Jared’s Blog

Yesterday, Steve Jobs’ made his biannual descent from Cupertino to enlighten the masses with what Apple has been up to for the last six months. The verdict? Largely disappointing. At the start of the keynote, Steve said he had four things for the crowd which turned out to be Time Capsule, the iPhone SDK and software updates, iTunes movie rentals, and the Macbook Air.

The Time Capsule, though obviously a major bullet point in Steve’s presentation, wasn’t given much time on stage. However, that was probably due to the nature of the product. It’s a wireless router with a network hard drive in it. Not all that exciting to demo. Out of all the things announced yesterday, Time Capsule was the one thing I actually would consider buying in the next year. Though, $499 for a 1TB drive and a router seems a little spendy. A similar setup using a router with a USB port and an external hard drive would cost me at least $100 less. I guess that’s why it’s called the Apple tax.

The iPhone/iPod Touch SDK was item number two, but was also glossed over rather quickly. Instead, much of item two consisted of updates to the iPhone and iPod Touch software. Multi-person SMS, triangulation of your location on Google Maps, some new apps, and a customizable home screen were among the features added. These are all things people have been screaming for from the beginning. It’s becoming more clear that despite it’s widespread success, the iPhone v1 that came out last summer is incomplete. Even with all the additions, you still can’t copy/paste, you still can’t get one with more than 8GB of storage, and still no 3G.

Something that really bothered me was they announced 5 new applications for the iPod Touch that cost $20 for anyone who already has a Touch. Anyone who goes and buys one today (or any other time in the future) gets these apps for free. Everyone else who already has one has to pay $20 for them. Why? Did these apps really cost that much to develop? That clearly isn’t the case as the apps are already on the iPhone and they’re being included on new models. Obviously the only people who are going to buy this little software package are current Touch owners. Was the $300 or $400 you already got off these people not enough Apple? What’s $20 when you’ve already spent $300+. Bad Apple, bad.

The third item of the day was has been expected for some time now: iTunes movie rentals. The big surprise was they managed to get all the major studios on board and they completely redesigned the Apple TV interface so rentals without a computer are possible. The fact that you can rent movies isn’t such a big deal. Netflix, Blockbuster, Amazon, and others all have made this available for awhile. The killer feature is that you can do it right on your TV and without any computer. It’s now a stand alone box, not an accessory. To top it off, new Apple TV’s are $70 cheaper than before and existing owners get a free upgrade.

The price $3.99 for new releases, $2.99 for other titles is spot on. However, the fact that you have to watch it within 24 hours is not. Make it 72 hours. Give me a weekend. I buy something on Friday night, but end up going out instead. I should be able to watch it on Sunday when I have the time. And the HD versions (sold at a $1 premium over their standard def counterparts) can only be rented on the Apple TV, not through your computer. I suspect that restriction came from the movie studios paranoia about piracy, not from Apple itself. Good Apple, (mostly) good!

The final line item was the Macbook Air; a $1800 ultra-portable laptop. Just as with the movie rentals, ultra-portable laptops are nothing new. However, no one is quite able to do things like Apple does. The Air is super thin; Apple claims the world’s thinnest. I’m still not sure if that means it’s more sexy or more flimsy. The other notable thing about the Air is it is virtually devoid of ports. It’s got 1 USB port, 1 Mini DVI port, and a MagSafe connector for power. There is no optical drive and there is no ethernet port. I guess thinness comes at a price.

After sitting on it for a day and reading all the fallout online, I’m still trying to figure out where the Air fits into Apple’s lineup. The two sweet spots they don’t cover is enterprise workstations and the mid-range desktop and these are two areas of the market Apple has said they don’t want to go after. Back to the question at hand. Who is this machine targeted at? The type of person who is going to buy this (besides the type who just want you to gawk at their expensive toys) is someone who doesn’t need to do a lot of heavy work and someone who doesn’t have much of a budget. The only group of people I can see fitting that profile is writers. What kind? Columnists, novelists, freelancers, and the like. They are probably traveling quite a bit. Their primary needs are word processing, email, and internet connectivity. However, it doesn’t make sense that Apple would release a computer for such a small niche of consumers. They clearly have something else in mind and I can’t quite put my finger (or mouse pointer) on it.

After hearing about all of the announcements, my overall feeling was one of disappointment. There was nothing in this keynote for me. None of it made me want to run out and buy it right away. None of it had me checking my bank account and making exceptions in my budget. Is that selfish? Sure, but Apple has conditioned me. The thing I was hoping for most, a 32GB + iPhone with 3G, wasn’t even hinted at. Not even a 16GB version like the iPod Touch. There was indeed something in the air yesterday at Moscone Center and it smelled slightly foul.

It was inevitable. That lovely little friend known as my iPod kicked the bucket last week. I was trying to sync it up so I could listen to some recent podcasts on the road and it was fighting me the whole way.

First it synced about 4 of the dozen or so that I wanted. After a few more attempts at getting it to sync the rest, I got fed up and decided do a full reset. It meant having to re-sync every song in my library (6500 songs takes about 3 - 4 hours), but in the past, it’s fixed my issues.

Well, I think the reset was about as much as it could take. Shortly after plugging it into AC power, it stopped responding entirely to button pushes. I plugged it into my PC, it recognized it, but still wouldn’t transfer. I’ve had drive problems since a few months after I got it. It would randomly freeze and the only fix was a hard smack against the palm of my hand. I’d also done a self-install of a new battery after the original stopped holding a charge and the warranty was up.

Yesterday, I stopped by the Apple store and picked up a 160GB Classic. I’d been planning on only getting an 80GB, but I remembered Apple’s recycling program. Bring in any iPod, working or not, and they’ll give you 10% off any iPod purchase the same day. Not only did I get rid of the old brick, but I got a nice little discount. When it was all said and done, I got double the space for only $40.

My biggest complaint is that they no longer include an AC adapter in the box. Something that’s not a problem for me because I still have my old one. The other minor annoyance is that the backlight now stays on the entire time the iPod is connected to a PC or in my car whereas the previous version turned off after a few seconds.

Update: Yesterday, I got a Griffin Reflect case for my iPod too. It’s shiny!

Growing up, I was always encouraged to read. Whether it participating in the local library’s summer reading program, earning pizzas in my school’s reading program, or just plan enjoying a book on my own, I loved to read as a child.

Somewhere along the way, I changed. Maybe it was my fascination with technology. They didn’t have books in Star Wars, they had holographic devices to get their information and entertainment on. Maybe I associated books with school and school with being forced into things I didn’t want to do. Those stories we were assigned in English class always seemed to drag on no matter how many pages they were. Maybe, my tastes simply changed and reading books no longer seemed like a fun thing to do.

Whatever the reason, books simply don’t interest me and they haven’t for a long time. That is not to say I don’t read. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I spend large chunks of my day reading online. I track over 60 feeds in my RSS reader and that number grows all the time. On my Facebook profile under “Favorite Books,” you’ll find one entry: The Internet. And I wasn’t trying to be funny or clever. I really do only read the Internet.

The bigger question is, “Do my habits make me dumb (or dumber than I would otherwise be)?” The benefits of reading are proven and well understood. Higher intelligence, better vocabulary, and a better understanding of others are all skills improved by reading. Am I missing out because I choose to stare at words on a screen rather than on a page?

The reading I do online is probably much more than I would ever read out of any single book in one day and it’s from a varied number of authors and sources. That logic would indicate that I am somewhat ahead of the game. Although, one might argue that the sources I’m reading from aren’t as high quality and therefore are less stimulating. Regardless, I think I’m fairly well versed in culture, above average in vocabulary, and intelligent for the most part. I’d be interested to hear what others think.

I opened up my email yesterday to find an invite to the Hellgate London beta test. I had signed up months ago and forgotten about it. And if you aren’t a hardcore video gamer, then you’re probably thinking, “Great! What is Hellgate London?” right about now.

Hellgate London is a new MMORPG coming out next week. The publisher, Flagship Studios, is comprised mostly of ex-Blizzard North employees. Blizzard North, of course, was the studio that put out both Diablo games. Hearing the words “Diablo” and “MMO” in the same sentence is enough to make most any gamer salivate. Myself included.

However, Hellgate London is not a Diablo sequel, nor is it set in the Diablo universe. With all the demons and medieval weaponry, the game does have a very Diablo-inspired feel to it. In terms of gameplay, it is first and foremost an RPG. You quest, gain experience, develop skills, and collect armor, weapons, and items. The cool thing is it also includes things you’d normally see in a first person shooter. You use the standard movement keys (W, A, S, and D) to move around, but the camera is locked to your mouse. One click is equivalent to one swing of the sword or one shot from your gun. At first the hybrid gameplay style is confusing; especially coming from a traditional MMO like WoW. After a few minutes, I was able to rid my mind of the typical MMO controls though.

Ever since I got bored with WoW and stopped playing (about a month ago), I’ve been looking for something to fill that empty feeling. Like the avid reader, I always have that game that I’m “playing.” I think Hellgate London is going to be it. I found another detail that made the game even more enticing. There is no required monthly fee.

Instead, there are two classes of accounts: paid and unpaid. For only the price of the game, you get access to the online component for the life of the game. Paid (”Elite”) accounts get access to exclusive content for $9.95/mo. I can tell you, after paying $12.99/mo (Blizzards 6 mo bulk deal), $9.95 looks like a bargain. It seems as though they have a pretty good idea of how upgrading or downgrading your account is going to work too.

You may have noticed a lack of posting in the last several weeks from yours truely. I have been putting in extreme hours at work. The good news is we finally launched our Ruby on Rails based site on Monday. For a team of 3 guys, 2 of whom started the project without knowing a lick of Ruby, we managed to crank out a solid app in 9 months.

This launch is especially exciting for me as I did pretty much all of the visual design. There’s a ton of work to be done and I best be getting back to it.

TheHoneymoon.com Check it out!

Last weekend I agreed to take care of the Hadash’s pooches while they were out of town for a wedding. As I’ve said before, it’s always a good time.

The husky, Mishka stirs up trouble once in awhile. There was the surround system she destroyed by chewing through the power cable. Luckily, it wasn’t set up yet and thus, was unplugged. Then there was the time she swallowed a large rock, somehow passed it into her intestines, and then cost her owners $2000 to remove.  Sure enough, she couldn’t go three days with me there without some incident.

It was the last of three days that I was there. At 7AM, Mishka comes prancing into the room and starts howling and licking my face. This means she’s bored after being awake for probably over an hour and wants to go outside to play/release internal waste. I stupidly rolled over and fell asleep for another hour. I awoke at 8AM to both dogs wagging their tails (and the husky holwing of course). I walk into the kitchen (which is where the door to the backyard is) and find, all over the floor, pieces of my former toothbrush and my tube of toothpaste. I carelessly had left both sitting in a half-zipped pocket of my duffel bag. Silly me.

So, a trip to Target and $6 later, I now have a new toothbrush and a full tube of toothpaste. All is well.