Don’t Give The People Want They Want
July 30, 2006
News that some record labels are delaying the availability of digital downloads, sometimes for weeks and weeks. Here are all these people waiting to give you money and you act like you don’t want it. And this is distribution on iTunes with DRM and everything. You don’t think that track is already on the P2P networks anyway. I don’t understand the logic of waiting on digital release. Some fans are actively telling others to go get the tracks they want off the P2P networks. If you will not make available what people want on a legit basis, you will force them into illegit practices. The fact is, many people are not going to go down to their retail store and pay for a CD. I know it hurts, but it’s the truth and the future. How the music industry can continue to frustrate and piss off it’s customers is amazing to me. I never saw that in any of the business books I ever had.
Another Dell Laptop Explodes!
July 29, 2006
Holy cow! I own one of these Dell models and take a look at the photos.
Dell Boom
July 29, 2006
Vista On Time? Maybe, maybe not
July 27, 2006
Like a frustrated parent Microsoft is now saying to it’s anxious customers and analysts, we’ll get there when we get there. Vista is on track to ship on time, but Microsoft says it will not ship it until it’s ready. I think we’re all getting a little tired of this already and pretty soon people will stop caring. Whatever Microsoft, I’m off to buy a Mac.
Free AOL - Too Little, Too Late
July 26, 2006
get free email from Microsoft, Yahoo and Google for a long time now. The real problem is AOL does not seem to have any kind of real strategy for the future. This move may keep them alive a little while longer, but it’s a band aid solution. Yahoo Staking Out Mobile Territory
July 25, 2006
Yahoo may not have maps with live traffic on cell phones yet, but that doesn’t mean they are any less agressive than Google on the mobile front. Yahoo has reached an agreement with Motorola to put Yahoo Go for Mobile on Motorola cell phones. Yahoo has already done a similar deal with Nokia. Yahoo Go gives customers a suite of Yahoo services as an application pre-installed on certain cell phones. This gives Yahoo some awesome exposure in the cell phone space as Nokia and Motorola and the #1 and #2 cell phone makers in the world.
Another Condescending Blogger Survey
July 25, 2006
A survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project says while many see weblogs as an alternative to mainstream media, most bloggers run them as a hobby rather than a vocation. There are many interesting stats and numbers in the report about blogging in general but a strong trust of the research is that since bloggers are doing it for love (hobby) we should not take them seriously like regular journalists. Maybe bloggers are redefining what a journalist is. Just because someone is doing something as a hobby doesn’t mean their viewpoints and insights are any less valuable than someone else. Just because you are getting paid does not make you above everyone else. How about the New York Tims and the journalistic scandals that went down there? Now who do you want to believe?
Google Maps With Live Traffic On Cell Phones
July 25, 2006
I don’t think we’re there yet, but maybe the cell phone will become the true ultra mobile computer some day. Google has announced today Google Maps for cell phones and with the very nice feature of providing live traffic information. I still like Yahoo maps better, but Yahoo has no mobile component yet. Score one for Google.
Internet Movie Downloads - The Race Is On
July 25, 2006
I don’t know about Hollywood, but technology companies are very hot and bothered to deliver first run Hollywood movies on the Internet. I think customers would take well to this kind of offering as well. Now it’s just a question of who gets there first. Apple has been working on it for quite a while and the latest news is that they may introduce a rental service running in iTunes at their World Wide Developer Conference in August. Now, rumors are surfacing about Amazon.com and their interest in such a service as well. Microsoft has got to be in the game, especially with their new Zune hardware. What’s a shame is that the Netflix - Tivo partnership that was supposed to bring downloadable movies to your Tivo box will probably be washed away by these powerhouses. And what of Netflix? If movies can make the jump to downloads and Netflix can’t find a way to transition, they’re toast.
Kazaa, Skype, and now The Venice Project
July 24, 2006
The guys behind the Internet smash hits Kazaa and Skype are at it again and their latest adventure is called The Venice Project. Details are not known but it does have to do with Internet video. On-line video is already a hot space with lots of competition, but these guys seem to pull amazing stuff out of their hat every time they produce something. Both men are still working at Ebay and are committed to improving Skype and it’s not clear if Ebay has full rights to this new project and if so, what they will do with it. Here is an idea. Ebay lets you post video to your Ebay store so you can demo your products. It’s like a mini QVC for Ebay sellers.