Has it really been 4 weeks since I stood out in that crazy line for this amazing piece of hardware? Hard to believe, but in that time I've really grown to enjoy the iPhone more each day. The excitement and exuberance has died down, but the pure usability factor has only increased. After this much time, I think it's safe to say it's a keeper, as it really has become a part of my everyday life in ways that no other electronic device has ever succeeded in doing in the past.
The iPhone was marketed as merging 3 core functions, so I'll direct this review with those in mind.
As a phone: first off, I'm not much of a phone person. Meaning I don't talk a lot on the phone and prefer face to face or email interaction. So that may color my opinion a bit. However, I do tend to carry my cel phone with me just about everywhere I go as a matter of habit. So the added functions of a "smartphone" become more of an attraction to me. In any case, I'm finding this to be the easiest to use cel phone I've ever owned. Menu navigation is simple and straightforward. Whether it's to get to my contacts, sync up with the computer, dial a new number on the keypad, receive an incoming call, switch to speakerphone while in call, it's all just flat out simple and intuitive with big bright buttons that scream "use me"! The big beautiful screen is a bonus, particularly once you've set a photo for your contact. I still remember the first time my mom called me and her beautiful smiling face greeted me on the phone. Sound quality has been good, and I like having multiple options (ear buds, speaker, bluetooth) on top of standard holding to your mouth. I've tried them all with good success. I think as time goes on I'll be leaning towards the ear phone approach for longer calls. Kinda cool to go hands free AND in stereo, to boot. If the iPhone were just a phone, it would still be a remarkable piece of engineering in terms of ease and friendliness of use. Last week I tried helping a friend navigate his Chocolate phone menu to shut the ringer off, and it just felt like I was in the dark ages. Wondering if I was exaggerating the difference, I flicked a single switch to go to vibrate on the iPhone.
Now that there's a third party solution to custom ringtones, all that's missing for me is voice dialing (which I believe can be done to some extent through AT&T) and MMS picture messaging (which can be done via email). I believe these are just a matter of time so I'm not concerned. In truth I rarely used either function in the past and can easily live without them, but it wouldn't hurt to have the options.
As an iPod: much discussion has gone into whether or not this is the "best iPod ever." My response has been that the widescreen/touchscreen alone gives it that crown. If you are interested in any sort of video content, there's really no comparison. The screen size and quality are just gorgeous. Sound quality is excellent as well, which I suppose is just expected at this point. On top of that, the interface is considerably easier and more functional than the standard iPod, which itself was better than most the mp3 players out there. Again the interface is the key, it's simple and elegant and gets you where you want to be more efficiently than ever before. Coverflow was cool on the computer; on the iPhone it's glorious. You get a new, unique feel, flipping through your album covers with your finger tips, adding a personal touch (literally!) to your music library surfing. The best part of it being integrated into my phoneis that I find myself using the music functions "on the go" much more than I did in the past, simply because I always have my phone with me. In the past I'd only carry the iPod when I specifically wanted it around; now it's on my freakin phone so it's always with me! I still forget sometimes but I'm getting more used to the concept. I'm the type of person that will randomly think of a song or artist during the day and want to hear it right then and there. This really gives me that capability.
As an internet browser: as I've said to just about anyone who might listen, the killer app for me on the phone has been the portable internet. When I first heard the bold claims that this was the "real" internet, I was 100% skeptical. I've had about 5 or 6 different portable devices which have advertised mobile internet browsing capability and not one of them has been usable (independent of connection speed) enough to make me willing to consistently make the effort. My last phone (XV6700) was the closest; I actually used it to check for movie times a few times, but I was never able to do a plethora of other common quick activities like looking up an actor's name on IMDB or read my regular forums or movie reviews. It used a mobile version of Internet Explorer which was fairly mediocre. Many sites' buttons wouldn't show up or the aspect ratio required constant scrolling with the stylus. Simply not a pleasant experience. Also close (though much larger) was the Archos 7" WiFi unit. It's OK as a browser using a portable version of Opera. But navigating with the stylus and typing was still a pain. Plus boot up time was long enough that it didn't have the "instant" feel of a true portable device. Apple has transcended these issues. While the screen size is much smaller than the Archos, the zoom and scroll via fingertips makes navigation intuitive and simple. Safari is loading up full pages with all the correct buttons and cookies. I've had no issues (when using WiFi) doing most all the normal things I do on a desktop: general browsing, reading wikis, movie reviews, forums, searches, bringing up images, etc etc. I'm constantly amazed at how much I can do on the fly. Because it turns right on, there are just a few seconds between the thought of a particular question I might have and when I can read about it. This is the kind of feature that sort of just integrates into your everyday life. For the first time I actually feel like I really have the internet at my fingertips (literally, again!) at a moment's notice. Granted, the EDGE network can be slow at times when connection speed is slow, but even a 3G network in optimal spots (I had Verizon EVDO on my old phone) became useless with the plodding interface and ineffective browser. I am now wondering if an other interface would be as effective. For such a small device (as a phone must be), you are inherently limited in screen size/resolution. This means you absolutely need to be able to pan and zoom in and out fluidly. I'm not sure how that can be done with a traditional stylus.
Other functions: e-mail has been pretty decent for the most part. I've had a couple of freeze-ups and minor issues but I've gotten push email to work on Yahoo and regular email works fine on my other account. Google Maps is awesome, I use it all the time now. Again the scrolling via fingertip and fast response times make it a pleasure to use. I just discovered it has a traffic overlay as well, which is very nice. The Stock and Weather applets are also great little additions. Updates are a button away and I've timed it at an average of 5 seconds to load, even using EDGE. Youtube has been hit or miss for me. With WiFi, it works great and the quality is amazing. Without WiFi, it often dies on me. The Alarm clock function was great on a trip I took, extremely easy to set times. Surprising to me how non-intuitive some hotel clock radios can be! Notes and Calendar I use the least, but both function well from what I've seen. The camera, while simple and lacking extra functions like video capture, is extremely easy to use and picture quality is far better than any of my past mobile phones. Not to mention the big screen gives you an advantage in seeing what you want to capture.
Notes on battery life: paranoia has plagued me since release as I've constantly read issues with batteries. I know there's some glitch in the software which is not allowing my unit to recognize it's fully charged and reset usage statistics. However, I also know that the time I had it working, I had something like 3+ hours of usage and 3+days of standby time under my normal usage conditions (a few phone calls, lots of email and weather checks, some iPod listening, lots of browsing) - with about 50% battery life still showing. I don't know what other devices are doing but certainly my last phone was not meeting this level. So I'm trying to stop worrying about whether I have a faulty battery; the fact is that for my normal usage this is more than good enough.
Closing thoughts: It will be interesting to see what Apple does with their iPhone strategy in the short and long run. It's been 4 weeks and we haven't really heard a peep from them in terms of new content or an update to the software. I have faith they will make significant updates, but it would be nice to hear some infromation directly. I'd also like to see them develop/sell games and other stand-alone apps through iTunes. I think they are just a price drop and a few updates/apps away from really making a stronger impact on the market. The longer they wait, the more opportunities they are missing out on and the more chance for competitors to catch up. For instance, by not having purchasable ringtones at launch, they've already lost out on a lot of money since third party users have figured out how to get custom ringtones. I think they'll hit their modest goals of 10 million by the end of next year, but with a device this good with this much potential, they should really be doing better.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
iPhone: After 1 Week
So it's been a little over a week since standing in the iLine for iDay, and honestly, inspite of the hype dying down and some of the iBacklash, I am still very much enamored with my iPhone. This is a very good sign, as generally my excitement for a new device dies down after a few days. During this week I've taken it to work and on a small trip out of town, and really got a nice sense of overall performance.
Phone: I'm really liking the contacts/favorites system for quick calling. A few clicks and you're good to go. People complain a lot about the lack of voice dialing but I think the solid interface is actually more useful. The keypress system is so smooth and easy I think I'd trust it more than a halfbaked voice recognition system. As for calls, I've tested on bluetooth (sounded OK) and speakerphone (sounded good) as well as regular calls and thus far have been very happy with the quality and performance.
Reception and EDGE: Thus far I've had good to great reception everywhere I've been. For whatever reason my office in a basement level only gets AT&T so that worked out well. Home reception is as good as I had from Verizon. I haven't tested at the beach yet. I did check periodically while on travel in a variety of different areas, and never had any signal issues. I was always able to check email and use Google maps on the EDGE network, though a bit slower in some areas. Speaking of EDGE, I've been moderately impressed with the speeds particularly for email and maps. Basic browsing of forums and searches are pretty good as well. The only thing that's really bogged it down is trying to get YouTube on the go. Demoing YouTube has been hit or miss for me, sometimes it just freezes up. Kind of a bummer.
Google Maps: I realize other units have it, but it is quickly standing out as a very useful tool. The zooming and panning interface through your fingers is a much more visceral experience (I think that's the word I want) and mapping on the go has never been more fun or easy. I've used it multiple occasions to find and map local theater locations, then pop to Safari to get show times. It's great.
Safari: The stand-out app for me has been the browsing. As mentioned in my earlier post, this came as a bit of a surprise to me. I really wanted it originally for the widescreen iPod functionality, but what I've ended up using it for the most has been "on the go" browsing. At home when I don't feel like turning the
computer on, I can, for instance, quickly check for an actor's name
or a movie time. There are times when I just want to pop on and off for a few seconds and not deal with the extra minutes to go to my room, boot up, load broswer, check, then shut down. It just seems like too much effort for some little things. But more than that, I can actually do full browsing of my favorite sites and forums, and even post halfway articulate comments. No other portable device I've owned (and trust me I've tried a bunch) has come close to this, and frankly it's amazing to me. I'd actually kind of given up on the desire to have a truly portable interface to the internet because every one I tried ended up disappointing me in some way (again this is regardless of connection speed). The interface in this case has truly overcome the basic problem of starting with a small screen size. I don't know if others are enjoying it as much for this feature as I am, but I'd definitely say it is the killer app for me.
Keyboard: one of my early concern is the typing and if you happened to see the little discovery comment I noted on my last post, that's mostly been addressed. The auto correction really works, you just have to trust it. There are obviously cases when a real keyboard would still be preferable (and I'd still like landscape mode for texting and email) but for the most part, they've succeeded in their software approach.
Messaging: some negatives have arisen. First, it appears you can't send the same message to multiple recipients. No idea how that got through testing but that's how it currently works. Also it apparently doesn't support MMS so you can't send or receive photos through the messaging system. Could be a big deal for some people. For me, it's just a bit annoying.
Camera: I tested the camera out a bit this weekend and for the most part I'm really liking the quality of the photos. Strangely there are just about zero options thus far, it's just a button to turn on the camera and a button to take your shot. I'll have to see what they look like after downloading, but the images look very sharp on the camera itself, much better than any of the cameras on my prior phones have taken. It's also nice to take photos with the big screen, you really get a strong sense of how a photo is going to look. I know it's not that much bigger than a lot of newer camera screens, but it's enough to make a difference. Given that I had no expectations for the camera, I've been very pleasantly surprised.
Other: just a quick note that I also used the calendar and alarm functions and both came in handy during my trip. I used the alarm 2 mornings in a row and it just worked so easily it's almost an afterthought. For reference I have
*never* used an alarm function on a phone before. I only mention this to
emphasize that the true beauty of the interface is that it makes you naturally want to use all of the phone's functions. I can't really describe it better than that. Other devices have provided all the same (and more) functions, but just haven't motivated meto use them regularly because there's always just some little thing that's a deterrent.
Accessories: I'm still in a semi-paranoid state of taking care of the phone, constantly nervous it will scratch or get stolen or something bad will happen. My present configuration is a protective screen, and then a rubberized case around the main unit, then I drop the whole thing in my old leather Blackberry case and stick it in my pocket. Hopefully I'll come up with something better eventually. I just got the ClearTouch Antiglare cover and so far it works great. Sacrificing a bit in the shiny screen department,
I really like the feel of this covering and it works great with the touch
interface. It also seems to prevent the constant fingerprint smudgies I
tend to make with my greasy fingers, which is a great feature.
Boxwave is supposedly sending out an improved version to me
but I'm already pretty happy with this one.
All in all I'm just having a great time with the phone - it's not just fun, it's the most functional and useful "smartphone" I've had to date. Clearly there are some features I wouldn't mind having (and should be easily fixed in software patches or additions) but the feature set even as it stands is truly remarkable. You'll notice I didn't even comment on the iPod functions. The truth is aside from showing them off to people (I particularly love popping into Terminator 2 for my demos), I haven't used it much as an iPod. It's like I'm just taking the iPod stuff for granted, but really those functions alone are a wonderful improvement in terms of interface.
Phone: I'm really liking the contacts/favorites system for quick calling. A few clicks and you're good to go. People complain a lot about the lack of voice dialing but I think the solid interface is actually more useful. The keypress system is so smooth and easy I think I'd trust it more than a halfbaked voice recognition system. As for calls, I've tested on bluetooth (sounded OK) and speakerphone (sounded good) as well as regular calls and thus far have been very happy with the quality and performance.
Reception and EDGE: Thus far I've had good to great reception everywhere I've been. For whatever reason my office in a basement level only gets AT&T so that worked out well. Home reception is as good as I had from Verizon. I haven't tested at the beach yet. I did check periodically while on travel in a variety of different areas, and never had any signal issues. I was always able to check email and use Google maps on the EDGE network, though a bit slower in some areas. Speaking of EDGE, I've been moderately impressed with the speeds particularly for email and maps. Basic browsing of forums and searches are pretty good as well. The only thing that's really bogged it down is trying to get YouTube on the go. Demoing YouTube has been hit or miss for me, sometimes it just freezes up. Kind of a bummer.
Google Maps: I realize other units have it, but it is quickly standing out as a very useful tool. The zooming and panning interface through your fingers is a much more visceral experience (I think that's the word I want) and mapping on the go has never been more fun or easy. I've used it multiple occasions to find and map local theater locations, then pop to Safari to get show times. It's great.
Safari: The stand-out app for me has been the browsing. As mentioned in my earlier post, this came as a bit of a surprise to me. I really wanted it originally for the widescreen iPod functionality, but what I've ended up using it for the most has been "on the go" browsing. At home when I don't feel like turning the
computer on, I can, for instance, quickly check for an actor's name
or a movie time. There are times when I just want to pop on and off for a few seconds and not deal with the extra minutes to go to my room, boot up, load broswer, check, then shut down. It just seems like too much effort for some little things. But more than that, I can actually do full browsing of my favorite sites and forums, and even post halfway articulate comments. No other portable device I've owned (and trust me I've tried a bunch) has come close to this, and frankly it's amazing to me. I'd actually kind of given up on the desire to have a truly portable interface to the internet because every one I tried ended up disappointing me in some way (again this is regardless of connection speed). The interface in this case has truly overcome the basic problem of starting with a small screen size. I don't know if others are enjoying it as much for this feature as I am, but I'd definitely say it is the killer app for me.
Keyboard: one of my early concern is the typing and if you happened to see the little discovery comment I noted on my last post, that's mostly been addressed. The auto correction really works, you just have to trust it. There are obviously cases when a real keyboard would still be preferable (and I'd still like landscape mode for texting and email) but for the most part, they've succeeded in their software approach.
Messaging: some negatives have arisen. First, it appears you can't send the same message to multiple recipients. No idea how that got through testing but that's how it currently works. Also it apparently doesn't support MMS so you can't send or receive photos through the messaging system. Could be a big deal for some people. For me, it's just a bit annoying.
Camera: I tested the camera out a bit this weekend and for the most part I'm really liking the quality of the photos. Strangely there are just about zero options thus far, it's just a button to turn on the camera and a button to take your shot. I'll have to see what they look like after downloading, but the images look very sharp on the camera itself, much better than any of the cameras on my prior phones have taken. It's also nice to take photos with the big screen, you really get a strong sense of how a photo is going to look. I know it's not that much bigger than a lot of newer camera screens, but it's enough to make a difference. Given that I had no expectations for the camera, I've been very pleasantly surprised.
Other: just a quick note that I also used the calendar and alarm functions and both came in handy during my trip. I used the alarm 2 mornings in a row and it just worked so easily it's almost an afterthought. For reference I have
*never* used an alarm function on a phone before. I only mention this to
emphasize that the true beauty of the interface is that it makes you naturally want to use all of the phone's functions. I can't really describe it better than that. Other devices have provided all the same (and more) functions, but just haven't motivated meto use them regularly because there's always just some little thing that's a deterrent.
Accessories: I'm still in a semi-paranoid state of taking care of the phone, constantly nervous it will scratch or get stolen or something bad will happen. My present configuration is a protective screen, and then a rubberized case around the main unit, then I drop the whole thing in my old leather Blackberry case and stick it in my pocket. Hopefully I'll come up with something better eventually. I just got the ClearTouch Antiglare cover and so far it works great. Sacrificing a bit in the shiny screen department,
I really like the feel of this covering and it works great with the touch
interface. It also seems to prevent the constant fingerprint smudgies I
tend to make with my greasy fingers, which is a great feature.
Boxwave is supposedly sending out an improved version to me
but I'm already pretty happy with this one.
All in all I'm just having a great time with the phone - it's not just fun, it's the most functional and useful "smartphone" I've had to date. Clearly there are some features I wouldn't mind having (and should be easily fixed in software patches or additions) but the feature set even as it stands is truly remarkable. You'll notice I didn't even comment on the iPod functions. The truth is aside from showing them off to people (I particularly love popping into Terminator 2 for my demos), I haven't used it much as an iPod. It's like I'm just taking the iPod stuff for granted, but really those functions alone are a wonderful improvement in terms of interface.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
iThink therefore iPhone
Is it possible to fall in love with a gadget? Yes I know that question is a bit disturbing, but so what! After a night and half a day with my iPhone, that's what I keep thinking and wondering. I can't seem to get enough of it, I just keep wanting to experiment with it, buy more accessories to protect it, watch the beautiful screen react to my touches, and stare at it's sleek, sexy shape. I haven't been this enamored with a piece of technology in a long while. I remember being extremely impressed with the PSP when it came out, as well as the video iPod, but this clearly blows both of them away. As a quote in the paper said today, "money can't buy love, but it can buy cool."
Now some of you may remember I poo-pooed the phone when it was first announced. I call that my denial, sour grapes phase. I had recently purchased the Verizon XV6700 and signed a new 2-year contract, and hearing Apple's AT&T exclusive deal really drove me nuts. I also was not impressed it would use the 2.5G EDGE network instead of a faster 3G service. And a lot of the hype sounded a bit overblown without having seen more detail. What ultimately turned me around, months later, was finally getting myself to watch the full demo that Steve Jobs did in January. Watching the phone in action instead of focusing on the specs just blew me away. By the time he had rotated the unit and showed one of my favorite episodes of The Office in widescreen, I was sold hook line and sinker. I wanted to get in line right at that moment! Now while I still maintain a new widescreen iPod would have been really great, the full capabilities of iPhone as iPod, phone and browser give me pause as to whether that would be enough to satisfy me now. Interestingly in my experimental phase thus far, most all I've done is play with the non-iPod features (Google maps, browsing, email, etc).
During my sour grapes phase, I had made the argument that my XV6700 essentially had all the features of the iPhone, so saying it was a revolutionary technology was clearly over the top. With that in mind, I thought a comparison of the 2 might be an interesting way to review the phone itself.
Interface: both are touchscreen. The XV uses a stylus and external buttons as well as a mini-joystick, where by now, as everyone knows, the iPhone uses your fingers and a single Home button. XV uses a Windows Mobile type of OS, iPhone has a very simple, clear, touch based version of the MacOS. Not really a fair fight here, the opening Home screen on the iPhone sets the tone for everything that follows, with an incredibly friendly interface of icon/buttons. Software touch buttons are later contextual to the application you're running, so for instance, when in Call mode, you have new buttons like Contacts and Recent Calls.
Internet: both phones have WiFi and/or mobile options to get on the net. The iPhone has a much zippier browser and the zoom in/out capability simply makes for a much better, even fun, browsing experience. I haven't tried the EDGE network yet, but I believe Verizon's EVDO will probably be much faster. Still it's plausible the iPhone's faster browser performance will make the experience a wash in terms of speed. Bottom line, it's fun to browse on the iPhone; with the XV you know you can do it but it still feels like a lot of effort even at top WiFi speeds.
Email: similarly the iPhone's interface is much much easier to use. The XV seemed to have a lot more options but navigating the menus just to send/receive was a chore. Clearly not much thought went into making it friendly.
Keyboard: XV6700 wins. The touchscreen keyboard is about as good as I can imagine one would be, but there's nothing like nice big keys to press. Particularly in Portrait mode typing, I tend to make mistakes typing on the iPhone with a couple of the letters on the edge of the keyboard. I've read it just takes time to get used to, but it's hard to imagine it ever being better than a solid keypress. XV's keyboard is not quite as nice as my old V (now the enV), but still very good relative to some of the puny keys in the newer Treos. My fingers are kind of fat, I can't imagine how tough it would be for someone with really huge hands.
Portrait/Landscape: both phones have the capability, but iPhone wins with the sensor technology that auto adjusts. I'm a bit disappointed that the text and email doesn't rotate, but hopefully that will be changed in later software updates.
Texting: I really like what the iPhone has done to make text conversations flow like blurbs of dialog, but I give the nod to the XV because of its hard keyboard. If iPhone allowed a landscape keyboard for texting mode, it would probably regain the lead due to its superior interface.
Screen: iPhone, no contest. Size matters. And more importantly, the screen is every bit as gorgeous as you might imagine it. Nuff said.
Size/weight: hands down the iPhone is the winner. The XV is, simply put, chunky. No way around it. The iPhone is sleek and sexy, not much larger or heavier than a video iPod. I was a bit surprised it was a bit weightier than I'd imagined. I was thinking it would feel more along the lines of a larger size Nano, but it's definitely more substantial. It's still really slim and slides right into your pocket.
Memory: I got the 8GB iPhone, but I wish I could still have more memory or an upgrade path. My XV can take a 2GB miniSD card but it's removable which is convenient if I want to expand. The big difference? With iTunes I have a ton of content that I can, and would like to, put on the unit. With the XV it's a lot more work so even the 2GB is kind of a waste. Motivation to get the content, then convert to the right format, then copy the files over, quickly gets beaten by laziness.
Music/movies: not even a fair category for comparison, but you have to give the XV points for trying. Good MP3 and WMV support, as well as a few other formats. iPhone's new iPod functionality, though, far surpasses anything on the XV, and in fact is much better than the present iPods. There's a reason why iPods still sell so much better than other portable media players with better specs, and the iPhone honors this tradition by making it even better. Flipping through album covers with your fingertips while listening to your favorite songs is just plain cool.
Games: finally a category for the XV! Because it's Windows Mobile, there are a ton of great games available. Sadly at the moment the iPhone has NONE. Come on Apple, at least throw in a token free game! A stylus-free touch screen would seem to have tons of possibilities for games, but oh well.
Google Maps: both got it, but iPhone does more with it. Interface is easier and more intuitive to use, from start to finish. The speed (on WiFi) is just amazing, particularly when you bring in the satellite imagery.
YouTube/Internet Video: this one surprised me, the iPhone has a dedicated YouTube application. The quality is awesome and it's just plain fun, even if you aren't much of a YouTube fan. I tried to use it once on the XV but it didn't work. On the XV's side, I was able to get Slingbox Mobile to work on it pretty well, so we'll call this category a draw. The YouTube app/interface is better, but being able to watch Live TV on your mobile trumps that.
Camera: haven't tried the iPhone yet, but I suspect it will be about as lame as the XV's. I think both are 2megapixel but I have little expectations. Tie.
Bluetooth: haven't tried iPhone yet. The XV's worked well but was a pain in the ass to get working each time you wanted to use it. iPhone takes a few keypresses to get to it as well, so we'll see.
As a Phone: still TBD, got a lot more testing to do. Reception, talk and standby time as well as quality will all be issues.
Pretty much you get the gist. Both phones have tons of features, almost matched up one for one. One might argue the XV can do a few more things than the iPhone and has more versatility for customization. So making the big fuss that the iPhone does internet, media and phone all in one,
is really not a big deal on paper. What is revolutionary is the way the whole thing is finally put together, and the way it is so seamlessly integrated together for an easy user experience. Will it revolutionalize the cel phone industry? Probably not. But for now it's hands down the coolest gadget I've ever owned.
- --
Finally, backing up a bit, I should mention waiting in line for what amounted to 4 hours in the sun turned out to be a great experience. Apple store folk came by and gave us water and free Starbuck's coffee periodically, people were taking our pictures, restaurants were taking orders for food, drivers by were asking what the hubbub was about, and police and security roamed around constantly. I ended up between 2 really nice people and we chatted the entire time. The lady even shared a dark chocolate Godiva shake with me. Without sounding too corny, there was something magical about the entire experience, the collective social energy and enthusiasm had a big concert kind of feel. By the time I left the store with the Apple employees clapping and cheering, I felt like I had been through a very special event.
Now some of you may remember I poo-pooed the phone when it was first announced. I call that my denial, sour grapes phase. I had recently purchased the Verizon XV6700 and signed a new 2-year contract, and hearing Apple's AT&T exclusive deal really drove me nuts. I also was not impressed it would use the 2.5G EDGE network instead of a faster 3G service. And a lot of the hype sounded a bit overblown without having seen more detail. What ultimately turned me around, months later, was finally getting myself to watch the full demo that Steve Jobs did in January. Watching the phone in action instead of focusing on the specs just blew me away. By the time he had rotated the unit and showed one of my favorite episodes of The Office in widescreen, I was sold hook line and sinker. I wanted to get in line right at that moment! Now while I still maintain a new widescreen iPod would have been really great, the full capabilities of iPhone as iPod, phone and browser give me pause as to whether that would be enough to satisfy me now. Interestingly in my experimental phase thus far, most all I've done is play with the non-iPod features (Google maps, browsing, email, etc).
During my sour grapes phase, I had made the argument that my XV6700 essentially had all the features of the iPhone, so saying it was a revolutionary technology was clearly over the top. With that in mind, I thought a comparison of the 2 might be an interesting way to review the phone itself.
Interface: both are touchscreen. The XV uses a stylus and external buttons as well as a mini-joystick, where by now, as everyone knows, the iPhone uses your fingers and a single Home button. XV uses a Windows Mobile type of OS, iPhone has a very simple, clear, touch based version of the MacOS. Not really a fair fight here, the opening Home screen on the iPhone sets the tone for everything that follows, with an incredibly friendly interface of icon/buttons. Software touch buttons are later contextual to the application you're running, so for instance, when in Call mode, you have new buttons like Contacts and Recent Calls.
Internet: both phones have WiFi and/or mobile options to get on the net. The iPhone has a much zippier browser and the zoom in/out capability simply makes for a much better, even fun, browsing experience. I haven't tried the EDGE network yet, but I believe Verizon's EVDO will probably be much faster. Still it's plausible the iPhone's faster browser performance will make the experience a wash in terms of speed. Bottom line, it's fun to browse on the iPhone; with the XV you know you can do it but it still feels like a lot of effort even at top WiFi speeds.
Email: similarly the iPhone's interface is much much easier to use. The XV seemed to have a lot more options but navigating the menus just to send/receive was a chore. Clearly not much thought went into making it friendly.
Keyboard: XV6700 wins. The touchscreen keyboard is about as good as I can imagine one would be, but there's nothing like nice big keys to press. Particularly in Portrait mode typing, I tend to make mistakes typing on the iPhone with a couple of the letters on the edge of the keyboard. I've read it just takes time to get used to, but it's hard to imagine it ever being better than a solid keypress. XV's keyboard is not quite as nice as my old V (now the enV), but still very good relative to some of the puny keys in the newer Treos. My fingers are kind of fat, I can't imagine how tough it would be for someone with really huge hands.
Portrait/Landscape: both phones have the capability, but iPhone wins with the sensor technology that auto adjusts. I'm a bit disappointed that the text and email doesn't rotate, but hopefully that will be changed in later software updates.
Texting: I really like what the iPhone has done to make text conversations flow like blurbs of dialog, but I give the nod to the XV because of its hard keyboard. If iPhone allowed a landscape keyboard for texting mode, it would probably regain the lead due to its superior interface.
Screen: iPhone, no contest. Size matters. And more importantly, the screen is every bit as gorgeous as you might imagine it. Nuff said.
Size/weight: hands down the iPhone is the winner. The XV is, simply put, chunky. No way around it. The iPhone is sleek and sexy, not much larger or heavier than a video iPod. I was a bit surprised it was a bit weightier than I'd imagined. I was thinking it would feel more along the lines of a larger size Nano, but it's definitely more substantial. It's still really slim and slides right into your pocket.
Memory: I got the 8GB iPhone, but I wish I could still have more memory or an upgrade path. My XV can take a 2GB miniSD card but it's removable which is convenient if I want to expand. The big difference? With iTunes I have a ton of content that I can, and would like to, put on the unit. With the XV it's a lot more work so even the 2GB is kind of a waste. Motivation to get the content, then convert to the right format, then copy the files over, quickly gets beaten by laziness.
Music/movies: not even a fair category for comparison, but you have to give the XV points for trying. Good MP3 and WMV support, as well as a few other formats. iPhone's new iPod functionality, though, far surpasses anything on the XV, and in fact is much better than the present iPods. There's a reason why iPods still sell so much better than other portable media players with better specs, and the iPhone honors this tradition by making it even better. Flipping through album covers with your fingertips while listening to your favorite songs is just plain cool.
Games: finally a category for the XV! Because it's Windows Mobile, there are a ton of great games available. Sadly at the moment the iPhone has NONE. Come on Apple, at least throw in a token free game! A stylus-free touch screen would seem to have tons of possibilities for games, but oh well.
Google Maps: both got it, but iPhone does more with it. Interface is easier and more intuitive to use, from start to finish. The speed (on WiFi) is just amazing, particularly when you bring in the satellite imagery.
YouTube/Internet Video: this one surprised me, the iPhone has a dedicated YouTube application. The quality is awesome and it's just plain fun, even if you aren't much of a YouTube fan. I tried to use it once on the XV but it didn't work. On the XV's side, I was able to get Slingbox Mobile to work on it pretty well, so we'll call this category a draw. The YouTube app/interface is better, but being able to watch Live TV on your mobile trumps that.
Camera: haven't tried the iPhone yet, but I suspect it will be about as lame as the XV's. I think both are 2megapixel but I have little expectations. Tie.
Bluetooth: haven't tried iPhone yet. The XV's worked well but was a pain in the ass to get working each time you wanted to use it. iPhone takes a few keypresses to get to it as well, so we'll see.
As a Phone: still TBD, got a lot more testing to do. Reception, talk and standby time as well as quality will all be issues.
Pretty much you get the gist. Both phones have tons of features, almost matched up one for one. One might argue the XV can do a few more things than the iPhone and has more versatility for customization. So making the big fuss that the iPhone does internet, media and phone all in one,
is really not a big deal on paper. What is revolutionary is the way the whole thing is finally put together, and the way it is so seamlessly integrated together for an easy user experience. Will it revolutionalize the cel phone industry? Probably not. But for now it's hands down the coolest gadget I've ever owned.
- --
Finally, backing up a bit, I should mention waiting in line for what amounted to 4 hours in the sun turned out to be a great experience. Apple store folk came by and gave us water and free Starbuck's coffee periodically, people were taking our pictures, restaurants were taking orders for food, drivers by were asking what the hubbub was about, and police and security roamed around constantly. I ended up between 2 really nice people and we chatted the entire time. The lady even shared a dark chocolate Godiva shake with me. Without sounding too corny, there was something magical about the entire experience, the collective social energy and enthusiasm had a big concert kind of feel. By the time I left the store with the Apple employees clapping and cheering, I felt like I had been through a very special event.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Fall 2006 TV Season - Early Thoughts
New Shows:
I like to give new TV shows a chance, generally I'll try to catch the premieres and a couple more episodes to see if they can draw me in. Generally I'll go for anything that has a cast I like, or a concept that seems fresh or interesting. Hopefully they'll have both but often this is not the case.
Thus far, I've tried Vanished, Standoff, Justice, The Class, Studio 60 and Smith. I'm definitely enjoying Vanished, there seems to be a nice plot developing with a complex backstory. I wonder what the longterm prospects are like, though, since I can't imagine they will keep the same character kidnapped for multiple seasons. I just don't think it will work for most audiences. Standoff is just OK, the chemistry between the leads is passable but nothing special, and the plotlines feel a bit contrived. A new hostage situation every week? And Berger (sorry I can't remember his name at the moment) is not looking as hot as he used to, especially in HD. Justice is decent, the gimmick of showing what actually happened is both good and bad. Good in that you don't get hung up on true innocent/guilty the way The Practice often did. But bad in that it kind of shuts off the longer running stories of clients coming back and keeping you guessing. The Class (aka Friends 2006) premiere was a bit shaky, introducing 8 main characters and a few more side characters in a half hour sitcom is probably a bit too much. The premise was kind of a throwaway, what's important is whether we liked the characters and want to continue to see them week after week. I'm not sure at the moment but I'll give it a chance since Friends' first season was not the best either.
Studio 60 was the first "big" show premiere of the season that I've seen. By big I mean the hype has been huge; I've seen articles saying this is the show that will save NBC. Sadly, I was not that impressed, and apparently neither were viewers, who apparently showed up in limited numbers and many changed channels midway through. I don't think anyone can blame the pedigree, the cast, script, production values, etc all looked top notch. It's great to see Matthew Perry on TV again and I've always liked Amanda Peet; Felicity Huffman in a guest appearance was a great touch. But conceptually I have to wonder about a show that's based around behind-the-scenes action of a show that lost it's relevancy many years ago. And this is coming from someone who still actually watches SNL!!
Smith likewise has a great cast and clearly spent a lot in production values for a big bang Ocean's 11-esque premiere. The story/writing was a bit weak and predictable though. The bigger problem? I don't know if I want to see a weekly show about a bunch of thieves. Are they going to steal something different every week? I love Virginia Madsen, though, plus I enjoy Amy Smart, Jonny Lee Miller and Simon Baker as well. But week after week I just don't get the sense it will hold my interest.
Returning Shows:
Thus far Prison Break has come back with a nice bang, totally reinventing itself with the prisoners on the run. Love it so far, though I'm hoping they can bring some of the characters back together soon and get back into the intriguing conspiracy plotline that has been put somewhat on the backburner. I've watched a couple episodes of Bones this season, it seems to be hitting its stride better than last season. In general it's not my type of show, though, even though I love Angel. Bones herself is good but I wish they had cast a stronger female lead (like Gillian Anderson). I do like the addition of Tamara Taylor, I hope she stays on. Survivor looks like a lot of fun this season. I love the racial stuff, it makes me laugh. Hopefully they can keep things fresh and interesting throughout the season (apparently ratings are going downhill so they may have just run their course).
That's about it thus far. Coming tomorrow we've got the big Grey's Anatomy premiere, I'm very excited!
I like to give new TV shows a chance, generally I'll try to catch the premieres and a couple more episodes to see if they can draw me in. Generally I'll go for anything that has a cast I like, or a concept that seems fresh or interesting. Hopefully they'll have both but often this is not the case.
Thus far, I've tried Vanished, Standoff, Justice, The Class, Studio 60 and Smith. I'm definitely enjoying Vanished, there seems to be a nice plot developing with a complex backstory. I wonder what the longterm prospects are like, though, since I can't imagine they will keep the same character kidnapped for multiple seasons. I just don't think it will work for most audiences. Standoff is just OK, the chemistry between the leads is passable but nothing special, and the plotlines feel a bit contrived. A new hostage situation every week? And Berger (sorry I can't remember his name at the moment) is not looking as hot as he used to, especially in HD. Justice is decent, the gimmick of showing what actually happened is both good and bad. Good in that you don't get hung up on true innocent/guilty the way The Practice often did. But bad in that it kind of shuts off the longer running stories of clients coming back and keeping you guessing. The Class (aka Friends 2006) premiere was a bit shaky, introducing 8 main characters and a few more side characters in a half hour sitcom is probably a bit too much. The premise was kind of a throwaway, what's important is whether we liked the characters and want to continue to see them week after week. I'm not sure at the moment but I'll give it a chance since Friends' first season was not the best either.
Studio 60 was the first "big" show premiere of the season that I've seen. By big I mean the hype has been huge; I've seen articles saying this is the show that will save NBC. Sadly, I was not that impressed, and apparently neither were viewers, who apparently showed up in limited numbers and many changed channels midway through. I don't think anyone can blame the pedigree, the cast, script, production values, etc all looked top notch. It's great to see Matthew Perry on TV again and I've always liked Amanda Peet; Felicity Huffman in a guest appearance was a great touch. But conceptually I have to wonder about a show that's based around behind-the-scenes action of a show that lost it's relevancy many years ago. And this is coming from someone who still actually watches SNL!!
Smith likewise has a great cast and clearly spent a lot in production values for a big bang Ocean's 11-esque premiere. The story/writing was a bit weak and predictable though. The bigger problem? I don't know if I want to see a weekly show about a bunch of thieves. Are they going to steal something different every week? I love Virginia Madsen, though, plus I enjoy Amy Smart, Jonny Lee Miller and Simon Baker as well. But week after week I just don't get the sense it will hold my interest.
Returning Shows:
Thus far Prison Break has come back with a nice bang, totally reinventing itself with the prisoners on the run. Love it so far, though I'm hoping they can bring some of the characters back together soon and get back into the intriguing conspiracy plotline that has been put somewhat on the backburner. I've watched a couple episodes of Bones this season, it seems to be hitting its stride better than last season. In general it's not my type of show, though, even though I love Angel. Bones herself is good but I wish they had cast a stronger female lead (like Gillian Anderson). I do like the addition of Tamara Taylor, I hope she stays on. Survivor looks like a lot of fun this season. I love the racial stuff, it makes me laugh. Hopefully they can keep things fresh and interesting throughout the season (apparently ratings are going downhill so they may have just run their course).
That's about it thus far. Coming tomorrow we've got the big Grey's Anatomy premiere, I'm very excited!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Downloadable Movies For Sale: Who Cares?
So it looks like this week Amazon and Apple have both entered a new market of selling movies for download. With Microsoft announcing their new "Zune" product (aka iPod ripoff), it looks like the portable player and downloadable content race is really starting to heat up. Both websites seem to have similar pricing structures, somewhere around $10-15 to download a near DVD-quality movie onto your computer. The catch? You can't burn the movie to a DVD so basically you can only watch the movies on your portable device or your computer.
So my question is whether or not this really fills a legitimate market space. I can purchase a "real" DVD with all the bells and whistles to watch on my big screen TV for roughly the same price (particularly if I catch the sales or find pre-owned movies, which can actually be cheaper). This is not the same as the original $0.99 download for a song concept - the price differential is too high in my opinion, not to mention portable music is much more desirable than portable movie viewing. You aren't going to watch a movie while jogging, and I'd much rather experience Pirates or Incredibles on a large screen than on my computer or a 3.5" iPod screen. Well, that's my thought anyway, maybe the younger generation has a different opinion.
My gut says they are being too greedy. I'd say for this to be a stronger candidate, the price structure would have had to be much more appealing (maybe $8 for new releases, $5 for older films). A one hour TV episode is $2, but a 1.5 hour movie costs 6-7 times that much. I don't like it. (Then again I didn't like that 5 minute videos also cost $2). Even though I think $0.99 was too high for a per song price, it was still low enough to have that impulse buying appeal. It's not even a dollar, I can afford one more!! But now we're talking $10+ so it's a much bigger investment. Not to mention with songs I could burn them onto a CD and move the media into other places with less restriction.
So then there's the rumored upcoming Apple "iTV" that will somehow bring the iTunes/movie content onto your big screen TV (presumably Microsoft will do something similar, maybe with the Xbox 360?). First off I'm not sure exactly how this will be accomplished - maybe some type of DVR-esque hard drive with a system capable of running iTunes? Or will it be wirelessly connected to your computer, in which case you have to leave your computer on? In any case, this would make the idea more palatable - my entire library digitally held in one place, I don't even have to get up to insert a DVD to watch the movie I want to. However, if quality suffers, I'm thinking this wouldn't be that great an option. Not to mention all those fun bonus features! And of course there's still the cable companies and their newer/better "on demand" content to contend with.
So color me guarded. I'm a gadget whore, and Apple pretty much knows how to push all my buttons, so more than likely I'll end up purchasing an "iTV" at release. But right now, I don't see the vision yet.
So my question is whether or not this really fills a legitimate market space. I can purchase a "real" DVD with all the bells and whistles to watch on my big screen TV for roughly the same price (particularly if I catch the sales or find pre-owned movies, which can actually be cheaper). This is not the same as the original $0.99 download for a song concept - the price differential is too high in my opinion, not to mention portable music is much more desirable than portable movie viewing. You aren't going to watch a movie while jogging, and I'd much rather experience Pirates or Incredibles on a large screen than on my computer or a 3.5" iPod screen. Well, that's my thought anyway, maybe the younger generation has a different opinion.
My gut says they are being too greedy. I'd say for this to be a stronger candidate, the price structure would have had to be much more appealing (maybe $8 for new releases, $5 for older films). A one hour TV episode is $2, but a 1.5 hour movie costs 6-7 times that much. I don't like it. (Then again I didn't like that 5 minute videos also cost $2). Even though I think $0.99 was too high for a per song price, it was still low enough to have that impulse buying appeal. It's not even a dollar, I can afford one more!! But now we're talking $10+ so it's a much bigger investment. Not to mention with songs I could burn them onto a CD and move the media into other places with less restriction.
So then there's the rumored upcoming Apple "iTV" that will somehow bring the iTunes/movie content onto your big screen TV (presumably Microsoft will do something similar, maybe with the Xbox 360?). First off I'm not sure exactly how this will be accomplished - maybe some type of DVR-esque hard drive with a system capable of running iTunes? Or will it be wirelessly connected to your computer, in which case you have to leave your computer on? In any case, this would make the idea more palatable - my entire library digitally held in one place, I don't even have to get up to insert a DVD to watch the movie I want to. However, if quality suffers, I'm thinking this wouldn't be that great an option. Not to mention all those fun bonus features! And of course there's still the cable companies and their newer/better "on demand" content to contend with.
So color me guarded. I'm a gadget whore, and Apple pretty much knows how to push all my buttons, so more than likely I'll end up purchasing an "iTV" at release. But right now, I don't see the vision yet.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
[Music] Under the Influence of Giants
Last week while watching some lame reality show on MTV, at the end of the show I caught a minute of a video/tune that just sucked me right in. It was kind of weird, kind of funky, kind of fun, just very hard to describe. My very first impression was something of a modern hybrid cross between the Bee Gee's and B-52's. I saw the name of the song was "Mama's Room". So I ran to my iTunes store and looked it up. Turns out the band was called Under the Influence of Giants. In moments I was sampling the entire album and pretty much every sample I found engaging, in different ways. The price for all 12 tracks was $7.99 so I figured at $0.67 a song I couldn't go too far wrong. I also bought one of the remixes of Mama's Room which I also recommend.
I burned the album onto a CD and listened to it the next day. And then promptly fell in love with every track. This hasn't happened to me in a long, long time. It just felt so fresh and interesting, the sounds often reminiscent of different (much older) styles and bands, yet distinctly new and fun. It went from weirder, high energy material, to slower pop songs, to fun mid-tempo tunes. I ate it all up and have since listened to the full CD around 10 times. Give it a sample if you get a chance!
I burned the album onto a CD and listened to it the next day. And then promptly fell in love with every track. This hasn't happened to me in a long, long time. It just felt so fresh and interesting, the sounds often reminiscent of different (much older) styles and bands, yet distinctly new and fun. It went from weirder, high energy material, to slower pop songs, to fun mid-tempo tunes. I ate it all up and have since listened to the full CD around 10 times. Give it a sample if you get a chance!
Gays in Games (Enchanted Arms Xbox 360)
Yesterday I picked up Enchanted Arms for the Xbox 360. I had read a little pre-release hype about one of the main characters being flamboyantly gay, but I assumed the role was minor and all the talk was exaggerated. Boy was I wrong. A number of forum posters mentioned they wouldn't buy the game because of this, while others were quick to defend the game and the characters. So I had to see it for myself. Now I've been a fan of various Japanese console RPGs for many many years, so this wasn't a stretch for me to buy regardless, but I must admit I was very curious about the "Makoto" character.
(Side note: the game itself is pretty decent, my impressions are posted over on octopusoverlords. It looks like a fairly standard, conventional console RPG with a few bells and whistles. Not the "next generation" adventure touted on the box, but certainly a nice first effort for the 360.)
So anyway, the producers chose to go with a hideously over the top style for the voiceover on Makoto. This after they dress him up in a bizarre effeminate outfit, complete with bare midriff and lots of eyeshadow. It's rather jarring and uncomfortable to watch and listen to, but after a while you kind of get used to it. (Note the manual describes him as a transvestite, which I found rather laughable.) They further insist on every other comment he makes (at the outset) being something about how much he loves and worships one of the other male characters. Apparently he makes a deluxe lunch for his buddy every day, and calls himself his "disciple of love." The whole thing left me rather mystified as to what exactly the writers were aiming for. Is it supposed to simply be funny? Mean spirited? Pathetic? It's rather confusing. I don't know whether to cheer because there's a gay character featured prominently in a mainstream game, or be offended that the portrayal is so stereotypical. As I reflect upon some older RPGs I've played, I'm thinking he fills the role of "obnoxious comic relief" often reserved for some bizarre talking animal/monster or sometimes for a young snooty female who later gets put in her place.
Anyway, I'm very curious to see where they take his storyline, and I'll reserve final judgment until I see more. It just gets you thinking about our society, and how every time you think gay people have become that much more integrated into the culture (particularly watching TV and movies), something like this comes along to make you realize how much further we have to go.
(Side note: the game itself is pretty decent, my impressions are posted over on octopusoverlords. It looks like a fairly standard, conventional console RPG with a few bells and whistles. Not the "next generation" adventure touted on the box, but certainly a nice first effort for the 360.)
So anyway, the producers chose to go with a hideously over the top style for the voiceover on Makoto. This after they dress him up in a bizarre effeminate outfit, complete with bare midriff and lots of eyeshadow. It's rather jarring and uncomfortable to watch and listen to, but after a while you kind of get used to it. (Note the manual describes him as a transvestite, which I found rather laughable.) They further insist on every other comment he makes (at the outset) being something about how much he loves and worships one of the other male characters. Apparently he makes a deluxe lunch for his buddy every day, and calls himself his "disciple of love." The whole thing left me rather mystified as to what exactly the writers were aiming for. Is it supposed to simply be funny? Mean spirited? Pathetic? It's rather confusing. I don't know whether to cheer because there's a gay character featured prominently in a mainstream game, or be offended that the portrayal is so stereotypical. As I reflect upon some older RPGs I've played, I'm thinking he fills the role of "obnoxious comic relief" often reserved for some bizarre talking animal/monster or sometimes for a young snooty female who later gets put in her place.
Anyway, I'm very curious to see where they take his storyline, and I'll reserve final judgment until I see more. It just gets you thinking about our society, and how every time you think gay people have become that much more integrated into the culture (particularly watching TV and movies), something like this comes along to make you realize how much further we have to go.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The Zen of Zuma
There's a little game from Popcap Games called Zuma. In it, you shoot balls from the mouth of a little frog, and if that becomes 3 or more same-colored balls, they are destroyed. The goal is to eliminate all the balls. There are some "specials" like an exploder ball and one that pushes things backwards, as well as assorted bonuses for little coins that appear on the screen or for shooting through a gap in the snake-like ball progression. It may sound kind of lame, but trust me, it's highly addictive. Kind of like "The Game" from that old ST:TNG episode featuring Wesley.
Anyway, sometimes as I play I realize I spout out words to live by that go beyond the simple arcade gameplay. So I thought I'd jot down a list of rules to live by inspired by playing Zuma.
1. Don't Panic. Just like in life, losing your cool never does you any good. Stay calm, stay focused, let the game come to you. Ugh, that sounded so cliche it made me a little sick.
2. Never Give Up. A corollary to number 1, Zuma almost always offers a chance to survive. But you have to be persistent. A defeatist attitude is generally a quick loss.
3. You Need A Little Luck. It may be hard to swallow, but no matter how smart or good you (think you) are, you still need a little luck to succeed.
4. Sometimes You Gotta Take Risks. There's always a risk/reward ratio in everything you do. Zuma is no exception. There are times you just have to go for that between the balls shot to hit the exploder behind them because it's your only chance. If it doesn't work out, at least you took a chance.
5. Never Gloat. Gloating and over-confidence looks bad on anyone. And trust me, just when you make it to level 12 and even think about gloating about it, you will regret it big time.
6. Sometimes, Greed is Good. Kind of hand and hand with 4 and 5, there are times when it's better to be greedy and go for extra points from a coin or a trick shot. The reward over the longer haul is the chance at an extra frog which you may need. Just don't let greed control your every action, because that too can become your downfall.
7. Think Fast, but Think Strategically. Zuma teaches you to plan ahead - at least a couple of steps if possible. Set things up so that you can get a special or a secondary blow up.
8. Make Good Decisions. That sounds prety stupid and obvious, but this game demands you make the right choices, and make them fast. Anything less and it's game over.
9. Know When to Discard. Corollary to 8, there are times when the timing just isn't right, so dump that ball and wait for something you really need/want.
10. Be Alert and Be Flexible. You have to pay attention at all times, there are opportunities all around you, if you can just follow all the other rules and find a way to get to them. But you also have to be willing to change your rigid gameplan and adjust to what's presented to you.
Anyway, sometimes as I play I realize I spout out words to live by that go beyond the simple arcade gameplay. So I thought I'd jot down a list of rules to live by inspired by playing Zuma.
1. Don't Panic. Just like in life, losing your cool never does you any good. Stay calm, stay focused, let the game come to you. Ugh, that sounded so cliche it made me a little sick.
2. Never Give Up. A corollary to number 1, Zuma almost always offers a chance to survive. But you have to be persistent. A defeatist attitude is generally a quick loss.
3. You Need A Little Luck. It may be hard to swallow, but no matter how smart or good you (think you) are, you still need a little luck to succeed.
4. Sometimes You Gotta Take Risks. There's always a risk/reward ratio in everything you do. Zuma is no exception. There are times you just have to go for that between the balls shot to hit the exploder behind them because it's your only chance. If it doesn't work out, at least you took a chance.
5. Never Gloat. Gloating and over-confidence looks bad on anyone. And trust me, just when you make it to level 12 and even think about gloating about it, you will regret it big time.
6. Sometimes, Greed is Good. Kind of hand and hand with 4 and 5, there are times when it's better to be greedy and go for extra points from a coin or a trick shot. The reward over the longer haul is the chance at an extra frog which you may need. Just don't let greed control your every action, because that too can become your downfall.
7. Think Fast, but Think Strategically. Zuma teaches you to plan ahead - at least a couple of steps if possible. Set things up so that you can get a special or a secondary blow up.
8. Make Good Decisions. That sounds prety stupid and obvious, but this game demands you make the right choices, and make them fast. Anything less and it's game over.
9. Know When to Discard. Corollary to 8, there are times when the timing just isn't right, so dump that ball and wait for something you really need/want.
10. Be Alert and Be Flexible. You have to pay attention at all times, there are opportunities all around you, if you can just follow all the other rules and find a way to get to them. But you also have to be willing to change your rigid gameplan and adjust to what's presented to you.
Celebrity Duets Premiere Review
So by now it's probably obvious I watch a lot of TV. I try to be discerning but in the end I watch a ton of everything. I resisted the first couple of seasons, but eventually gave in to Idol the last 2 seasons, so now I'm kind of into these singing competitions. I was even one of the 17 people who watched The One. I've also seen a number of other reality shows and competitions; in fact I was a big fan of the "original" - MTV's Real World.
But I digress, last night's premiere of Celeb Duets added a slight new twist on the AI+Dancing with the Stars format. The twist being that the duet partners were arguably much bigger stars than the so-called "celebrities" (mostly B-listers and has beens). This made for an interesting dynamic throughout the evening and kind of makes you wonder how it's all going to turn out (not so much the competition, but ratings and popularity-wise). Chris Jericho was horrible, but he looked good so I guess that counts for something. I felt bad for the people who had to sing with him, it was painful to listen to.
If I had to lay odds right now, I'd say it will be a showdown between Xena and Jai from Queer Eye. Xena was head and shoulders above the other 2 women (both literally and vocally), and Jai was clearly the best of the men. That would certainly make an interesting finale for the gay and lesbian fans. As for me, I'm still rooting for Hal Sparks, but I think at best he can get to maybe the final 4 (since I'm guessing I'll say... Alfonso, Hal, Jai and Xena).
The judges are interesting. Little Richard was clearly brought in for the Paula Effect (i.e. saying drunken non-sensical things and throwing off the timing of the otherwise clockwork pace); my friends reminded me he is even sitting in Paula's middle spot. David Foster had some useful comments but mostly got overshadowed by Little Richard's antics. Marie Osmond was actually very good and I agreed with most of her opinions, and I liked that she balanced her praise with some critical suggestions. Still I think I'd prefer to see her duet/sing; I think she'd at least do a much better job than the Destiny's Child chick.
Speaking of which, it did seem a little odd to go from a legendary vocalist like Gladys Knight to "that third Destiny's Child girl." I mean, come on, give us some Beyonce if you're going to go that route! The other "legends" were a bit hit or miss. I liked Smokey and James Ingram, but Townsend, Travis and Womack did nothing for me. Michael Bolton seemed off. A nice blend of people they found but I think it would be more interesting to have more singers famous for their duets. I wonder if it will be the same people throughout the series, or if they will bring in others. Doesn't Whitney need some exposure? Ooh, how abotu Dolly Parton or that raspy "Love Lift Us Up Where we Belong" guy? What's Kenny Rogers doing? Donna Summer?
Anyway, I had a good time watching the show, some decent performances mixed in with some cringe-inducing nausea. Thank goodness for DVRs, though, as I don't think I could have stomached a full 2 hours of it.
But I digress, last night's premiere of Celeb Duets added a slight new twist on the AI+Dancing with the Stars format. The twist being that the duet partners were arguably much bigger stars than the so-called "celebrities" (mostly B-listers and has beens). This made for an interesting dynamic throughout the evening and kind of makes you wonder how it's all going to turn out (not so much the competition, but ratings and popularity-wise). Chris Jericho was horrible, but he looked good so I guess that counts for something. I felt bad for the people who had to sing with him, it was painful to listen to.
If I had to lay odds right now, I'd say it will be a showdown between Xena and Jai from Queer Eye. Xena was head and shoulders above the other 2 women (both literally and vocally), and Jai was clearly the best of the men. That would certainly make an interesting finale for the gay and lesbian fans. As for me, I'm still rooting for Hal Sparks, but I think at best he can get to maybe the final 4 (since I'm guessing I'll say... Alfonso, Hal, Jai and Xena).
The judges are interesting. Little Richard was clearly brought in for the Paula Effect (i.e. saying drunken non-sensical things and throwing off the timing of the otherwise clockwork pace); my friends reminded me he is even sitting in Paula's middle spot. David Foster had some useful comments but mostly got overshadowed by Little Richard's antics. Marie Osmond was actually very good and I agreed with most of her opinions, and I liked that she balanced her praise with some critical suggestions. Still I think I'd prefer to see her duet/sing; I think she'd at least do a much better job than the Destiny's Child chick.
Speaking of which, it did seem a little odd to go from a legendary vocalist like Gladys Knight to "that third Destiny's Child girl." I mean, come on, give us some Beyonce if you're going to go that route! The other "legends" were a bit hit or miss. I liked Smokey and James Ingram, but Townsend, Travis and Womack did nothing for me. Michael Bolton seemed off. A nice blend of people they found but I think it would be more interesting to have more singers famous for their duets. I wonder if it will be the same people throughout the series, or if they will bring in others. Doesn't Whitney need some exposure? Ooh, how abotu Dolly Parton or that raspy "Love Lift Us Up Where we Belong" guy? What's Kenny Rogers doing? Donna Summer?
Anyway, I had a good time watching the show, some decent performances mixed in with some cringe-inducing nausea. Thank goodness for DVRs, though, as I don't think I could have stomached a full 2 hours of it.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Samsung Q1 Review/Impressions
I posted this on origamiportal a while back, here's my Q1 review.
I recently took it on a short trip and it was the perfect little companion. Lightweight and unobtrusive. Watched a couple of videos while resting, and also the first ep of Kyle XY off of iTunes. Very nice.
Other random update: I installed Zuma on this the other day and surprisingly it played extremely well with a pen/tablet. It's a totally different feel from the mouse but very responsive, much more so than trying it on an Xbox 360!
I recently took it on a short trip and it was the perfect little companion. Lightweight and unobtrusive. Watched a couple of videos while resting, and also the first ep of Kyle XY off of iTunes. Very nice.
Other random update: I installed Zuma on this the other day and surprisingly it played extremely well with a pen/tablet. It's a totally different feel from the mouse but very responsive, much more so than trying it on an Xbox 360!
Kyle XY Season Finale (spoilers)
I came across one of those ads for KyleXY in the mall a while back, you know the one, with cutie boy Kyle holding up his shirt and showing his lack of a belly button. I also recall seeing "Who is Kyle XY?" skywriting on Father's Day; ABC clearly did a nice job with the pre-release promo. Still, I ended up missing the first few episodes and kind of decided against watching it. Luckily I had mentioned the show to a couple of friends who did stick with it, and later convinced me to give it a try. I ended up watching the last 4 or 5 episodes, and in between went back and saw the premiere off of iTunes. One of these days I'll get the few I missed and fill in the remaining blanks.
I was very pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of the show. I must admit I was a bit biased against it at first given that it was showing on ABC Family. But ABC did a nice little trick and did a replay of the show on the main network, which meant I could watch the show in HD. That was enough to get me to watch, but it was the show itself that got me hooked. An interesting blend of traditional family drama, soapy high school trauma, all mixed in with the mystery of who this super kid with no memory was. I love sci-fi mixes in shows, but what really got me was how the show suckered me in with touching moments about family, love, loss, heartache, etc. It's like a cross between Dawson's Creek, 90210 and the X-Files.
Anyway, the promos promised answers to all our questions for the finale. I'd say we got a good helping of info, but things are definitely set up well for a second season. The big reveal (which I'm guessing most sci-fi fans had already guessed) of Kyle as a clone/experiment was handled fairly well. They had given enough clues to make it pretty much what we expected. The second reveal of the "original" being alive was also not too hard to guess (though I also thought Kyle might have been cryogenically frozen for 20 years and memory wiped) - but what was amazing was how perfect the casting of J. Eddie Peck (btw anyone remember him from Cheers) as the older/original version was. He looked so much like an older version of Kyle it was kind of creepy. Their 2 scenes together were excellent. And then the third reveal of another (maybe evil?) Kyle clone being ready for action was a very nice way to end the season, promising all sorts of problems to come. Interspersed were some excellent goodbye scenes, as well as the Tragers dealing with Kyle's sudden departure. The best scene was the mom's breakdown - I was anticipating it the whole episode, but it still got to me, and I admit I got a little teary-eyed.
All in all, great summer show and I look forward to seeing the show return next year. Reminds me of how I felt after watching the first season The 4400.
I was very pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of the show. I must admit I was a bit biased against it at first given that it was showing on ABC Family. But ABC did a nice little trick and did a replay of the show on the main network, which meant I could watch the show in HD. That was enough to get me to watch, but it was the show itself that got me hooked. An interesting blend of traditional family drama, soapy high school trauma, all mixed in with the mystery of who this super kid with no memory was. I love sci-fi mixes in shows, but what really got me was how the show suckered me in with touching moments about family, love, loss, heartache, etc. It's like a cross between Dawson's Creek, 90210 and the X-Files.
Anyway, the promos promised answers to all our questions for the finale. I'd say we got a good helping of info, but things are definitely set up well for a second season. The big reveal (which I'm guessing most sci-fi fans had already guessed) of Kyle as a clone/experiment was handled fairly well. They had given enough clues to make it pretty much what we expected. The second reveal of the "original" being alive was also not too hard to guess (though I also thought Kyle might have been cryogenically frozen for 20 years and memory wiped) - but what was amazing was how perfect the casting of J. Eddie Peck (btw anyone remember him from Cheers) as the older/original version was. He looked so much like an older version of Kyle it was kind of creepy. Their 2 scenes together were excellent. And then the third reveal of another (maybe evil?) Kyle clone being ready for action was a very nice way to end the season, promising all sorts of problems to come. Interspersed were some excellent goodbye scenes, as well as the Tragers dealing with Kyle's sudden departure. The best scene was the mom's breakdown - I was anticipating it the whole episode, but it still got to me, and I admit I got a little teary-eyed.
All in all, great summer show and I look forward to seeing the show return next year. Reminds me of how I felt after watching the first season The 4400.
Monday, August 28, 2006
The 4400 Season 3 Finale (spoilers)
Was anyone else out there watching? After a great first and second season, The 4400 ended it's third in an odd sort of transitory state. Like most of the rest of the season, the finale had some great moments (Boyd going boom, Summer dominating Richard, Tom shooting Isabelle) and some less so (Alana getting zapped, Maia at school, Shawn acting lame and inconsistent, Kyle's near no-show). The writing this season has been kind of hit or miss, and some of the plot points come across more related to the actors' schedules or casting issues than to desired plot development. As a result, the finale left me a bit hollow, with only Tom (and maybe Richard) looking like a surefire return for next season (I've been assured by "Maia's visions" that season 4 will be playing June 2007). Diana seems ready to quit, Maia claims she'll be back but it would be a hard sell without Diana or her sister (who has a 50% chance of dying) returning, Kyle likewise is 50/50, Isabelle and Shawn could both be left in comas if necessary, and Alana beamed away to The L Word.
It's an odd sensation, but basically I was left feeling like the characters' stories were all hinging on contract negotiations for the next year. It's nothing new in the TV world, but The 4400 succeeded in its first 2 years by playing tightly to the story and the characters; this year seemed to move away from that style, unfortunately. The biggest loss up front was killing off arguably the "heart" of the show (Laura Allen as Lily) in the first episode. There was a strong romantic vibe that guided the first season in particular, which was sorely lacking this year. I also missed Kyle as well, and his brief return in essentially a single episode was not nearly enough.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the show. There were some great surprises and plot shifts, as well as some very welcome and fun guest stars that made approximately half the episodes great TV. It just felt like there were some things missing, some plot holes, and a couple of throw-away episodes. So here's hoping the writers and the cast can recapture some of what they lost in the next season.
It's an odd sensation, but basically I was left feeling like the characters' stories were all hinging on contract negotiations for the next year. It's nothing new in the TV world, but The 4400 succeeded in its first 2 years by playing tightly to the story and the characters; this year seemed to move away from that style, unfortunately. The biggest loss up front was killing off arguably the "heart" of the show (Laura Allen as Lily) in the first episode. There was a strong romantic vibe that guided the first season in particular, which was sorely lacking this year. I also missed Kyle as well, and his brief return in essentially a single episode was not nearly enough.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the show. There were some great surprises and plot shifts, as well as some very welcome and fun guest stars that made approximately half the episodes great TV. It just felt like there were some things missing, some plot holes, and a couple of throw-away episodes. So here's hoping the writers and the cast can recapture some of what they lost in the next season.
Let's get it started in here!
I've thought about starting one of these blogs for quite some time now. I realize I'm a bit late to the party at this point, but I figure this is just as much for me as it is for anyone else. This blog isn't meant to come across as being an authority on much of anything, but I realize I have a lot of random opinions and thoughts on a wide variety of topics, so why not jot them down somewhere? This way I won't clog up the forums I'm already a member of with all my useless banter :)
Anyway, hope any one who does come across this little space in the Internet gets something vaguely useful or amusing out of it. If so, I will consider it well worth the effort.
Anyway, hope any one who does come across this little space in the Internet gets something vaguely useful or amusing out of it. If so, I will consider it well worth the effort.
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