Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 112 of 168)

      Google Fast Flip Lets You Preview Your News

      September 14, 2009 /

      Google logo.Today Google launched an experimental news service aimed at making news more digestible. Called Fast Flip, the service is basically a visual replacement for Google News, which aggregates stories from all over the web. Fast Flip displays those stories visually, giving the reader a look at what’s through the link.

      This is one of those rare Google products I can see myself using every day. Most of the company’s announcements are interesting, falling into that “kinda neat” category that I go dig through when I’m extremely bored. This, though, could easily become the place I go first for news. In a way it’s like the Twitter of the news scene. Granted, things aren’t quite as immediate, but that’s something I appreciate. I don’t mind finding out, like I did tonight, that Patrick Swayze has passed away when it’s been edited once or twice, instead of “OMG PATRICK SWAYZE ILL MISS U <3.”

      You can take a look at Google’s newest project at fastflip.googlelabs.com.

      News, Websites

      40GB Apple TV Disappears

      September 14, 2009 /

      Apple TV.It looks like Apple has given the 40GB version of Apple TV the cement boots treatment. The model disappeared from the online store at some point overnight. The 160GB model, on the other hand, got a nice little price cut, down to $229. Previously it was the 40GB at that price point, while the 160GB cost $329.

      Though there have been rumors of an Apple TV update recently, the hardware still hasn’t changed much since release. The newest rumor is that iTunes LP content has been specifically formatted for viewing on Apple TV, meaning once again that we could at least see a software update in the near future.

      In the meantime, you might want to grab the reduced 160GB model if you’ve been considering it. It’s a pretty nice deal on the little box.

      Apple, Digital Media, Video

      iPhone MMS Getting Sporadic Activation

      September 13, 2009 /

      iPhone MMS rollout.Reports are showing up all over the web today that iPhone MMS has been activated seemingly at random for many users. September 25th is supposed to be the official launch date, but users from locations as saturated as Manhattan and as far-flung as Iowa have reported MMS support on a variety of carrier and OS configurations.

      This isn’t exactly a surprise. One of AT&T’s major concerns with MMS activation for a phone that has become the most popular camera on Flickr is network load. A slow and steady roll-out is basically a silent beta test – a way for users to get an experience they’ve been waiting for earlier than expected and give AT&T the network feedback they need. If this hadn’t been such a long time coming, I’d be inclined to say the carrier did something right.

      Apple, iPhone, News

      iPod Nano 5G And Flip SD Get Side-By-Side Comparison

      September 13, 2009 /

      Flip vs the nano.Since Apple announced the iPod Nano 5G on Wednesday, there has been a lot of talk about whether or not the included video camera will be enough to kill off Pure Digital’s Flip line of video cameras. The editors at NewTeeVee set out to answer that question, and came up with a pretty clear winner: the Flip.

      Now I can’t say I’m surprised. The camera in the new Nano is so bad that Apple doesn’t even want you taking pictures. But words don’t really do the two cameras justice. In order to understand the differences – just how bad the Nano camera looks, and just how good the Flip (which is not an HD model) looks by comparison – you need to see the NewTeeVee video, which I’ve conveniently embedded here.

      As you can see, the Nano looks truly terrible. The picture is overexposed most of the time, does not handle any sort of lighting transition very well, and the resolution is terrible. The videos will look decent on the Nano screen, but anything bigger and you will be hugely disappointed. By comparison, the Flip SD looks great – it handles different lighting well for a cheap camera and the picture is crisp and maintains decent color.

      I’ll be curious to see Apple’s response to this situation. I think we can safely assume we’ll see more and more of these videos around the web in the near future, with more and more of the same reaction: Apple really dropped the ball on this one.

      Apple

      Palm Rejects Its First App

      September 12, 2009 /

      Palm Pre.In its bid to compete with Apple, it looks like Palm will be embracing even the worst of business practices. Despite an already meager offering in the App Catalog, Palm has banned its first application, NaNplayer.

      The problem came when Palm noticed the app using an undocumented API call. It’s actually a call already used by the integrated music player to create playlists, but its not something Palm wanted to see in third-party apps. In a response after the media got wind of the story, Palm’s Developer Community Manager said the API was scheduled to change in future versions of WebOS so current apps shouldn’t rely on it.

      I suppose that makes some sort of sense, but why not let the developer know and encourage them to make the switch instead of enforcing the change through rejection. If the API is going to break playlists, wouldn’t it do the same in Palm’s current app? And if Palm can write a way to migrate those playlists couldn’t NaNplayer’s developers do the same?

      Regardless of the what-ifs, NaNplayer’s developers have said they’ll be going the homebrew route with their app, a decision Palm apparently supports. I suppose that’s better than suggesting homebrewing is illegal.

      Apps, News

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