by Steve O'Hear
June 8th, 2007 | Posted in Mobile | 
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After debuting first in Asia, and then Europe — this week Nintendo DS users in the USA can finally get their hands on a version of the Opera web browser designed specially for the hand-held game console. Optimized for use with the DS’s dual-screen and touch-screen stylus input, the software comes on a Nintendo DS game card, and transforms the device into a portable web browser which connects through the built-in WiFi.
When I got a chance to test the European edition of the browser earlier this year, I was impressed with the user interface which does make good use of the DS’s unique design. However, similar to my experience with Sony’s PSP, I found browsing to be on the slow side, although whether this is the fault of the built-in WiFi or the time it takes for the device to render web pages, I’m not sure. The other down-side, compared with the PSP, is that because the web browser is stored on a game card, you have to keep swapping it out to actually play games, and then change cards again every time you want to browse the web. It would be much more convenient if the browser came pre-installed in the device’s internal memory. Where the DS browsing experience does trump the PSP though is through having a touch-screen for inputting web addresses on the virtual keyboard. With no touch-screen on the PSP, I found typing to be a miserable experience.
The DS browser has a recommended retail price of $19.99.
by Steve O'Hear
June 7th, 2007 | Posted in Net TV | View Comments
Sling Media, the makers of SlingBox — a device which connects to a home’s TV signal (cable box, digital tuner or PVR) and then ’slings’ that signal over a broadband connection to either a PC or cell phone — has signed a deal to partner with the National Hockey League.
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by Steve O'Hear
June 7th, 2007 | Posted in Comms, Mobile | View Comments
Macwold UK reports on a recent survey carried out by Solutions Research Group which looks at the likely demographic of US purchasers of the iPhone. The results are based on an online survey of 1,230 American consumers in May 2007, and reveal some interesting, though arguably predictable results, about who said they would buy the $499 device.
- 72 % of early adopters will be male with an average age of 31-years.
- 58 % will have completed college, and that they will have higher incomes than most US consumers.
- The research claims iPhone user’s $75,600 per year household income will be 28 % higher than the national average.
- 48 % of potential buyers don’t currently own an iPod.
- Residents of tech-savvy regions, New York and California, will account for 43 % of total first wave iPhone buyers.
So your average iPhone early adopter will be male, in their late 20s to early 30s, affluent, and live on the East or West coast.
[poll=4]
by Steve O'Hear
June 6th, 2007 | Posted in Other | View Comments
Game console sales figures in Japan show Nintendo Wii outselling the PlayStation 3 by more than five to one last month, reports Reuters. While its high price is probably the key factor for the PS3’s poor sales, a lack of compelling software titles must also be to blame. In gaming history, smash-hit games are more than often the defining factor in a console’s success. Something which Sony inconveniently forgot.
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by Steve O'Hear
June 6th, 2007 | Posted in Net TV | View Comments
Babelgum, the p2p online video service which is inevitably being compared to Joost (see our preview) is to begin opening its Beta to the public. Existing testers can now invite others, and the company’s website is offering sign-ups on a limited first come first served basis, each day.
From the official Babelgum blog:
It has taken a few more days than expected but we are finally there! Today we are launching our open beta phase, with a brand new release of the Babelgum client, involving a major rewrite to improve performance and several new features. The release will also showcase hundreds of hours of content, with much more to come in the next few weeks.
Previously, we’d noted that Babelgum seemed a lot further behind in the development cycle than Joost, and while today’s update means they’re catching up, it still looks like they have a long way to go to match Joost’s volume of content. Although we also observed that Babelgum maybe embracing more of a niche and open content strategy.
Where Joost has made much of its success in signing up big media partners including MTV, Comedy Central, CNN, Sony Pictures, and CBS; Babelgum’s website hints at a different strategy. By helping niche content find and connect with niche audiences, the company hopes to exploit the “Long Tail”.
If you’d like to get your hands on Babelgum you can try your luck on the site’s download lottery, which the company says is necessary to keep “growth pace under control” until they’ve tested their new infrastructure and feel confident enough “to fully open the download floodgates.”
by Steve O'Hear
June 6th, 2007 | Posted in Net TV | View Comments
Earlier in the week Joost, the online TV service from the founders of Skype (see our review), appointed a new CEO — ex-Cisco executive Mike Volpi. Considered by the tech industry as a rising star at Cisco, it seemed natural to ask what Volpi “the router guy” could bring to Joost, a product that is all about software, and perhaps more importantly, content.
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by Steve O'Hear
June 5th, 2007 | Posted in Mobile, Net TV | View Comments
It’s common for new technology to press the boundaries of what’s permissible under current intellectual property laws or to challenge existing business models — or both — and Sling Media’s SlingBox is no exception. The futuristic looking device connects to a home’s TV signal (cable box, digital tuner or PVR) and then ’slings’ that signal over a broadband connection to either a PC or cell phone, or in theory, any Internet connected device that can run the SlingPlayer software. While the ability to re-stream television for personal use is popular with customers, television networks and content producers aren’t so impressed.
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by Guest Writer
June 5th, 2007 | Posted in Audio, Net TV, Review | View Comments
This is a guest post written by Tim Robertson. Tim is the owner and publisher of MyMac.com and a freelance writer.
While both Microsoft and Sony are trying to bridge the gap between traditional media content (TV shows and movies) and video game consoles, Nintendo has taken a different approach. The Wii is marketed as a device for gaming, and not much else.
Nintendo did include the ability to read external media with a built-in SD card reader on the front of the Wii. (That’s what is hiding behind that small door.) You can either use a SD card to save your Wii game saves, or use it to transfer content to the Wii.
I decided to give the Wii a try as a video player by converting some DVDs to .MOV format (The only format I have found the Wii can play) and see how well it did.
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by Steve O'Hear
June 4th, 2007 | Posted in Audio, Comms, Mobile | View Comments
When Walt Mossberg interviewed Steve Jobs on-stage at last week’s D: All Things Digital conference, he pressed the Apple CEO for an exact release date for the iPhone. “Late June” replied Jobs. “Like the very last day of June?”, countered Mossberg. “Err, yeah”, Jobs confirmed with a broad smile. Well, it’s now official. The iPhone will hit Apple and at&t stores in the US on June 29th.
Now armed with an exact release date, last night Apple kicked off its television advertising campaign. Three commercials have been produced (available on the company’s website) giving us a good insight into how Apple plans to market the device. Here’s a break-down of the three ads, and how they attempt to position the iPhone.
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by Steve O'Hear
June 1st, 2007 | Posted in last100 weekly wrapup | Comments Off
Here’s a summary of the week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.
Top digital lifestyle news
This week was dominated by the D: All Things Digital conference, which saw a number of big announcements from Microsoft, Apple, Palm, and RealNetworks.
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by Steve O'Hear
June 1st, 2007 | Posted in Net TV | View Comments
When Steve Jobs demoed the AppleTV’s new YouTube functionality at this week’s D: All Things Digital conference, host Walt Mossberg inevitably asked about picture quality, noting that YouTube content doesn’t always look that great on a PC let alone a big screen television. “The biggest thing that limits the quality is the source…”, replied Jobs. “You get what you get.” Or in the AppleTV’s case, you get what Jobs gives you.
Perhaps leveraging Apple’s ’special’ relationship with Google (who acquired the video sharing site late last year, and whose CEO Eric Schmidt sits on Apple’s board), Steve Jobs has managed to get YouTube to re-encode their entire back catalogue using the higher quality — and AppleTV compatible — H.264 codec, rather than make do with Flash.
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by Steve O'Hear
June 1st, 2007 | Posted in Net TV | View Comments
At yesterday’s D: All Things Digital conference Real announced a new version of their streaming video player ‘RealPlayer’, which aims to be like ‘TiVo’ for the web. The new version which will be out in Beta later in the month (PC only, with a Mac version to follow “later in the year”) will enable users to download or ‘record’ any video on a website where the content isn’t copy protected.
When a user visits a website with embedded video (Real, Flash, QuickTime or Windows Media), a floating tab appears giving them the option to download the file or ‘record’ it in the case of a live stream. Users can then burn the video onto a VideoCD or if they upgrade to the paid version (RealPlayer Plus) they can create a DVD. The legality of this new feature is bound to be tested once it’s released, as downloading and storing video from sites like YouTube may actually break their Terms of Service.
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