Words of Waldman

CNet: iPod mini is wonderful, but.....

They say: "Apple comes through again with a near-perfect MP3 player".
.
Loads of 'For's', but the 'Against's' are equally compelling, and Apple need to look at them. Namely: "No FM radio or recording capabilities; nonreplaceable battery".
John Naughton was pretty good on the iPod's failings - especially the battery life this weekend:

Apple's approach to the iPod battery is emblematic of the company's attitude to design generally.... It was evident, for example, in the first version of the Macintosh... which Jobs insisted should have no expansion slots.. Jobs was implementing his vision that computers were consumer products - like, say, food processors or TVs - not engineering test-beds. The Mac should have, as it were, 'no user serviceable parts'. It was perfect just as it was.
This might be a sensible policy for food processors and games consoles, but for a general-purpose machine like a computer it was daft, and Apple nearly died as a result. Jobs was pushed out, and replaced by men in suits who drove the company into the ground.... the iPod has been the crowning glory of the new strategy - a consumer electronics device that has taken the world by storm... But implicit in it is Jobs's old hostility to consumer tinkering.

I know hardware can't always be all things to all people. But if Apple want to keep hold of their revolution, they need to sort out the battery thing, the radio thing and the recording thing: before someone else does. (well, before someone else does it in as attractive a package...iriver isn't quite there yet)

Breaking history into a thousand little pieces...

I just borrowed my Dad's complete 50+ CDs of This Sceptred Isle, going from 55 BC to 1999.
So, I did what any normal male with next to no time left before going off for Xmas would do: I ripped the whole lot and put it on my iPod.
Anyway, each CD, has about 20 tracks each of around 2 - 3 minutes. Which means the whole of British history is now neatly broken up into about 1,000 little bits.
It's great to listen to, but even better is putting the whole lot in a playlist, and then putting it on random play - the result is fantastic, the perfect version of history for butterfly minds like mine. It's surprisingly about followable, if a bit like bouncing around in a time machine.
Victoria's death. ping. Spithead mutineers. ping. Poll tax riots (first lot). ping. Industrial revolution. ping. Ethelred the something or other. ping.
Will keep me most entertained for many sleepless hours in future.

The old iPod battery thing rages on...

Everyone has now linked to the fabulous ipodsdirtysecret.com (as featured on CNet, no less), and the very helpful if you need it ipodbattery.com.
My batter hasn't died yet (well it's only a few months old), but the life just isn't anywhere near good enough. So at some stupid expense, I've invested in a Belkin battery pack, which allows you to use 4 AA batteries. Perfect for when travelling methinks. Although whether or not I'll actually use it, is another matter.

Scrabble bug bites

I've started reading Stefan Fatsis brilliant romp though the world of competitive scrabble Word Freak: A Journey into the Eccentric World of the Most Obsessive Board Game Ever Invented .
You just have to read this book - or at leas the first half of it - if you've ever been at all interested in Scrabble, and/ or if you like those tales that feature lots of slightly disfunctional types finally finding their metier.
Anyway, having read it, I'm now under the deep delusion that my own Scrabble skills are going to rocket (although the main lesson from the book is that for this too happen you have to put some serious time in to building up your word knowledge...and I'm afraid, I'm not quite that sad).
It has also given me an excuse to acquire a great little gadget, the Franklin Pocket Scrabble Master, which acts as a dictionary, anagram finder, and neat little puzzle, all in one. A perfect Xmas present for that slightly disfunctional relative of yours.

iPod...the saga continues.

I'm getting closer to iPod nirvana. But it's not been easy.
Headphones: Unless you like walking around tied up in 6ft of white plastic string, Apple's headphones are a disaster. And the sound is less than amazing. I've gone two ways on this. At home, and when I don't mind walking round with a foam saucer on each ear, I've splashed out on pair of Grado SR-60s. Beautiful sound, not too stupidly expensive. Often for sale cheaper on e-Bay. Out and about, I've got a £12.99 in-ear set from Sony, who know how to make headphones that don't get tangled up (they're sort of fabric coated). Much simpler.
Oh, and just live without the remote control.
Software: This goes on and on. iTunes is not worth it, until they open the store in the UK.
Musicmatch, which comes with the iPod is fine for ripping, tag-editing and library management. But useless for transferring to the iPod.
I've just tried Anapod, which is really nice, ..especially as it allows you - in theory - to transfer from your iPod to your computer.
Unfortunately, I just haven't quite got the whole synching/ tranferring thing to work. Will try again.
Which brings me back to Ephpod. Only had one problem with it - when it wouldn't recognise some norwegian characters.
Battery life: It's not awful. But it isn't 8 hours. No way. Not as bad as some have it...but needs to be much better. From what I've read, it sees the firmware is partly to blame. Would be good if they released a v basic version where you lose some features for improved battery life.

Blackberry: 'What more could you want'.

And almost exactly on cue following yesterday's scribble about gadgets crossing the chasm. The Independent today gushes over the Blackberry.

TiVo, Blackberry, iPod: gadgets crossing the chasm

TiVo took centre stage the other night on Sex in the City..playing the role of Miranda's substitute boyfriend. Unsurprisingly, it was all very neatly scripted...and if you own a TiVo, and ever have spent an hour or so on their customer support line, all shockingly familiar.
It was the latest TiVo mention of many (I'm not keeping count, but trust me: they're everywhere!).
Meanwhile I read columnist Dawn Hayes in Media Week gushing over the arrival of Sky+ in her life (well, as there's no longer any new TiVo boxes in the UK...Sky+ will have to do). I don't remember the exact words, but it went something like: 'Gosh, golly...lots of episodes of Friends..and you can skip through the ads'.
And, we're just witnessing the roll out of Blackberries at work. The building is full of happy smiling managers in the first throws of their Blackberry romance - gushing about how it's changed their lives (not to mention sending each other e-mails in meetings).
In both cases, PVRs and mobile e-mail machines, I think we're on the brink of something of a tipping point in the UK. Or, in the terminology preferred by Geoffrey Moore, they are crossing the chasm from visionaries to pragmatists. (I think that terminology is deliberately designed to flatter geeks, by the way).
I think it's already happened in the case of the iPod (again, not available online, but there was an edition of Word a few months ago, with Andrew Harrison in 'gosh, golly..all my music on the move..click of a mouse.....must feed the iPod' mode).
All three are lovely objects (well the TiVo's got a nice remote) . All three take the familiar fabric of our lives (e-mail, TV and music), and allow us to get what we want, when we want. And in all three cases, people gush over them when they get them (well, they will, until they break down).
All three are also individual brands: rather than product categories. (although there are similar products trailing in their wake).
There hasn't been a beacon product in say Digital cameras, or even Mobile Phones (ok, possibly the 'Beckham phone) - both of which are - and I'm guessing in the case of digital camera - bigger product categories, and which have also added convenience to our lives (although I'm sure enormous numbers of digital camera owners who can't work out what to do with their photos).
These categories seem to be constantly evolving, and where no matter what you get, it looks slightly dated in six months....whereas, I get the feeling that while iPods, Blackberries and TiVo can all be improved (two words for all: more memory!), but many of those who get them now, will be happy with them for ages.
Meanwhile, which is going to be the first advertiser in the UK to devise an ad that actually looks good when being fastforwarded by TiVo/ Sky+?

I'll name that tone in one...

While I'm completely obsessed with gadgets in most areas of my life...I'm sort of letting the mobile revolution pass me by. I haven't even got a polyphonic ringtone, for God's sake, let alone a camera.
Anyway, while my battered but very effective Nokia 6310i (the one with the horrible gold trim) still cranks out some our of the box series of bleeps as it's ringtone, the rest of the country seems to be on the brink of buying more ringtones than CD singles.
Can you imagine the Radio 1 ringtone chartshow? I'm clearly getting old.

The great iPod battery life debate

Have noticed that battery life on my shiny new iPod isn't all it's cracked up to be. I haven't started counting minutes yet, but it's certiainly not the 8 hours it should be. Found this thread on iPodHacks discussing it. Not sure what I'm going to do....
In the meantime, thanks to Garret for recommending Ephpod, even though I can't quite get it to work (all seems to clash a bit with music match).
Right back to feeding the beast.

UPDATE
For some reason this post is now googles number 1 for ipod battery life. No idea how or why..but I thought I better provide some useful resources in case you've stumbled here by accident and now feel slightly cheated.
- CNet on 'IPod's dirty secret
- Apple on how to get the most out of your battery
- The definitive battery life debate on iPodHacks
- OSXFAQ 10 tips on extending your battery life
- Buy a replacement battery for $50
- Mann Electronics (recommended) selling Belkin battery pack (use 4 AAs for 15hrs+ playing time)

iRiver vs iPod: decisions, decisions

I finally weakened and bought myself an iPod while in the US. Because 30Gb should be enough for any man..and I managed to find some shareware to allow me to batch convert all my WMA files to MP3.
Anyway, you don't need me to tell you how beautiful it is. The strange thing is, it's almost too much to carry round with me: too much music and too pricey, and I'm just too likely to lose it. It's probably going to be plugged into my Hi-Fi and used for holidays. (actually, if someone could invent a rather neat domestic docking station for it, to go into a HiFi..I'd be very appreciative).
The other thing is, it doesn't have a radio built into it...a bit of a problem for a Radio 4 fan like myself. Which is why I'm sticking with my iRiver, IFP 190TC with its 256mb flash memory and FM radio for day to day usage. (when I get it back from under bed at my in-law's house).
Anyway - I just went back to iRiver's site... to find out rather belatedly that they've gone into the digital jukebox market, with the 10Gb iHP 100. Which includes a radio.
And (if my ounces to gramme calculations are right) is slightly lighter and has a longer batter life than the iPod. It's not as pretty as an iPod, and I can't even work out how to get hold of one (none currently on eBay). Price is said to be around $415...expensive for just 10Gb. Mobile mag gave it 83%. I'm not planning on changing (I have been banned from all gadget purchasing for the forseeable future)...but if you're in the market..and you can resist the lure of white and chrome, you might be well worth looking out for one of these.