iPad Madness

Apple Inc. announced their newest mobile device, the iPad on Wednesday in the midst of hype and hysteria that this would be Apple's best device to date.

One problem. This device should have came first in the line of the iPhone devices. The latest iPhone and the iPad share the same OS, with the iPad getting a few updgrades to it's iTunes, and an iBook, Apple's version of the Kindle store. The iPad does everything the iPhone does, just with a bit more exaggeration, such as running Apps developed for the iPhone in full screen, thanks to "double pixel", which sounds like an aspect-ratio preserving stretch. They haven't improved one single point from the iPhone's lacking, yet downgraded most of the iPhone's key features such as:

• Making a phone call
• Taking a picture

The iPhone's early marketing appeal was to only require people to carry one device for everything - phone calls, emails, media player, PDA, etc. With the iPad, you still have to have an iPhone, which was suppose to eliminate the need to carry another device. Granted, most civilized people do not carry a netbook around with them as often as a phone, but Mr. Jobs, I am sure, had the intention for this device to be more prevalent than netbooks and e-readers.

Here is my beef with the idea. I understand the need to "simplify" the device to make it more acceptable for the masses to consume, not just people like myself or Mr. Jobs - geeks. However, somewhere down the line of Apple's philosophy of mobile devices, it included siphoning the money of the non-geeks. iPhone's require two-year agreements, $30/month data plans, and now the iPad comes along, gives out options, but you know that there will be more demand for a WiFi/3G model than the 3G-less model. At $529 - $829 for the totally wireless version, plus a $30 a month data usage charge (would anyone really buy the $15/month package with 250MB of usage?), you are looking at spending $1000 - $1500 over the next two years (according to Engadget calculation) for the iPad and anywhere between $1800 and $3200 for the iPhone.

Again, what was the iPad missing again?

Oh yes, phone functionality. And a camera. Not to mention the shortfalls the iPhone had in the first place:

• No Flash support (HTML5 to the rescue?)
• No true multi-tasking (shame since AT&T lets you "talk and surf the web at the same time")

And what I find lacking in this "magical" device:

• No peripheral ports - everything is "adapter"-ed, ranging from your trusty USB adapter, to the SD reader.
• No HD video out
• Not a true e-book reader - reflective touchscreen, back-lit LCD screen, you will be staying inside to read a book or newspaper.
• Added 3G support is $120 - like I said, siphoning the masses.

Point is, iPhone users are again left with blank stares. What good would this do a current iPhone user, whose population is "expanding, faster than the universe". iPad, with ALL the iPhones capabilities to date would have not been a good enough product, in my opinion, to lure me into wanting one.

Revolutionary? Magical?

No.

NFL's Final Four

With another weekend of blowouts, this year's playoffs have been extremely one-sided. Take away the Chargers-Jets and Cardinals-Packers games, and its a pathetic post-season. However, I am not one to complain about football, especially playoff football. In fact, the ones who do the lashing of "this is terrible football" and "where are the dominate teams like the Steelers of the 70s, the Bears of the 80s and Niners of the 80s and 90s" are radiating bad vibes to what the game has become. Most times, the offense prevails heavily, as in the Saints over the Cardinals in the Divisional Round, or lack thereof as with the Cowboys and Ravens (who amassed an amazing two field goals between them), which speaks praises to what most consider the key to championships - defense.

The Vikings defense is only so deep, and they are not the Monsters of the Midway style defense. The meat of the team is in the trenches. Outside of the linemen, there are a few good players, but no Mike Singletary or Dan Duerson on this team, although you can argue Jared Allen is as close to any defensive player from the Bears Super Bowl team.

The Colts, not a defensive powerhouse, but did very well in stalling a vastly improved Baltimore offense this season, and forced Flacco to throw more than Cam Cameron hoped for. The lack of a disciplined defense killed the Ravens chances, and the offense was forced into 4 turnovers. The Colts do not have the defense to carry them if the offense is stymied by the Gang Green in the AFC Championship Game. Peyton Manning has to make plays on behalf of the defense, who could get ripped up by the Jets ground game.

As for the Saints, don't expect what was seen against Arizona. This will be a game very similar to that of the Saints game against the Jets early in the season. Well, maybe a few more touchdowns between the two teams, especially since its Brett Favre and not Sanchez, but this will not be shoot-out by any means. I don't know how well the Saints defense can hold up against a very talented group of skill players in Peterson, Rice, and Harvin. Brett Favre has been here plenty of times, and this New Orleans team ... not so much.

NY Jets (+7.5) @ Colts, and I'll take the over at 40

Vikings (+4) @ Saints, and I'll take the under at 52.5

avi2dvd - Shell Script

I created a shell script that allows one to convert AVI files to DVD files and the option to burn them. It is definitely not where I want it right now, but I figured I would publish to the world as version 1.0 and see how much I can grow it. Here is my aspirations for future releases:

1. Allow support for custom directory paths for the DVD files to be stored (currently puts a DVD folder with files in the present working directory the script was ran from).
2. Allow for a plain text file input with the list of file names. Right now, they all have to be put in manually.
3. Allow for some minor authoring of the DVD, such as adding a menu, custom chapters, and more, which will depend on my knowledge of dvdauthor in the near future.
4. Allow option to create an ISO image of the DVD. Again, something I will have to learn.

There are a few bugs I haven't worked out yet, mainly because this program was needed for a friend of mine who needed strict DVD video discs of a bunch of AVI files I had.

• File name cannot contain spaces. This has something to do with my parser I could easily tweak, but just haven't had time. It is a hassle, though, and once I get done with the conversion and burning of 26 avi files, I will begin work on version 2
• The path which the DVD files are placed are merged by every succeeding run of the program, so that is just a feature I will have to add to allow custom paths, and/or auto-generated paths so separate runs are treated as separate project outputs.

If you have any feedback, feel free to email me at kenosando@gmail.com. Also, I encourage any tips and hints regarding my script. Thanks!

Link to the script

UPDATE: I did add a minor tweak - date logging into avi2dvd.log just to show how long the entire process takes

UPDATE2: I added support for custom DVD output path. Still working on handling spaces in file names.

Nokia N900

I was initially excited about the Nokia N97, simply because it combined a touchscreen interface with a physical keyboard, and the fact it was Nokia. However, Nokia's S60 over Symbian OS is not up to speed with today's hardware, and the reviews I read complained about the stoneage GUI and overall environment with the N97.

Enter the N900. Historically, the N7xx and N8xx series have been strictly Internet tablets, WiFi capable only, and based on Maemo, a Linux-based mobile OS. The N900 has changed completely from its last sibling, the N810. It adds GSM and HSPA functionality, the latest version of Maemo (Maemo 5), and Xvid-quality video capturing, geo tagging of photos, which is powered by a Carl Zeiss lens and dual LED flash, and applets that enable you to share all of this via social networks, such as Facebook, flickr, and Twitter.

The announcement came a few weeks ago that the phone will be arriving in US retail stores around the 27 of September. I am hoping that an announcement comes before it is released for sale that the unit is capable of 850/1900 MHz 3G (it only runs 900/1700/2100 right now, which is only supported by T-Mobile in the US ... blah!). That alone is the only deal breaker for me at this point. The price is very reasonable for a powerful Internet tablet that just happens to be capable of making a phone call. The processor speed, memory, and built-in storage are all equal to or slightly greater than that of the iPhone 3G S, and with the capability to expand the memory via microSD, the flexibility of the Linux-based OS, and the fact that this device comes from the world's leader in the cell phone industry, the apparent $600 price tag is worth it.

Ready for New Phone!

I have been totally excited since the E71 was released almost a year ago. I currently own the dinosaur that is the E61 and love everything about it. I do not need touchscreen, rich media, GPS, yadda yadda, I just want a phone that gives me flexibility with WiFi, email, word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations, easy-installable apps, a way to play music, a full QWERTY keyboard that doesnt slide out from under the screen, and not WinMo. The E61 has been all that, but at almost 4 years old now (I have had it almost a year now), it is outdated considering the phones being offered, and I have my eyes set on the AT&T branded E71x by Nokia.

I have read a lot of reviews recently, some that were great, some that were not, yet a lot of the negative reviews seemed rather silly, or was contradicted by another review. For instance, one reviewer said syncing contacts to outlook wasn't possible because of AT&T firmware, yet another reviewer said it syncs contacts, just not groups. Another review was "SMS text threading, no time of text info, no call history for a particular number", which is rather odd, because my version of S60, a tenth of a version below, had text info and call history. SMS threading is available via a third-party. And this one: Very limited peripherals -- apparently no cases available; Nokia says only Nokia-brand Bluetooth devices will pair; sound through wired earbud only passable;
Hah, I highly doubt Nokia has a proprietary Bluetooth frequency, and there are millions of listings on ebay for cases. And whatever that last part is about, who knows...

This could go on, and I could pick apart lackluster reviews all day. I want to know specifics, because I pretty much know the ins and outs of Symbian S60, so the OS is nothing new to me, and with all the AT&T software installed, it may seem somewhat different. If anyone owns a E71 (or 71x) I have a few questions:

Keyboard - is it proficient for typing out 2-3 SMS texts or does it get very painful, or just something you get used to with a new phone?

Is the screen just too small to bear, or does that also get settled in?

Battery life - is it getting you through the day or are you constantly in need of an outlet? (just heard a few complaints, want to clear up)

The OS - if you have used a previous S60 phone (E61, 61i, 62) does it differ that much?

Third-party apps - what are some of the best ones you have installed?

Goodbye Desktops?

Just read the blog article post from Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com/5301401) and I was wondering why in the world the desktop PC has vanished out of consumer home? After a few minutes to lament, I came up with a few conclusions and possibilities on my own. (Beyond the obvious laptop argument)

1. Home entertainment advancements. Now that every device has Netflix built-in, Slingbox, AT&T U-Verse and a bright future for IPTV, Blu-Ray, and all-in-one media centers, it is hard to compete if you are a desktop. The desktop was an entertainment hub because of the three 'I's: interaction, information, and Internets. Desktops could be and probably were likely used as a entertainment center before the modern-day advances in home theater, but now a desktop is likely an antique according to Moore's law standards. Now, from the comfort of one's loveseat or recliner, can rent a movie (Netflix, Apple TV, most digital cable and satellite carriers), watch home-movies (built-in memory card readers on most high-end HDTVs, YouTube-enabled sets), communicate (CES 2009 unveiled Internet-enabled TVs), and gaming consoles, the home entertainment market has surely done away with the need to gather around a small monitor in comparison.
2. Wireless. With the introduction of 802.11 standard, the desktop became threatened, and now with the introduction of 3G networks a few years back and continued bandwidth upgrades and a plethora of smartphone devices supporting such, the trend is to be ultra-portable. iPhone, Blackberry, and other high-end smartphones retrieve anything you would request out of a desktop to a phone. The iPhone has 32GB storage, plenty for about 5 movies and 600+ songs and the capability to make a phone call all the more solidifies its place as a desktop killer.
3. Other than the simple fact of the laptop, the actual technology inside the laptop has also caused decline in the desktop sales. Dual core processors are available for both a desktop and laptop, and comparable other specifications come about the same price tag, when you include a LCD monitor, keyboard, and mouse in the mix. It is amazing how much manufacterers have squeezed into a single laptop enclosure to make a complete computer, not a halvsie, and thus the fall of desktops.

It is no surprise that desktops have declined the past several years, simply because there is no way to improve them over laptops. Sure, the monitors can get bigger and cheaper, but nothing can compare to portability - anywhere computing is the wave of the future, and unfortunately, desktops cannot comply.

Reasons why Shaq will have more impact OFF the court

1) He has led two of the all-around best players in the game (Kobe and Dwyane) to Finals victories. He has helped young and coming players succeed. Altough it took Kobe 7 years to get a ring without him, Shaq helped mature and grow Kobe. Dwyane has benefitted just as much, and with less time with Shaq. LeBron should be more mature after he faces Shaq in the locker room before and after games, because Shaq is a presence, and he can't be ignored.

2) Shaq cannot be the #2 guy anymore. He will be the muscle, the rebounder, the blocker, the everything-else-but-score-20-per guy. LeBron needs a guy like Manu is to Timmy and Tony - Tony is easily the first offensive option while Timmy is your defense, although his offense is still good. There has to be a sixth man on that team, or even a third man behind Lebron and Shaq that can be a threat both ways. Shaq will be #4 or 5 at the offensive end. LeBron will be 1,2, and 3.

3) Shaq will stay within 10 feet of the basket at all times. He cant shoot and will rely on good position underneath. He will have to show off impressive passing and court vision to lure a defender and watch for LeBron at the rim. LeBron cant make it to the rim when Shaq and his man is there, or should I say it may be slighty more difficult.

4) Shaq is old. But there should be improvements with this team.