There were really only two items out of Apple’s “It’s Only Rock & Roll” event earlier this week that managed to capture my attention. First off, where the heck was the iPod Touch camera? Several credible leaks, including compelling imagery, suggested photographic and video functionality was an inevitability. File this one under don’t count your … Read more
As expected, Real’s all-you-can-eat music streaming Rhapsody service has hit iTunes today. And while the iPod Touch/iPhone app is free, a subscription runs $15/month. As I wrote last month, “I’m not sure they’ll pick up many new customers. But iPhone owners who enjoy Rhapsody on multiple platforms, like Sonos and TiVo, will likely welcome this … Read more
A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our friends at Last100: Nokia can do UI design after all, Linux-based N900 unveiled Unlike the N810 and the company’s recently released N97 flagship Symbian powered smartphone, the N900 has the processing power to match its UI and computing ambitions – an ARM Cortex-A8 processor running at 600MHz … Read more
Leaving comments across the blogosphere… For Plasma TVs, Being Better Isn’t Enough You talk as if plasma is a company or brand. Most manufacturers of plasmas also offer LCDs as you mentioned, including Panasonic. And it’s pretty easy for any of these guys to slap their brand on someone else’s hardware until they ramped up … Read more
As all Apple aficionados know, Mac OS X Snow Leopard was released yesterday. Upon receiving a marketing email promising free delivery on day 1, I pre-ordered my copy online via the Apple Store. Unfortunately, as the tweets started accumulating, my account indicated delivery was scheduled for September. I wouldn’t say I’m a Mac fanboy. But … Read more
I didn’t realize that my little Roku ($99) video streaming box has an open network interface. Like TiVo, one simply needs to telnet into port 8080 of the Roku from a LAN to issue commands. The first practical implementation, which I discovered over on Hacking Netflix, is the 99 cent iPhone/Touch DVPRemote app which allows … Read more
Sirius XM announced two new XM receiver devices this week – the Skydock ($120) and the Onyx ($80). Both are scheduled for a fall delivery and, I’m guessing, they’re targeting different audiences. While choice is good, I’m not sure the Skydock will be worth the 50% premium over the Onyx for most. The XM Skydock … Read more
Apple, AT&T, and Google‘s responses to the FCC inquiry have received plenty of coverage. So we’re not going to rehash those letters line by line. However, I did want to focus on the Net Neutrality angle. Perhaps, the crux of the matter. And while I may not know the legal standards or thresholds for collusion … Read more