glass Top Surface CUPERTINO, California—June 18, 2007—Apple® today announced that iPhone™ will deliver significantly longer battery life when it ships on June 29 than was originally estimated when iPhone was unveiled in January. iPhone will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback
YouTube Live on Apple TV Today
Best YouTube Experience on a Mobile Device CUPERTINO, California—June 20, 2007—Apple® today announced that iPhone™ users will be able to enjoy YouTube’s originally-created content on their iPhones when they begin shipping on June 29. A new Apple-designed application on iPhone will wirelessly stream YouTube’s content to iPhone over Wi-Fi or EDGE networks and play it on iPhone’s stunning 3.5 inch
Apple and AT&T Announce iTunes Activation and Sync...
Already Familiar to Tens of Millions of iPod Users CUPERTINO, California and ATLANTA—June 26, 2007—Apple® and AT&T Inc. today announced that iPhone™ users will be able to activate their new iPhones using Apple’s popular iTunes® software running on a PC or Mac® computer in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated.
Rate Plans for iPhone
AT&T and Apple Announce Simple, Affordable Service Plans for iPhone All Plans Include Unlimited Data & Visual Voicemail ATLANTA and CUPERTINO, California—June 26, 2007—AT&T Inc. and Apple® today announced three simple, affordable service plans for iPhone™ which start at just $59.99 per month. All three plans include unlimited data, Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages, roll-over minutes and
iPhone Premiere
Free Workshops, Genius Bar Support and One to One Personal Training CUPERTINO, California—June 28, 2007—Apple’s revolutionary iPhone™ will go on sale this Friday, June 29 at 6:00 p.m. local time at Apple® retail stores nationwide. All 164 Apple retail stores in the US will stay open until midnight, and customers can purchase up to two iPhones on a first come, first served basis. Beginning
Accessories
iPhone Bluetooth Headset Answer iPhone calls wirelessly with this compact and lightweight Bluetooth headset. The iPhone Bluetooth Headset features a single button that lets you receive phone calls simply and intuitively. And it delivers up to 5.5 hours of talk time and up to 72 hours of standby time thanks to its built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. An iPhone Dual Dock and iPhone
Rate Plans for iPhone
All iPhone service plans include Visual Voicemail and unlimited data — Internet and email — so you only have to decide how many minutes and SMS text messages you need. You’ll select your plan when you activate your iPhone using iTunes on your computer. Learn more about activation Existing AT&T Customers If you’re already an AT&T customer and want to keep your current voice
Get Ready iPhone
Get ready for iPhone. iPhone syncs with your PC or Mac just like an iPod, so organizing your content now will help you start calling, texting, emailing, surfing, listening, and watching even faster when you get your iPhone. Here are a few suggestions to help you get ready. Contacts Making a call with iPhone is as simple as tapping a name. You won’t need to re-enter all your
Accessories for iPhone
Can I use iPod accessories with my new iPhone? iPhone has the same 30-pin dock connector as the iPod, so many properly designed accessories can be used with both iPhone and iPod. However, iPhone may cause audio interference with some iPod accessories. Products that are engineered and certified to be compatible with the iPhone will carry the “Works with iPhone” logo on
Using iPhone
How do I charge my new iPhone? Like an iPod, your iPhone charges using the included USB 2.0 cable connected to your computer or to the included USB Power Adapter. When does iPhone sync my contacts and calendar? iPhone syncs your contacts and calendar whenever you connect iPhone to your computer. Can I view regular websites on iPhone or just mobile
About iPhone
Will iPhone work with my PC and Microsoft Windows? Yes. iPhone works with Windows XP Home or Professional (SP2), and Windows Vista. See specifications for more details. Can I use my iPhone internationally? iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone and will work around the world. Before you travel, make sure that international
Setting up iPhone
Can I transfer my mobile phone number to my new iPhone? Yes, you can transfer most current mobile numbers to a new iPhone. How long does it take to activate my new iPhone? Activation times can vary, but if you’re setting up a new line, it may take as little as a few minutes. If you’re porting a number from another carrier, it could take longer. While you’
Technical Specifications
Size and weight Height: 4.5 inches (115 mm)Width: 2.4 inches (61 mm)Depth: 0.46 inch (11.6 mm)Weight: 4.8 ounces (135 grams) In the box iPhoneStereo HeadsetDockDock Connector to USB CableUSB Power AdapterDocumentationCleaning/polishing cloth Capacity 4GB or 8GB flash drive1 Display 3.5-inch (
Watch QuickTours
Watch QuickTours iPhone features the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse. It’s an entirely new interface based on a large multi-touch display and innovative new software that lets you control everything using only your fingers. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flip through photos and email them with a touch, or zoom in and out on a section
iPhone. A guided tour.
Watch it:SmallMediumLargeDownload:Large (175MB)Circulated by Apple iphone mobile phone
Cellphone Transformer
Cellphone TransformerSome people shout on the mobile telephone whilst on the train, annoying all the passengers. With Parkoz Hardware's new cellphone tranformer I can use the mobile and entertain the passengers at the same time.
Nokia N95 Smartphone Achilles' Ankel: Lack of U.S. 3G support!
I have been eyeing on the Nokia N95 smartphone for a while now. There are plenty of reviews around this phone, so I won't get into the details. The bottom line is it offers integrated GPS with free maps, WiFi, Quadband GSM phone, and HSDPA 3G at the WCDMA 2100 band - ouch!In plain English, the 3G data is not supported by Cingular's HSDPA 1900 band. So if you buy this phone and would like to use data services from Cingular, you would have to settle for the slower EDGE network. I suppose that is not so bad considering that since the inception of the iPhone, rumor has it that Cingular bumped the EDGE speed to a respectable 190KB/Sec. Does this sound familiar to you?
I came so close to buying this phone from Buy.com as they have it listed for $649 Shipped (compared to the Nokia Store at $749). luckily, my buddy Toby C. tipped me this morning preventing me from getting this near perfect phone! Here is a CNET review that confirmed the lack of USA 3G support.
HP iPAQ 510 Smartphone/VOiP Device
How'd I miss this little thing? Small form factor, WiFi, Windows Mobile 6, GSM, EDGE/GPRS smartphone from HP called iPAQ 510. This phone looks pretty sexy and it packs quite a punch in terms of features for a decent price of $319 shipped straight from HPShopping.com. I would be interested in testing this bad boy out. Not sure if it is unlocked? Amazon.com carries this phone unlocked for $349 shipped.
Google Maps Mobile: works on WM5/6 and Supports GPS
Yesterday, on my train ride to Boston, I was browsing the web on my Cingular 8525 to pass the time. I noticed Google's homepage prompted me to download Google Maps. I always knew that GMM worked for selected Jave-based phones (like the BlackBerry, etc.). I downloaded the CAB file to my handset and installed the program. Unlike Microsoft's Virtual Earth Mobile, this mobile application works! Flawlessly!. I attempted to search for addresses using Microsoft's Virtual Earth and it always give me an "unexpected error" message.Right away, I looked up the restaurant I was headed and it provided direction from the Back Bay station. The same features (satelite, traffic info, directions) once available for BlackBerry is now available on my Windows-powered phone. Awesome! Infact, with touchscreen, it even allows you to pan/scroll just like the full PC version.
In addition, Google Maps work with phones with GPS, this is basically a free map set with millions of POI without the need to pay for maps like Garmin CityNavigator. I love Google!
What we're learning from Web apps, part 3: Breeding new types of media
The argument over the viability of Web 2.0 applications misses the point -- most of the applications on any new computing platform die. What matters are the innovations and new business models that we learn from them (link).
Last time in this series I discussed what we're learning from Web 2 about managing a community online (link). This time I want to talk about the role the Internet is playing in the creation of new forms of media.
Is the internet a new medium?
I should start with a definition of what a medium is. Webster calls it, "a channel or system of communication, information, or entertainment" (link). I want to build on that a little. To me, a medium is something that moves information and/or entertainment between people. Movies are a medium, newspapers are a medium, oil painting is a medium. So is the telephone call, when you think about it. Each medium has its own distinct usages, economic model, and audience.
A lot of people have written about the Internet and/or the Web as a new "medium." A quick online search will give you thousands of articles and weblog posts on the subject. But there's something funny about the articles -- although they all call the Internet a medium, they define that medium in many different ways. For example...
--The Internet is a medium for mixed-media communication.
--It's a medium for online music broadcasting.
--It's a medium for making politically-motivated attacks. (And an unregulated medium at that. Heaven forbid we should practice unregulated politics.)
--It's "a perfect medium for the sale of software and other digital products."
--It's a medium for interactive, moving content.
--It's a "new medium for business communication."
--It's "a medium of news dissemination."
--It's "a new medium for design."
--It's a new medium for video.
--It's a new medium for communication by individuals.
--It's a new medium for socializing.
I think that in reality the Internet is not a new medium for anything. It's a transport mechanism. It is to data what a road is to eighteen-wheel trucks. And the Web isn't a medium either; it's a set of protocols for accessing and delivering data. To abuse the road analogy, it's the warehouses and truck stops that load, unload, and service the trucks.
The Internet is a meta-medium
When we talk about the Internet as a medium, we're confusing the delivery mechanism with the goods being delivered. This is a crucial distinction, because if you think of the Internet as a medium you won't understand its real power. The Internet is a meta-medium. It's a medium for creating new types of media; a general-purpose mechanism that spews new media as quickly as people can think them up.
And spew it does. As I hope you know if you've been reading this weblog for a while, I am not a fan of hype and overblown predictions. But I think the evidence shows that the Internet is enabling an explosion of new forms of media at a faster rate than ever before in human history. I believe this is one of the most revolutionary effects of the Internet, but we're so close to it that we don't think about it much.
Freeing media from the distribution mechanism
In the past, each new form of media was generally tied to a unique distribution infrastructure, technology base, and economic model. For a new medium to arise, you generally had to create a whole new production and distribution mechanism for it. For example:
Novels required the development of the printing press, a distribution infrastructure consisting of publishers and bookstores, and an economic model in which the reader pays and revenue is shared with the publisher and distribution chain.
Radio serial drama required the invention and sale of millions of radios, the construction of studios and transmitters, the creation of production companies and networks, and an economic model in which advertisers paid for the programs.
Movies required not just the creation of motion picture cameras, but also studios to produce the films, modified theaters to show them, a distribution system to deliver the reels of film, and an economic model in which ticket revenue and in-theater food sales combined to pay for the whole thing.
The huge effort and investment involved in creating these distribution chains severely limited the growth of new forms of media. For example, it took about 20 years from the invention of television and movies until either of them reached broad commercial distribution.
In contrast, new media proliferate on the Internet as fast as people can visit new websites and install plug-ins. (Obviously, this applies only to media that can be distributed electronically. But that still covers a lot.)
This chart gives you an idea of how the pace of change has accelerated.
This chart was based in part on a fantastic media history here.
Some people would say that most of the Internet media types I listed on the right edge of the chart aren't actually new media; that they're just a tweak on existing media. For example, Henry Jenkins argued in a great article for MIT Technology Review that you have to differentiate between media, genres, and delivery technologies (link):
I think he's right from the perspective of classifying things analytically, but if you follow that thinking religiously then it's almost impossible to create a new medium any more, unless smell-o-vision or machine telepathy comes along. I think in practical terms, you have a new medium as soon as you create a substantially different set of audience and business dynamics, because those are the changes that create meaningful new economic opportunities for creative people and businesses.
Here's the test: if you can't take material created for some other medium and replay it unchanged, then I think you've invented a new medium. CDs were not a new medium because they were created and sold in the same way, to the same people, as vinyl LPs. But radio drama was a new medium, because it had its own distinct audience and rules. You couldn't just take a stage play and turn it into a radio drama unmodified.
By this standard, the Internet is spawning new media forms faster than bunnies breed in Australia.
Of course, not all of these new types of media will be successful long-term. But it's exciting to see so much experimentation happening so quickly, and I believe it will have a profound effect on the ways we communicate and entertain ourselves in the years to come.
The revolution in front of you
Okay, so that's the theoretical foundation on what's happening. Let's discuss some examples -- three new forms of media we're creating, the rules and opportunities they create, and what comes next.
Online video
Oh, man. This one's so complex that you could write a book on it. The term "video" includes a huge variety of different things -- music videos, TV shows, animation, movies, video clips from amateurs, even commercials. Each one appears to have a different online audience and different financials.
Some of them have already run through a cycle of excitement and disappointment. For example, some people speak of an "internet animation era" that came and went at the start of the decade (you can read more about the expectations here). Usually the culprit for the disappointment is the failure to find a sustainable business model.
The hottest area in online video today is obviously short clips like the ones you see on YouTube. The ironic thing is that this form of video had virtually no traction prior to the Internet. Meanwhile, movies and TV shows -- which everyone predicted would move onto the Internet quickly -- don't have nearly as much momentum online.
Why YouTube is successful. Using YouTube is like eating potato chips ("crisps" if you live in the UK). When you're bored, it's great to browse short video clips looking for things that are funny or amazing or just plain weird. The brilliant aspects of YouTube (in my opinion) are that the video loads fast (can you imagine eating potato chips if you had to unwrap every chip individually?), and that the YouTube site links you to lots of other related videos, so it's easy to wander. If one video is boring, you're only moments away from something else.
This instant gratification factor turns the rules of traditional video on its head. In traditional video, quality and an immersive experience are king. To suck people into a television program or a movie, you use incredibly high quality images, editing, and sound. (If you want to know how important this is, look at all the enormous amounts of money the industry is spending to move to high-definition broadcasting and higher-capacity DVDs.)
That's why short online video is a different medium. Rather than immersion, the goal is instant gratification.
But how do you make money? The problem with short online video is that no one's sure how to make money from it. You pay to see a movie. You watch ads on television (well, you're supposed to, unless you use TiVo). Many companies are trying to attach commercials to online videos, but the result is often extraordinarily annoying to viewers.
That's not intuitive to the broadcast folks. Depending on what country you're in, to watch free TV you'll typically watch nine to 20 minutes of commercials in order to see an hour of programming (link). That's a ratio of between 15% and 30% commercials.
Apply that same ratio to a short online video, and you're watching a 30 second commercial to see a two minute video clip. Sounds reasonable, right? It's actually borderline intolerable to viewers because it breaks the instant gratification cycle. The whole idea is to beat boredom, not generate it.
Remember, this is a new medium. It has its own rules.
Maybe the answer will be very short ads, but no one knows what's short enough, and if those short ads will even work. Or maybe the answer is putting print ads on the website alongside the video. But unlike search, you don't know what topics a video viewer will be interested in, so it's much harder to target the ads. How will you individually track the demographics of people viewing more than six million separate YouTube clips? You'd basically have to build a database on the individual thoughts and behavior of every Internet user. That, I presume, is why YouTube was a good strategic investment for Google. It's also why I'm deeply skeptical about the high-profile efforts by entertainment companies to create sites competing with YouTube. Without Google's demographic and ad-targeting infrastructure, it will be hard for a competitor to monetize its videos.
And oh by the way, it's not clear that even Google can make this whole video thing work financially.
So let's classify short online video as an emerging medium: Proven audience, unproven economics.
Video in the mobile world. This is the current Flavor of the Month in the mobile data world. (Or maybe it was last month's flavor, and this month is GPS.) Anyway, there are a lot of people predicting that video is going to be very hot in the mobile space.
As was the case with PCs, you have to ask what sort of video you're talking about. The most intuitive use is short video. We know people use mobiles as boredom-busters, and short video is almost custom-made for that. But we run into the same economic problems as we have on PCs, only more so. It's not clear how many commercials people will tolerate in their mobile video.
Broadcast video, viewed on mobiles, is becoming popular in Asia. But by my standard that's not a new medium -- it's just building a television into your phone. And it bypasses the Internet, so it's not relevant to this discussion. (I recently wrote a long article on mobile video; if you missed it you can read it here.)
Virtual Reality as a Medium: Second Life
Most people think of Second Life as a game, or maybe a cult. But my Rubicon colleague Bruce La Fetra recently wrote an article (link) making the case that it's a new medium, and I believe he's right. Think about it. Here's the test of a new medium:
--Facilitates interaction between people. Second Life certainly does that.
--Has its own distinct audience. Double check. That's why some people look at Second Life as a cult.
--Has its own economic model. Triple check. This one even has its own currency.
A virtual meeting place. Second Life is so flexible that it's very hard to say what it'll turn into ultimately. It's already a meeting space for some people, and the upcoming addition of voice should improve that dramatically. Supposedly Cisco is providing pre-built avatars for employees, and a number of tech companies are using it for meetings (check out the slightly breathless but eye-opening article here).
Prototyping the physical world. Another clear use for VR is allowing individuals and corporations to create interactive experiences for others. For example, as Bruce points out, hotels are starting to test lobby layouts using Second Life. Brands like GeekSquad are using Second Life to reach out to customers, giving them another way to engage (read more about it here).
Some of this commentary is so enthusiastic that it reminds me of the commentary we saw in the bubble period. Second Life is definitely a geek playground, but I'm not sure how many "normal" people will want to mess around in virtual reality. We won't know until we try.
Is it a business or a standard? The ultimate business model for Second Life is still up in the air. Land owners pay real dollars for virtual real estate and corporate avatars, giving Linden Lab a revenue stream. However, the company is in the process of open-sourcing its server code. This will make it possible for anyone to create their own "land" without paying Linden Lab, and dramatically increases the likelihood that Second Life's technology will become a generalized standard for virtual reality. That's very healthy for the medium, but leaves Linden Lab without an obvious business model. There's an interesting discussion here.
The process of moving from a captive platform to the base of an open ecosystem is incredibly tricky. I think Linden is right to do it, because otherwise an open standard for virtual reality would have eventually emerged, pushing Second Life completely out of the picture (think of what happened when AOL went up against the Internet). But now Linden will need to find some parts of that open ecosystem where it can provide valued services. I think managing the virtual currency is a good start, but I haven't been able to find any clear statement of what the company's long-term financial model will be; please post a comment if you find one.
So the status of Second Life is similar to that of online video: Definite audience, unclear financials.
Virtual reality and mobile. Virtual reality thrives on large screens and fast processors. I think it's probably safe to say that it'll be limited to PC-sized devices for a long time (at least until we get flexible screens and fuel cells powerful enough to drive high-end graphics processors in a mobile). Until that day, I wouldn't be investing heavily in creating a SecondLife client for Nokia S60.
Feeds
Actually, these are several new media that I have grouped together for convenience: Text feeds, audio feeds, and video feeds. Plus more types of feeds to come.
Different feed types have different audiences. Steve Olechowski of Feedburner gives a great speech summarizing the feed world and what's happening in it. One of the interesting tidbits he gives out is that different types of feeds tend to be dominated by different subjects. Text feeds most commonly focus on technology, while audio feeds are most often about music, social issues, and religion ("Godcasts"). So different forms of communication -- text vs. recorded speech -- attract different types of creators and audiences. I suspect that video feeds are going to be different yet again, although it's probably too early to judge today. You can hear one of Steve's speeches here.
The thing I like about feeds is that they're efficient. Rather than going to a website to read or listen, you can bring the content to you and access it on your terms. A lot of people use online feed readers like Feed Burner, but my favorite is Feed Blitz, which consolidates all your feeds into a single daily e-mail. That lets me scan about a hundred articles a day in a matter of minutes.
Text feed vs. weblogs. One problem with text feeds is that they take readers away from your weblog, meaning they won't see the ads. That creates a lot of concern for weblog authors who rely on advertising. So they do things like putting only article summaries in their feeds, or embedding ads in the feeds, neither of which are popular with feed users.
Olechowski argues that authors shouldn't worry -- that the people who read feeds are different from the people who read websites, so there's little cannibalism. He says that providing a full-text feed from your weblog actually increases visitors to the site, rather than reducing them.
He has an incentive to say that, since his business is distributing feeds. But I think he may also have a point. Let's use Mobile Opportunity as an example: About 80% of the readers coming directly here are referrals from other websites and web searches, not returning readers. I think the general pattern for readers is that they come here from a web search or other link, and if they like the content then they subscribe to the feed. That's why I put extensive introductory information and links to previous articles in the sidebar on the right side of the page. If a web search visitor is interested in the sort of things I write about, I want to make sure they can determine that quickly so they'll either bookmark the page or subscribe to the feed.
The feed readers never see the sidebar, but they don't need it because they know what I've written about before. People who read via feeds have a different set of special needs. Chances are they use a feed reader that consolidates a lot of different feeds, which they then skim quickly. That makes it very important to use self-explanatory headlines for articles, and clear sub-heads within each article so people can skim easily. Web links are a special problem -- because they're colored and underlined, they stand out from the text. But they're not usually the things you want people to skim, because they don't summarize the content. That's why I've started putting links at the ends of sentences, rather than embedding them in the flow of the sentence.
I'm not trying to make money from this site, but if I were, I'd have to think very hard about what sort of ads go on the web page vs. in the feed, and where they get placed.
The bottom line: you write a little differently for a feed than you do for a weblog, and the financial model is subtly different as well. So it's a slightly different medium.
Status of feeds: Text feeds are quite well established, and audio feeds took off rapidly once they were enabled on the iPod. The financial model (to the extent that there is one) appears to be advertising, but I haven't seen a good discussion of the economics of advertising within feeds (please post a comment if you know of one). Presumably Google's recent purchase of FeedBurner is intended to allow them to stream ads into feeds, so we'll probably see more activity there. The dynamics of other types of feeds (video, etc) are still to be determined.
Feeds and the mobile world. Feeds are a spectacular fit for the mobile world; actually a much better fit than browsing. In general browsing is something you do live, while feeds can be fetched in the background, cached on the device, and then read or listened to whenever the user wishes.
A text feed is also much easier to reformat for a small screen. In a lot of ways, it's designed to be reformatted.
If I were working on a mobile data device today, I'd push this feature very hard -- figure out who my target customers are and what feeds they'd be most likely to enjoy, cache the top ten our so automatically, and give a great discovery mechanism so people can easily find more. Feeds are a commodity in that you can get them for free, but easy navigation and discovery of feeds is potentially a very attractive area for innovation.
I know third party developers are already doing this; if I were at a mobile hardware company I'd be making it a standard feature in every device.
What comes next?
What other media are emerging? Many more new forms of media emerging than I've listed here. I'm very interested in your ideas -- what do you think are some others to watch, and what's special about them? One I'd love to investigate more is the rise of casual games -- quickie games, usually based on Flash. Games like this were very popular in the early days of personal computing, and they seem to be making a comeback on the web. You can find some nifty ones on sites like Kongregate (link; check out Fancy Pants).
The transcendent need for a billing mechanism. When I said that the Web is a tool for creating new media, I left out an important detail. It's three-quarters of the tool. We have a great delivery system, and Google is well on its way to dominating the advertising part of the financial model. What's missing is a standard mechanism for people to pay for content that's not supported by advertising. Some types of content work fine with ads, but I think some other types are better when paid for. Novels, short stories, music, and research reports all qualify. Creators and readers would both benefit from a system in which people could easily pay a few dimes or a few dollars directly to the author, but today we generally have to fumble with credit cards and awkward systems like PayPal. And credit card vendors strongly discourage small payments.
Minipayments vs. micropayments. The Web community chewed over this issue and spat it out several years ago. They believe that micropayments are dead, and the subject is closed. You can find examples here and here and here and here. Wikipedia has a nicely balanced discussion of the debate here.
This is one of those cases where the groupthink tendency of the tech industry is a liability. It reminds me of MP3 players before the iPod -- a lot of people have tried something, nobody's gotten it right yet, and therefore it must be impossible. It'll continue to be impossible up until someone does it right, at which time everyone will suddenly agree that it was inevitable.
(Quick aside: Whenever everyone in the tech industry agrees on something, bet against them. A perfect consensus is a sign that healthy questioning has ceased, and there's bound to be a blind spot.)
In this case, I think the blind spot was that people predicted the wrong role and features for micropayments. Some people made it a payment vs. advertising debate (link). It's not -- some types of media are good for advertising, some good for payment. We need both, with a creative tension between them.
Another problem is that some of the advocates of micropayments envisioned a very fine-grained payment system, in which people would pay hundredths of cents for all sorts of content, like the way natural gas or water is metered. That sounded logical, but it didn't work in practice because gas and water are predictable commodities; you don't mind metering because you know exactly what you'll get. You don't know how good a website will be until you've visited it, by which point you have already paid if you're metering. We need larger payments for content that people can preview and read reviews about before they pay. Apple has proved decisively that on the wired Internet a payment system that charges about a buck for discrete chunks of content can indeed succeed.
Call it minipayments.
We desperately need a generalized minipayment system for content on the web. Because people have to trust it, it needs to come from a major vendor, and it should be exposed to developers as a web service so it can grow rapidly. Ideally, it should be tied to a lot of existing content with an easy discovery mechanism (again, like iTunes). Yahoo would be the perfect company to provide this service. Microsoft could do it too. Unfortunately, a lot of companies are focusing a huge amount of their energy on the almost hopeless task of beating Google in search advertising, when the better opportunity is owning a different piece of the infrastructure, one that doesn't have a dominant vendor yet.
Other companies that could do it include Amazon, Apple, eBay, and even Linden Lab. Google could do it too, of course, but it appears to be more interested in stealing PayPal's customers than in building something new.
I'd put this service on the list of computing products I want desperately, right after the info pad. Somebody's going to do it eventually. When they do they'll get a great business franchise, and the explosion of new media on the Web will accelerate even further.
I can't wait.
Next time: The Web as a software development platform.
Last time in this series I discussed what we're learning from Web 2 about managing a community online (link). This time I want to talk about the role the Internet is playing in the creation of new forms of media.
Is the internet a new medium?
I should start with a definition of what a medium is. Webster calls it, "a channel or system of communication, information, or entertainment" (link). I want to build on that a little. To me, a medium is something that moves information and/or entertainment between people. Movies are a medium, newspapers are a medium, oil painting is a medium. So is the telephone call, when you think about it. Each medium has its own distinct usages, economic model, and audience.
A lot of people have written about the Internet and/or the Web as a new "medium." A quick online search will give you thousands of articles and weblog posts on the subject. But there's something funny about the articles -- although they all call the Internet a medium, they define that medium in many different ways. For example...
--The Internet is a medium for mixed-media communication.
--It's a medium for online music broadcasting.
--It's a medium for making politically-motivated attacks. (And an unregulated medium at that. Heaven forbid we should practice unregulated politics.)
--It's "a perfect medium for the sale of software and other digital products."
--It's a medium for interactive, moving content.
--It's a "new medium for business communication."
--It's "a medium of news dissemination."
--It's "a new medium for design."
--It's a new medium for video.
--It's a new medium for communication by individuals.
--It's a new medium for socializing.
I think that in reality the Internet is not a new medium for anything. It's a transport mechanism. It is to data what a road is to eighteen-wheel trucks. And the Web isn't a medium either; it's a set of protocols for accessing and delivering data. To abuse the road analogy, it's the warehouses and truck stops that load, unload, and service the trucks.
The Internet is a meta-medium
When we talk about the Internet as a medium, we're confusing the delivery mechanism with the goods being delivered. This is a crucial distinction, because if you think of the Internet as a medium you won't understand its real power. The Internet is a meta-medium. It's a medium for creating new types of media; a general-purpose mechanism that spews new media as quickly as people can think them up.
And spew it does. As I hope you know if you've been reading this weblog for a while, I am not a fan of hype and overblown predictions. But I think the evidence shows that the Internet is enabling an explosion of new forms of media at a faster rate than ever before in human history. I believe this is one of the most revolutionary effects of the Internet, but we're so close to it that we don't think about it much.
Freeing media from the distribution mechanism
In the past, each new form of media was generally tied to a unique distribution infrastructure, technology base, and economic model. For a new medium to arise, you generally had to create a whole new production and distribution mechanism for it. For example:
Novels required the development of the printing press, a distribution infrastructure consisting of publishers and bookstores, and an economic model in which the reader pays and revenue is shared with the publisher and distribution chain.
Radio serial drama required the invention and sale of millions of radios, the construction of studios and transmitters, the creation of production companies and networks, and an economic model in which advertisers paid for the programs.
Movies required not just the creation of motion picture cameras, but also studios to produce the films, modified theaters to show them, a distribution system to deliver the reels of film, and an economic model in which ticket revenue and in-theater food sales combined to pay for the whole thing.
The huge effort and investment involved in creating these distribution chains severely limited the growth of new forms of media. For example, it took about 20 years from the invention of television and movies until either of them reached broad commercial distribution.
In contrast, new media proliferate on the Internet as fast as people can visit new websites and install plug-ins. (Obviously, this applies only to media that can be distributed electronically. But that still covers a lot.)
This chart gives you an idea of how the pace of change has accelerated.
This chart was based in part on a fantastic media history here.
Some people would say that most of the Internet media types I listed on the right edge of the chart aren't actually new media; that they're just a tweak on existing media. For example, Henry Jenkins argued in a great article for MIT Technology Review that you have to differentiate between media, genres, and delivery technologies (link):
Recorded sound is a medium. Radio drama is a genre. CDs, MP3 files and eight-track cassettes are delivery technologies. Genres and delivery technologies come and go, but media persist as layers within an ever more complicated information and entertainment system.
I think he's right from the perspective of classifying things analytically, but if you follow that thinking religiously then it's almost impossible to create a new medium any more, unless smell-o-vision or machine telepathy comes along. I think in practical terms, you have a new medium as soon as you create a substantially different set of audience and business dynamics, because those are the changes that create meaningful new economic opportunities for creative people and businesses.
Here's the test: if you can't take material created for some other medium and replay it unchanged, then I think you've invented a new medium. CDs were not a new medium because they were created and sold in the same way, to the same people, as vinyl LPs. But radio drama was a new medium, because it had its own distinct audience and rules. You couldn't just take a stage play and turn it into a radio drama unmodified.
By this standard, the Internet is spawning new media forms faster than bunnies breed in Australia.
Of course, not all of these new types of media will be successful long-term. But it's exciting to see so much experimentation happening so quickly, and I believe it will have a profound effect on the ways we communicate and entertain ourselves in the years to come.
The revolution in front of you
Okay, so that's the theoretical foundation on what's happening. Let's discuss some examples -- three new forms of media we're creating, the rules and opportunities they create, and what comes next.
Online video
Oh, man. This one's so complex that you could write a book on it. The term "video" includes a huge variety of different things -- music videos, TV shows, animation, movies, video clips from amateurs, even commercials. Each one appears to have a different online audience and different financials.
Some of them have already run through a cycle of excitement and disappointment. For example, some people speak of an "internet animation era" that came and went at the start of the decade (you can read more about the expectations here). Usually the culprit for the disappointment is the failure to find a sustainable business model.
The hottest area in online video today is obviously short clips like the ones you see on YouTube. The ironic thing is that this form of video had virtually no traction prior to the Internet. Meanwhile, movies and TV shows -- which everyone predicted would move onto the Internet quickly -- don't have nearly as much momentum online.
Why YouTube is successful. Using YouTube is like eating potato chips ("crisps" if you live in the UK). When you're bored, it's great to browse short video clips looking for things that are funny or amazing or just plain weird. The brilliant aspects of YouTube (in my opinion) are that the video loads fast (can you imagine eating potato chips if you had to unwrap every chip individually?), and that the YouTube site links you to lots of other related videos, so it's easy to wander. If one video is boring, you're only moments away from something else.
This instant gratification factor turns the rules of traditional video on its head. In traditional video, quality and an immersive experience are king. To suck people into a television program or a movie, you use incredibly high quality images, editing, and sound. (If you want to know how important this is, look at all the enormous amounts of money the industry is spending to move to high-definition broadcasting and higher-capacity DVDs.)
That's why short online video is a different medium. Rather than immersion, the goal is instant gratification.
But how do you make money? The problem with short online video is that no one's sure how to make money from it. You pay to see a movie. You watch ads on television (well, you're supposed to, unless you use TiVo). Many companies are trying to attach commercials to online videos, but the result is often extraordinarily annoying to viewers.
That's not intuitive to the broadcast folks. Depending on what country you're in, to watch free TV you'll typically watch nine to 20 minutes of commercials in order to see an hour of programming (link). That's a ratio of between 15% and 30% commercials.
Apply that same ratio to a short online video, and you're watching a 30 second commercial to see a two minute video clip. Sounds reasonable, right? It's actually borderline intolerable to viewers because it breaks the instant gratification cycle. The whole idea is to beat boredom, not generate it.
Remember, this is a new medium. It has its own rules.
Maybe the answer will be very short ads, but no one knows what's short enough, and if those short ads will even work. Or maybe the answer is putting print ads on the website alongside the video. But unlike search, you don't know what topics a video viewer will be interested in, so it's much harder to target the ads. How will you individually track the demographics of people viewing more than six million separate YouTube clips? You'd basically have to build a database on the individual thoughts and behavior of every Internet user. That, I presume, is why YouTube was a good strategic investment for Google. It's also why I'm deeply skeptical about the high-profile efforts by entertainment companies to create sites competing with YouTube. Without Google's demographic and ad-targeting infrastructure, it will be hard for a competitor to monetize its videos.
And oh by the way, it's not clear that even Google can make this whole video thing work financially.
So let's classify short online video as an emerging medium: Proven audience, unproven economics.
Video in the mobile world. This is the current Flavor of the Month in the mobile data world. (Or maybe it was last month's flavor, and this month is GPS.) Anyway, there are a lot of people predicting that video is going to be very hot in the mobile space.
As was the case with PCs, you have to ask what sort of video you're talking about. The most intuitive use is short video. We know people use mobiles as boredom-busters, and short video is almost custom-made for that. But we run into the same economic problems as we have on PCs, only more so. It's not clear how many commercials people will tolerate in their mobile video.
Broadcast video, viewed on mobiles, is becoming popular in Asia. But by my standard that's not a new medium -- it's just building a television into your phone. And it bypasses the Internet, so it's not relevant to this discussion. (I recently wrote a long article on mobile video; if you missed it you can read it here.)
Virtual Reality as a Medium: Second Life
Most people think of Second Life as a game, or maybe a cult. But my Rubicon colleague Bruce La Fetra recently wrote an article (link) making the case that it's a new medium, and I believe he's right. Think about it. Here's the test of a new medium:
--Facilitates interaction between people. Second Life certainly does that.
--Has its own distinct audience. Double check. That's why some people look at Second Life as a cult.
--Has its own economic model. Triple check. This one even has its own currency.
A virtual meeting place. Second Life is so flexible that it's very hard to say what it'll turn into ultimately. It's already a meeting space for some people, and the upcoming addition of voice should improve that dramatically. Supposedly Cisco is providing pre-built avatars for employees, and a number of tech companies are using it for meetings (check out the slightly breathless but eye-opening article here).
Second Life is a tool for holding three-dimensional visual conversations...I know some people can't hold a serious business conversation without a pen and paper to draw with; Second Life is made for those people....One day, you'll be able to import sales data from an Oracle database, create a three-dimensional diagram of that data that changes in near-realtime, and hold a meeting of top corporate executives all over the world in Second Life to discuss the results. --Mitch Wagner
Prototyping the physical world. Another clear use for VR is allowing individuals and corporations to create interactive experiences for others. For example, as Bruce points out, hotels are starting to test lobby layouts using Second Life. Brands like GeekSquad are using Second Life to reach out to customers, giving them another way to engage (read more about it here).
Some of this commentary is so enthusiastic that it reminds me of the commentary we saw in the bubble period. Second Life is definitely a geek playground, but I'm not sure how many "normal" people will want to mess around in virtual reality. We won't know until we try.
Is it a business or a standard? The ultimate business model for Second Life is still up in the air. Land owners pay real dollars for virtual real estate and corporate avatars, giving Linden Lab a revenue stream. However, the company is in the process of open-sourcing its server code. This will make it possible for anyone to create their own "land" without paying Linden Lab, and dramatically increases the likelihood that Second Life's technology will become a generalized standard for virtual reality. That's very healthy for the medium, but leaves Linden Lab without an obvious business model. There's an interesting discussion here.
The process of moving from a captive platform to the base of an open ecosystem is incredibly tricky. I think Linden is right to do it, because otherwise an open standard for virtual reality would have eventually emerged, pushing Second Life completely out of the picture (think of what happened when AOL went up against the Internet). But now Linden will need to find some parts of that open ecosystem where it can provide valued services. I think managing the virtual currency is a good start, but I haven't been able to find any clear statement of what the company's long-term financial model will be; please post a comment if you find one.
So the status of Second Life is similar to that of online video: Definite audience, unclear financials.
Virtual reality and mobile. Virtual reality thrives on large screens and fast processors. I think it's probably safe to say that it'll be limited to PC-sized devices for a long time (at least until we get flexible screens and fuel cells powerful enough to drive high-end graphics processors in a mobile). Until that day, I wouldn't be investing heavily in creating a SecondLife client for Nokia S60.
Feeds
Actually, these are several new media that I have grouped together for convenience: Text feeds, audio feeds, and video feeds. Plus more types of feeds to come.
Different feed types have different audiences. Steve Olechowski of Feedburner gives a great speech summarizing the feed world and what's happening in it. One of the interesting tidbits he gives out is that different types of feeds tend to be dominated by different subjects. Text feeds most commonly focus on technology, while audio feeds are most often about music, social issues, and religion ("Godcasts"). So different forms of communication -- text vs. recorded speech -- attract different types of creators and audiences. I suspect that video feeds are going to be different yet again, although it's probably too early to judge today. You can hear one of Steve's speeches here.
The thing I like about feeds is that they're efficient. Rather than going to a website to read or listen, you can bring the content to you and access it on your terms. A lot of people use online feed readers like Feed Burner, but my favorite is Feed Blitz, which consolidates all your feeds into a single daily e-mail. That lets me scan about a hundred articles a day in a matter of minutes.
Text feed vs. weblogs. One problem with text feeds is that they take readers away from your weblog, meaning they won't see the ads. That creates a lot of concern for weblog authors who rely on advertising. So they do things like putting only article summaries in their feeds, or embedding ads in the feeds, neither of which are popular with feed users.
Olechowski argues that authors shouldn't worry -- that the people who read feeds are different from the people who read websites, so there's little cannibalism. He says that providing a full-text feed from your weblog actually increases visitors to the site, rather than reducing them.
He has an incentive to say that, since his business is distributing feeds. But I think he may also have a point. Let's use Mobile Opportunity as an example: About 80% of the readers coming directly here are referrals from other websites and web searches, not returning readers. I think the general pattern for readers is that they come here from a web search or other link, and if they like the content then they subscribe to the feed. That's why I put extensive introductory information and links to previous articles in the sidebar on the right side of the page. If a web search visitor is interested in the sort of things I write about, I want to make sure they can determine that quickly so they'll either bookmark the page or subscribe to the feed.
The feed readers never see the sidebar, but they don't need it because they know what I've written about before. People who read via feeds have a different set of special needs. Chances are they use a feed reader that consolidates a lot of different feeds, which they then skim quickly. That makes it very important to use self-explanatory headlines for articles, and clear sub-heads within each article so people can skim easily. Web links are a special problem -- because they're colored and underlined, they stand out from the text. But they're not usually the things you want people to skim, because they don't summarize the content. That's why I've started putting links at the ends of sentences, rather than embedding them in the flow of the sentence.
I'm not trying to make money from this site, but if I were, I'd have to think very hard about what sort of ads go on the web page vs. in the feed, and where they get placed.
The bottom line: you write a little differently for a feed than you do for a weblog, and the financial model is subtly different as well. So it's a slightly different medium.
Status of feeds: Text feeds are quite well established, and audio feeds took off rapidly once they were enabled on the iPod. The financial model (to the extent that there is one) appears to be advertising, but I haven't seen a good discussion of the economics of advertising within feeds (please post a comment if you know of one). Presumably Google's recent purchase of FeedBurner is intended to allow them to stream ads into feeds, so we'll probably see more activity there. The dynamics of other types of feeds (video, etc) are still to be determined.
Feeds and the mobile world. Feeds are a spectacular fit for the mobile world; actually a much better fit than browsing. In general browsing is something you do live, while feeds can be fetched in the background, cached on the device, and then read or listened to whenever the user wishes.
A text feed is also much easier to reformat for a small screen. In a lot of ways, it's designed to be reformatted.
If I were working on a mobile data device today, I'd push this feature very hard -- figure out who my target customers are and what feeds they'd be most likely to enjoy, cache the top ten our so automatically, and give a great discovery mechanism so people can easily find more. Feeds are a commodity in that you can get them for free, but easy navigation and discovery of feeds is potentially a very attractive area for innovation.
I know third party developers are already doing this; if I were at a mobile hardware company I'd be making it a standard feature in every device.
What comes next?
What other media are emerging? Many more new forms of media emerging than I've listed here. I'm very interested in your ideas -- what do you think are some others to watch, and what's special about them? One I'd love to investigate more is the rise of casual games -- quickie games, usually based on Flash. Games like this were very popular in the early days of personal computing, and they seem to be making a comeback on the web. You can find some nifty ones on sites like Kongregate (link; check out Fancy Pants).
The transcendent need for a billing mechanism. When I said that the Web is a tool for creating new media, I left out an important detail. It's three-quarters of the tool. We have a great delivery system, and Google is well on its way to dominating the advertising part of the financial model. What's missing is a standard mechanism for people to pay for content that's not supported by advertising. Some types of content work fine with ads, but I think some other types are better when paid for. Novels, short stories, music, and research reports all qualify. Creators and readers would both benefit from a system in which people could easily pay a few dimes or a few dollars directly to the author, but today we generally have to fumble with credit cards and awkward systems like PayPal. And credit card vendors strongly discourage small payments.
Minipayments vs. micropayments. The Web community chewed over this issue and spat it out several years ago. They believe that micropayments are dead, and the subject is closed. You can find examples here and here and here and here. Wikipedia has a nicely balanced discussion of the debate here.
This is one of those cases where the groupthink tendency of the tech industry is a liability. It reminds me of MP3 players before the iPod -- a lot of people have tried something, nobody's gotten it right yet, and therefore it must be impossible. It'll continue to be impossible up until someone does it right, at which time everyone will suddenly agree that it was inevitable.
(Quick aside: Whenever everyone in the tech industry agrees on something, bet against them. A perfect consensus is a sign that healthy questioning has ceased, and there's bound to be a blind spot.)
In this case, I think the blind spot was that people predicted the wrong role and features for micropayments. Some people made it a payment vs. advertising debate (link). It's not -- some types of media are good for advertising, some good for payment. We need both, with a creative tension between them.
Another problem is that some of the advocates of micropayments envisioned a very fine-grained payment system, in which people would pay hundredths of cents for all sorts of content, like the way natural gas or water is metered. That sounded logical, but it didn't work in practice because gas and water are predictable commodities; you don't mind metering because you know exactly what you'll get. You don't know how good a website will be until you've visited it, by which point you have already paid if you're metering. We need larger payments for content that people can preview and read reviews about before they pay. Apple has proved decisively that on the wired Internet a payment system that charges about a buck for discrete chunks of content can indeed succeed.
Call it minipayments.
We desperately need a generalized minipayment system for content on the web. Because people have to trust it, it needs to come from a major vendor, and it should be exposed to developers as a web service so it can grow rapidly. Ideally, it should be tied to a lot of existing content with an easy discovery mechanism (again, like iTunes). Yahoo would be the perfect company to provide this service. Microsoft could do it too. Unfortunately, a lot of companies are focusing a huge amount of their energy on the almost hopeless task of beating Google in search advertising, when the better opportunity is owning a different piece of the infrastructure, one that doesn't have a dominant vendor yet.
Other companies that could do it include Amazon, Apple, eBay, and even Linden Lab. Google could do it too, of course, but it appears to be more interested in stealing PayPal's customers than in building something new.
I'd put this service on the list of computing products I want desperately, right after the info pad. Somebody's going to do it eventually. When they do they'll get a great business franchise, and the explosion of new media on the Web will accelerate even further.
I can't wait.
Next time: The Web as a software development platform.
Cute Cell Phone Covers
When we wrote about the best solutions to make your cell phone look cooler we forgot to mention one thing - funny plush covers – so let’s take a look at some models from NewYorkCellphone!When you add such an accessory your cell phone becomes cuter, and this is a solution destined not only to kids but also to those adults who still like to feel
Mobile Search: Nearest Restroom
Taken straight from MizPee Homepage:"Do you ever find yourself desperately looking for a clean toilet in the city?
MizPee finds the closest, cleanest toilet and gives you entertaining reading material once you get there. Since the service is cell phone-based, it's always with you, when you really need it."
Point your mobile browser to: www.mizpee.com and find that nearest clean restroom. What a concept! Thanks to my friend Paul C. for this tip!
BMW 335i Failed Fuel Pump
*Note - I know this post is not really "mobile" related, but I am hoping that by posting an entry about this problem to bring some attention, it can help attribute to a faster resolution to alleviate the frustrations and agony suffered by most BMW 335i owners.
After six months of ownership and 2,500mi later, our 335i began to have startup problems. It would take an unusual amount of time (approx. 4 - 6 seconds) to ignite the engine. After a quick research:
Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2488526315747010378
http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/bmw-335i/T0OJ7C7DMQJ7ERRUF
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=713381
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67313
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68332
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70744
I found out that this is a common problem and lots of people are complaining. The problem: Failed Fuel Pump! The biggest frustration is that this fuel pump is on a nationwide backorder, some owners have expressed that they've been waiting for 2+ months. And sure enough, this is exactly what my dealership - BMW of Manhattan is telling me.
This fuel pump design must have been so flawed to generate this type of volume of failure thus causing a backorder of this degree. At this point, nobody knows when will these fuel pumps arrive and I am starring at a payment stub as I am typing this blog entry. Very disappointing. BMW NA - Please act quick before this becomes nasty problem on your hands!
Update: BMW of Manhattan and my service rep is superb. During the entire time, they've arranged BMW loaners to ensure that I am staying happy. I even got a \5 series sedan loaner at my request. On top of that, they took care of the payment for the one month that my car was in the shop. Overall, I am very satisified with how BMW of Manhattan handled the situation. New Pump has been working great since the installation
After six months of ownership and 2,500mi later, our 335i began to have startup problems. It would take an unusual amount of time (approx. 4 - 6 seconds) to ignite the engine. After a quick research:
Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2488526315747010378
http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/bmw-335i/T0OJ7C7DMQJ7ERRUF
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=713381
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67313
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68332
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70744
I found out that this is a common problem and lots of people are complaining. The problem: Failed Fuel Pump! The biggest frustration is that this fuel pump is on a nationwide backorder, some owners have expressed that they've been waiting for 2+ months. And sure enough, this is exactly what my dealership - BMW of Manhattan is telling me.
This fuel pump design must have been so flawed to generate this type of volume of failure thus causing a backorder of this degree. At this point, nobody knows when will these fuel pumps arrive and I am starring at a payment stub as I am typing this blog entry. Very disappointing. BMW NA - Please act quick before this becomes nasty problem on your hands!
Update: BMW of Manhattan and my service rep is superb. During the entire time, they've arranged BMW loaners to ensure that I am staying happy. I even got a \5 series sedan loaner at my request. On top of that, they took care of the payment for the one month that my car was in the shop. Overall, I am very satisified with how BMW of Manhattan handled the situation. New Pump has been working great since the installation
Taking the week off
Just a short notice: I'm taking this week off for a short vacation at the sea. I'll have internet access, but I'll try to avoid it if possible (my wrists really need some rest), thought I'll probably post little updates on Jaiku. I already have some great books packed, and I really can't wait to relax on the beach and enjoy the sea air. I'll be back in the digital world next week, so stay tuned! :)
Join us at Bloggers Cafe!
In case you haven't heard yet: edubloggers now have a new place to get together in Second Life at the brand new Bloggers Cafe.The Bloggers Cafe is an attempt to keep the conversation that started at this year's NECC going (and it is of course a great opportunity for all of us that missed NECC to join in the conversation). You can visit the Bloggers Cafe on Eduisland II, on land that was kindly offered by Ryan Bretag (aka Existential Pain). Also, don't forget to join both the SL and the RL group (set up by Jennifer Wagner) and have your blog added to the virtual blogroll at the Cafe.
The virtual blogroll wall at the Cafe
For more info about how the Bloggers Cafe started and where it is going see Ryan's blog. See you all the Bloggers Cafe! :)
The virtual blogroll wall at the Cafe
Why is Apple porting its browser to Windows? To take over the world, of course.
There are so many interesting things going on in the industry that it's frustrating, because I don't have time to write about them all.
Jerry Yang is now in charge at Yahoo, which in my opinion means a lot because a founder is often much more willing to revisit old assumptions and make radical changes than is someone who came in after the fact. (I know the stereotype is that founders resist change, but I've found that the exact opposite is often true, especially if the founder is moving up after spending time lower in the management chain.)
Google bought Grand Central, which underlines their interest in providing client software for mobile phones. It's a significant change for Google because up to now they have focused mostly on providing mobile versions of their existing web apps, like Maps. Grand Central is different; it's a call management system that embeds Google deeply in the life of a mobile user. It implies a much tighter relationship between Google and the user than most other Google products, and it's not something that you can easily monetize through advertising -- which makes me wonder whether Google is planning to run it standalone or integrate it into something bigger.
But the strangest recent development was Apple's decision to port its Safari web browser to Windows.
It is not easy to port a browser to a new platform. There's a huge amount of programming involved -- to do the actual port, to debug it, and to maintain and upgrade the code as people identify small incompatibilities and ask for new features. I lived through PalmSource's effort to get a good browser for Palm OS, and talked with the Be veterans about their browser work. The quick summary: it's a huge pain in the butt.
What's Apple hoping to get? The engineers at Apple who are spending their time on Safari for Windows could be creating new features for the iPhone, or helping to finish the next version of Mac OS X. Although Apple is rich enough to hire a lot of engineers, the supply of really good ones is limited, so Apple's definitely paying a price to do the port. And for what? To get people to use an alternate browser, you have to give it away for free. So there's no immediate benefit to doing the port.
A lot of Apple enthusiast sites have asked what's going on, but I'm not persuaded by most of the answers they came up with. For example, a site called Apple Matters gave four possible motivations: for bragging rights, to show Windows users what it's like to use a Mac, to give iPhone website developers a tool to test their sites, and to get revenue from search referrals to Yahoo and Google (link).
Apple Matters seems like a very good site, and to give them credit, even they were skeptical about some of the possible explanations. None of them work for me. Apple doesn't need more bragging rights, a browser is a very awkward way to show off the Mac UI, iPhone developers can buy an iPhone to test their sites, and the search referral fees from Yahoo and Google can't be all that big or everyone would be writing browsers.
I think the motivation runs deeper. It turns out that Apple didn't just port the browser to Windows; it ported the browser, the underlying Web rendering engine, and the Mac OS X programming frameworks that the browser relies on. In other words, Apple ported an entire OS layer onto Windows, and the browser is riding on top of that (link).
Now that's interesting. Apple is backing into the cross-platform OS layer business. Maybe the OS layer is just a convenient way to do the browser port. Or maybe the browser is just a trojan horse to get the OS layer on a lot more systems.
Add to this situation Apple's other recent strange announcement -- that it's "enabling" iPhone applications development by supporting Ajax web software on the iPhone. The problem with Ajax/Web2 applications is that they rely on a constant network connection in order to work. They're just thin clients to a server on the Web. Considering the iPhone's lack of true 3G connection speed, and AT&T/Cingular's well-documented data coverage limitations, Ajax-style development is about the worst thing you could do on the iPhone. What the developers wanted was the ability to create native Mac OS X applications, and Apple blew them off.
Why piss off the developers, and why put such a huge handicap on people supporting your critical new product?
Maybe the iPhone is so screwed up internally that it can't support third party apps. Sure, and maybe Apple wants to port Safari to Windows just for ego.
If you want a single idea that explains both actions, it's this: Apple realizes that in the long term, the development platform that matters is not the OS on the hardware, but the software layer that the web apps run on (I believe that; you can read more here). Apple realizes that this layer will eventually become good enough to displace native personal computer apps. Web apps then become both an opportunity and a challenge for Apple. The opportunity is that they're a way to take down Microsoft. The challenge is that the same process that obsoletes Windows obsoletes other PC operating systems, including Mac OS.
This makes it vital for Apple to create its own Web apps layer, so it can control its own destiny and increase its power. That goal would be so important that Apple would be willing to handicap iPhone apps development in the short term in order to make developers focus on the web apps platform in the long term.
If that's Apple's thinking, then the next thing to watch for will be Apple gradually adding more features to its OS layer, in the guise of browser APIs and feature enhancements. Those features will be deployed at the same time on the Mac, the iPhone, and Windows Safari. And Apple will start evangelizing web app developers to use them.
The war to come. This could set up a brutal competition in software layers, between Adobe Apollo, Microsoft Silverlight, Sun's revised Java, Firefox's platform, and Apple. Google fits in there somewhere as well, but it's not clear if they'll try to create their own platform or work with several other players.
I think this is where the most interesting action's going to be in applications development in the next few years. Stay tuned.
Jerry Yang is now in charge at Yahoo, which in my opinion means a lot because a founder is often much more willing to revisit old assumptions and make radical changes than is someone who came in after the fact. (I know the stereotype is that founders resist change, but I've found that the exact opposite is often true, especially if the founder is moving up after spending time lower in the management chain.)
Google bought Grand Central, which underlines their interest in providing client software for mobile phones. It's a significant change for Google because up to now they have focused mostly on providing mobile versions of their existing web apps, like Maps. Grand Central is different; it's a call management system that embeds Google deeply in the life of a mobile user. It implies a much tighter relationship between Google and the user than most other Google products, and it's not something that you can easily monetize through advertising -- which makes me wonder whether Google is planning to run it standalone or integrate it into something bigger.
But the strangest recent development was Apple's decision to port its Safari web browser to Windows.
It is not easy to port a browser to a new platform. There's a huge amount of programming involved -- to do the actual port, to debug it, and to maintain and upgrade the code as people identify small incompatibilities and ask for new features. I lived through PalmSource's effort to get a good browser for Palm OS, and talked with the Be veterans about their browser work. The quick summary: it's a huge pain in the butt.
What's Apple hoping to get? The engineers at Apple who are spending their time on Safari for Windows could be creating new features for the iPhone, or helping to finish the next version of Mac OS X. Although Apple is rich enough to hire a lot of engineers, the supply of really good ones is limited, so Apple's definitely paying a price to do the port. And for what? To get people to use an alternate browser, you have to give it away for free. So there's no immediate benefit to doing the port.
A lot of Apple enthusiast sites have asked what's going on, but I'm not persuaded by most of the answers they came up with. For example, a site called Apple Matters gave four possible motivations: for bragging rights, to show Windows users what it's like to use a Mac, to give iPhone website developers a tool to test their sites, and to get revenue from search referrals to Yahoo and Google (link).
Apple Matters seems like a very good site, and to give them credit, even they were skeptical about some of the possible explanations. None of them work for me. Apple doesn't need more bragging rights, a browser is a very awkward way to show off the Mac UI, iPhone developers can buy an iPhone to test their sites, and the search referral fees from Yahoo and Google can't be all that big or everyone would be writing browsers.
I think the motivation runs deeper. It turns out that Apple didn't just port the browser to Windows; it ported the browser, the underlying Web rendering engine, and the Mac OS X programming frameworks that the browser relies on. In other words, Apple ported an entire OS layer onto Windows, and the browser is riding on top of that (link).
Now that's interesting. Apple is backing into the cross-platform OS layer business. Maybe the OS layer is just a convenient way to do the browser port. Or maybe the browser is just a trojan horse to get the OS layer on a lot more systems.
Add to this situation Apple's other recent strange announcement -- that it's "enabling" iPhone applications development by supporting Ajax web software on the iPhone. The problem with Ajax/Web2 applications is that they rely on a constant network connection in order to work. They're just thin clients to a server on the Web. Considering the iPhone's lack of true 3G connection speed, and AT&T/Cingular's well-documented data coverage limitations, Ajax-style development is about the worst thing you could do on the iPhone. What the developers wanted was the ability to create native Mac OS X applications, and Apple blew them off.
Why piss off the developers, and why put such a huge handicap on people supporting your critical new product?
Maybe the iPhone is so screwed up internally that it can't support third party apps. Sure, and maybe Apple wants to port Safari to Windows just for ego.
If you want a single idea that explains both actions, it's this: Apple realizes that in the long term, the development platform that matters is not the OS on the hardware, but the software layer that the web apps run on (I believe that; you can read more here). Apple realizes that this layer will eventually become good enough to displace native personal computer apps. Web apps then become both an opportunity and a challenge for Apple. The opportunity is that they're a way to take down Microsoft. The challenge is that the same process that obsoletes Windows obsoletes other PC operating systems, including Mac OS.
This makes it vital for Apple to create its own Web apps layer, so it can control its own destiny and increase its power. That goal would be so important that Apple would be willing to handicap iPhone apps development in the short term in order to make developers focus on the web apps platform in the long term.
If that's Apple's thinking, then the next thing to watch for will be Apple gradually adding more features to its OS layer, in the guise of browser APIs and feature enhancements. Those features will be deployed at the same time on the Mac, the iPhone, and Windows Safari. And Apple will start evangelizing web app developers to use them.
The war to come. This could set up a brutal competition in software layers, between Adobe Apollo, Microsoft Silverlight, Sun's revised Java, Firefox's platform, and Apple. Google fits in there somewhere as well, but it's not clear if they'll try to create their own platform or work with several other players.
I think this is where the most interesting action's going to be in applications development in the next few years. Stay tuned.
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