The Zune HD

Let me start off by saying that the Zune HD is a fantastic device and its media playback software on Windows is equally impressive.  I have spent many weeks prior to its launch researching everything I could about it.  With Its main competitor being the iPod Touch, Microsoft knew that they would have to release something incredible.  The good news is that they have but there is a catch.  That catch being that while the Zune HD trumps the iPod Touch in music and video playback it also fails to realize that people have come to expect more from their handheld devices.  More functionality and value is required if they are carrying around yet another piece of tech.  

The iPhone OS App Store has really popularized the idea of adding new functionality to your device whether that be a phone or media player.  There are of course other applications available on other platforms (phones) but they simply can't compare to the relative overnight success Apple has managed to accomplish in getting the mainstream audience to adopt this practice.

Extending Apps to the iPod Touch only further accelerated its growth and provided a mostly static device with a wealth of new possibility especially for those who don't wish to get an iPhone.  For instance I am writing this post in an app on my iPod Touch that thanks to Wi-Fi I can easily send over the Internet to go live.  This is something I can't do on a Zune HD and more functionality and value for my limited pocket space is crucial.  Yes the Zune HD is a better media player, offering a more visual and aural experience but considering the Touch is still no slouch in that area and the extensibility it brings via apps it's still a very tough sell for tech savvy consumers who weigh many factors. 

It's true what Apple claimed back in early September, the iPod Touch is a mini computer.  With that in mind what would you prefer to carry with you; a mini computer or a Walkman?  Neither answer is wrong.

Picasa 3.5

This photo management program was updated this week for Windows and Mac OS X and even Linux.  As a Windows user I was quite pleased with this program, however I was always bugged by the way that it didn’t quite follow folder structures that I already had created on my hard drive.  In later versions they addressed this but I still felt it was unwieldy in terms of the control over how you viewed those folders, and caused me to look for something that suited my needs better (I found this in Windows Live Photo Gallery).

As far as this updated release the main feature is the ability to automatically identify faces, which is very handy for searching for particular people.  Geo location is also included now, as well as an improved tagging interface—both of which add a lot of power to this program and add more value to the equation when comparing similar offerings.

One problem I did encounter is that my RAW files from my dSLR camera are still not fully supported it seems (they load but are darker than they should be).  I am using a Canon EOS Rebel T1i, which I should mention load and look fine in WLPG.

If you are already a Picasa user then this update is a must get.  If you’re looking to start better managing your photos it’s a fine choice but if you’re a Windows user I would also check out Windows Live Photo Gallery and see what better suits your preference.

Picasa Download   Windows Live Photo Gallery Download

The Apple TV Factor

Ever wonder what is going on with the Apple TV?  Yeah me neither seeing as it's popularity is shockingly low and it's promotion is even lower.  It does beg the question though as to what is Apple's goal for this device and why aren't we seeing more attention towards it.

I have my own theory or wish that they may attempt to transform it into a home console of sorts the same way most consoles handle games and media (photos, music, video).  I could go even further to think that there would be someway to dock or otherwise tie in with the iPod Touch (the gaming platform it now is) as well as the apps.  This being a totally digital distribution model, working with an already popular device, and now in your living room.  I have to think this is something Microsoft is planning with the Xbox 360 and Zune HD so it is plausible that Apple may also be looking in that direction.

Doing this allows Apple to extend the value of the iPod over the iPhone and helps to differentiate the two devices while providing an even larger inroads to your digital life.  Apple is huge in the personal electronics space and video game sales are also huge, it seems like a business that they could be profitable in despite their computers never being at the forefront of that recreation.

Apple Moving Forward - Gaming

Recently at the 9/9/09 event Apple stated that they intend to promote the iPod Touch as a competitor in the handheld gaming market dominated by Nintendo (DS/DSi) and Sony (PSP/PSP Go).  This is an incredible claim considering the pedigree that both Nintendo and to a lesser extent Sony currently enjoy in that space.  While many people are upset that the iPod Touch didn’t receive more of an update, namely a camera to make it more in line with the iPhone, I think that it’s telling of their future strategy.

For whatever reason the camera wasn’t added (rumors abound concerning manufacturing problems) is irrelevant at this point—Apple wants this device to take on the biggest names in handheld gaming as well as compete as a pocket computer.  To do this they must differentiate from the iPhone, yes they use the same apps but if the iPod Touch is always playing second fiddle to the iPhone in terms of hardware (being fearful to encroach on iPhone sales) without offering something unique then they are defeating themselves in the long run and the iPod Touch will always be an inferior product.

Personally, I don’t want my dedicated handheld gaming device to be using the same battery that I might need to make an important phone call on, convergence is good to a degree.  I am fine carrying around two devices (phone and media player) keeping what works best together though is important.  Mobile phones are good for communication but for entertainment I feel more comfortable having that separate from something that is mission critical.

With that said I do think that they do have a shot at doing very well in this space.  My background being in game development and graphics I think the Touch’s hardware is solid for a relatively young device and their distribution model is an obvious success.  What is missing is a better control scheme.  Multi-touch is a great thing for certain applications however in gaming beyond the casual genre, buttons are needed.  That tactile feedback is a key part of the experience and simply needed to play certain games comfortably (fighting/action/sports, etc.). 

I have learned that one feature that hasn’t been discussed in great length from the 3.0 update is the ability to connect interface hardware to the dock connector.  Like a game controller?  Perhaps one that snaps on to the device and provides traditional controls?Ideally Apple can mix multi-touch and traditional input and at that point they would unshackle a lot of developers to make deeper/better games, unlimited by pure touch controls.

What Apple does is anyone’s guess as usual, however now that Steve Jobs is back at the company I have to believe that he is working intently on preparing Apple to make good on their claims.  They have just bit off a big piece by entering this gaming arena and I really hope they do well as competition drives innovation, which is great for consumers.

iTunes 9 Rumors

I’ve been seeing some screenshots around the web regarding the next version of iTunes expected to be announced at Apple’s September event.  Though this event has been predictable each year, it has yet to be officially announced at the time of this post.  One of the features that interests me is the social networking  aspects.  Nothing specific was mentioned but ties to Facebook were evident in the screenshots, which makes me wonder if they would have iTunes able to update your status with what is currently playing.  That is a fairly simple example that is mimicked in IM clients.  I would like to see them really push the potential and perhaps have you able to stream your library or set playlists with Facebook friends as you can with people on your own LAN, just now over the Internet with select people you choose.  That would be something truly innovative and really add a lot to the way we discover and enjoy music.

Blizzcon wrap-up

The dust has settled and the rumors behind the next World of Warcraft expansion (Cataclysm) are true.  Naturally there was much excitement even before Blizzcon and the last few days have been full of the glee of all the fans and the cries from those worried about the many changes that are lined up.

Some of those highlights are below, as you can imagine the full list of announced features and changes is extensive so be sure to check out http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/.

• New Alliance race:  Worgen
• New Horde race:  Goblins
• New class/race combinations (Human Hunter, Orc Mage, etc.)
• Rated battlegrounds
• Flying mounts in Azeroth
• Azeroth has been redesigned in the wake of the Cataclysm
• Deathwing is the new chief villain of the expansion
• Level cap raised to 85

Deathwing has returned from beneath the earth and in his return caused massive upheavals that have reshaped much of Azeroth in a chaotic disaster.  Blizzard is taking this opportunity to visit the old world once again reinvigorating the sense of nostalgia that many fans still have.  The last two expansions have relegated the old world to early character leveling and the Auction House, Blizzard wanted that to change and I feel that they have the right formula to make that happen based on what I’ve seen.

This expansion is the most bold endeavor that the game has seen, from reimagining Azeroth to changing fundamental aspects of how the game works as well as character development (talents, mastery system, path of the titans).  Personally I feel that though this expansion will be revisiting the old world there will be more than enough new content to keep people happy especially since Blizzard has stated that they kept the level cap at 85 (only 5 new levels) in order to make it less of a chore to reach end game content, which will be a focus of this expansion.

Facebook’s ambition

Recently there was some news in regard to Facebook interested in making its status update system more robust and accessible through APIs for developers and presumably users.  This is a direct shot against Twitter and their own system of micro-blogging.  The question that comes to mind though is the sense of community between services and if there is a brand loyalty or do people just see these tools as a means to an end.  I think the majority of people do in fact use these services to stay in contact and if their contacts  aren’t on a particular service then it won’t catch on in that social circle.

 

With that said, both have an immense following with Facebook currently around 200 million users with Twitter being much less than that but growing by leaps and bounds and attracting many from the mainstream.  Facebook of course using its leverage on its other social networking features and user base will try to capitalize on the market, but does that necessarily mean that it will push out Twitter?

Windows 7 thins its product lineup

Well maybe, it depends how you look at it.

• Windows 7 Starter
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Windows 7 Professional
• Windows 7 Enterprise
• Windows 7 Ultimate

Starter will be available with new PCs but is very crippled (no glass, can only run 3 applications at a time, etc.).  Home Premium and Professional will be the major push for retail and the average user while Enterprise will provide features for businesses and Ultimate will include everything but won’t be marketed as extensively as Home Premium and Professional according to Microsoft.

So what we have here for the average consumer is really a choice between Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate (for those who really need to have it all).  Which really is the same number of versions that you had with Vista when you think about it (Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate).  From the way Microsoft is talking though I suppose their marketing campaign will differ though to simplify the apparent choices.

It’s important to remember than unlike Vista, each version of 7 supersedes the previous, lower version meaning that as you move up from Starter you will always be gaining features never losing what you had from the lower tiers, which is a very smart move.  I just hope Microsoft is as smart with their pricing as they haven’t yet released that information.

The UAC Debacle

As I’m sure you’re all aware (if you’ve been following the very popular Windows 7 beta) there has been some issues with how Microsoft is handling UAC (user access control) in Windows 7.  Initially they wanted to lower the default alert threshold so users wouldn’t be bothered when changing settings for Windows since it was a major complaint with the way Vista operated with UAC.  Then in an outcry from the security-conscious testers/observers Microsoft bends to their demands for it to be more like Vista (more secure but more alerts) considering malware on the system could lower or disable UAC and not prompt the user—leaving the system open to run anything without the users consent.

It just seems that Microsoft can’t please everyone and the user base can’t agree what they collectively want from the vendor.  Personally I feel that Windows should be as secure as possible and the user needs to adapt to the world in which we live where security is a survival trait—we can’t remain to be lazy and naive about real threats that exist and no Mac OS X isn’t the solution.  Apple handles their version of UAC the same way (high alerts) and they have already proven that they aren’t immune to attack.

Google takes a break

This will be a short one but for about roughly an hour this morning for some people (I was only affected around 20 minutes) Google search results were listed as malware and would only display Google’s warning page upon clicking.  The results were still accessible if you adjusted the URL, however hardly convenient if you are doing any serious searching.  In the meantime I know I got use out of Live Search, which picked up the slack as I’m sure it did for many others around the world or another alternative.

Windows 7 and shortsighted people

Increasingly I’ve been reading more and more about Windows 7 and how it has grabbed the attention of even the staunchest Apple advocates such as Walt Mossberg, David Pogue, and Leo Laporte each conveying that they not only feel it is better than Vista but that they haven’t found any show-stopping flaws.  Leo Laporte even goes as far on his podcasts to promote a campaign to release Windows 7 now since in his experience he has evaluated it as shipping ready quality.

While it is widely held that Windows 7 is an improvement over Windows Vista I am prompted to point out that just because you feel it’s ready doesn’t mean the company writing the code should listen and obey.  Microsoft understands what went wrong with the way Vista was handled and has made drastic improvements in how they organize and deploy their efforts for 7.  This alteration in work ethic has lead to this very good beta product, but remember it is only beta.

I am very excited to see 7 launch but not at the expense of Microsoft bending to those vocal proponents and sacrificing more time for testers and the coders at Microsoft to smooth and polish the product. 

With that said, no amount of testing will ever make a perfect product and keeping a product in a perpetual testing phase in hopes that it will make it better is foolish.  Windows 7 needs to be released this year, but not just yet.

Trojan on Mac OS X - Massive Infections

I read this one over at macworld.com. Evidently some less than noble individuals placed a pirated copy of the new iWork 09 online, which was downloaded over 20,000 times. This turned out to be a Trojan horse that asked for the users' password and proceeded to install itself. This has been confirmed as an in the wild threat but fortunately the infection does not spread.

Security through obscurity is a phrase that has been used for years to describe the Mac platform in general and I tend to agree. The real question is how Apple will respond to threats such as these considering as their platform grows in popularity they will start to face the same problems that are affecting Windows users. The difference is Microsoft has had decades of addressing these problems and hardening Windows from a multitude of attack vectors, while Apple has seemingly skated by (getting back to that obscurity thing). I won't bash Mac users on this one, but a sense of humility would be nice in regards to security at the very least and in this area they could learn a lot from Microsoft.

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This site will be the commentary and opinion on stories and topics in the technology and video game industries. My background in Computer Science as well as many aspects of video game development will hopefully provide more substance for all the readers here, especially over the majority of postings on the Internet.

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