Zatz Not Funny!

Apple’s Subscription Requirements Won’t Stand

Apple’s rejection of the Sony e-Reader app and announcement of App Store subscriptions, in conjunction with The Daily launch launch, seems to have agitated a large number of folks. I’d assumed the implications and resultant response was overblown. But it turns out that I was the one who misread the situation. From Apple CEO Steve Jobs yesterday:

Our philosophy is simple—when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing. All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app

I can’t imagine many businesses will suddenly want to pass 30% of their subscription-based income on to Apple in exchange for a place in the App Store. In fact, those running on tight margins, like Pandora or Slacker, now find themselves confronted with a difficult decision — raise rates or abandon iOS.

But something’s got to give. Apple’s iPhone success is largely based on a vibrant ecosystem of third party apps and services. It’s symbiotic… and copacetic. At least it was. And not everyone will take this lying down. As Rhapsody stated in an email release I received:

Netflix Channels Television, Hulu Runs Classic Films

netflix-psych

I’m so confused… Netflix, known for streaming commercial-free movie content has launched a whole bunch of new television shows (and modernized TV site organization, as shown above). While Hulu Plus, a product of the television studios themselves, lands the Criterion Collection of classic films. The lines are obviously blurring.

Although monthly subscription fees are similar, the two services still take somewhat different approaches in presentation. Namely, Hulu insists on running commercial advertising on its paid tier. But wait, might even that be up for renegotiation? From the Hulu blog:

Criterion Hulu Plus subscribers will be able to watch the Criterion Collection free of interruption. (Any ads will play up front.)

Also interesting, as highlighted on Hacking Netflix, is Criterion’s rational for choosing Hulu over Netflix:

DoubleTwist for Android Now Streams to Xbox, PS3

The folks at doubleTwist have rolled out an update to their Android music player and desktop synchronization software that now lets users stream audio, video, and pictures from their phones to video game consoles. Here’s how it works. You install the $4.99 doubleTwist AirSync application on your device and your phone will show up as a … Read more

TiVo “Lifetime” Service Lasts 10 Years? (UK)

TiVo’s winding down support operations for their original UK DVR offering across the pond, with Series1 service slated to cease on June 1st, 2011. Active users should have recently seen an incoming message from TiVo on their PVR detailing the potentially bad news. Although service will remain free… until it’s gone. Unfortunately, without service those folks … Read more

Qualcomm, Netflix To Bring Streaming To Android

Netflix has been working on a mobile app for Android devices for some time, but hasn’t released anything yet due to the lack of system-wide DRM (digital rights management) on Android phones and tablets. Now the company is showing off Netflix streaming on Android devices using Qualcomm’s next-generation processors. VentureBeat covers the deal that seems to … Read more

One Plug to Rule Them All

One of the best conversations I had at CES this year was with the VP of sales and marketing for a company called Green Plug. Now granted, meeting with Graeme Finlayson was also the first chance I’d had to sit down in many hours, but even so, the GreenPlug story is one I’ve wanted to tell since coming back from Vegas.

GreenPlug was founded in 2006 with the goal of fixing the “broken” power model. You know how there are a bazillion different adapters for a bazillion different gadgets? Well, it would be nice to standardize them all and be assured that when your lovely little laptop power cord breaks, there’s another nearby that can be switched out from a different device. Unfortunately, as anyone in the industry knows, there is huge resistance from manufacturers around standardizing power accessories. According to Finlayson, the technical challenges of creating one power adapter for all major devices is essentially solved, though there would likely need to be different versions for different power needs – like a 15-50 watt version, a 50-150 watt version, etc. Trying to get manufacturers on board is the major nightmare. Apparently the IEEE is attempting to standardize power adapters for laptops, but when we’ll get any concrete solutions from that initiative remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Green Plug has extended its efforts beyond just creating a universal power adapter. In order to make powering devices more efficient, the company is proposing to add a little CPU, and a new communication wire into the cord that goes between your device and the outlet on the wall. The purpose is to create a feedback loop that communicates battery status, enabling functions like rapid charge and power shut-off when a battery is powered to capacity.

This is a fundamental shift in the way we think about power. Instead of dumb power cords, we’re suddenly looking at intelligent power networks. The Green Plug concept also provides another way to connect devices into the smart grid, which has its own set of implications. That new communication wire makes it potentially possible to connect with a larger grid even when a device, for all other intents and purposes, is turned off.

Verizon FiOS DVR iPhone App Updated

Verizon pushed out a significant FiOS TV DVR Manager iPhone app update this morning, bringing us up to version 1.5. Most notable upon first launch is that the previous horrid graphics have been replaced with a polished UI that mirrors what’s found in their latest DVR update (IMG 1.9, slowly rolling out). Remote scheduling and … Read more

Archiving iPhone Voicemail Messages

For all the polish of Apple’s iPhone, there’s still a number of missing technological enhancements. For example, one would think that archiving voicemail in some manner would be a no brainer — saving a message to iTunes or emailing it beyond the confines of one’s handset. In preparation for an AT&T exodus and Verizon iPhone … Read more