Dana's Mixed Bag

2010 was an excellent year in tech. Windows 7 became the first widely-adopted OS in 9 years by Microsoft, Apple shook up intermediate computing by introducing a large version of a current product, Microsoft introduced the first device-free controller in Kinect, eBook readers finally gained traction, Android operating system exploded, Microsoft released a strong OS for phones, 3D TVs hit the shelves, Google TV and Apple TV launched, and much, much more. Here’s a look at what will happen from 2011

• Apple will unveil the iPad2 and it will be an enormous success. It will include a front-facing camera with FaceTime as well as a higher resolution screen, period. Apple doesn’t need to add any more features than that for the device to continue its domination. In fact, in the face of a slew of tablets at the same price point, sales of the iPad2 will actually increase based on the maturity of the ecosystem.
• Apple’s next foray with iBooks will be an aggressive move to adopt textbooks.
• Seeing the impressive Ford Sync system, Lexus/Toyota and BMW will join Google or Apple to create an automobile integration system that leverages one’s iOS or Android phone to deliver content beyond A2DP Bluetooth audio to the car’s system. Key selling points will be navigation and Pandora.
• Nintendo will release a controller-based, HD game console that will play legacy games. In early 2012 they will announce a Kinect-like sensor for the system.
• Microsoft will still have a phenomenal set of components but still will not connect the dots. Their home DVR, cell phone, Zune subscription, XBox360, Kinect, and Ford Sync systems are all incredible products. Add an inexpensive home automation system and allow all of these parts to talk to each other, and you have a killer lifestyle ecosystem. Unfortunately they will still be tripping over details of the trees instead of selling people on the forest.
• Yahoo will merge with someone like Time Warner, AOL, or Viacom.
• Barnes & Noble and Borders will close 25% of their brick & mortar stores.
• Blockbuster Video will dissolve, but their assets will be purchased by independent, local merchants in vacation destinations.
• Fuel prices will inhibit the economy so much that many new, innovative products this year will not get off of the ground.
• Apple’s device division will have an outstanding year, but adoption of OSX will still be slow.
• There will be no more upgrades with cable companies’ rented hardware. Time Warner Cable will introduce a cloud DVR service that allows fast forwarding, but is so inaccurate that it cannot be used to skip commercials. Hollywood lawyers will require that the shows be set to record up to the episode’s actual presentation time (they will not allow TWC to record 1 instance of our local “Modern Family”, for example, and apply it to subscriber’s accounts as requested. They will require TWC to have one instance per request of that episode on their servers). Subscribers will not be able to request recording of a show the following day, as this constitutes “on-demand” viewing, and is a different legal entity.
• Time Warner will work with local outlets to carry online access through cable boxes to streams that currently exist on the internet. Local news streams, for example, will be provided in a crappy, slow 10-foot interface.
• Prices for sheet-fed document scanners will fall, enabling people to easily scan documents and sent them to mobile devices.
• Apple will release an iPhone on Verizon in March along with the release of the iPad2.
• Terrestrial radio stations will begin showing a noticeable weakening. XM will be in real trouble in Q4.
• No improvements will be made with the BCS bowl system.
• No significant improvements will be made regarding the quality of content available to stream from TV devices. (ie. “cutting” the cord – from cable systems – will still not be a viable option).
• Social networking specific to food and music will be big trends this year.
• Environmentalists will protest the ritual of putting up a natural Christmas tree.
• Violence will break out regarding the actions of the World Bank.
• Serious discussions will take place regarding dissolution of the ACC Basketball Tournament.
• Indian food will make its first step toward being America’s next food fad.
• City officials will discuss separate disposal of styrofoams and certain plastics to landfills.
• Mobile HDTV units will become ubiquitous, but will be poorly adopted by the market.
• An Android tablet will have a dock that allows the tablet to be used as a computer monitor. The tablet’s document system will be available as a drive to the computer’s operating system.
• A very big, new rock band we’ve never heard of will emerge.
• Tablet computers (and their ability to offer a paperless questionnaire) will be the final step in getting medical practices completely paperless. It will be a 5-year process, but there will be a significant adoption rate in 2011.

So there it is. It could be complete rubbish, could be mostly true. I don’t care. Just one man’s thoughts!

Tags: Tech // 1 Comment »

One of the new Christmastime ads on TV is by Honda and it features the song “Holiday” by Vampire Weekend. If you live in the real world you may not be aware of the emotional convulsions being displayed by hipsters over Vampire Weekend’s “sellout”. Both Honda and Vampire Weekend are now guilty of mass marketing schlock instead of the preservation of their art. Alice Cooper joined saying that the Paul Simon sound-alikes have no balls.

Funny that we never heard that same vitriol pointed at bands like The Kaiser Chiefs, Yael Naim, Orba Squara, Feist, Bob Dylan, and scores of others who sold out to Apple Computer for their ads. Selling cars and selling tech products destined for the landfill in 3 years are the same thing. You have to grab the audience’s attention, then present the good being sold.

There is one little band I left out of that list that is the most interesting of all: The Beatles. For decades companies have tried to use Beatles’ identities and music, but were unable to in most cases. In those rare use cases it was usually a cover version of a Beatles song by another band.

So it’s 2010 and along comes Apple, the computer company. A month ago they announced that it had finally joined other music outlets and reached an agreement to carry the Beatles’ music, The response from the public: meh. More importantly, though, this deal allowed iTunes to use select Beatles songs in advertising. The Beatles’ original versions of “Revolution” and “All You Needs is Love” are currently running from the ad campaign, and they raise an important question in advertising: is Apple trying to sell The Beatles’ music or is Apple using The Beatles to sell Apple Computer products? The commercial doesn’t parade around the iTunes brand so much as it just shows stills of the band in an attempt to draw in the viewer for the climactic logo splash.

Yeaaahhhh…about that logo splashhhh. First the iTunes logo appears, then the Apple Computer logo for, get this, an equal amount of time. It appears the boys in The Beatles’ legal department got duped. Original music and photos by the band are going used to sell Apple’s products, just like Honda is doing with Vampire. Well..OK, the Apple Computer ad doesn’t show their hardware product for the full 30 seconds, however it is the same exact mechanism of distract and present.

Why all this talk about Apple Computer? Apple seems to be doing some more of their blur marketing at a deeper level than it appears. At Apple Computer press announcements Steve Jobs has wonderfully blurred the truth about the popularity of his operating system and his products while ignoring his flops (notice how you never hear about Apple TV sales figures?). Why should we expect more honesty from his ad campaigns?

The Beatles’ place in history is well understood, and the millions of copies of their 45s, albums, and CDs out there are kept and loved by many. When young and old fans reach for these physical media, what record label is prominently displayed? That’s right, Apple Records. It may have been a coincidence, originally, that the computer company had the same name as the record company (and that record company sued the computer maker over that name and lost many years ago). However the line between the most popular band in history, their label, and a computer company with the same name is more blurred than ever in the consumer’s eyes. That young person discovering his parents’ and grandparents’ music is quite likely to think of a computer company when loading up an album now.

So what we’ve seen here is a clever little takeover of a brand. When you think Beatles, you are supposed to think Apple, the computer company. It’s a clever manipulation of a brand, The Beatles, that is going unnoticed. Meanwhile Vampire Weekend, a band that has only sold a few million albums, is being tied to the stake for a classic hipster execution. If only the vampires could have been so clever.

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There are some great Cosby shows coming on in the next 48 hrs. Here are three of our favorites:

Thanksgiving where Cliff gets sent to the grocery store over and over:
2/25 1a  CENTRIC (TWC Channel 458)
2/25 12:30p WRAZ

Thanksgiving where Cliff shows Theo how to carve "the buuurrd":
2/25 12p  WRAZ
2/25 1:30p  CENTRIC

The Gordon Gartrell shirt episode:
2/25 11a CENTRIC

The family lip syncs a Ray Charles song, featuring Rudy whaling “BAYBAAAAAY”:
2/25  3p CENTRIC

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There is plenty of love in the internet for AutoHotkey, the free macro application. It does allow a plethora of timesaving possibilities. I especially like it in situation where I am doing a repetitive series of keystrokes, but it also is great for text substitution (“btw” automatically becomes “by the way”) and for assigning macros to certain keys like Function keys, footpedals, etc.

I recently was attempting to send text messages from a dental software application called Dentrix. I was successful in getting data scraped from a spreadsheet and into a Google Voice message. However when trying to run repetitive tasks within Dentrix, AutoHotkey had absolutely no effect. I imagine there are other Windows applications that also render AutoHotkey impotent.

The problem is not with these applications. Rather it is with AutoHotkey, which is not specifically designed for Windows 7, even after that OS’ first birthday. The fix is simple, though. Just make AutoHotkey run in a Compatibility Mode. More specifically:

1. Open Windows Explorer, and go to where your autohotkey.exe resides. (most likely in C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey)
2. Right-click on autohotkey.exe, and click Properties
3. Select the “Compatibility” tab
4. Select the checkbox for “Run this program in compatibility mod for:”, and select “Windows Vista (Service Pack 2)” in the dropdown list.
5. Select “Run this program as an administrator” checkbox, and select “OK”

This change will be reflected whenever any macros are launched. Good luck!

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Apple presented a new Apple TV at yesterday’s event. While watching the event, I was most impressed by the device’s small size. However last night I was thinking, what is the point of something being small? Up to a point, it really only affects portability. Since this is a settop box, portability is not a factor at all. Since it has to have a network connection to do anything. I’m not going to take it to the beach or on vacation. Therefore this "feature" is a waste.

Perhaps the size allows use in tight places like the kitchen and bedrooms. Windows Media Center has no devices now that fit this essential use case, which is absurd. The $100 Apple TV device works in only one location, though. In order for one to cut the cord for their house, they would have to outfit each room with the streaming-only device. Content rented for one unit cannot be transferred to another family unit, so there is absolutely no “whole-home” aspect to it.

Another feature that presented well was Apple’s imitation of Windows 7’s PlayTo. After 10 months of heavy Windows Media Center use with a PC, extenders, and laptops, this feature is something I never use.

Unless you can deliver live, HD sports, you blew it. Cable sports channels are, at this point, irreplaceable. We aren’t going to cut the cord for this device or any other with the current sports model. ESPN’s contracts with cable companies don’t bode well for change any time soon, either. The Cable companies have ESPN (and HBO for that matter) locked down, and aren’t going to let ESPN shunt content to viewers using new technology for many, many years.

Cable is here to stay and any “game-changer” is going to have to have hybrid abilities as we slowly cut the cord. At this point the upcoming Google TV looks like the best suited device, but still misses the mark wildly. Windows Media Center is the most stunning whole-house DVR, but only one room gets to enjoy streaming internet content. Microsoft is oh-so-close to knocking this one out of the park, but seems deathly afraid to connect a few simple dots. Therefore their system in its current state is a mess.

The new Apple TV is an improvement over the last version, and the pricing for the device and content is a very welcome change. In the end, the device doesn’t allow most people the opportunity to change the way they watch TV. It allows one a bit more freedom to buy content for a second time. Sure, that does give a consumer a bit more freedom, assuming the content is really there (Big Bang Theory still isn’t available for streaming on CBS’ own website. Will full episodes be available on AppleTV? Will they be available in time for me to watch them before my next encounter at the office water cooler?). Is it really even worth $100 plus rental fees for this freedom? It’s almost like presenting a sexy scooter and saying you "bought some wheels" so you can pretend you have a substitute device for a car.

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So, I’m sitting on the beach this afternoon looking through new releases at Rhapsody using their app. One CD of interest is the new one by The National. As one peruses the Rhapsody desktop client, he or she will notice that this CD only has a few streamable tracks.

I found that the Rhapsody iPhone app allows full downloading of this CD, actually. Get to it by going to the Recent Releases page. Long-press on the CD’s name, and select “Add To Playlist…”. In the next screen select New Playlist, an type a name for the list. Because it is a new CD that I want to access quickly, I’ll call it “00thenational” so it appears in the top of the Playlists list. In the next screen hit “Download” and all 11 tracks will download to your phone.

This technique requires at least a $10 subscription to Rhapsody. If you are a $15 subscriber, your iPhone will count as one of your authorized devices.

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There once was a time when the cutting edge of technology for consumers existed with the automobile industry, but those days are long gone. Without a doubt the fastest-changing industry right now is the mobile electronics market. Palm’s Treo brought the “smartphone” to millions of consumers hands about 8 years ago. Since that point, though, the market has dramatically changed with the introduction of the iPhone, Android, and the soon-to-be-released Windows 7 Phones. How much have cars changed in 8 years? As one can see from this 3-year old Toyota Camry dashboard, not much. This is the illogical, poor user-interface that has been a staple for Toyota since the early part of the last decade. Next to the iPhone and the Nexus One it looks downright silly.

Because people are keeping their cars 4-8 years, it makes little sense for auto manufacturers to try reinventing the driver-interaction wheel. By the time their product goes to market it will be outdated. Factory-installed GPS devices stand as shining examples of this. In very little time these expensive systems wind up as outdated relics compared to the continually current offerings on Android phones and the iPhone.

Ford introduced its excellent Sync system by Microsoft which features Bluetooth stereo connections and a fully functional wired iPod interface. However it insists that it do all of the heavy lifting and comes with many strings attached. For example, in order to use the system’s hard disc drive to store music, one must sit in their car and rip all of their CD’s one by one. Didn’t the consumer already go through this laborious process in their house a few years ago when they committed to a portable mp3 player? For’d Sync system can deliver weather and traffic information, but it requires a subscription. Why would I buy these when my iPhone gives me this data for free? Sync also offers integrated Sirius radio, but if I rarely exit 3G wireless coverage zones, why would I buy this when I can get Pandora for free on my phone?

With the turnover rate of portable devices being roughly 1/3 of the turnover time for car ownership, there really is no reason for auto makers to even try to compete on these fronts. With internet access more ubiquitous in the ensuing years, there is no way car makers can continue with their model.

Advanced control systems in cars usually divide their functions into four categories: 1) Diagnostics and controls, 2) Climate Control, 3) Navigation, 4) Audio/Phone. There really is no reason for the car to run these latter two. What should auto makers pursue? They should pursue a large in-dash screen that acts as a capacitive-touchscreen client for a docked mobile smartphone. While the car maker could continue to make their own GUI for the first two sections, the car’s 5-7” in-dash screen should simply be an external display for the iPhone in the other two realms. Let the newer devices featuring user interfaces more familiar to the driver do the heavy lifting.

Of course, safety is a big concern. So, the phone should be aware that it has been docked to a car system, triggering a “Car Mode”. This mode would only enable apps that have been approved for moving cars. The iPod interface should only have large print type, and remain extremely easy to navigate while moving. The phone’s navigation system in this mode would disable most of the NAV controls when the car is moving. Other music apps, like Pandora and Slacker, could work fine in this mode, given that they prioritize button size and function over large album art.

Honestly there really is no reason that the carmaker couldn’t sell or give apps for its diagnostics and climate controls, too. The car’s system could come with a standard UI for non-smartphone users. However the smartphone versions of those apps could feature upgraded and customizable interfaces that run in place of the standard UI in the presence of the docked smartphone.

We are on the verge of some sweeping changes in the auto industry. Auto makers have pretty much mastered safety as well as planned obsolescence. What they have failed to do is excite car buyers in the last 15 years. There are only minor differences offered to consumers in today’s car market. The next frontier in design, though, is in the cockpit. The automaker who makes a driver experience that best leverages already popular and quickly-evolving mobile devices will gain an enormous advantage over its competition.

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Last year we bought a Panasonic HDC-SD9 high-def camcorder and have been extremely impressed with the camera in general. The picture quality, size, stability, and SD Card form factor have perfectly suited our needs. The major weakness is management of the video files. Panasonic includes some software with the camera, but it is useless for doing anything but putting videos onto a DVD, which defeats the purpose of recording in HD. They also included some movie-making software, but is extremely cumbersome, and still did not manage high-def videos in Windows XP or Vista.

Thankfully there is Windows 7. Panasonic and Sony selected the AVCHD format for their videos, but previous versions of Windows were not able to manage this codec. Not only does Windows 7 include native support for AVCHD, but the new Windows Movie Maker, a free download from Windows Live, can easily publish these files to YouTube.

In order to publish one of the SD9’s videos to YouTube, one must first move the video files onto the computer’s hard disk drive. Insert the SD card into the card reader, and navigate to that drive using Windows Explorer and look for the folder: X:\PRIVATE\AVCHD\BDMV\STREAM  (where "”X” is the drive letter for the SD card). Each scene recorded by the camera will appear as a .m2ts file. (These files include the video and the audio, by the way.). Select all of the .m2ts files, and move them to a temporary folder location you’ve created on your hard drive. (I set up \Users\Public\Videos\UnprocessedVideos as mine, and put a link to it in the SendTo list).

Next, open Windows Live Movie Maker and drag all of the .m2ts files of interest into the workspace in the right half of the screen. Drag the scenes around to put them in order. Then, for each scene that begins with a transition, put the cursor at the beginning of the scene and select a transition (by going to Animations and selecting a transition.)

To publish the video, click on the Home tab, and select the YouTube logo in the Sharing section of the ribbon. You’ll have to enter your YouTube account name and password for each upload. After a few minutes you will be notified of the publishing success with the option to view the video in YouTube. It will take YouTube a few minutes to complete its transcode, and the job will be done.

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