...more recent posts
FTC urged to step up its oversight of telecommunications companies offering Internet access
(for tom) history of mp3 players.
Long Tail My Ass
When I gave away all my vinyl, I gave up the 1981 League of Gentlemen album (Robert Fripp, et al), which I've never found on CD. Well, it's not on CD. I haven't seen any legit MP3 outlets, including dgmlive.com. It's a really good album by an artist who is still very active. But my only legitimate route is to find a 26 year-old vinyl disk. I'd buy a friggin flac ... right now. But nooooooooooo!
Verizon Said No to Apple's iPhone Two Years Ago
AACS Attack: a Clear and Present Danger to DRM
Years ago, porn infiltrated CES. Then they were told to get their own show. The AVN show was winding up Thursday and CES was shutting down. Porn can have a big impact on consumer electronics. For example, porn helped VHS win, and now ...
AVN: Will Blu-ray walk into the anti-porn trap?
Bipartisan network neutrality bill introduced in Senate.
Everyone's doing the "connected home". By that I mean convergence of PCs, TVs, digital content, media servers, internet-based content, homenetworking, mobiles, yada, yada. Way too much stuff to try to process or even capture right now. Below is an angle from Sony -- a TV that gets content from the internet. A Sony TV pulling up content from the Sony media properties cuts a shitload of middlemen right out of the equation. Interesting.
Anyway, the issue is making it easy. I know people that get overwhelmed when a third remote control enters the equation. I don't know the answer, but whoever figures out how to harness the power of convergence is a way that's easy to use will do very well.
CES Update: Sony Bringing Internet Video To HDTV
January 8th, 2007
Sony Electronics today announced a first of its kind TV feature called BRAVIA Internet Video Link that will allow most of its new televisions to access free Internet video content, including high-definition, from providers including AOL, Yahoo! and Grouper, as well as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony BMG Music.According to Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, “This initiative will not only enhance the entertainment experience for owners of Sony Internet video-ready HDTVs, but also reinforce our defining strategy of providing more personalization of products and content for consumers that no other company can offer.”
big 108 inch
Verizon set to broadcast TV shows to phones
CES 2007: Netgear and BitTorrent team up on high-definition content delivery -- IP-based media reciever. Competition to Akimbo?
CES 2007: 200 GB Blu-ray discs, 16.5 GB Mini discs in the works
Lessig: Dems to the Net: Go to hell
youtvpc
YouTube takes videos to mobile phones
An alternate view on cameras in phones ...
Lights, cell-phone camera, action
COLLEGE, CELLULAR FIRM PARTNER IN FILM PROJECT
Sometimes, what you really want is a just a fucking phone
My old mobile phone is starting to have problems with the power connector, after 3+ years of hard use. I can't replace it with the same model, because it lacks e911, a mandatory feature for my carrier, Verizon. Besides, I want to get bluetooth so I can do hands free without screwing around with wires while I'm driving.
So here's my wish list ...
required
- tri-mode: AMPS, CDMA 1900/800 (I need AMPS, the old analog service, so I can use the phone off the beaten track.)
- NO camera (Some companies don't allow cameras in their buildings. Connectivity is, by definition, sucky if the phone is stuck at a receptionist's desk. Besides, I have a bunch of cameras already. Further, Verizon requires the use of "picture messaging". WTF? Most decent phones have USB. Why would I want to pay extra to send the picture to myself over their network?)
- blue tooth and voice commands (So I can comply with the new "hands free" law when driving. It's a good idea anyway on windy mountain roads.)
nice to have
- 1xRTT or EV-DO modem capability
- GSM would be sweet, but I'm not travelling to Europe much these days, so it doesn't come up much. (It's not a feature of any phone that Verizon supports. And most GSM phones don't do AMPS, so it's an impass.)
- PDA functionality with POP3 & sync to MS Outlook calendar
The two high-end phone without a camera are Blackberrys, but no AMPS. The two low-end phones without a camera lack bluetooth.
So, I may settle for an LG VX5300 with a blob of opaque epoxy on the lens of the camera that I really don't need and don't want. It does have data capabilites, but weak ones. I've already got an EV-DO card for my lap top, so I can live with that.
NEC dual-mode chip can power both Blu-ray, HD DVD at no extra cost