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Podcast: RWW Live episode 2 (3G iPhone and more)

by Steve O'Hear

June 21st, 2008 | Posted in Mobile, Other | CommentsNo Comments

Last month ReadWriteTalk (a regular podcast in which the show’s host Sean Ammirati talks to “The People Behind The Web”) launched a new bi-weekly feature called RWW Live. The idea is to get together a number of writers from the ReadWriteWeb blog network (that includes last100!) for a live discussion on recent events in the technology world.

In episode two, I join Richard MacManus, editor and founder of ReadWriteWeb, Charles Knight from Alt Search Engines, and ReadWriteTalk host, Sean Ammirati, to discuss a number of big events over the last week including:

  • 3G iPhone
  • New Approaches by the Alternative Search Engines & a plug by Charles for his new favorite Alt Search Engine – Tag Galaxy
  • The Future of Yahoo!

You can listen to the whole show here.

Weekly wrapup, 16-20 June 2008 (Supernova edition)

by Steve O'Hear

June 21st, 2008 | Posted in last100 weekly wrapup | Comments1 Comment

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.

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Supernova coverage

Last100’s Dan Langendorf reported from the Supernova conference in San Francisco this week.

@Supernova: Getting a glimpse of mobile’s future without the iPhone and Android

First up, Dan picked up on one theme in the Mobile space that is likely to become increasingly important: mobile sensors. He writes, “What’s coming is life profound. Put billions of sensors in cell phones – regardless of hardware, operating system, or carrier – and affect the way we understand traffic or the weather.”

@Supernova: Evidence developers are just as interested in Blackberry as they are iPhone, Android

Despite Apple’s iPhone and the upcoming Google-led Android platform grabbing all the hype, developer interest in RIM’s Blackberry was on show at Supernova, largely because of its established user base. “There used to be a saying that nobody was going to be fired for buying IBM, at least in software,” said Peter Nofelt, one of the developers of the zombie-themed, social game MobileDead. “It’s the same thing for the Blackberry”.

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MSN Music DRM servers get three year stay of execution

by Steve O'Hear

June 20th, 2008 | Posted in Audio | CommentsNo Comments

MSN Music DRM servers get three year stay of executionIn a classic DRM U-turn, customers of Microsoft’s now-defunct MSN Music store are being given at least three more years in which they can be sure that the music they’ve purchased will continue to play, even after an operating system re-install or upgrade, and when transfered to a compatible device. That’s because the company, having weathered a storm of negative PR and complaints from customers, has relented on its decision to shut down the service’s verification servers used to implement that store’s copy-protection technology.

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Joost in a browser is "weeks away"

by Steve O'Hear

June 17th, 2008 | Posted in Net TV | Comments2 Comments

Joost in a browser is A new version of Joost, the much hyped p2p Internet TV service from the founders of Skype, that will run in a Web browser is just weeks away, says CEO Mike Volpi in an interview with Silicon Alley Insider published today.

When Joost was first conceived of in 2006 it was pitched as the antidote to YouTube: an Internet TV service geared towards major content owners who required guarantees around copyright protection, and providing viewers with a higher quality “TV-like” experience. However, since then the online video landscape has changed dramatically, with many competitors syndicating professionally produced and network TV content online, on a mostly non-exclusive basis. And unlike the current version of Joost, the majority of competing services, such as Hulu, run in the browser and don’t require a separate download.

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Motorola launches movie store for cellphones, but will anybody bite?

by Steve O'Hear

June 16th, 2008 | Posted in Mobile, Net TV | Comments1 Comment

Motorola launches movie store for cellphones, but will anybody bite?Amid all the iPhone 2.0 hype, we missed the news last week that Motorola has launched a full-length movie store for its mobile phones. Before you ask: “Who wants to watch a feature film on their tiny cellphone screen, anyway?” Here are a few of the details.

The service is available first in the UK-only, but will eventually extend to France, Italy, Germany and Spain. The catalog is currently restricted to forty titles from one studio — Paramount Digital Entertainment — including “The Italian Job”, “Star Trek” and “Team America: World Police”, priced at between £5.99 and £8.99 per movie.

Unsurprisingly, movies can’t be downloaded ‘over-the-air’ directly to handsets but instead the service requires “side-loading” whereby content is downloaded to a PC first and then transfered onto a mobile phone. Motorola says this is so that customers avoid potentially expensive data charges but it also means that the service can bypass carriers who may offer a competing service. Users will still need to be able to connect their phones to the Internet, however, as each side-loaded movie has to have its DRM certificate verified online, and each device must be registered with Motorola’s store.

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Weekly wrapup, 9-13 June 2008 (iPhone 2.0 coverage)

by Steve O'Hear

June 15th, 2008 | Posted in last100 weekly wrapup | CommentsNo Comments

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.

Enter your email address:

Apple WWDC news and analysis

This week was dominated by Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference and news of iPhone 2.0…

It’s official: iPhone 2.0 is 3G, supports GPS, integrates with MobileMe, and is $$$ cheaper

Dan Langendorf kicked off with an excellent blow-by-blow account of Steve Jobs’ keynote speech including the much rumored iPhone 2.0 with support for 3G data speeds, GPS, enterprise features, and third-party apps.

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Video: Mozilla demos Firefox Mobile concept

by Steve O'Hear

June 12th, 2008 | Posted in Mobile | Comments2 Comments

Video: Mozilla demos Firefox Mobile conceptMozilla Labs’ head of user experience, Aza Raskin (son of Mac pioneer Jef Raskin) has published a short video demonstrating a user interface concept for the upcoming mobile version of web browser Firefox. The version on show is designed for touch screen devices, though not multi-touch like the iPhone — a decision Mozilla took because “Firefox should be able to run on the least common denominator of touch devices”, explains Raskin.

Although, like the iPhone, “the interface should be operable with a finger. Switching between input methods is time-consuming and annoying, so the user shouldn’t have to switch to a stylus or other secondary form of input.”

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Disney to stream movies online – for free

by Steve O'Hear

June 10th, 2008 | Posted in Net TV | Comments1 Comment

For the first time, Disney.com plans to offer free streaming of full-length movies, reports the LA Times. The new offering will be part of a co-promotion on television as part Disney-owned ABC network’s weekly “Wonderful World of Disney” program. Every Saturday night throughout the summer, a Disney movie will be shown on ABC and then subsequently be made available for streaming on Disney’s website — U.S.-only — free/ad-supported.

The full schedule:

  • “Finding Nemo” –- currently available online through June 13
  • “Monsters, Inc.” –- airs on ABC June 14 at 8 p.m.; available on Disney.com June 16-20
  • “Haunted Mansion” -– airs on ABC June 28 at 8 p.m.; available on Disney.com June 30-July 4
  • “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” –- airs on ABC July 5 at 8 p.m.; available on Disney.com July 7-11
  • “Princess Diaries 2” -– airs on ABC July 12 at 8 p.m.; available on Disney.com July 14-18
  • “Freaky Friday” –- airs on ABC July 19 at 8 p.m.; available on Disney.com July 21-25
  • “Peter Pan” –- airs on ABC Aug. 2 at 8 p.m.; available on Disney.com Aug. 4-8

Last.fm now streaming on Squeezebox

by Steve O'Hear

June 10th, 2008 | Posted in Audio | CommentsNo Comments

We’re big fans of Logitech’s line of Squeezebox streaming audio devices, and today the company announced that it had partnered with Last.fm to add the social music service to its existing bevy of online streaming options.

Owners of the Logitech Squeezebox Duet (see our coverage), Squeezebox Classic or the high-end Transporter network music systems who are based in the U.S., UK or Germany will be able to access Last.fm’s music catalog through their home stereo systems. Users will be able to listen to Last.fm Internet radio stations based on artist or genre, as well as stream personalized stations created based on their listening habits — thanks to Last.fm’s “scrobbling capability” which debuted on Squeezebox earlier this year.

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Finally, Apple takes enterprise seriously

by Steve O'Hear

June 10th, 2008 | Posted in Comms, Mobile | Comments1 Comment

During Steve Jobs’ keynote yesterday, one thing really stuck in my mind. Finally, Apple is taking the enterprise market seriously.

Yes, Apple is still primarily a consumer electronics company, albeit one that builds a range of hardware — laptop computers, set-top boxes, MP3 players, Internet tablets, mobile phones — in order to create some of world’s best software.*

Yes, the company is best poised to deliver a smartphone for consumers to manage life’s business.

Yes, in typical Apple-fashion, the newly announced MobileMe web service will bring enterprise features to consumers (dubbed “Exchange for the rest of us”).

Also see: Hey handset guys! Look around: Consumers want smartphones

But, with iPhone 2.0, Apple is sucking up to enterprise like never before…

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