Voice Activated

The Angry Video Game Guy - Represent

I am very ashamed to say that I have added this guy to my list of heroes.  (warning, foul language)

iTunes and the Ultravox Incident

I am in love with the idea of Apple TV. When you plug it in for the first time, you get this wonderful montage that is so visually appealing, I start imagining that this is the be all and end all device for my home entertainment. I have always liked Apple TV, but lately, I have been wondering about how well thought out the product really is.

I bought it when it first came out a couple years ago. At the time, I had limited expectations. All I really wanted was some way to get my movies and video podcasts from my computer to my TV wirelessly with little or no effort. Apple TV did and does this very well. If this were the end of it, I would have been satisfied. But they haaaaad to promise movie rentals via the ITMS. Maybe I was being naive, but I was thinking Netflix without having to go to my mailbox ever again. Realistically, I knew that it would take time, maybe even years for them to build out the store to have a huge library and I was willing to wait, but then a couple things happened that really soured me on the whole idea. But Apple and Steve Jobs' close affiliation with Disney made me think that they could pull this off.

The first thing that happened was that they offered the really good movies for purchase only, not rental. For example, "Cars." This alone is fine. I actually don't mind waiting while they make a little money off the sales before it is available for rental. But while I was waiting, I noticed that movies that were only available for purchase on ITMS were already available for rental on Netflix and even friggin Comcast pay per view. Christ! Selling these movies while their competitors are renting them makes Apple look either greedy or lazy.

What happened next is what pushed me over the edge. I was browsing the family movie category with my daughter looking for an evening rental. As we were browsing the selections, what I realized is that they now mix in the movies for purchase only with the movies available for rental. You don't know which is which until you select the movie icon to get the detailed view. So I kept selecting movies that my daughter wanted to watch and then had to explain that she couldn't watch them "because they are too expensive." What is Apple trying to do by mixing purchases and rentals together? Do they think I won't notice and trick me into inadvertently spending eight bucks more?

I will gladly pay three bucks for the convenience of a smooth rental expereince. Until that happens, Apple has actually made it easier and cheaper for me to use Apple TV as a "bittorrent movie viewer." I know this is the opposite of what they intended, but that is what they got! Ill rent my movies from Netflix and Comcast.

Now on the music side of iTMS, I have encountered something similar, but not really that annoying. Like millions and millions of people all over the world, I am a huge fan of the band "When in Rome." I wanted to buy a copy of their classic rock anthem "The Promise." As it turned out, you can only buy this song if you buy the whole "Napolean Dynamite" soundtrack. Now who would want to do that! So I said to myself "screw you, Apple! Im not falling for your trickery. I really didn't want that song anyway, afterall, When in Rome is nothing but an Ultravox wannabe....ooooo Ultravox" So I bought five Ultravox songs. So instead of spending one dollar, I spent five...TAKE THAT, Apple!!

Disneyland Daddies and single parent vacationing part 1

I have been getting a ton of shock and awe comments when I have been telling people that I'm taking my two kids to Disney World by myself this August. I think this is worth commenting upon because there is a method to my madness. But to clear the air, let me just start by saying 1. This is not crazy 2. This is one of the best places for a family vacation with a single parent 3. If you do it right, it's very very affordable.

When I was married, in a way, I detested the whole concept of single parenting, shared custody, and the like. But when I realized that my marriage was over and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it, I was forced to change my opinion. The hard part is figuring out how to give your kids a great life and be a good parent in light of the situation. I won't go into that. That was the hardest problem I have ever faced, but I figured it out and am feeling good about it now. However, what divorcing people don't think about is the little things, like going on vacation. But fear not, there are a ton of resources out there (sadly ,there are too many resources for this sort of thing).

I'll let you do your own research, but if you Google "single parent travel" or the like, you will find plenty of options. There are agents that put together packages for cruises, resorts, ranches, etc. Some look pretty good, but this is typically a pricey option. There are also a lot of tips for traveling alone with your kids.

I'll stick to Disney here because after a lot of research, this is the best thing that I have come up with (for me, anyway).  A couple things that I have had to overcome. First is my image of Disney as the evil empire. A massive corporation, sucking dollars from the pockets of uncultured, overweight, sheep and in return giving these poor saps a brief respite from their vacuous lives. Well, its easy to say this, but it really isn't true. Anyone who has ever been to Orlando must admit that Disney has damn near perfected the concept of family hospitality. The whole place runs like clockwork. They seem to have seen every problem a family can have on vacation and have solved it. Sure, this ain't a trip to the Louvre, but there will be time for that later.  Secondly, I hate the image of the Disneyland daddy, sending child support checks and taking his kids to Disney during his "parenting time." Ugghhh..well here I am!! haha (actually, those who know me, know I'm not like this. I am super super involved with and close to my kids)

The most important thing for a single parent vacation is to plan everything down to the last detail ahead of time. Then have back up plans. Write everything down.

Now onto the basics:

1. I got a one bedroom condo with a kitchen. The kitchen is key for saving money, time, stress, and maximizing my and the kids' enjoyment. That's the great thing about Orlando, this place is overbuilt big time and there is never a problem finding a great place to stay for just a little money. In fact, you can rent a whole house with a pool for $175 a night!
2. Rent a car. Super cheap and you will need it. You won't drive much, so gas isn't an issue.
3. Buy tickets ahead of time. If you buy multiday tickets, it is really not a bad deal, about a hundred bucks a day for the family. A one day ticket is a killer, though.
4. Get your kids reved up and involved in the planning. Don't however, make this into a competition with Mom...this is very very bad.
5. Get on the web and forums to get specific advice and to meet other single parent travellers. Learn from the vets.

Also you are by no means alone. Tons and tons of single parents go here all the time. Take some times on the forums to coordinate short meet ups with other single parents. You can meet up for dinner at a cafe in the park, for a couple hours of swimming at the resort, etc. This is a fun way to have a little break while still maintaining your distance from someone you don't really know. Who knows, you might even make friends.

Next time, I will explain how to manage the trip to Orlando and arrival day. This is the hardest part and isn't really that hard. Once this is done, you're home free!!

iBeer app for iPhone

Finally a real use for the accelerometer in the iPhone...

Qik for iPhone

Now this looks really promising. You know how one of the complaints some have about the iPhone is that there is no video camera. Well, aparently, the Qik app fixes that in a way.

If you have used the iPhone camera, you know that before you take a picture, you can move the screen around to get the shot you want. It looks like Qik captures that and turns it into a youtube type video, and posts it on their site. Its too late at night for me to mess with it right now, but Ill look into it tomorrow. Their site it Qik.com. Here is a demo video from the company

News about iPhone competitors

This morning, I decided to see what was up in the rest of the cell phone marketplace. What I found was very interesting. Instead of telling you what I found, I'll show you.

Go to Google and click on the 'News" tab. This will search google news. Now in the search box, type any word that has to do with a competing phone. Type "Blackberry," "Verizon," "Nokia," whatever you want. And you know what you will see in the search results? You guessed it...the iPhone.

Its amazing, anyone with a product in the mobile phone market must be compared to the iPhone. You are forced to compare your product to the iPhone. Do I think this is some kind of conspiracy by Apple's marketing machine? Naaaah. Its just that the iPhone has rapidly become the standard for mobile communication. If you want to play in this market, you must jump this hurdle.

iPhone 3G launch coverage - day 2

As documented earlier on this blog, I went out to go get a delicious breakfast sandwich at around 8:30 this morning. By coincedence, I happened by the Norwalk At&T store and guess what....another line up!! There were about a dozen or so people in line one hour before the store opens.

I have read that yesterday, At&T reps were telling customers who were too late to get their iPhone to come back tomorrow. I have also read that the tone in the reps' voices were not very assuring. AT&T has been taking pre-orders and have said the next shipment of iPhones should arrive in the stores in three to five days. The way it works is that you must pay for the phone at the time of pre-order, then return to the store to take delivery and go through activation. Not really convenient, but if you don't live near an Apple store, this sounds like the best way to get your hands on one quickly. The alternative would be to just wait a couple weeks and you should be able to walk right in and pick one up.

The miracle of typepad for iPhone 2.0

 

Just testing this out, really. Documenting my trip to The Sandwich Shoppe to get a bacon egg and cheese on a roll with coffee for $3.50.

I beleive this app similtaneouly blogs and twitters this post. Don't know.

edit: Wow..actually in the iPhone, TypePad will update the blog and simultaneously post only the headline on Twitter along with a link to the specific blog entry...super cool

iPhone 3G day one coverage part 4 - The Ride Home

I walk out of the mall. By the way, the whole thing took less than two hours. I go to the app store and download the Twitter client for iPhone 3G. As a big time Twitterer, this is the app, I was most excited about. Its about 500, so I am stuck in traffic on i-95 going back to Norwalk. I decide to do what they tell you never to do while driving...that is screw around with your phone. While crawling around, I set up my Twitter app and I notice that there is a feature that directly posts photos taken with your iPhone. I couldn't resist and did my first Twitter post while driving...photo attached as proof haha

You can see this if you follow me on Twitter ..my username is jwillis

iPhone 3G day one coverage part 3

I "work" through lunch, mostly talking iPhone and playing with one that a colleague of mine managed to get earlier that day. By the way, it was very nice and very fast. At about 2:30, my boss comes in my office  and says "Hey man, Im going to the Apple Store in Stamford to see if I can get me one of them iPhones, ya wanna come?" Well of course hehehe!.

So on the way, I explained all the problems involved in getting a phone on launch day. We pass an AT&T store. I run in and the rep tells me that there are "no more iPhones in Fairfield County." I asked about the Apple Store and she blankly told me "I don't know." I don't think that this was competitive jealousy, but more about the fact that Apple doesn't want anyone talking about their business.

So we go to the Apple store. Huge line. I didn't count, but it was big. It was broken into three sections and there were cops everywhere. We get in line. There were Apple reps giving people bottled water and Starbucks Frappaccinos. I thought this was a nice touch. They were extremely knowleagable and friendly. When asked if there were enough phones to go around for those in line, the rep said relax, don't worry, we have a ton of them, we'll be able to help out everyone. They had a couple other reps helping people who were switching cell phone vendors.

The mood was very posisitve. I have never been to an Apple product lauch before , but its just like you read about. Everybody shares stories about their Macs and iPods. I spent most of the time talking to a doctor, comparing the features of the iPhone with the Blackberry. Very interesting. By the way, as far as pricing goes, iPhone wins by a mile!

So after about an hour and a half, we get in the store. When you are first in line, and Apple rep comes up and chit chats with you and gets you reved up to buy your phone. He talked about his day, asked me about waiting in line, iPhone, earlier problems, etc.  Then another rep with a handheld computer comes up and asks what you want. He calls on his headset for another guy to bring out your phone while he gets your info for the purchase and for AT&T. This was shockingly easy and he did it all on his handheld, even the user agreement, credit check and everything. Amazing.

So you get your phone, pay right there on the guys handheld. He leads you over to the activation rep, introduces you and is off to help the next customer. The activation rep asks you to open your box. He plugs it in his Macbook Pro and before you know it, he hands it back to you and says "welcome to the family." Then you're done.

If you like, you can follow the play by play by adding me on Twitter....username jwillis