May 2006 – Page 2 – LIVEdigitally

Rappin my Rep

Posted on May 9, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Rapleaf logo Ok, that’s about the worst title for a post, but I’m jetlagged in Amsterdam and it made me chuckle. Anyhow, Rapleaf is a new Web 2.0 startup (a topic I’m trying to avoid these days, but couldn’t help it here) from the SF Bay Area focused on, and this part I like very much, trying to make the world a better place. Amen!

Think I’m just kidding around? I’m not! From their about page:

Rapleaf’s Goal: To make it much more profitable to be ethical

Whether they succeed or fail, I’ll give them props for trying. Effectively, Rapleaf is offering a Web-based service that lets anyone rate anyone else by email address or phone number. Think of an eBay rating, but now take it to encompass ALL online buying and selling. Auren Hoffman, the company’s founder (and a swell guy) is using it already in conjunction with a posting he made on craigslist.

I like when people actually use the technology they build. It always gives me a personal warm fuzzy when I use the Slingbox to watch my home DVR (like I did this morning starting at 4:12am, when Ambien failed me for the first time). If you are at some company and never, ever use your own products, I’d suggest looking for something different to do with your time. But, again, that’s just my opinion (but since you come to my blog, you must endure my opinion until such time as you continue on your merry Internet-surfing ways).

Now I do think most Web 2.0 stuff is a bunch of junk, Web toys and tools being built by bloggers, for bloggers, and will never, ever go anywhere (and yes, back in 1996 I thought an online bookstore was a goofy idea, I admit it, but I was right that it didn’t take 400 people to run an online pet supply store and people in Baltimore weren’t likely to order DVDs and ice cream at 11pm over the Internet for instant delivery). I think the concept behind Rapleaf is sound, and I’m actually surprised the folks at MSN Passport (or Live) never incorporated something similar. Honestly, I’d like to see the company take it a notch further: what if they could expand the concept to stick with an individual external to the notion of buying and selling?

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The ultimate traveler's accessory: a new iPod

Posted on May 7, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

I flew to Amsterdam today (or was it yesterday?) and couldn’t help but notice the friendly Zoom Shop, a vending machine full of the hippest, coolest techie gadgets. The compelling blue signed called out to me, and I came over to see what I could buy to ease my flight. A ha! iPods! iPods are sure popular, I’ll bet the marketing guys over there couldn’t wait to stock them at airports around the nation, just ready to lure in the frequent travelers. After all, planes are a great place to enjoy some music, so, hey, how about a brand new iPod?

I can almost picture the wonderful experience I could have. I’d probably savor every moment of it, waiting to open the packaging much like a 6-year-old boy about to open birthday gifts (please let it be an Xbox and not a sweater…c’mon Xbox… c’mon Xbox… Nintendo Gamecube??? Am I being Punk’d or what???). I’d have to be a little patient though, and actually wait until I sat down. Who knows, maybe I’d even save it until after take off.

But then, the iPod will be mine to have (and to hold, and to cherish until death do we part, or three months from now when Steve Jobs makes a smaller one with more storage and everyone runs off to the ~~Gattaca set~~ Apple store). I can already smell that “new-iPod scent” wafting through the cabin, blending with the orangey goodness that is Wal-borne (not sure, but I think it may have actually saved my life when I flew China Airlines to Taiwan).

I begin to salivate as I plug in the headphones, then power up the unit. I close my eyes, and exhale slightly as I put the “I’m so cool because they are white and I am SUCH an individual” headphones on (JT to everyone: when you own a product that has roughly 90% of the market and is available in Wal-mart, to say it is no longer ‘super-trendy’ is to put it mildly).

A smile forms, and I even giggle as I set my index finger on the fancy white disc controls, and push Play.

Nothing happens, of course, because I’m on a 10-hour flight with an empty friggin iPod.

Moviebeam HD: the second chapter

Posted on May 5, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

As I wrote about last week, Moviebeam is a consumer electronics device that gives you a whole movie rental store in your living room. For details on how the system and service work, please take a moment to re-read my original review. Late last week I received the Moviebeam HD Cable Kit, which has opened up a whole new experience with the product.

One important note: while many of you may use component video cables to connect your DVD player or digital cable/satellite box to your HDTV set, it’s important to know that you are only getting part of the HD picture! Component video, while better than composite and s-video, is still analog, and does not carry a perfect digital signal all the way to your set. Furthermore, component video does not include any digital copy protection technologies, so if a manufacturer or content provider wants to offer protected-only content, they must use a secure technology, which IS provided through digital cable connections such as HDMI and DVI. Most important for you: if you HAVE the option to switch from component to either HDMI or DVI cabling, go to the store and get the right cables immediately! To quote a true genius, “you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!”

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Girl's Gadget Report: Transparent Toaster Concept

Posted on May 5, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Toaster One of the most comforting moments I can enjoy is to make myself a slice of toast for breakfast or for a midday snack. As for me, toast is one of those perfect foods that will hardly ever go out of style and fashion.

While plenty of gadgets come and go, toasters still remain a very popular item among all ages.

Those from Inventables Concept made the concept of a very nice transparent toaster that allows to see what is happening to bread while it’s toasting. So, your bread is not likely to come out too dark.

Oh, I was always wondering what’s happening with it there. I know that this glass toaster is a concept yet, but the idea is very smart! Even though you’ll see some wires heating, you’ll have the opportunity to look inside the toaster. Isn’t it cool?

The idea is grounded on the transparent heating glass featured in this issue. Unfortunately, the glass does not currently get hot enough to toast bread. But I believe that very soon this will be possible.

The Weekly Girl’s Gadget Report is brought to you by http://www.gadget4girls.com/

Is HD-DVD the Next Generation For Movies? Maybe, Maybe Not

Posted on May 4, 2006 by Matt Whitlock

HD-DVD -Courtesy TechLore.com

The HD-DVD Camp has struck the first blow, as Toshiba’s HD-A1 HD-DVD player is now available at retail stores. Coming in at a surprisingly affordable $499 for the hardware, this “first of its kind” player is priced cheaper than the initial DVD players of 1997. The ability to own your favorite blockbuster hits in actual high-definition quality is something that early adopters have been looking forward to for longer than most would care to admit. Unfortunately, HD-DVD needs more than just the early adopter if they’re going to be successful this time, and it’s anyone’s guess if they’re going to make it.

Why is HD-DVD’s success questionable?

Good Price, but Competition Looms

First and foremost, it won’t be the only game in town for long. Sony, Dell, and an army of other bigwig electronics companies have their own format, known as Blu-Ray, coming this summer. (Check out the article “HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Not To Merge – War on the Horizon” for more.) While the Blu-Ray folks have some advantages in terms of technology, initial reports are that they’re pricing themselves right out of the market from the get-go. The first Blu-Ray players are expected to debut at nearly double the price of HD-DVD. It looks like HD-DVDs approach to not completely redesign the technology wheel is paying off in terms of affordability.

Prices will drop on Blu-Ray hardware as time passes, but their biggest ticket to success comes in the form of a game console. Sony’s Playstation 3 will be equipped with a Blu-Ray drive, and though a price for the system hasn’t yet been announced, anything over $500 would practically hand the console war over to Microsoft AND guarantee Blu-Ray’s failure as the next dominant format. Microsoft is expected to release a HD-DVD add-on for the XBOX 360 sometime in the near future. Pricing has not yet been formally announced, but anything reasonable could give HD-DVD the early success it needs to stay on top for the long haul.

Software is double-edged sword, and cannot be used as a determining factor for HD-DVD’s success. Each has lined up a good number of studios that will support one or the other, but it’s split just about even enough to be considered a tie. Some of the titles you want will be for HD-DVD, others for Blu-Ray.

HD-DVD does have one good advantage when it comes to software…price. Retail prices on HD-DVD movies that are currently available are selling between $18 and $25, higher than regular DVD titles, but not by much. Blu-Ray discs will cost more to manufacture in the beginning, which will be felt at retail with prices expected to start at $29 per movie and go up from there. Surely a plus for HD-DVD, but only if the movie you want is available.

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(rolling out the) Welcome Matt

Posted on May 4, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Matt Whitlock, the Editor of the Techlore Community, knows quite a lot about the consumer electronics world. He plays with most gadgets as they come out, and on http://www.techlore.com/ helps a lot of people really maximize the value of their new and existing high tech gear. I’m happy to say he’s going to share some of the great content he creates over at Techlore here on the LD. Thanks for joining Matt, and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to your contributions!

What's with the pornchat???

Posted on May 3, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Zoomcloud (at the time of writing) As I mentioned a little while ago, I’ve been trying out Zoomclouds here on the LD. I would call the results so far ‘mixed’, and based on looking at the usage statistics, it doesn’t seem like everyone out there is clamoring to use it very often. Now, this could be due to its location on the page, or the contents, or even the color scheme.

Or it could be because clouds, tags, diggs, wikis, and lots of other Web 2.0 inventions are really only designed for the ultra-Internet crowd (great thoughts on this over at Slate.com). I’m not interested in trackbacks (the Web 2.0 of high school yearbooks), and every link I have is to a site I actually visit on a recurring basis. But I digress.

Back to the Zoomcloud. If you look on the right, it’s a snapshot of my current cloud. Nestled right under netflix and above schneider is pornchat. Clicking on the pornchat tag takes you here, which links back to a post I made about going to 3GSM. In that post I mentioned the word pornchat once.

But now, according to some content analyzing system, it’s a tag.

And it’s apparently my most popular tag, according to the stats on Zoomcloud…

Zoomcloud stats

All I really want to know is what were those of you who clicked on it hoping to find (and were you then satisfied with the results)?

Have you skinned your gadget lately?

Posted on May 3, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

I must start by being perfectly honest about something: I don’t understand how the ringtone/wallpaper/theme industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. I’ve tried out a few ringtones, but I think they are for the most part silly. I’m one of the fifty million (or so) Sprint Ambassadors who received a free phone to try out, and it’s cool, but if I had to pay for a background image, it would be fedexed out of my possession a few minutes later. But for some reason I have yet to discover, I really think there is something cool about custom skins for devices.

skinit logo Maybe it’s because owning a RAZR was cool for about 3 days, and having a black one for about 2 more days than that. Everything is a commodity today. So when I found out about skinit, I decided I needed to have a Habs phone.

Getting your device skinned is terrifically easy. Go to their Web site, select your category of device, then pick the brand and model. Then pick a skin. Or start by selecting your skin. They have TONS of em (art, sports, models, colleges, movies, etc).

Pricing ranges from $14.95 to $29.95. At face value, this seems a wee bit high to me, but then I gave it some thought – if I personally put value on personalization, this isn’t all that pricey. Don’t get me wrong, if you are reading this, and your dull grey Compaq laptop is looking suh-weet in your opinion, you are probably shaking your head wondering how I could even possibly consider spending that money. No worries, my friend, you are under no obligation to purchase, and may safely go on your merrily surfing ways. But if you want your own Star Wars Vaio, keep reading!

I selected my skin (Montreal Canadiens hockey logo) and my phone (LG VX6100), and today received it. A little bit of prying and applying, and a few minutes later, the Habsphone was born!

In today’s world of endless Starbucks, Targets, Walmarts, Mickey D’s, Home Depots, and every other chain that is strategically placed 1.7 miles apart, it’s fun to find a little individuality. Granted, buying a sticker (easily removable, by the way, with no residue left over) isn’t going to solve world hunger, but at least I can make the bet that I’m the only guy in San Francisco with a cell phone that looks like the Montreal Canadiens hockey team logo. I have to go now, I need to get a new pair of khakis at the Gap.

So many movies, so many options.

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

I rarely like to post ABOUT a post, but Davis (who writes over at www.thomashawk.com) sent me an email about his recent review of Netflix v Blockbuster. I enjoyed the read, and since it came right on the heels of my Moviebeam rundown, I thought I’d give it a little link.

I received a flurry of emails regarding Moviebeam, and have a few more thoughts on it which I think are relevant to mention in conjunction with Davis’ post. Many people seem to compare Moviebeam to Netflix as a competitive offering. I disagree. Netflix, in my opinion, is great for people who want to individualize their queue, and generally put a lower priority on new releases or the “big” movies (not that they don’t watch them, just that they aren’t ‘must-haves’ on release weekends). This works out well as Netflix is able to satisfy this kind of a need. But Moviebeam does not have this capacity (or at least not today).

Moviebeam is, in my opinion, much more of a threat to Blockbuster (or even HBO at the pace they are going). The box is best suited for delivering one-to-many content, not one-to-one content. This means it’s great for getting Lady and the Tramp 3: Lady Fights Back to the masses, but not so good at helping my mother find some obscure film from 1983 where Antonio Banderas plays Parking Valet #2. If I’m getting too highbrow, what I’m saying is the whole concept of the ‘queue’ from Netflix can’t work with a device that is not capable of downloading individualized pieces of content.

Personally, I want a little of both. I’d like to see Moviebeam introduce some type of individual or group-based queuing features that allow me/us to determine some of next week/month’s movies, while also getting the latest and greatest hits from the big studios. Hopefully their eventual activation of the unit’s Ethernet port will open up the product to such concepts.

In the meantime, take a look at Davis’ thoughts, then go rent something good (movie selected at pseudo-random out of movies I’ve seen that I think are great and most people I talk to have unfortunately not seen or heard of).

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