Archive | December, 2010
Nexus S: In a World of Adulterated Google, a Pure Google Experience
It’s a busy day for long-rumored Google developments turning into official announcements: The company has announced the Nexus S, the first Android phone to run Android 2.3 “Gingerbread.” The phone is made by Samsung and has an interesting-sounding curved 4″ AMOLED display, a 1-GHz Hummingbird CPU, 512MB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and two cameras; It’ll be sold unlocked starting on December 16th, and is intended to run on T-Mobile in the US.
Gingerbread doesn’t sound like a massive update, but Google says it’s the fastest version of Android to date. It features tweaks to the on-screen keyboard, status updates, text selection, and cut-and-paste. And as Eric Schmidt recently teased, it supports Near-Field Communications, an emerging technology that will enable activities like easily using your phone to make payments at retail stores.
Tumblr Has Tumbled. When Will It Get Back Up?
6. December 2010
Yesterday afternoon, popular minimalist blogging service Tumblr went down, taking every Tumblr blog with it. As I write this, the outage continues–it’s surely earned a spot in the Hall of Shame reserved for the longest, most crippling downtimes ever suffered by major Internet services.
The Tumblr folks haven’t done a great job of crisis control, either. The error message you get when you try to visit the Tumblr homepage or any Tumblr blog still talks about the site being back “shortly” and Tumblr working “quickly” to restore service. But by now, it’s clear that the outage isn’t short, and fixing things is turning out to be anything but a speedy process. In fact, the more recent of the two updates posted to Tumblr’s Twitter account says the recovery is “slow and painful.” That Tweet also says that the company is “almost through” dealing with the database issue that caused the crippling glitch. But the site remains down.
Except for truly extreme cases, even Web services that suffer extended outages generally bounce back. But I wonder if any Tumblr bloggers will take their business elsewhere as a result of this mess–or at least create a backup site for use in case of emergency?
Yes, Google is Doing e-Books
6. December 2010
It hasn’t been exactly a well-guarded secret, but now it’s official: Google is launching an e-book store to compete with Amazon’s Kindle store and its rivals. The company isn’t selling an e-reading device of its own–instead, it’s focusing on selling digital books and making them widely available for existing hardware. I haven’t tried its new offerings yet, but it gave me a sneak peek at the news last week.
The Alleged Playstation Phone Looks … Good!
5. December 2010
The folks at Engadget continue to get the scoop on Sony Ericsson’s rumored Playstation Phone. This time, they found a pair of YouTube videos showing a little bit of the device in action.
And so far, it’s promising in its simplicity. Rather than gum up the works with Sony’s Xperia operating system, the phone is running stock Android, supposedly version 2.3. Playstation games are accessed through a Playstation app.
Hopefully, it stays this way. I don’t think Sony needs to heavily modify Android to make a good gaming phone, as long as the games are easily accessible and on par with Sony’s PSP handheld. Like the Xbox Live app on Windows Phone 7, a standalone app could help act as a unifying hub for the Playstation Network.
Anyone Still Want to Contend That the iPad Isn’t a Creative Tool?
5. December 2010
“The iPad is for consuming content, not creating it.” iPad skeptics have been repeating that mantra for months now. It’s become clear that the rap is a snippy, simple-minded exaggeration of two more specific facts about Apple’s tablet:
- After eight months on the market, it hasn’t yet matched all the creativity apps available for Macs and Windows (two platforms that have been around for more than a quarter of a century).
- Most writers aren’t going to be crazy about cranking out massive quantities of prose on its on-screen keyboard. (Even that is subject to debate: Macworld Editorial Director Jason Snell wrote this article entirely on an iPad, and it recently won an Azbee award.)
But while it’s true that the iPad can’t replace a Mac or Windows PC for every creative task, the evidence is piling up mighty fast that it is an exciting creative tool. Yesterday night, I dropped in on a San Francisco art show called Future/Canvas, and I can’t imagine any rational human being attending the event and continuing to maintain that the iPad is only for passive, sheeplike intake of content.
Pay for Your Music, Dang It
3. December 2010
In Wired, my friend Paul Boutin makes an obviously true point which I’m sure some folks will reflexively dispute: You should pay for your music, and there’s no reason not to do so.
Does Free Wi-Fi=Crummy Wi-Fi?
3. December 2010
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I’m grateful for the Google Chrome promotion that involves free Wi-Fi service on several airlines this holiday season. But when I flew between San Francisco and Boston last week, I noticed that the free Wi-Fi on Virgin America wasn’t as good as for-pay Wi-Fi I’m accustomed to–I kept getting disconnected. Gizmodo’s Jason Chen theorizes that the Gogo in-flight Internet service isn’t prepared to deal with the onslaught of freebie lovers.
Angry Birds vs. Pac-Man: Is it as Big of a Hit?
3. December 2010
John Gruber, in his Talk Show podcast, says Angry Birds is the new Pac-Man.
Given how popular Angry Birds has become, and how it’s now part of popular culture, my first reaction is to agree. But Pac-Man is an icon that has endured for three decades, so we can’t take the comparison at face value. Let’s have some fun with the analogy and dig a little deeper.
Verizon LTE: Sip It, Don’t Guzzle
3. December 2010
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I subscribe to Verizon Wireless’s 3G data service, and never approach my 5GB limit. So I looked at the fact that the company’s new LTE plans are capped as no big deal. But PCMag.com’s Sascha Segan explains why capped LTE is not the same thing as capped 3G.
Chrome Ascendent
2. December 2010
TechCrunch’s MG Siegler is reporting that Chrome is now the most-used browser among that site’s visitors, having slightly edged out Firefox in November. It’s yet another piece of evidence that Google’s browser is a major hit, especially among people who take their Web browsers really seriously.
Here at Technologizer, Firefox maintains the #1 spot–in fact, Chrome is only the third-most popular browser. (Internet Explorer is #2.) But Chrome usages is increasing at a steady clip, and both Firefox and IE have lost users over the past year.
Hulu Envy: Netflix May Pay Big Bucks for In-Season TV
2. December 2010
Movies are Netflix’s bread and butter, but now the service is setting its sights on current television shows.
Over at the New York Post, Claire Atkinson’s unnamed source says Netflix in talks with television studios to add current primetime shows to its streaming catalog. The company is reportedly willing to spend between $70,000 and $100,000 per episode on in-season TV.
It’s probably not going to happen in the near future. Broadcast networks claim they own the streaming rights, not the studios, and they’re reluctant to make deals because they don’t want to cannibalize ad dollars reaped from syndication. I’m guessing Netflix won’t be buying many in-season shows until that gets hammered out.
A Guided Tour of Computing History
2. December 2010
Steve Wozniak with George Stibitz's one-bit computer from 1936
On January 13th, the seven-year-old Computer History Museum will open its first truly full-blown permanent exhibit:, the 25,000-square-foot, $19 million “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing.” It’s been a long time in the making: It features a spectacular collection of computers and related apparatus begun by DEC founder Ken Olsen and computing legend Gordon Bell back in the mid-1970s, which spent some time at Boston’s now-defunct Computer Museum before making its way to its current home in Mountain View, California, within walking distance of the Googleplex.
The museum invited reporters for a sneak peek of the new exhibit this morning, and while it’s a work in progress–we saw mainframes still wrapped, Christo-style, in protective plastic wrap–it was a remarkable experience. Part of what made it remarkable was our guide, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak.
Wow, OnLive’s Subscription Plan Costs $10 Per Month
2. December 2010
OnLive still has a lot of kinks to work out with its cloud gaming service and MicroConsole set-top box, but they’re easier to overlook when you can have unlimited gaming for $10 per month.
The so-called PlayPack plan, announced alongside today’s MicroConsole launch, will have more than 40 back-catalog games when it becomes available on January 15. Subscribers can still purchase or rent newer games a la carte, and they can suspend subscriptions for up to a year without losing their saved game data.
For now, folks who buy the MicroConsole can try the plan for free in beta, which includes 15 games to start. John Spinale, OnLive’s vice president of games and media, says new games will land on the subscription package, and on the service in general, on a weekly basis.
Loud, But Not Deafeningly Loud
2. December 2010
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Last Gadget Standing Nominee: dB Logic headphones
Price: $29
Worried that listening to loud music for too long could damage your hearing? You could stop listening to loud music for long periods. Or you could buy dB Logic’s headphones. They use a technology called SPL2 which the company says “intelligently modifies the sound wave to closely match the profile of the original sound wave, while keeping the overall volume level at a level that can help avoid hearing loss.” They’ll be available this month.
Windows Phone 7: Fairly Happy New Year!
1. December 2010
That January Windows Phone 7 update that was supposed to be such a big deal? All Things Digital’s Ina Fried says it’s a medium-sized deal at best.
Avatar on 3D Blu-ray: Only $400 Without the TV!
1. December 2010
A few months ago, Panasonic locked up exclusive rights to Avatar on 3D Blu-ray, with plans to bundle it with 3D televisions. Turns out, that won’t be the only way to get the movie this holiday season.
Panasonic will also sell Avatar as part of its 3D Full HD Ultimate Pack, which includes a 3D Blu-ray player and two pairs of glasses you’ll never use if you already own a 3D TV from another manufacturer. That bundle costs $399.95. Hey, early adopters have loads of expendable income, right?
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6. December 2010
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