Review: Rdio
Aug 18th
If it isn’t obvious by my job in radio, I like music. In fact, I like a large genre of music since I’ve learned to get rid of prejudices of genre and what-not (Although making fun of country music is still a good hobby of mine). However, discovering music is something that’s I’ve found a little hard to do. Studies have shown that radio is still the number one source that people discover new music by a wide margin, but locally I’m limited to either a mild adult contemporary station or a country station. A lot of times, I resort to listening to non-local stations streamed over the internet to get an idea of what’s new and interesting in all the other genres I enjoy. Still, it would be nice to get something along the lines of a Zune Pass up in Canada – a flat subscription fee to allow unlimited streaming of songs.
Enter Rdio.com (Pronounced r-dee-oh), a website I actually discovered via an episode of TekZilla. This takes the concept of the Zune Pass and moves it to the cloud – all of the music is streamed via a web browser, desktop application (That is actually dependent of the web browser anyways, but more on that later), or via mobile devices. Since I don’t have a supported mobile device, this review is simply going to focus on the desktop side of listening, as well as the size and quality of the library and service.
“Apple Tax”
Aug 10th
With the fact that the new Mac Pro preorders started yesterday, I thought I’d play a fun game called “Guess the Apple Tax”! In short, I’m going to get a list of comparable PC parts and see exactly how much of a premium you’re paying for the Apple brand. Going into it, I was actually a little on the pessimistic side and guessed that there would be a $2K difference – it seemed reasonable for a server/workstation machine like that. But, here’s the final tally (Click on each image for the respective totals, and note that they are both in USD).
Apple Mac Pro 12 Core.
The Comparable Custom Built Windows Server 2008 Machine.
In case any of you don’t want to do the math, you’re paying over four thousand dollars more for the Mac Pro versus building a comparable machine yourself. Crazy!
Forced Data Plans
Aug 5th
Saw an interesting story on Twitter from @acedtect about a story where a guy wanted to simply use an older BlackBerry Pearl due to a regular feature phone breaking. He only wanted to use it for talking and texting, and not for data usage, yet AT&T told him that because it was a smartphone, he needed a data plan or he could use the phone. The whole ordeal is documented here if you really feel like listening to the AT&T bashing.
When I read the story, it seems like there are two positions you can take. You can take the “Well, it is a smartphone and thus most features need data access to work” side, or you can take the “Well, it’s his phone, and as long as data is blocked than it should be a problem” side. Both are legitimate arguments – if AT&T has it in their contract that all smartphones need to have an accompanying data plan, then they really can’t be held at fault, but at the same time you should have the freedom to not have to pay for something you don’t intend to use. In all honesty, I was leaning towards the former until I read a comment below the article:
I lost the same argument when I asked them to remove the data plan on an iPhone I was handing down to my kid. All I wanted him to have was a phone, and he could use wifi when it was available. NO DICE. They were happy to inform me that for a MONTHLY FEE, they would allow me the privilege of additional parental controls on his phone.
This would be a perfect example of when smartphones without data makes sense. As feature phones slowly start dying, smartphones are going to become the only option. If you have kids, it would seem like a perfect idea to be able to give them a phone where they can download apps, games, etc. without having to worry about them racking up a ridiculously large data bill, since they’d be locked down to Wi-Fi only. Realistically, smartphones are becoming better computer replacements anyways, and now it’s more focused on applications than simply data and websites visited through a browser. And hell, even Wi-Fi access is becoming more and more prominent.
I think that to some degree, feature phones are at a technological dead-end, so it only makes sense to look at ways to create that same functionality with currently existing phones. I’m sure that if carriers thought hard enough, they could find ways to give them incentive to do it, even if it means forcing the customers into the longest contract possible in order to not need a data plan. Alternatives and options are always a good thing to have, and that’s how you separate yourself from the competition and gain public notice.
Desktop Multitouch
Jul 28th
I don’t know if there’s some information I’m missing in this, but what on earth is the point of a desktop multitouch trackpad, especially one that lacks pressure sensitivity?
Multitouch is a great feature, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t get how people can find it useful on something that isn’t a touchscreen. It may just be my opinion as a power user, but trackpads are ugly things. The first thing I do when I use a laptop is find a mouse. The precision, accuracy, and overall ease of use with a mouse is something that a trackpad can’t replicate. Even with adding the multitouch gestures, there’s nothing in the list that I find overly difficult to use with either regular mousing or keyboard shortcuts (With the possible exception of pinch/zoom). Four-fingered sliding for switching applications just seems unnecessary and complex compared to Alt-Tab or even just moving your mouse to the window you want.
I realize that people are slowly looking at revolutionizing desktops and trying to inject new technology into them, but I think it’s not going to take off. Things like tablets and smartphones are making computers portable and opening up new opportunities, but desktops will be around for a while simply because of how robust they are and how used to the interface. If we were to get multitouch into the desktop area, it would only be appealing to me if it was for an operating system entirely rewritten to make good use of it all the way around, not just taking an existing OS and tacking on a couple of novelty features to it.
So, congrats Apple – yet another product that people don’t know what it’s good for, yet will buy anyways. No wonder profits are soaring.
WP7 – Too Little, Too Late?
Jul 26th
So, reviews of prototype Windows Phone 7 devices rolled in last week, and the reviews were for the most part pretty good. Some things are still not working yet (Like the Game Center, which I think is one of the biggest selling points of the platform), but all in all it is starting to look closer to a finished product.
But is it enough to compete on the same level as mature platforms like Android and iOS 4? Honestly, I don’t think it has what it takes. As nice of an interface and design that the platform has, they’re taking the wrong attitudes when it comes to the competition. This came across in an Engadget review with Windows Phone Corporate CP Joe Belfiore where he stated that people will be taken in by the new features of the phone, and essentially tolerate the fact that it doesn’t have now-common features like multitasking and copy-paste. After all, the iPhone didn’t have that at the start, so it must be okay for them to do the same, right? Not at all. Technology is an ever-changing business, and what seemed perfectly fine even a year ago can seem outdated and primitive now. Microsoft can’t expect consumers to let these missing features just slide, especially given the development time they’ve spent on this platform, plus all of the mistakes they’ve made in the past with Windows Mobile.
That’s not to say that they’re doomed from the start. The platform has a lot of potential, but simply is going to suffer from what I like to call “First-gen syndrome”. Devices with the platform may be a little lacking in quality, features that should be present will be missing such as multitasking and copy-paste, and third-party applications will be limited. If they can get over the first year and have decent sales, good developer support, and an active desire to get their platform up to par and beyond the competitors, I think it would be a great phone to have. However, it all relies on them being able to convince consumers that the full portable Microsoft Office Suite, XBOX Live integration, and their “glanceable” interface is worth the growing pains.
It’s quite a gamble, and one that I think could pay off if they take the time to develop and improve the platform properly. A few devices are looking incredibly sharp (Mainly that Dell Lightning!), and it’s already looking miles ahead of where they were with Windows Mobile, so I’m confident that in a year or two they can take a good chunk of market share out of Apple and Google (Of course, I hope they take more out of Apple, but that’s just me).
Fun With Lightning
Jul 22nd
So, my entire day yesterday was spent dealing with a problem with transmitters up in Moose Jaw. Don’t want to get into too many details, but after a very long day determined that it was a problem with the antenna system 800ft. up the tower. Had a crew up last night and found nothing obvious, so they went back up today to do a more in-depth look at it. What did they find? Well, what you see above. The guess is a lightning strike hit the bay causing the problems. Needless to say, this is not going to be fun to fix.
On the upside, got to learn a couple of new interesting skills thanks to other engineers coming out and helping out. Obviously not my idea of a fun day, but I have to say that there aren’t many jobs out there with excitement like this!
Technical Difficulties
Jul 20th
I admit I appreciate my Squarespace account a little more today than I did when I canceled it – currently have a nasty bug somewhere that’s preventing me from adding images to any of my posts. Minor, but still really annoying, especially since I have two or three blog posts written now that are just sitting there saved. Hopefully I’ll get it fixed soon.
Stupidity of the Week
Jun 30th
Actually heard about this on Tech News Today, and had to share this, simply because it’s a great example of exactly what you shouldn’t do when you’re aware of a problem. For the sixty second backstory, between 2003 and 2005 computer maker Dell sold millions of computers that were manufactured using a bad electrolyte formula in the motherboard’s capacitors which were failing at an alarming rate. People were complaining, and they were insisting that there was nothing wrong, as well as replacing failing motherboard with new ones that used the same capacitors. Of course, they were dealing with lawsuits and legal action at this time, since they were claiming that there were no problems. However…
At one point, 1,000 computers that Dell delivered to the law firm that was defending it in the suit started failing, and the computer maker allegedly “balked” at fixing them.
Ouch! Come on Dell, if there’s anyone you should be taking care of, it’s the lawyers defending you in your lawsuit about that very problem!
Futurama Returns!
Jun 24th
If you even mildly know me well, then you’ll know I’m a great fan of Futurama. Despite having watched the first episode when it first aired back in March of 1999, I had never watched any other episode past that live. It took me finding the first season on sale back in the fall of 2006 for me to rediscover the show. Needless to say, within the span of about two weeks I had spent over a hundred dollars buying all four DVD sets simply to get caught up with this great show as quickly as possible (And trust me, I binged on the episodes as soon as I bought them).
It’s always bugged me how shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons have managed to stay on the air for as long as they have, and Futurama barely lasts five seasons (The whole story of the later years on FOX are both interesting and disheartening at the same time). Family Guy is simply pushing the borders of what they can and can’t show on TV, which seems to be getting closer and closer considering FOX wouldn’t let them air an episode last weekend. Meanwhile, The Simpsons feels like it’s simply going on for the sake of going on, and plots are wearing thin. Futurama has been described as the “Smart person’s Simpsons”, which I think is very apt. The humour they go for is both clever, and very culturally relevant. Fry, while stupid, is relatable and a very deep character in terms of motivation. You see episodes where he does things as idiotic as become his own grandfather, but they’re counterbalanced by the touching and emotional episodes where you learn about his relationship with his brother. You don’t know what to expect going into an episode, but it’s always great!
So, now that the history lesson is done and I’ve proclaimed my love for the show once again, that takes us today. I write this on the eve of the return of quite possibly the funniest and smartest animated show on television right now, and my hope is that the show can keep the momentum it had built up with the straight-to-DVD movies and season sales. I’ve always pushed as many people into the show as possible, and while I do want it to take off big, I eventually calmed myself down and lowered my expectations in order to prevent myself from disappointment.
Of course, for reasons I’d rather not explain, I’ve seen the first two episodes early (And a good thing at that – working all night tonight!), so here’s my opinion of the start of Season Six. If you haven’t watched the new episodes yet and intend to do so, I advise you to stop reading now, watch the episodes, and then come back. Please?
Episode One – Rebirth
This episode involved something that Futurama has done very well in the past – intricate, complex plots that don’t reveal everything until the end of the story. The whole robotic Leela/Fry was certainly something that wasn’t expected, and it did a good job of continuing the relationship between Leela and Fry. Honestly, I was kind of worried about how they’d deal with the fact that Fry and Leela showed real affection for each other, yet a great deal of comedy in the original run came from the fact that Fry was hopelessly in love and Leela would never reciprocate.
While comedy in this episode wasn’t overly strong, the cultural references they had were very well-placed and funny. Wondering why the androids changed voices when they switched to robot form was a great poke at the Terminator movies, and Bender singing Coma Chameleon while he parties was random and simply too funny to not laugh.
If I needed to criticize the episode, I’d argue the fact about making a robot version of a boyfriend/girlfriend was covered previously in I Dated a Robot, and it was thoroughly disapproved by everyone, yet was magically acceptable now (And even Hermes helped Fry make the robot). Still, for a first episode and a reboot of the series, it was a great way to expand on the finale for fans, and to introduce new people to the series.
Episode Two – In A-Gadda-Da Leela
I should have known, if you want to show people how funny Futurama can be, do an episode centered on Leela and Zapp Brannigan. This episode shows exactly the style of humour that the show is capable of, and just how well it can pull it off. Bible references (“And our kids can have kids of their own….ewwwwww…..is that really what happened in the Bible?), Star Wars references, a mild series of plot twists, V-GINY, and a hilariously ironic ending that you never would have expected based on what happens in the episode. This episode was non-stop laughter, and really showed what this show is capable of.
All in all, I really am looking forward to the new seasons after these two episodes. The writing is still as clever as it has always been, and the voice acting is still incredible well done. Here’s to Comedy Central bringing the show back, and here’s to more successful seasons of the show!
Long live Futurama!
Digital Breakups
Jun 21st
“Jane Doe is now listed as single.”
According to a recent report done by a Facebook application (I don’t normally consider applications there useful, but this is a rare exception), 25% of people have seen that line or a status update on Facebook as the first way to know that their relationship is over. That’s one in four people finding out about their “change of relationship status” at what could be the same time as their friends and family, possibly even after!
As shocking as that stat is alone, what bugged me even more was a comment in this article stating that, and I quote, “If a social networking profile is as important as a real life image, then it only makes sense that carrying out actions of relational management carry same weight.. I say it’s fine.” Putting aside the whole argument as to whether or not it actually is as important, it shows just exactly how impersonal technology has made us. If you are dating someone, at least have the courtesy to tell them in person. There’s nothing worse than finding out in an impersonal way, and potentially having a lot of unanswered questions.
I know there are circumstances where that isn’t possible, but always try to be the better person whenever possible. Technology, while there to make our life easier, should not be used as a way to escape human contact, especially for something as serious as ending a relationship.
