Dave Does NYC (Phones)

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I spent the majority of the week in NYC meeting with a variety of good people. (That’s Kevin Tofel, Mari, Brad Linder, Dan Dorato, and I above.) On my journey, I came across several new and upcoming phones. Here’s my 60 second review:

HTC Touch
Nice form factor, though I’m still not sold on the idea of a phone without physical buttons. The fingertip touch-sensitive shell HTC has overlayed on Windows Mobile is attractive and efficient for basic tasks like calling contacts, but once you drill down to things like composing email you’re back to using the stylus.

LG PRADA
Also forgoing physical keypad, the touchscreen phone looks sharp both inside and out. Instead of a virtual QWERTY keyboard, the PRADA displays traditional phone keys and uses predictive text entry. Smart decision given portrait screen orientation and finger size. The PRADA name comes at a cost.

Blackberry Curve
Nice size and clearly delineated keys, unlike the 8800. This particular model didn’t show the sluggishness I experienced with another model a few weeks ago. I didn’t use the camera, though I like the idea of having one around for spontaneous moments. Too bad they couldn’t also squeeze in the 8800’s GPS.

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Digital Media Bytes

A periodic roundup… from our other blogs. Motorola’s New IPTV Software: Connected Home 2 Go FiOS – One Million and Counting: Connected Home 2 Go Joost Advertisers Want Copyright Assurances: Web TV Wire NXTcomm Does Video: Connected Home 2 Go San Francisco Hosts Robot Invasion: Davis Freeberg

Do you listen to podcasts?

podcast.gifOver on my LinkedIn network, an interesting question was posed: How often do you listen to podcasts? The author limited his query to non-work-related and non-NPR content. Here’s my response:

I rarely listen to podcasts. So interesting followup questions might be: Where/when/how do people listen? I find I can’t concentrate on a podcast while working on my computer and I don’t listen through my iPod or TV when relaxing.

Generally speaking, I’m more visually oriented and prefer reading or watching video over a purely audio broadcast. If I still regularly commuted (via subway), I might listen to podcasts more frequently. Though I’d just as likely watch some DVRed video clip on my mobile instead.

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Joost Seeking Hardware Partners?

Word on the street is that Joost is on the lookout for hardware partners. Because we just don’t have enough media extenders. ;) Of course, Joost does has several things going for them – tons of buzz, funding, and content partners. Although Joost’s unique interface may not translate so well to a couch-based experience. And … Read more

Democracy Video Overview

No, not democracy the concept. Democracy the open-source video aggregator and player. While I do actually like the original name, the developers will be rebranding their next iteration as Miro. Anyhow, CNET has posted a 2 minute video overview worth checking out. (Quicker and cleaner than an install.)

YouTube Gets Mobile

Without any fanfare, Google quietly launched YouTube Mobile. The web page is slimmed down for your portable, and video selections are streamed 3GP. Interesting to see YouTube move beyond Flash as their sole video format. (H.264 coming to AppleTV.)

So far, I haven’t had very good luck with the mobile offering… On a Treo 700p, clicking a YouTube vid brought up a blank web page. On a 700w, Windows Media Player launched with an error. Brian Lam over on Gizmodo had better luck on a 755 and Helio Ocean (above).

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Blu-ray Strikes Back (With Blockbuster)

Perhaps Blu-ray isn’t having such a bad week after all… Blockbuster has decided to exclusively stock Blu-ray in the majority of their brick & mortar stores. (HD DVD is available for rental online and at select stores.) Blockbuster made the decision based on Blu-ray accounting for 70% of next-gen DVD rentals in a 250 store … Read more

Blu-ray is Rottin’

Seems like those in the HD DVD camp are having a good month. First, Sony has started collecting contact info from folks displeased with the quality of (the now discontinued) The Fifth Element on Blu-ray. When the title is remastered next month, Sony will broker a trade. Next, over the last few weeks a couple … Read more