The more I use my iPod Touch, the more I am in love with it as the portable computer gizmo I have always wanted. At this point, I’d have to say I don’t feel the need to even think about looking at the increasing number of sub-notebooks and “netbooks” flooding the market. I might, however, step up to the bigger 32GB model that was recently introduced. There are only two things about it that really need to be addressed: the lack of ability to do cut-copy-paste operations, and the lack of a Flash plugin for the Safari browser. And it’s not just me; these are the two biggest complaints of just about every singly iPhone and iTouch user.
One looks like it’s about to be remedied: earlier this week Adobe announced that they had a Flash plugin all ready to go, just as soon as Apple would give its okay. There have been some valid technical reasons to hold off on allowing a Flash plugin, primarily the issue of memory resources, but there have also been some bogus (but typical) “you have to do things OUR way” foot-stamping fits of pique from Apple that were getting in the way. From the reports of the way Adobe casually mentioned the plugin, it seems likely that they’ve solved the memory issue, but not Apple’s stubborn approach to platform issues. Nevertheless, I think they’re likely to stop being petulant and let the plugin drop because Flash has become so used (indeed overused) as a primary website engine.
There’s no excuse for not having cut-copy-paste, though.
Oh, and could you Mozilla guys get off the stick and make some sort of Firefox browser for the iPhone. I realize Apple will NEVER allow a competing browser on the App Store, but we all know there are plenty of ways around that.
One of the coolest things about HDTV is how much dimensionality the higher-definition resolution brings to the images. Watching broadcast television on an HDTV, the difference between traditional NTSC and high-definition is stunning. It’s a crying shame that so much television programming continues to be shot in standard-def video even as more and more people are buying HDTV sets. Even with that increased dimensionality, though, there are still people who want nothing less than “real” 3D (which, of course, is pointless as long as you have a flat screen), and people are working on 3D imaging technology for HDTV monitors.
Engadget says that JVC Victor and the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology are working together to develop 3D imaging on a 72-inch display, and recently Philips demoed a 56-inch 3D display. Both systems work without the red-blue filter “glasses” that everybody remembers from old Hollywood 3D movies and those 3D posters you used to get in “Dynomite!” magazine. And that’s very good news for me personally; I have a big blind spot in the front of my left eye that makes it impossible for me to see 3D images using those red-blue glasses. There are other filter-based systems that do work for me (like these polarized filters), but they’ve always been far less common than the red-blue ones, and who wants to have to wear any kind of special glasses just to watch some television anyway?
The Arbitron ratings service introduced little handheld versions of their infamous “people meters” earlier this year to be used for measuring radio audiences. It hasn’t been entirely welcome, especially from minority broadcasters, but it had a pretty successful test run last year and is now rolling out to all the major markets. Meanwhile, media mogul Mel Karmazin (and how do you like THAT alliteration?), who is the CEO of the newly-merged XM Sirius Satellite Radio, recently told AdAge that he wants to completely re-do the way radio ratings are collected and used so that his service can be included in the ratings…and, of course, to work in his favor in that regard. He’s not making a lot of headway, not the least because he admits he has “no idea” how to do that.
NBC pegged a lot of its hopes for raking in big bucks from the Beijing Olympics on its online offerings. People complained that the prime-time broadcast network coverage was too limited (and it was), but for people who watch video on their computers, laptops, and mobile phones the amount and scope of the coverage was practically limitless. You did, of course, have to pay for that content, and you did have to choke down Microsoft’s “Silverlight” media plugin, but after that you could watch all the fencing, synchronized swimming, and race walking you could stand. NewTeeVee.com reports that while 90% of the total viewership still came in via regular television, they managed 6.5 million viewers via WAP (mobile phones), 7.5 million on their primary website, and 6.7 million for video-on-demand (cable and Internet). In the end, though, NBC just barely made a profit on the Olympics — they spent around a billion dollars to cover the Olympics, and made just over a billion in profit. Heck, Michael Phelps can fart and make a billion dollars.
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