Toys

Ford’s SYNC AppLink Brings Android and BlackBerry Apps to Your Car

Posted by Andy on April 20, 2010
Cool Tech, Toys / Comments Off on Ford’s SYNC AppLink Brings Android and BlackBerry Apps to Your Car

So glad to see this stuff happening.  Finally, the  car manufacturers are getting it right, and believe it or not, Ford is on top of the mass market, consumer accessible devices.  Very cool!  I can’t wait to have Pandora in my car…..

http://mashable.com/2010/04/20/ford-sync-applink/

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iPad – my .02

Posted by Andy on January 27, 2010
Apple, Cool Tech, iPhone, Toys / Comments Off on iPad – my .02

Apple’s big reveal of the iPad today had the tech world on the edge their seats, ready for the “next big thing” from Mr. Jobs and the Cupertino crew.  Does the iPad live up to the hype?

Here are the basic specs:

9.5 inch x 7.5 inch multi touch capacitive display

.5 inches thick

1.5 lbs

1024 x 768 pixels at 132 ppi

1 Ghz Apple A4 processor

Available with 16, 32 or 64 GB flash drives

10 hour battery

WiFi by default, 3G models available too

Price starts at $499 for the base WiFi model, runs up to $829 for the 3G 64 MB model

I have not had one in my hands, but the device looks impressive on the surface.  It runs the iPhone OS, so all of the iPhone apps you know and love are there, plus some tweaks and additions, notably the addition of iBooks.  Sort of iTunes for books.  I like the idea of books on demand (I’m a big fan of the Kindle app for iPhone) so the addition of e-Books on the iPhone platform is welcome.  Several apps look like they have been upgraded – mail has many more options, contacts, calendar, maps all have much needed upgrades that make use of the additional real estate on the iPad.

The iPad also builds on the iTunes store in the video arena.  Movies and TV shows will look great on the device, as will You Tube and streaming web content.  There are a couple of downsides – it looks like the display is only 720p, and for Apple only knows why, they STILL won’t display flash.  That said, given the display size video will likely look great.

Is it a game changer?  I’ve been thinking about that since the demo ended and honestly I just don’t think that it is.  I do think that in its category it will be the clear leader, and its competitors will be scrambling to follow.  That is the key though – in its category.  The iPhone was a game changer because it dominated its category (cell phones) with must have added features.  Web browsing, music, video, maps and of course, the app store.  It was revolutionary because it brought all of these things together on a device that everyone already used every day, their cell phone.  I don’t see the same demand for what is essentially a really big iPhone.  Sure there are people for whom this device will be the end all be all, I can’t live without it, greatest thing since sliced bread.  Commuters, techies, travelers will benefit from this device.  Most people though just don’t need it, and there was nothing in the demo today that makes me think people are going to look at the iPad and say – OMG I NEED THAT. 

Is it cool?  Yes.  Is it great technology?  Absolutely.  Is it great design?  Sure, but really just more of the same iPhone design.  Is it going to be as big as the iPhone?  No way.  Will it “change publishing as we know it”?  I really don’t think so.  It’s hard for me to believe that a device as costly as this is will be ubiquitous, or even really popular in the average household.  People like to read papers and books, share them with friends, leave them on trains.  Yes, the content you can get from an eReader is way beyond what a magazine or newspaper can deliver, but I don’t see people paying $500 for the privilege.  Especially when you throw netbooks into the mix.

Think about the average household and what people’s computing needs are.  Email, web browsing, games, some word processing (homework, letters), spreadsheets, pictures.  I can do all of this from a netbook for $299, almost half what the iPad will cost.  Also, the netbook will likely be windows based, so will use MS Word and Excel, not iWorks (eeeww), so I can edit documents for school or work without an issue.  If iPad can run Office for Mac, that would be great, but there is no indication that this is possible.

Here’s another measure I use for the iPad.  If I am going on a trip for a week, can I get through the trip with only the iPad?  For me, the answer is probably not.  I’m going to need a device I can edit word/excel on.  I can view the docs on the iPad, and iWorks allows me to save MS Office documents, but will specific formating in Excel and Word save too?  I don’t know the answer here, and it’s important.  If I can safely edit anything that Office throws at the iPad in iWorks, then I’m all set.  If, as in the past, the formating gets messed up, that means I have to take either a netbook or a laptop with me which means I’m not likely to take the iPad with me – too many devices.  Which in turn means that I probably wouldn’t buy it if I can’t use it on trips.  Oh I wish there were open standards for documents.  Oh wait, there is.

So, what do I make of all this?  I love that the iPad exists.  It means that people are thinking about how we look at our online universe.  It didn’t WOW me, but something will.  Maybe it will be an app for the iPad, or some yet to be released feature, but it’s not there yet.  C’mon Steve, make me NEED THS!

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Google’s Nexus One phone

Posted by Andy on December 15, 2009
Cool Tech, iPhone, Toys / Comments Off on Google’s Nexus One phone

Engadget posted pics of the Nexus One. I’m really excited by the slew of Android phones out now, enough that it is making me rethink my iPhone 3GS. Oh, there is that nagging two year contract I just purchased, but good tech trumps cost, right? Well, no, not in this economy, but I digress.

Here’s a link to the article, the phone looks great!

AT&T sets date for MMS over iPhone

Posted by Andy on September 04, 2009
Apple, iPhone, Toys / Comments Off on AT&T sets date for MMS over iPhone

Finally, but do I really care?

AT&T announced yesterday that MMS will be available for US iPhone customers on September 25th.  On that day, a software update will be released that will enable the feature.

What is MMS anyway you ask?  MMS stands for Multimedia Message Service, and is an upgrade to SMS (Short Message Service).  Both are ways to send messages between compatible cell phones.  In short, SMS is text messaging, MMS is the ability to send text, video, pictures, audio clips etc between cell phones.

I’m old enough to have largely missed the text message boom, so I’m not all that excited about this.  That said, the fact that AT&T couldn’t get their act together to coordinate this with the release of the 3GS months ago is borderline criminal.  There are a couple of lawsuits against AT&T regarding the false advertising that went along with the release of the 3GS that I’m sure will go nowhere, but make a good point.  If you are the exclusive vendor for arguably the most popular cell phone in history, you owe it to your handcuffed customers to have your network in order before the phone is released, especially since the phone was heavily advertised as being able to handle MMS.

Good news for MMS users, but an embarrassment for AT&T.

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Dual core processors for mobile devices? ARM dual core chips for iPhone, Palm Pre next year

Posted by Andy on June 15, 2009
Cool Tech, iPhone, Toys / Comments Off on Dual core processors for mobile devices? ARM dual core chips for iPhone, Palm Pre next year

CNET is reporting that ARM, the company responsible for designing the architecture behind most mobile comuting CPU’s said  that mobile phone makers will be delivering devices that run on ARM”s latest dual core CPU’s as early as next year.

They are referring to the ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore application processor.  According to the ARM site, the new chip deisgn will provide faster processing with lower power consumption for all but the most CPU intensive applications.

The Cortex-A9 MPCore processor is the first ARM processor to combine the Cortex application class architecture with multiprocessing capabilities for scalable performance and provides enhanced multicore technology that includes:

  • Accelerator Coherence Port (ACP) for increased system performance and lower system power
  • Advanced Bus Interface Unit for low latency in high bandwidth devices
  • Multicore TrustZone® technology with interrupt virtualization to enable hardware based security and enhanced paravirtualization solutions
  • Generalized Interrupt Controller (GIC) for software portability and optimized multicore communication

Accelerator Coherence Port small

source: AMD product description

White paper on the Cortex-A9.

There are already phones on the market that make use of the ARM A9 single core chip, namely the LG Renoir shown at CES in January (video here).  The phone looks great in the video; the ARM Mali-55 GPU really makes the user interface smooth, with Vista like windows features.  Without the phone in hand I can’t comment direcltly, but I imagine streaming video would look very nice on this phone.  Of course, this phone is not available in the US (why would it be?) but it has some amazing features – 8 Megapixel camera, touch focus, several still shot modes, Dolby Mobile, DivX playback, Slow-Mo video recording, GPS, 3G, WiFi and will play Flash.  It is so irritating the the US mobile companies are just shamefully behind the curve with mobile devices.  I have to believe that most people don’t know what they are missing, so they don’t know to complain.

Since ARM is just the chip designer and not the manufacturer, it’s difficult to tell exactly when these chips will hit US phones, but if CNET is correct, we could see the chips in new phones next year.  If true, then I will NOT buy a iPhone 3GS until I know what Apple is doing with regard to the new ARM design.  Why would you invest in another 2 year contract when you know that the new chip is out there?  If they combine the CPU with the updated GPU chips, then the iPhone’s sluggishness could go away completely.  Now that might be worth $199.

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iPhone 3.0 release date – June 17, iPhone 3Gs details released

Posted by Andy on June 09, 2009
Apple, iPhone, Toys / 5 Comments

Apple announced at WWDC 2009 that the iPhone 3.0 software will be available to current iPhone users on June 17th.  At the same event Apple announced that the iPhone 3GS will be available for purchase June 19th, 2009 in 16GB and 32 GB models for $199 and $299 respectively.  They also reduced the price of the 8GB 3G to $99.

While none of this is unexpected, it’s nice to have a real release date.  Apple announced more final features of the 3.0 software, here are some highlights (full description here).

  • Copy and Paste text – When you double tap text, you will get a dialog box to cut/copy.  Double tap again to get a paste bubble.  Works with Photos too.
  • Spotlight for search – Now you will be able to search across all the information on your device.  What took them so long to add this?  This really should have been a day one feature.
  • Landscape Keyboard – Will work in mail, notes, safari, SMS
  • MMS – Big swing and a miss here – AT&T isn’t ready for the release, so this feature will not be ready until late summer.
  • Improved Calendar – Support for CalDAV is added.  This is BIG.  CalDAV is what Google and Yahoo use, so this is a big win for Gmail users.  In addition to CalDAV, you can now create meetings – another why wasn’t this done before.
  • Internet Tethering – Another HUGE swing and a miss by AT&T.  This will not be available in the US.  Please AT&T, get your network in order.  Your clients, who pay you a lot of money, demand this.
  • Sync Notes – You can now sync notes from your phone back to your PC via iTunes.  Another about time, Apple.  I’d like to see an OTA sync for this to Exchange though, that would be useful.  Syncing via iTunes is ok, but not all that helpful.
  • Automatic Wi-Fi login – This will (may) really help.  Now when I go to Starbucks I won’t have to login to their hotspot every time.  In theory.  I’m skeptical about this one, but I’m hopeful.

There are other features that seem fun like Shake to Shuffle,  improved iTunes store, voice memos etc.  Overall it seems like a LOT of new software, I hope it all works as advertised.

iPhone 3GS features

See more here.  There are a bunch of new features that look cool, but I’m not sure I’ll shell out $199 (or $299) for them.  The main improvements are:

  • Speed – Apple claims that “everything you do on iPhone 3G S is up to 2x faster and more responsive than iPhone 3G”.  Call me Skippy Skeptical, but I’ll believe it when I see it, thank you.  If true, this is compelling.
  • Video – You can shoot VGA in portrait or landscape mode, edit start and end points, then share it via email, post to MobileMe or YouTube.  Of course, you can also save the video to your PC when you sync.  I like the idea here – I use my iPhone camera way more than I thought I would, so I imagine that the video feature would be just as useful.  That said, in a corporate environment, cameras are problematic on enterprise devices.
  • Improved Camera – 3 MegaPixels, Auto-focus and a tap to focus feature.  Very neat improvements.
  • Digital compass – I like this a lot, but it doesn’t look like they’ve improved the turn by turn directions at all.  I’d like it to function more like a “real” GPS in that if you deviate from your route it will auto correct to get you back on the right path.

All in all I’m excited about the 3.0 software and intrigued by the new hardware, I’m just not willing to shell out $199 for it yet.  Now if my current device happens to fall in a puddle…

Tesla Model S

Posted by Andy on May 02, 2009
Cool Tech, Green Tech, Toys / 1 Comment

Tesla’s Model S debuted in Manhattan on April 30th.  If only I had $50k that I didn’t need, I’d love to pick one of these up.  Electric cars have been around a long time, but Tesla really gets it right.  There is no reason in the world that electric has to equal boring.  Both Tesla cars are incredible pieces of technology that are changing the way people think about electric cars.  The Roadster does 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds,  tops out at 125 MPH, and will go 244 miles on a charge.  Although I’d like to see more range, 244 miles is a little less than a standard tank of gas on most luxury cars so will do.

The Model S is a little slower 0 to 60, (does it in 5.6 seconds) but is no slouch.  It has a 300 mile range, seats 7, and has a new “quick charge” mode that can recharge the battery in 45 minutes (at 480v – it will charge slower at 120v).  It also has a 17″ touch screen with internet access and streaming audio in addition to what you would expect from an on board computer.

The Model S is a beautiful car to – very sleek looking – looks like a Maserati or an Aston Martin.  I’m mostly a 4×4 guy, but both Tesla make me want to go back to 2WD!

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