Trapped in Time

Alupen from Just Mobile ($20)

I love using my iPad for a number of activities, be it reading eBooks, watching movies and TV shows wirelessly from my desktop (whether I’m at home or elsewhere), listening to music, taking notes or sketching out ideas.  For the latter, sometimes your finger just doesn’t cut it. I often find myself having to zoom in to gain greater control of an area I’m sketching or writing, then zooming back out to see the entire thing. Usually the problem is that your finger just doesn’t provide the precision needed to quickly write like you would on paper.

This seems like a great solution, with a well-crafted aluminum shell and a rubber tip that works on any capacitive touch screen (your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or any other capacitive phone or tablet). I’m gonna try one of these out in the near future and see how it works, but I have a feeling it will improve the usability of a number of apps, and increase productivity on the iPad. Sorry Jobs, but some of us DO want a stylus for things fat finger tips weren’t meant to do on a touch screen.

There was speculation abound from gadget blogs and Wall Street about the potential a $99 iOS Apple TV might hold.  So when Steve ended with one more thing this week, I was rather disappointed to find a stripped down version of the existing Apple TV that doesn’t provide many things consumers (see: digitally savvy TV and movie viewers) are looking for right now.

To sum it up, the new Apple TV is an ARM processor powered hard drive-free device that features 720p HD video with HDMI and optical audio outputs, 802.11n wireless and ethernet.  Compare this to the previous version that has seen so hardware improvements since its release in 2007, and the difference is rather striking.  The original Apple TV offers a 40 or 160 GB hard drive, with all of the new device’s specs plus component video as well as analog audio outputs, and most importantly a USB port.  While the old version runs a rather toasty Intel processor, it can be modified by users to function in ways Apple didn’t intend in place of or in addition to the interface provided by Apple.  

And speaking of the interface, the 2010 iteration is running what appears to be a very similar GUI to what existing users received in a firmware update late last year.  The only improved functionality is the ability to a.) rent movies and b.) stream from your Netflix account.  Granted, Netflix streaming is a nice selling point for many users, but not a make or break, especially if you own a gaming device such as a PS3, XBox or Wii. Basically Apple seems to think a smaller device (1/4 the size of the old one) with less options (see: no hacking for more functionality) but reduced total ownership costs is an improvement.  I tend to disagree for a number of reasons.

I purchased an AppleTV at the end of my summer internship in 2007, and have enjoyed its functionality, albeit not as much as I probably could have if I’d invested more into consuming my content via HD video torrents. I’m happy with that purchase cause I’ve done a lot of streaming to my living room’s 61” flat screen. But because it has a hard drive, I can still use Boxee and stream content I have acquired from online in any reasonable video format, not just Apple’s mp4/m4v formats.  Likewise, I’ve also owned an Airport Express for 6 years, and much of my use of the AppleTV comes down to the streaming audio from my iTunes library of 70,000+ songs much the same as I use the Airport Express.

At $99, this is a very affordable product, but I have no intentions of upgrading in the near future, nor do I think I would buy this when there are other streaming solutions, such as Plex, that also have iOS remote apps (which I believe is a great way of controlling media devices, and something that will redefine the remote experience over the coming years). The real beauty here is going to be the integration with AirPlay when iOS 4.2 comes out in November. Being able to send content from my desktop to my iPad or iPhone, and vice versa, sending that content to my Airport Express or Apple TV (which I can already do but not from my iDevices) is pretty awesome.

I was really hoping this thing would be a true iOS device and run iOS apps, such as Air Video, which would allow you to stream any content to and from your HDTV.  Imagine being able to really leverage an iPad to send ANY QuickTime video to your big screen! Take an iPad app like BBC News, ESPN ScoreCenter, or even videos from Safari and watch them how you’d watch any other HD content.  AirPlay still hasn’t been explained well enough to know if this is possible, and because the new Apple TV runs an iOS-variant on ARM technology, it’s also possible that iOS apps could run on the device down the road, but without any kind of on-board storage, there would have to be an Apple cloud storing your apps. Don’t see that happening in the near future either.

What’s unfortunate here is that Apple offers the most integrated personal media solution, with the best management for large libraries of content (iTunes). It also makes the best mobile devices. While this certainly isn’t a bad solution, no one else is really in a position to offer a solution that delivers the integration Apple can, even if they do make up for the gaps in codec support, video output (1080p vs the 720p Apple settled on for bandwidth concessions), and on-board storage.

Honestly, besides the ability to stream Netflix (which PS3, XBox, and Wii currently do), what does the new Apple TV offer that the 3 1/2 year old product doesn’t offer? I may have paid $230 in 2007, but I’ve had 3 years of enjoyment in the mean time, and I can still buy content directly from the store if I so choose, and utilize 3rd party media solutions based on XBMC such as Boxee to watch any content type I wish.  If Plex offered its own device like Boxee has begun to do, I think it would be the ideal solution for an iMedia consumer right now.  And apparently as of today, they have (sort of) with a fresh deal struck for integration into LG’s new line of HDTVs.

This is news?  Just further proof of what dumb jackasses work at Fox News. Here are some of the highlights:

In a research paper published this month by two professors at Texas A&M University, the authors argue that the only way to understand the slavish adoration and over-the top financial success of Apple and its “Jesus Phone” (the iPhone) is to understand its minimalist, white-walled stores as the new churches of the tech generation.

“The religious-like behavior and language surrounding Apple devotion/fandom is an example of ‘implicit religion,’” Prof. Heidi Campbell, one of the authors of the study, told FoxNews.com. Implicit religion can happen when the use of, say, technology becomes a substitute for belief and behaviors once attached to religion and religious practice, she said.

Here are some other gems:

—  Apple’s creation story epitomizes the humble garage origin of its technology — not unlike the humble manger of Jesus’ birth.

—  Apple CEO Steve Jobs is perceived as a messianic leader who was fired but rose again to save the company.

—  Apple has traditionally had an evil archenemy, the Devil, as represented first by Microsoft and now by Google.

So if they wanted to, could Apple devotees actually create an official Apple religion? After all, many believe in the power of the iPhone and millions of consumers would buy any product the company introduces, flaws and all. 

Or could it be that they are just another technology company that makes some of the best products on the market right now?  That people buy said products because they work, and work well?  I think you could make a much better case for all of the religion of Wal-Mart (symbolically and literally within the company), but that would probably offend their uber conservative, religious base. 

Also: Texas A&M seems like a quality research institution.

I forgot my VGA adaptor before coming into the office today. However, the iPad makes a great second display, and is surpisingly smooth over wifi.

Safari got a nice upgrade this evening, now making it ever so slightly faster than Chrome and way faster than Firefox. In addition to opening the browser up to developer-based extensions, there’s now a reader button on text-heavy pages (see: articles).  I’ve found myself using Pulse on my iPad to do much of my news reading lately, in part because it makes it cleaner and easier to read articles, though not quite as much as Instapaper.  This new feature, however, is a perfect way to read, print and email articles without all the bullshit ads and clutter that accompany most online news today.

Gizmodo just can’t seem to get enough of itself, especially today.  Re-revealing the new iPhone?  Yeah, that’s a very realistic spin on things.  I’m still trying to figure out what they revealed that cost them $5,000 $8,000 (yeah they lied about how much they paid).  Sure, they added validity to already existing photos and rumors regarding the new hardware, but those have been floating around from Asian sources for some time. The purely egotistical douchery on display from them is pretty funny, especially considering they aren’t even invited to the event, but will still be live blogging the entire thing under the premise that this event will just reiterate what they already shared with us.

Tonight I was searching for tickets to Saturday’s Atoms For Peace (see: Thom Yorke + Flea et al) show at the Aragon, especially in light of the paperless ticket situation.

I gave the Craigslist app for the iPad a spin, and was pleasantly surprised: the user interface is beautiful and makes CL a much more enjoyable experience rather than the ugliness that meets the eyes every single time I visit the website.

This is a great example of how I believe the iPad will begin to redefine the browsing experience and fuse more logical and clean design into sites and experiences that typically were not as intuitive on a desktop.  Tomorrow’s iPhone OS 4.0 announcement looks like it may be bringing an entire web API to the table so that any site can craft a seamless and effortless mobile experience for their users.

Modified Titanium iPhone 3GS Casing (view the full video on Engadget)

This looks very sexy and is undoubtedly a better case than the plastic backing or even the original iPhone’s aluminum backing. Check the video out.  The guy proves it actually gets full 3G reception and makes calls without issue. Pretty impressive.

Meet The iPad

A photo has leaked of what the casing to the tablet likely looks like following a photo of the front of the device overnight.  The event kicks off at 1 PM EST.  Follow Engadget’s live coverage here.

Since Apple’s Newton project closed, many have wondered if and when Apple would return to the PDA/Tablet market. In many ways, the company already has. The iPhone does much more than the few Newton products - that actually made it to market - ever did. And yet, since the iPhone’s release, especially over the past twelve months, speculation has run rampant that Apple has been working on a tablet. On Wednesday the company will almost undoubtedly unveil the new product at a media event at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

I’ve been particularly interested in such a device and followed the speculation closely for a number of reasons:

1. The idea of a thin, powerful touch screen computer that can perform a variety of tasks is quite appealing, especially in light of the plethora of existing tablet devices that have come and gone over the past decade while doing little more than raising hope of what might be possible one day.
2. Since the introduction of the iPod, Apple has been ahead of the curve in numerous areas of technology and media: the iTunes music store (and iTunes itself), thin profile gadgets (MacBook Air, the unibody manufacturing process, the iPod nano, and iPhone), groundbreaking multitouch technology (iPhone, iPod touch, and magic mouse), and the proliferation of mobile computing through the iPhone, App Store, and MobileMe.
3. When Apple launches a new product such as the iPad/iSlate/tablet, they do so very carefully with the aim of redefining how consumers view an entire market. They won’t be bringing a tablet to market just to have one in the arena; rather they surely plan to create an entirely new arena that only they are currently competing in.

So what should we expect to see on Wednesday?  That still remains a mystery, but through patent filings, rumors that won’t go away, and past offerings, the picture has started to become pretty clear. Here are my general predictions based on the best evidence available:

Design and Hardware

• Unibody construction, with a very similar design to the original iPhone, though proportionately thinner
• WiFi (hopefully 802.11n), GPS, and 3G connectivity, perhaps supporting both GSM and CDMA networks
• Glass LED screen, likely not OLED due to current availability
• Dock connector ala iPod/iPhone on both vertical and horizontal sides of the tablet for easy access
• Front-Facing Camera ala Macbook and iMac (WSJ reports)
• Headphone jack
• No USB Port
• 32 and 64 GB Flash capacities
• 10 hour battery life
• Bluetooth for wireless peripherals

Software and Features

• A hybrid operating system that falls somewhere between the iPhone and OS X
• A suite of new applications for both productivity and entertainment that leverages multitouch for never before seen user interaction.
• Cloud computing that leverages the new North Carolina Data Center opening in March (probably the same time the device is available).
• Access to your home iTunes library wherever you are seems very likely, as well as MobileMe service to store your music on the cloud.
• Television streaming subscription service with both live feeds and weekly network sitcoms and dramas available - likely to include CBS, ABC, BBC, Disney and others
• Interactive eBook and Magazine reader that leverages multiple forms of content (traditional type, audio and video). Steve Jobs has said in the past, “It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore. Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.” Don’t think he doesn’t want to change that!
• A focus on interactive learning (“Apple In Talks with McGraw-Hill”)
• Flash support in Safari
• Video Conferencing
• Face and movement recognition (patent)
• Multitasking
• Support of iPhone OS 4.0 applications
• Robust multiplayer gaming within various communities - location based and world wide
• Numerous new multitouch gestures

You Should Also Expect

• One screen size, not two or more
• Two models in different capacities (perhaps 4 depending on GSM/CDMA)
• No subsidized data plans. Apple will contend they want this in the most hands possible, but in reality they don’t have anything worked out with AT&T or Verizon
• A price tag of $800-$1,000
• iPhone OS 4.0 announcement which will add in new gestures, multitasking, improvements to the home screen, integration as a secondary device to the tablet

It’s still anyone’s guess what Apple will or will not drop on us all come Wednesday, but one thing’s for certain: this device will impact computers, mobile phones, and major media - print, television, movies, and music - in a very profound and culturally transforming way.

“Domination Visualization” would be my title for this pie chart

Awesome. Bonus points for bluetooth keyboard support.

(via jhersh)

Because the iPhone does not handle disk mode like a traditional iPod, there has been no way to sync music, apps, files, etc… or so I thought, until I did a little research today, and found it’s pretty easy to trick iTunes into thinking you are syncing to the same library (on however many computers with iTunes you want).

Check it out, I’m headed home on the train with some new albums I didn’t have when I got to the office (including Vampire Weekend’s Contra which leaked today).