Sustainable Technology: The ISee 360i by ATO

Advanced Technology Office LLC recently unveiled their iSee 360i at MacWorld, a video recorder that uses Apple’s iPod for storage. Designed to work with most fourth or fifth-generation iPods, the iSee 360i costs $249 and supposed to ship in Q1'06. Ok, so at 250 bucks, maybe "sustainable" is a stretch, but a novel idea nonetheless. Lord knows what the world is gonna do with all these iPods when the craze ends.

Funny Headline of the Day...

I work at Infospace Mobile so maybe this is only amusing to me.

"Infospace, MTV launch Dirty Sanchez". If you are unfamiliar with what a Dirty Sanchez is (other than a show apparently on MTV), a Google search will clue you in.

T-Mobile Adding Windows 5.0 Device

In my newly found appreciation of Windows Mobile 5.0 (See previous post about Cingular's HTC Wizard), T-Mobile has a sign-up page for two new Windows Mobile 5 devices. Both look like modified versions of the Cingular HTC OEM devices. As a T-Mobile customer who is on the verge of defecting due to their shitty selection of handsets, this may make me stay. Hopefully they don't do something ridiculous like cripple WiFi to only support Tmobile's own HotSpot(tm). I've seen stupider things done. .

New Favorite Show

Rollergirls on A&E. totally hooked. Punk Chicks on Urethane.

T9, The Second Coming

Epiphany moment. I finally get T9.

My current Samsung device defaults to T9 as the input method, so whenever I need to type something out, I inevitably start triple tapping until I realize I'm in T9 mode, at which point i say to myself "What the fu... that's not even close. Stupid T9" and then switch out of T9 mode.

So after an acquaintance mocked me for not using T9 as my primary means to type data on a mobile device, I decided to take a few moments to figure it out. His exact words were "once you figure it out, it will change your life". Sounds promising.

So after a few minutes I figure it out and have to say, "Hallelujah".

So here's the key to T9 for those more inept than myself... Don't triple tap.

1 tap = 1 letter. Just type the message by looking at the keys. Don't pay attention to what T9 is doing in your message screen, because it will look strange and throw you off. When you are done typing, check out what T9 produced. Did it work? Is your life changed?

It was either Bjork or Jesus that said, "I'm no fucking Buddhist, but this is enlightenment."

Google's Mission Statement

So Larry Page didn't announce a low cost PC at CES to be sold at Walmart (thank god. not because Google would make a PC, but because they would sell it at Walmart). Instead he announces a video marketplace for both commercial and user-generated content to be available and sold through the googleplex. OK. One of the many things Google can execute well given its command of the network (See link below). Whether or not its a low-cost PC or online marketplace, it is the first of many divergent offerings from the company whose mission statement is, "...to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

I read their mission statement several times and tried to decide if Google Video falls within it or is it one of the many new areas they roll into because they can. Does selling something making it "universally accessible"? Does it make a difference that people upload content into the system vs Google finding/organzing it? Who knows (and who really cares about mission statements anyway). Google has an organizational structure that reinforces invention and their offerings range from amazing (Maps), mediocre (Froogle), to lame (Base). Users will determine what category Google Video eventually falls into. But I guess my point is this... with their size, brainpower, market cap, and 7 billion in cash, any vertical Google decides to go after will immediately dimminish competitors, especially the small ones. A terrifying prospect to ISV's and startups to be sure. Sounds like another company doesn't it?

The quaint "Don't be evil" schtick is tasting funny to me lately.

Speaking of Google/Walmart, I found this to be the most interesting Google story of 2005.

WiFone? HTC Wizard Kicks Much Ass

So believe it or not I've worked in mobile for almost 4 years and have never really sat down with a Windows Mobile device. Crazy? Not really. Heres why. I work for a mobile media company which provides content (ringtones, graphics, games, applications, services) to most of the carriers in North America. As one of the larger carrier partners, we tended to get most of the devices pre-released. The vast majority of these have been yoru standard Nokias, Motorolas, Sony-Ericsson, Samsung, LG, etc. While some of these manufacturers make Windows Mobile devices, I didn't ever tend to see them. I'm sure they were floating around our offices somewhere and we are probably supporting them at some level but they were almost a novelty. I never really knew anyone that used one nor heard that we were producing any content for them. It seemed clear that the device manufacturers were hyper-cautious about allowing Microsoft to date their daughter. Control the OS and... well you know what happens.


Anyway, my friend Tam points me to this Dopod 838 that he wants. After looking at it, I realize that I have that on my desk (only its branded as the HTC Wizard for Cingular and is pre-release). I had grabbed it a few days earlier to test an app from a possible partner company. So I start messing around with it and after a few hours my conclusion is: Holy shit, this is what I want mobile browsing to be. I will save you a long review of all the features and cut to the chase (There are several reviews you can go read).

Its got Quadband GPRS/EDGE and WiFi and a descent browser. Its the trifecta I've been looking for.

Again not being very tuned into to the smartphone genre, I didnt know if WiFi was common. A cursory glance at Cingualrs current offering suggests it's not and I really wonder if the release version of the 8125 will have that delicious WiFi disabled? WiFi on a device is very liberating. With Wifi I'm internet free, not browsing a few daisies in the Carriers garden. But seeing WiFi on a mobile phone is really quite strange. Why on earth would a carrier support a device with WiFi when they are trying to sell their EVDO and HSDPA rollouts? 3G ain't free, whereas open WiFi spots are abound. But it isn't just bypassing the carriers data services that seems strange, voice can be circumvented too as I realized when Tam asks, "Have you tried the SIP client?".

A Siriusly Lesser Commute

The first commuting day of the new year was a sad one. It occured to me that my morning jolt of Howard Stern is gone. He and his merry band of retards has finally moved to Sirius Satellite radio. In its place was the Def Leppard, AC/DC, and White Snake. Seriously, the first million times I heard those songs was enough. I don't think the loss of Stern is enough to make me acquire one of these sweet little items (but I did look into it) . $330 is alot, but it does have recording features. In the meantime, it just means more podcasts to listen to on my commutes. I tried (and continue to try) listening to KEXP, I really do, but coming from LA, it feels like a poor man's KCRW. Now if Sirius or XM would pick up KCRW then we would have a deal.