September 2006 – LIVEdigitally

The Transition to Blogger in Beta

Posted on September 29, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Not long ago I started noticing the option to log in to the new Beta version of Blogger. At first I was unsettled because when I did, none of my blogs were actually…there. However, my fears were assuaged when I was told that this is just the beta process and that eventually my blogs and I would be invited to switch over.

Now that time has come! As of yesterday I changed over, so I can take advantage of all the new features and upgraded bits. My regular blog hasn’t really changed much yet, but I made a test blog which you can refer to as you continue reading.

For starters, there is no more publishing screen with that slowly increasing percentage that FINALLY reaches 100. The new process is called “dynamic serving” and is much quicker. Instead of html pages that just sit around until you post or whatnot, they are created for readers straight from the database every time. The database can apparently be updated much faster. To me, making pages from scratch every time SOUNDS like it would take longer than just updating the html. In practice, however, it’s easy to see that this is not the case. It is indeed noticablely speedier. Just goes to show that I am no techie!

It is also a lot easier to customize the layout. In fact, their new system is CALLED “Layouts.” The idea here is that rather than having to mess with html to create things like a link list or a place for a picture to go, etc, you can use the new customization tools. It really is a lot simpler; I’m pretty sure anyone could get the hang of it right away. Your template, instead of being a big scrolly window of html, is now just a box with other boxes arranged inside. You can drag the boxes around to put them where you like or add more boxes. For instance, you can put your link list at the bottom after your entries, your “About me” section at the top, and add other features such as lists of favorite things (or random things…) anywhere you want. No more worrying about code, unless you’re just that advanced and really want to, in which case there is that option as well.

Another nifty editing trick is that if you are suddenly struck with the urge to add a new movie to your list of favorites, you can just click on the handy wrench-and-screwdriver icon next to the list on your blog page when you’re logged in. This will bring up the box just like it would if you were working on it in your template. There is also a little pencil icon next to the permalinks for more immediate post-publication fixes.

So far, all these features (and more, such as Live Journal-esque privacy management) have me pretty impressed with the improvements. The people at Blogger are committed to an ongoing update process, so we can all look forward to further tweaks and additions.

roguineraa

Posted on September 27, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Yes…I typed my password wrong as I signed into my Japanese voiceblog. A “log-in error.” Luckily it knew right away what the problem was and informed me, “A password is inharmonious.”

Uh oh, the balance of the universe is off kilter now because my password was typo’d. The planets will never align again! Evil shall prevail! ARRRRGH!

Nah, probably not. Really I just don’t have much to talk about of late (especially with school and all), but since Jeremy’s gone I figured I should do SOMETHING. I would link you to my site, but it’s mostly embarrassing and silly. I speak and sing all in halting fumbling Japanese. Whoooooo…

Shana Tova

Posted on September 22, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Just wanted to wish all my readers a safe, healthy, and happy new year. I’m up in Montreal for the weekend with the fam, and will be back next week!

HTC MTeoR review: best Smartphone yet!

Posted on September 18, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

HTC MTeoR Due to my job, my blog, and well, me, I have a tendency to play with a lot of different gadgets, especially new cell phones. The term ‘smartphone’ gets tossed around a lot, basically covering any phone that does more than just flip open and dial numbers. To me, a smartphone should be a smart phone – it should have enough intelligence to offer me useful services that meet my needs.

Some people want 3D gaming, some people want social networking, me, I want productivity with a little dose of entertainment on the side. I need access to my email, access to browse Web pages, Solitaire, and SlingPlayer Mobile – that’s the cake. Everything after that is, well, icing. After using the HTC MTeoR for a few weeks, I think it’s more like a cookies & cream (with real Oreos) ice cream cake with a layer of mint chocolate chips, covered in hot fudge, and a nice dollop of whipped cream on top. Okay, it’s just a phone, but it’s the best darn smartphone I’ve ever used.

HTC logo HTC is unquestionably producing the hottest phones on the market today and their roadmap is so far ahead of the curve that it almost seems fictitious, only they keep shipping more and more cool stuff (like the upcoming Excalibur, which, trust me, is going to be huge)! The MTeoR is a phone that recently started shipping, and most importantly for the company, is their first foray with their own brand. In the past, their phones were typically OEMed (resold) by other companies, ranging from Sprint and Verizon to QTek, UTStarcom (the company who bought Audiovox – thanks Mike) and others.

The first thing you notice right away when you pick up the MTeoR is how well weighted it is. Some have called it heavy, but I think it’s exactly right. You’ll also notice the high quality of the materials used. Everything about it feels well-polished and refined – this is not a junky piece of plastic, this is a phone for the professional. The buttons and keypad also feel right, there’s never a question as to whether or not you properly pushed in a button, you can feel everything you do.

Also, the front cursor/joystick is centered well in the phone, so when you hold it in the palm of your hand, you can easily navigate the Windows Mobile (SmartPhone edition) user interface. The only thing I don’t like about the button arrangement on the MTeoR is there is a button for videocalling, a feature I find is a bit of a waste. I’d much rather have an extra button that is user-programmable than the forced-fit setup the device has. Also, instead of a jog-wheel (like a Crackberry) it has a scroller on the left side of the phone, but it really doesn’t feel as satisfying as a wheel does.

The MTeoR is a very well-sized phone. While I like the PPC6700 as a mobile organizer, it’s too big to fit in a pocket and be comfortable. The MTeoR happily coexists with my keys, wallet, etc. In fact, it’s probably only about one-third the mass and footprint of the 6700.

I believe one of the big changes in phones and convergence in the next year is going to focus on the cameras. Until very recently, most cameraphones peaked at about .6MP, which is barely enough to be viewable on a computer screen, let alone printable. The MTeoR actually has two cameras, with the rear one offering 1.3MP pictures. This is key, because once you hit above 1MP, you can actually watch and share the photos in an enjoyable way, and they do more than just photo-caller-ID! The next few pictures were taken with a few different settings. If I have any real complaint, it’s the lack of a flash. As an aside, I also think the camera has too many features, including digital zoom, sepia and B&W modes, and various ISO settings, all of which are pretty much useless at this stage (but will probably be a requirement within two years).

The second camera is located on the front of the unit, and takes sub-0.5MP pictures and is primarily for video-calls. Utterly useless in my book.

For one more demonstration of the camera in action, take a look at the pictures below, one taken with the MTeoR, the others with my friend’s 7MP Panasonic Lumix.

Windows Mobile Smartphone edition is typically the poor, unwanted stepchild of PocketPC, as the lack of touchscreen and quick functionality is typically a big drag (although if you are used to flip phones or BlackBerry’s, it can be a big jump up, depending on your particular needs). The MTeoR features three screens of settings pages for you to configure your mobile settings. While you can customize quite a few options, I found it quite glaring that I couldn’t remap any of the hardware buttons. I’m sure there’s some third-party application I could try out, but I think this should be built-into the phone.

As an organizer, it’s not nearly as slick as the PocketPC phones or even the Motorola Q with its keyboard. That said, I was able to surf through some Web sites, and browse and compose emails as well. Actually, I found the T-9 implementation on the MTeoR was extremely well done, with a perfect integration with the Windows Mobile OS to allow for rapid autocomplete and suggestions. In fact, once you get the hang of quickly swapping between ABC and T-9, and have a good feel for the keypad, you can type pretty fast. After some practice I was SMSing faster than a 12-year-old kid playing Dance Dance Revolution.

Additionally, the MTeoR has built-in UMTS support, which allows for transferring data at close to 2Mbps. This is key as we look to the future of mobile devices, with better Web browsing, real-time data access, and, of couse, entertainment applications.

There are exactly three entertainment applications (not including some simple gaming) I want to have on my mobile phone:

Pandora or Rhapsody access – get either my library or my stations, any time. Goodbye iPod.
Sonos control – if my mobile was a Sonos remote (and even better: playback zone), I’d be quite near heaven.
SlingPlayer Mobile – okay, I’m biased here, but using my mobile to watch my TV when in a taxi or in a long line at a Starbucks is just sweet.

The first two don’t exist in this context yet, but the third does. While I was in Sweden and Hong Kong last month I had the chance to use SlingPlayer Mobile with the UMTS connection, and it was pretty amazing. I was consistently watching (and controlling) my home DVR at or near 30 fps (frames per second), with a great picture. The screen is extremely bright, and sized nicely with 320×240 resolution (when rotated 90 degrees). The performance overall was great, and left me a bit jealous with the connection quality we get here in the US.

I was thoroughly impressed with the HTC MTeoR. In fact, if it were available with CDMA (I’m a Verizon customer), I’d probably adopt it as my primary phone. For anyone interested in a smartphone that easily fits in your pocket, has full access to all email and data services, and looks and feels great, I have to recommend you check it out. It’s absolutely LD Approved!

Some other useful links:

Bengalboy review of the MTeoR with a bikini-clad model – lots of pictures, mostly PG-13
Detailed HTC MTeoR specifications
Two posts (here and here) on HTC’s roadmap

CTIA Fall 2006 – "and the rest"

Posted on September 17, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

To recap, CTIA was a good show, although I was a little disappointed at the lack of really new stuff. For the most part, the phones/services I saw were either announced previously and/or elsewhere. It seems that this is an emerging trend in the industry, as fewer and fewer companies are focusing on the tradeshows and industry events, and instead either having independent product launches (like Apple or Sony) or just rolling products out with a huge marketing push minus the event (like Motorola). This post takes a look at some other things I checked out at the show.

MobiTV was demoing their mobile TV offering, including their phone-based and laptop-based services. Additionally there was a early look at their HD-over-Wimax service, something they’ll launch in the future. The demo I saw featured 2Mbps H.264 video, and while I didn’t really consider it actually HD-quality, it was some very impressive video for the bandwidth.

I also saw their competitor, GOTV, but rather than doing fancy demos, they were offering… music trivia and makeovers! I can’t say I totally understand the point of the booth, but I’m pretty sure I got 3 of the questions right, and my pores look outstanding.

Obviously, my preferred vision for the future of Mobile TV involves placeshifting, as I fundamentally believe the majority of consumers who are interested in mobile television services would want a tie-in to their home-based offering. Personally, ever since my first DVR came into my house, I’ve avoided live TV, so when I want to watch something on my cell phone (in a taxi, waiting in line, etc), I generally want to watch something stored on my DVR.

Which is why it was really nice to see the Slingbox and demonstration of SlingPlayer Mobile on the Motorola Q phone inside the Moto booth! Hello Moto! The other picture below is a table full of all the current or new Motorola phones

The only weird part of Motorola’s booth was their Dance Dance Revolution contest occuring at the front of the booth. Maybe they forgot to tell the event organizer that CTIA isn’t frequented by 13-18yr olds?

I also saw the new phone/service from Wherify. Interesting concept – if you have kids, you can get them this phone with 5 preset phone numbers. The phone also has GPS built-in, and you can track your children anywhere they roam. Also, the phone is tiny, smaller than my LG flipphone even.

Next up is the Bluevoice headset-watch combo device from Chronotech. The headset mounts on a simple plastic watchband. Once paired with your phone, you get the ‘Dick Tracy’ effect. Well, sorta. First, we couldn’t get it paired (although my friend seemed unfamiliar with the Treo bluetooth settings, so I don’t necessarily blame the company). Second, the device just needs some different features. If it had a vibrate mode, that would be nice. Additionally, it needs a speakerphone. Then, I still wouldn’t want one, but at least it would actually have the Dick Tracy effect.

This last batch is kind of a ‘grab bag’ of other things I saw. Pepcom event. Netgear Skype phone. HTC Forseer. Canadian pavilion. Memory…

And that’ll wrap up CTIA Fall 2006 for me this year!

Sonos 2.0 – the best gets better!

Posted on September 15, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

I first heard about Sonos pretty soon after it launched. In fact, I found myself at CES 2005 “face to face” with them over and over again, competing for various new product awards (I think we split evenly, but I’m not positive on that one). Saw them again at an Engadget meetup, and then sooner or later ended up getting a ZonePlayer 100 Bundle. I added a ZP80 to the mix when it debuted, and was pretty happy with my home music configuration.

I always had a few little gripes about the Sonos features, and, as one might expect, never hesitated to voice them to the company. My two biggest ‘wants’? Alarms and better Rhapsody integration. Well guess what, looks like I wasn’t the only one with the idea, as the newly launched Sonos 2.0 features now includes both (and more)!

First, my setup. I have 2 ZP100‘s (the original ZonePlayer unit with a built-in amplifier), 1 ZP80 (the newer unit, with no amp), and a controller (the remote control). One ZP100 is in the back bedroom (I use it to listen to music in my backyard), another in the kitchen, and the ZP80 is in the living room (didn’t need the amp there). All my music (about 80GB of ripped CDs in WMA format) is stored on a Maxtor 500GB Shared Storage Plus.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Sonos interface, it’s braindead simple to use. The screen shows a list of options, you have a little wheel (similar to iPod), and a few buttons with fixed and programmable controls give you access to all the features in the system. Actually, rereading that it still doesn’t sound as simple to use as it really is. It’s EASY. When friends come over, I generally hand them the controller and say “play something” – nobody’s gotten in wrong so far!

When I picked up my controller, I was informed there was an update available. The Sonos system automatically downloads and installs the update on its own, and worked flawlessly for me. In fact, I didn’t even have to touch my PC to do anything! Next time I went to the main menu, a “Clock and Alarms” item was listed there.

Setting the clock was simple, and it’s capable of synching with Internet time – again, virtually no technical configuration needed to get this working. I would like to see the Sonos interface include the clock throughout the graphical user interface (GUI), as its presently only visible when you push a button to show you the clock. I think they can easily add it to the ‘status bar’ at the top of the screen.

Along with the clock comes two other important features. One is sleep, which lets me have the music automatically shut off after a certain period of time. This is good, but what meant even more to me was the new alarms feature.

With alarms, I can have music wake me up. This is nice. But what is outstanding is the amazing flexibility of the alarms. I can…

set multiple alarms, all with completely different parameters
assign radio stations, chimes, or playlists to each alarm
set virtually any type of recurrence to an alarm
have each alarm go off at different volume levels
link zones (or not) to each alarm

Most importantly, I can snooze. Because no alarm system is even worth trying if you can’t snooze your way through the first hour of the morning.

I’d like to make two very minor suggestions in the alarm feature. First, I think an icon should appear (also in the status area) reflecting that an alarm is set. Second, as an advanced option, having a fade-in for each alarm would be a lovely touch. As a troubled sleeper, one thing I’ve learned is the ‘best’ wakeup for people is a slowly brightening room and slow increase in volume of background noise. It’s supposed to be a bit more therapeutic than a sudden entry of sound. Which is why, I think, we all need coffee in the mornings.

While Sonos and Rhapsody have always worked together, in the past it was solely through Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology, which was a bit of a rudimentary integration. You were able to access your own Rhapsody music library, but only when your PC was online with the Rhapsody software client running. Now, Rhapsody can stream direct from the source to your Sonos zones. I’m a huge Rhapsody fan (although Pandora is definitely a new impressive contender), so this is an extra win in my book.

With Sonos 2.0, I have complete access to all the Rhapsody services and features. Not only my playlists and music library, but all the ‘live’ aspects too, such as:

Top Charts (albums, artists, and tracks)
Genre and Artist samplers and Key Albums
Staff Picks
Rhapsody Radio

This is one of those cases where the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts. Sonos 2.0 plus Rhapsody is an amazing combination for music lovers.

If you haven’t heard of Sonos before, there are already some great reviews out there, and I agree that it’s about the best system out there for streaming music around the home. That said, it’s going to set you back at least $1000 to get started ($1200 for the amplified bundle), so this isn’t the solution for the price-sensitive. If you have the money, there’s nothing out there that’s even close. And now with version 2.0, the best around just got even ~~more bestest~~ better.

CTIA Fall 2006 – 8 great new phones

Posted on September 14, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

It’s true there weren’t many new announcements at CTIA this year, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anything cool to see there! Here are the phones coming out (or recently launched) that I am most excited about.

HTC/UTStarcom SMT5800. I have a PPC6700 today, and it’s nice, but has some flaws. The SMT5800 is literally smaller, faster, and better in practically every way. About 2/3 as thick, with the slideout keyboard, EV-DO Rev.A support, and, most importantly, a 10-key keypad on the front. Awesome (good discussion here).
HTC Excalibur. At first glance online, the Excalibur looked like it was going to be a cheap, flimsy Q-knockoff. It took about 3 seconds for me to change that opinion. It’s fantastic. The size is right. It feels good. I would adopt it, unquestionably, upon release.
Samsung i320 “blackjack”. This is another so-called “Q-killer” with a tiny profile. I’m still not the biggest fan of SmartPhone (I like my touch-screens), but this is a nice implementation. The keyboard is too small for my grubby fingers, but I think it’s a nicely done phone.
Cingular 3125/HTC “Star Trek”. The real reason this phone makes the list is because it’s the only flip-SmartPhone on the market. And I’m a flip-phone guy at heart. This takes the RAZR and dumps it into the ocean in my book.
BlackBerry Pearl. First non-Windows Mobile phone to make my list, and frankly, I would’nt use it out of pure Crackberry principle. But, it is so light and the trackball works so nicely, that I give them kudos for the engineering alone.
Palm Treo 700wx. Despite recent competition, I still think the Treo 700 platform makes for the best phone in the Smartphone category. It’s not my favorite all-around mobile device (for now, that’s still the PPC6700 until it gets replaced by the 5800), but they really nailed the usability of the phone better than anyone else I’ve seen. Plus they were demoing the Slingbox on it, so I have to like that, right?
Moto KRZR. For those unfamiliar, it’s pronounced “crazer” and is a sliding phone from Motorola with the familiar “moto” look. It has a really nice feel, and while it’s missing out as far as powerful 3G functionality goes, it’s a good upgrade to the ho-hum RAZR/SLVR lineup.
I-Mate SPL. I think this one truly deserves a higher place on the list, but I’m dinging them for copying the Moto look so closely. It’s actually a really solid Smartphone, though not quite as superbly awesome as my HTC MTeor.

By the way, I’ve got a full review of the HTC MTeor coming, since I, well, have one. It’s great!

Anyhow, that’s my top 8 from CTIA. More to come on the other stuff I saw soon!

CTIA Interview

Posted on September 14, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

I had a quick interview with the friendly people from bnetTV.com while at the CTIA show. Click here, then scroll down about half-way to find Sling Media and click there to see me in all my temporarily bearded glory.

CTIA Fall 2006 – about the show

Posted on September 13, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

CTIA is a huge wireless show held twice per year. I went down to LA this week to speak on a panel, and have various meetings throughout the show. This also gave me a few extra minutes to walk around the show floor, and with my new SD700, I snapped a few pix as I roamed. Haha, get it? roamed? no? you know, like cell phones roam? okay, I’ll stick to my day job.

These first few pictures show a bit of the meanderings around the Los Angeles convention center. You never know what you might find, including Michael Ducker from TreoCentral!

Next up, here are a few sample booths showing off their wares. CTIA is no E3, so none of the booths were over-the-top extravagant. Although, Sandisk did have a magician…

Tony Hawk was there with a makeshift skate park, where he and some others were showing off stunts to wow the crowd. And trust me, at a cell phone conference, grownups who can get on a skateboard is crowd-wowing. Tony’s digital media empire recently expanded to include Dissent, with ringtones and other uh, stuff.

The lighter side of tradeshows includes the multitudes of company-sponsored parties which occur throughout the evening. I went to two, one for GOTV, the other was hosted by Disney Mobile. While the GOTV party (conveniently located in the Hotel Figueroa, where I was staying) had a DJ and some talented drummers, but was definitely trumped by the Disney gig. At Disney we saw Warren Moon, Marlon Wayans, and other people who clearly didn’t look like they typically attended conferences where 3G and other techspeak is involved…

My 9/12 Apple Predictions

Posted on September 11, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

It’s short, and simple. My biggest prediction for tomorrow is the entire day will see every single gear and gadget blog post about Apple and nothing but Apple. It may in fact be the most boringest day on the Internet.

Why do I say that? Because Apple has gotten boring lately. I’m sorry, throw tomatoes or whatever you want at me. But I just don’t care anymore about the latest bright white plastic thing with a nice (but not original) user interface. So I don’t care if it’s a widescreen iPod, or a smaller nano, or a new Mac mini, or a new laptop, or even a new iMovie Airport Express. I’m mildly interested in an iPhone.

I think, Apple has outAppled themselves. They have overhyped the company so much that I find it genuinely hard to find their innovations innovative. I find their “I’m a Mac. I’m a dunderhead” commercials, while definitely funny, do absolutely nothing to inspire me to want to own a Mac. I don’t really have any problem with Mac owners, I’m just, well, bored of Appleness right now…

Updated: sigh. at least they have HD in the offering…

Speaking at CTIA

Posted on September 11, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

I’m down in Los Angeles for a few days for the CTIA conference. Speaking at the SmartPhone Summit this afternoon, then checking out all the cool new phones and mobile services launching here at the show. Anyone who’s here for the show, please get in touch, I’ll be ‘very’ mobile while here.

Geek Dinner!

Posted on September 8, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Last night, I got a small group of geek friends together to grab a bite at a good San Francisco Thai restaurant (Koh Samui and the Monkey) in the city’s SOMA district. The agenda? Well, no real agenda, just a bunch of folks who could talk and debate about gadgets, products, Web 2.0, and the ever-important question of “what exactly does it take to become United Global Services anyway?”

Our gang (it’s a gang because one of our guys, who shall remain anonymous for his own safety and, well, credibility, can easily do the “blood” thing with his fingers, but he’s not really a gang member, so nobody come stab him with some prison shiv, ok? thanks.), from left-to-right:

Ron Hirson (runs product management at Ingenio, the company behind Ether)
Noah Wintroub (VP of digital media for JP Morgan)
Brad Dietrich (CTO and cofounder of Mediabolic)
Isao Yagi (Lead Engineer at Adteractive)
Jason Whitt (Vice President at VantagePoint Venture Partners)
Ben Walter (Director – Relationship Marketing at Banana Republic) – Ben is the litmus test for good/bad ideas if you want to reach out to real consumers
Jeremy Toeman (VP of market development for Sling Media, and writer of this blog, in case you missed that little detail)
Nicholas Menaker (consumer technology expert and consultant)
Dave Mathews (“Forward Thinker” for Sling Media, also known as Dave Mathews Gadget Guy)

Was a great time, we had excellent food and talked about an interesting variety of topics. We had a great debate about Zoom Shop (which I still just don’t get – who needs an empty iPod for a flight?) and how many doritos they sell per month. We talked about Facebook, and whether or not they could get into more of a lifestyle brand, as opposed to 4 years of drunken commenting (assuming all the recent troubles don’t cause a massive desertion).

Long chats about traveling, as we had a couple of frequent fliers at the table. Good discussion on why Boeing’s in-flight service is a failure (my two reasons: 1- way too expensive precluded non-business travelers, and 2- much of the primary market was asleep when they’d be using the service. Nicholas also pointed out that at $500K per plane, there was quite the uphill battle).

Thanks for coming everyone, feel free to chime in on things I forgot to write about.

Oh, and in 364 days Dave Mathews will owe a few people $100 each.

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