Are you bored of having virtual road trips around the world on Google Street View? Don’t fret, as you can now have virtual ski trips instead. The Google Street View snowmobile will record ski slopes around the Whistler Blackcomb Mountains in Vancouver. Building on the idea of the Street View car and the Street View "tricycle", Google had their inspiration of making a snowmobile from the upcoming Winter Olympics 2010. The Google Street View Snowmobile has that Google’s trademark camera attached to it, which records the physical world around the ski slopes. You should probably check out the video below:
FROM GAMERTELL - Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle pictures and information have been discovered, hinting that North America could be receiving a $399 bundle, with the game, console, controllers, 250gb hard drive and headset when the game launches in March, 2010. MORE »
FROM APPLETELL - There are a lot of great apps in the app store, but that doesn’t meant there couldn’t be even more. What kind, you may ask? Well how about… MORE »
Google already controls most of what I do on the Internet, so why not let them control how I get onto the web as well? Google is building an experimental fiber network that will deliver blazing fast speeds to computer in U.S. homes. The broadband networks would bring speeds that are 100 times faster than the average speed available to users in American homes, according to a post on the official Google Blog.
Internet users would experienced 1 gigabit per second speeds using Google’s fiber-to-home connections. That would mean downloading full albums in seconds, HD movies in less than five minutes, and watching live 3D streaming video of lectures. Though the 2009 stimulus package called for investment in America’s broadband networks, Google seeks to move faster than the FCC and government will.
Google plans to build networks in select markets to test deployment techniques and emerging technology. The network would reach between 50,000-500,000 people at prices competitive with what customers pay to their current ISP. It plans to make the network “open” and provide access to other service providers. Google is seeking requests for information from local governments interested in participating.
FROM APPLETELL - iPhone GPS guidance apps aren’t quite a dime a dozen, but there are more than enough choices to make you wonder which fits your needs the best. Appletell’s Jake Gaecke takes a look at Magellan’s RoadMate 2010 North America. MORE »
Apple take note: According to a study by the NPD Group, a whopping 93% of e-reader owners are very happy with their devices and only 2% said they were totally unhappy. When asked what their favorite features were, 60% said wireless connectivity while 23% said it was the touch screen.
"Both the display technology and available content on e-Readers are optimized for those interested in books, said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD. "Pairing these optimizations with wireless technology for transparent access and touch screens for easy navigation has resonated with the avid readers that have been early e-Reader adopters.”
Despite the high level of satisfaction, the owners surveyed had many suggestions for improvement, among them longer battery life, color screens, and more book title availability.
This study is good news for established e-reader makers Amazon and Sony but may not be for Apple, which is positioning its iPad as the ultimate e-reader. As a Kindle and iPod Touch owner, I believe the Kindle has nothing to worry about. The iPad, which is basically a giant iPod Touch, is a nice gadget, but simply doesn't include the features users wanting a multiuse device are looking for. It doesn't multi-task, doesn't have Flash, and displays videos in 4:3 rather than widescreen. As far as it's e-reader capabilities, while being able to use multiple e-reader apps is a plus, the backlit LCD means extended reading will likely result in painful eyestrain.
What do you think? If you own an e-reader are you happy with it? Do you plan to trade it in for an iPad? Why or why not?
Finally SiriusXM! 8 months after the release of the iPhone/iPod Touch app, you finally release the BlackBerry version. Thank you! As a BlackBerry owner and longtime XM subscriber I'm thrilled.
The app gives BlackBerry users access to 120 channels of music (most of it commercial free!) news, talk and sports. Some will be disappointed that Howard Stern isn't included but Stern says it's because of "contractual reasons" and that he hopes to be added to the app at a later date.
The app is free but the service is not. You'll need to be Sirius/XM subscriber ($12.95 a month) and add the $3 a month online streaming service. I've been a subscriber for 7 years now and it's been worth every penny. The app is compatible with the Storm/Storm 2, Curve (8500, 8900), Bold (9000, 9700), and Tour (9600).
With Apple’s announcement that the iPad will become an snazzy eReader, that is will have the apps to read digital books, the case is being made that Apple has already blown it. By attracting the attention of publishers with higher price sales, is Steve Jobs simply sitting on rocks while singing the sirens song of more profits?
Amazon’s recent power play with Macmillan books showed the world that the $9.99 model for all ebooks is dead. Amazon attempted to hold the line and simply remove the publishers books from their catalog but quickly gave in, giving more power to Macmillan to increase the price of their ebooks. Macmillan had already worked a deal with Apple, which is offering to sell it’s books through a version of iTunes at higher prices.
Peter Kafka, over at All things D, provides a cautionary tale based on music labels messing about with pricing. By changing pricing from $.99 to $1.29, Warner Music saw sales slow. The conclusion drawn is that raising prices above a magic number such as $.99 or $9.99, customers become disinterested. The thinking follows that iPad will fall short in growing the ebook market, instead, it has killed it.
I believe this is short-sighted. Digital music is on the backside of the boon. The market is saturated (witness flat iPod sales) and as a luxury item, music is going to trend downward in tough economic times. Ebooks, however, still have yet to see that boon. Apple hopes to bring consumers to that boon with the iPad and that is why publishers are moving to reset the price point that consumer will get attached to.
Is there a magic price for eBooks? Are folks used to paying $30 for newly printed hardcovers going to scoff at $15? If they do will Apple grab the market by the throat and drive prices back down to Amazon’s level? I can’t wait to find out.
According to some emails turned over by Microsoft during an investigation into antitrust action, Microsoft was in awe of the deals Apple’s Steve Jobs worked to create iTunes. Emails from the big man himself, Bill Gates, to his team revealed his amazement and his teams response, “we got smoked.”
Clarke’s law says, “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Apple uses this idea again and again in introducing new products. The idea that they have ventured so far into the land of innovation and have brought back something that will make all our lives better is consistently rolled out for big things like the iPhone and iPad. Apple did this in 2003 with iTunes and Microsoft knew it the minute they heard it.
Gates saw some of this magic when he wrote, “This time somehow he (Steve Jobs) has applied his talents in getting a better Licensing deal than anyone else has gotten for music.This is very strange to me.” Gates goes on to point out how everyone else, including Microsoft, emusic, Real and others bet on the wrong horse. Jobs was able to walk away with the best deal and got his team to get the UI “right and market things as revolutionary are amazing things.”
You’ve got to give Microsoft some credit for recognizing the juggernaut that is iTunes out of the gate. Despite being “flat-footed”, as Gates put it, the team was charged with finding a competitive match and fast: “we need to move fast to get something where the UI and Rights are as good.”
These emails come to light on the backside of a New York Times Op Ed piece on how Microsoft is no longer an innovator. Microsoft could have never introduced something as innovative as the iPhone or iPad. The piece posits why has Microsoft stop bringing us things from the future? These Microsoft email show the company doesn’t lack business savvy folks that can’t see the forest through the trees, they just don’t seem to have a compass to navigate.
Google already controls most of what I do on the Internet, so why not let them control how I get onto the web as well? Google is building an experimental fiber network that will deliver blazing fast speeds to computer in U.S. homes. The broadband networks would bring speeds that are 100 times faster than the average speed available to users in American homes, according to a post on the official Google Blog.
Apple take note: According to a study by the NPD Group, a whopping 93% of e-reader owners are very happy with their devices and only 2% said they were totally unhappy. When asked what their favorite features were, 60% said wireless connectivity while 23% said it was the touch screen.
Finally SiriusXM! 8 months after the release of the iPhone/iPod Touch app, you finally release the BlackBerry version. Thank you! As a BlackBerry owner and longtime XM subscriber I'm thrilled.
According to some emails turned over by Microsoft during an investigation into antitrust action, Microsoft was in awe of the deals Apple’s Steve Jobs worked to create iTunes. Emails from the big man himself, Bill Gates, to his team revealed his amazement and his teams response, “we got smoked.”
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