Think Forward

Portable XBOX - Why it is a good idea for Microsoft

I honestly hope the latest rumors about a Microsoft Portable XBOX are true. For competive reasons both on the gaming as well as the portable media player side this is a great idea for Microsoft. Microsoft has been pushing the second generation portable media players pretty hard along with all the new content services that are plays for sure. However all their efforts have done next done nothing to make a dent in Apple's market share. However if Microsoft was to create a Microsoft branded portable media center it would rub their hardware partners the wrong way. However putting the emphasis on a mobile product around the XBOX and gaming but also allowing the device to be a great portable media center, puts them in a strong position. On the gaming side it is a great idea to compete with Sony, especially if they announce or launch the device at E3. The PSP will be a great compliment to the PS3 and could give the PS3 competive advantage. However if Microsoft also has a portable player it keeps the offering level and keeps both companies equally competive. Microsoft has also had time to learn from the PS3 errors like closed arcitecture and no hard drive to name a few. Obviously all the great content for both audio and video will play easily on this device as well as be a great portable compliment to the XBOX 360. So let's all hope to hear or better yet see something at E3.

Will Anyone Watch Moblile TV? They will if they own a SlingBox

With all the hype these days about TV clips and broadcast TV on cell phones, I figured I would filter through the hype and really lay out the options for TV on the cell phone. Now a Verizon V-Cast subscriber can get nice little news clips and feeds on relevant info for a fee each month. The emphasis here is that they are clips not really TV and really it is just repurposed video. If you are thinking about getting a cell phone with a DVB-H chip like the ones Sprint is developing you will be able to see 16 broadcast channels of whatever is being broadcast at that time. Not really the best experience when you want to kill time and watch some TV on your cell and the best thing on is Ellen. Now if you happen to be a lucky SlingBox owner you will be able to watch the same TV you have at your home on your cell phone. I have blogged before about my love of the SlingBox and even more in love with the concept of place-shifting in general. After seeing the demo of the SlingPlayer Mobile running on a Windows Mobile phone I am convinced it is the ultimate option for TV on the cell phone. The thing that is the most impressive is that from your mobile phone you can access your DVR content as well as pause and rewind what you are watching the same way you can on your laptop. Now honestly where else can you get that on a cell phone? No where and that is why the Sling Box is such a powerful offering. In every other model I have tried I have been bored and disappointed. But after seeing the SlingPlayer Mobile in action I am convinced I would watch TV on the device and consume more of my media on my cell phone. The SlingPlayer Mobile is going to be available sometime this quarter so if you haven’t already get a SlingBox watch TV on your laptop and be ready to watch true TV on your cell phone.

Disney and Pixar: Together at last

It always seemed logical that Disney and Pixar would work together more formely and today they announced that they will. So many questions come to mind around this merger for me. Will Disney keep the Pixar name and brand. Will Disney slap the Pixar brand and any and all CGI movies they produce or just the ones Pixar has a hand in. How will Steve Jobs remain nuetral now that he is the biggest Disney stock holder. I believe Jobs will positvely influence Disney to take some very forward thinking steps to digital distribution and what that means for content companies. But Jobs also needs the other six studios to make iTunes movies successful. So he can not do any favors or cut a better deal for Disney just because he is on their board. I am very anxious to see how Steve Jobs manages these roles now within Disney and Apple. I think this is going to be a very interesting year with regards to studious and iTunes. This is just the beginning.

The MySpace Phenomena

So I decided recently to find out what all the fuss was about on MySpace. Pretty much everyone I talk to who is in college or high school is on MySpace and I mean that literally. Ask them what they do online now and the answer is MySpace and instant message. So being young and not too far out of college I decided to find out what was keeping people on it for hours at a time. So I set up a myspace account, myspace.com/benbajarin in case you want to be my friend, and started building my profile. This is where you tell people all about you and what is going on in your life. I also uploaded some pictures of my family and continued on. Next I went out searching for friends. I used my high school and colleges as a place to start. From there I was amazed at how many people I graduated with were on myspace. People I have lost touch with for so long I had now found. Not only found them but I could read all about thier life now see pictures and more. It was great. Everyone I found that I knew I "Friend Requested" them. This is where you can let someone know you want to add them to your friends list and they approve it. Each day I checked back on myspace searching for friends and seeing who is now in my friend network. Each time I came back to myspace I had more friends and on top of that people were finding me and we were re-connecting. I was starting to send comments to my friends and continually find other people I knew and add them to my friend network. Before I knew it I was spending hours upon hours on myspace finding friends, communicating with old friends. Now I am addicted just like all the other kids out there. The funny thing was I told myself at the start of this test that there was no way I would get addicted and sure enough. The worst part of it is I got my wife involved. She has been finding her old friends as well now. So after our kids are asleep and we are watching TV we are on our laptops on myspace. It's quite ridiculous but amazingly fun at the same time. So I have learned that MySpace is compelling because of the discovery of old and new friends, keeping in touch with current friends, and the desire to express yourself and who you are online in an arena where lots of people can see it. So now that I am a myspace addict we will see how long it lasts. You know those crazy kids and their short attention spans.

Macworld: It's the Beauty of Simplicity

Even though Apple came out and showed and shipped the new Intel iMac and have a shipping date for the new Macbook in my opinion this Macworld put an explanation point on Apple's software montra of Simplicity! Steve said in his keynote that the purpose of iLife was always to give consumers a simple way to express themselves creatively. This has always been true about the iLife software where nothing comes close around a complete solution for photos, video, music and more. This new edition or update rather to iLife does just that and then adds a new element. All the products in the iLife suite were updated to be even more user friends and add some compelling new features. Apple also added a new application called iWeb. Where all the other iLife software lets you easily create iWeb let's you easily share all that you created and it does so via .Mac. iWeb let's you share photos, videos, blogs, podcasts and more all via a website and a .mac account. Apple is starting to more tightly integrate the .Mac offering and is rolling out some new compelling features to help push the service into the next million subscribers. I am amazed that even though Macworld didn't unveil anything new or ground breaking, that may happen at the 30th anniversary party, it still generated a ton of buzz and showed why Apple will continue to take market share from every corner of the market.

Hot things from CES - Day 1

Saw some great stuff on day one or I should say the pre-CES events. Of the most interesting things that topped my list was the new Sideshow from Microsoft allowing laptops to access information like e-mail, picture, contacts and more from a small screen on top of the laptop all without booting. I also saw some new e-book technology from Sony I was quite amazed. The Starz! service is very cool and incredibly well done. Lots of interesting things from storage companies showing off trends in digital home backup and security. I also saw the new Digeo Moxi box that is now capable of HD IPTV, the demo I saw was amazing. More to come...

Starz! Vongo Subscription Service - What it means for portable media players

Starz has announced a new service called Vongo that will allow people using Windows and portable devices that are "Plays for Sure" compatible to subscribe to premium movie content. Starz has deals with most of the major studios to distribute movies that have been on the market for at least a year to it's subscribers. For the first time the non Apple portable devices have a content service that is at least somewhat compelling. Apple still doesn't need to be too worried because there is yet a compelling device to compete with the iPod. Many manufactures however are hopeful that the new products they are launching at CES will give the iPod a run for their money. I am skeptical having seen many of the devices already and knowing the iPod is still a high profile item and a item of fashion and desire. That is very tough to compete with but at least the new devices have a content strategy that has plagued the portable devices particularly Portable Media Center. We will see how it plays out, it is at least compelling enough for me to give it a shot.