28 January, 2010
Today, Steve Jobs announced the iPad. A new device from Apple that tries to invent it’s own category. It’s basically a Netbook/E-reader device with a 27 cm. diagonal screen. Some people refer to it as a a juiced-up iPhone. The prices start at $499 for the 16 GB version, but an internet connection other than Wifi will cost you another $130 per year (!).
Design, Screen, Graphics.
The overall look is slick, and it’s wafer thin at about 1,5 cm, but I’m somewhat disappointed it has such a thick border around the screen. Also the screen is Read on…
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22 December, 2009
This week, at iHollywood’s Digital Living Room conference a Sony US marketing manager stated that company plans to build out an area on the PlayStation with it’s own, original TV programming. Meaning that with a connected Playstation 3, you don’t need a TV subscription to see the TV shows.
MTV your PS3
Sony already released the Vidzone Music Video application for PS3 this month, offering “your own personalized version of MTV” on the Playstation 3. This free app offers unlimited access to high quality music video streams, and the ability to build custom music video playlists, turning the PS3 into an MTV type station - but one that actually shows Music Videos ;)
From MTV to HBO
The ultimate goal is to transition from a Read on…
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13 November, 2009
This week, UK gaming industry publisher MCV has broken the news that in November 2010 the Xbox add-on known as “Natal” (the black thing lower in the picture) will be released. According to MCW 5 million Natal units wil ship globally and there will be at least 14 games supported by the hardware.
Why you should care
Simply put, Natal enables you to talk to your TV, and it will recognize what you say. Also, you will be able to have it interpret motions you make. Don’t think Wii, think Minority Report. It can even see you smile or frown, and react accordingly. Natal is actually a set of very sensitive depth-vision cameras that do facial recognition and voice recognition as well. This is some extremely complicated technology in a low-cost device. What that means is demonstrated in this must-see video.
14 games ready for launch.
After the unveiling of Natal, Activision Read on…
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27 August, 2009
The Xbox 360 Elite game console will be made $100 cheaper this week. As of this Friday it will sell for $299 (or €249). That is an HD device with a 120GB hard drive for the price of a Wii! The Xbox 360 Arcade version, which does not have a built-in hard drive, remains at its current price of $199 (€175). This happens shortly after the recent $100 price drop for the Playstation 3.
Sony drop
Along with the price drop, Sony is now trying to make up for the disappointing sales of the PS3 with a marketing campaign to reposition the console as more of an all-in-one entertainment device because of its ability to play Blu-ray DVDs. This year, Xbox sales are the only console in positive growth in the US, rising by 17%.
Overall score
Microsoft has sold more than 30 million Xbox 360s worldwide since it introduced the second-generation game console in November 2005. Sony has sold 24 million PS3 consoles in the same time, while Nintendo Co. has moved roughly 52 million Wii consoles since launching the device in November 2006. So it would seem that the Wii is the clear winner. However… Read on…
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9 August, 2009
Internet enabled TV sales are growing rapidly according to reports from Quixel Research (US data). Meaning TV sets that have inbuilt network connectivity via WiFi or network cable. Of course, this means you could be Twittering from your TV set :) Other features range from the ability to display simple RSS feeds and dedicated services to advanced on-screen Widgets for access to Weather, Stock quotes, Youtube etc. The TV sets usually are able to play video files that sit on a Media Center PC or Home Server in the home network as well.
Rapid increase in sales and revenue
In the second quarter of 2009, the revenue from televisions that have built in Internet capabilities grew 40% to over 1 billion US dollars. In terms of unit sales, shipments Read on…
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13 June, 2009
This week Dell blogged that it has generated more than 2 million U.S. Dollars in revenue from their Twitter account @DellOutlet. This means that they are up one million since late last year, which was the first time they disclosed some information about Twitter-generated sales.
Growth
Looking at the growth rate it stands to reason that the Twitter related sales on Dell’s sites will probably amount to over 3 million dollars in software, hardware and services in the calendar year 2009. Funny thing is that according to Dell, much of the growing interest in this Dell Twitter account growth was actually not driven by Dell marketing, but by Read on…
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9 June, 2009
Apple® today introduced the new iPhone™ 3G S, according to Apple “the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet”. This thing was pretty much conceived while Steve Jobs was either very ill or had already left the office for his sick leave. As such, it offers us a first glimpse of what life without Jobs could be like for Apple. Interesting. Let’s take a look at the new features.
Big features
The 2 really big features of this new iPhone are improved speed —up to twice as fast as the last iPhone, according to Apple —and longer battery life. I will be VERY interested in seeing Read on…
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7 February, 2009
Proof for the point that internet video distribution through consoles is growing fast. Netflix, an American video rental service that started out renting out DVD’s through the post, is successfully crossing over into internet distribution by using the Xbox 360 game console to get movies on subscribers’ TV screens.
In the last few months, one million Netflix subscribers have downloaded and activated the Netflix app that enables Microsoft’s Xbox 360 videogame console to play normal and HD movies - streaming. And it’s not just that the application was installed often, it’s actually being Read on…
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27 September, 2008
Microsoft recently launched the “I am a PC” ad campaign. Click here to check it out. What I like about is that it gets to the root of what is good about PC’s. But let’s take one step back. Basically, this campaign is really about Apple vs. Microsoft, or, on a hardware level, Mac vs. PC. A response in the discussion that was originally started by Apple’s “Hi, I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC” TV commercial campaign that ran in America, featuring a hip young kid as a Mac and a boring guy with a tie as a PC.
What is the issue here?
Apple is basically an Read on…
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14 July, 2008
Today movie rental company Netflix and Microsoft announced that Netflix subscribers in the US will be able to watch streamed movies and TV shows on Xbox 360 game consoles. The announcement was made at the E3 Media and Business Summit in Los Angeles. The service will be live late this summer.
The service, a software upgrade for the Xbox 360, will be offered at
Read on…
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10 June, 2008
Apart from Euro 2008, my main reason for having a quiet time on this blog is my latest geeky purchase - the Sonos digital music system. Now that I’ve had this in my house for about a month I figured it is time to share my experiences with those of you that care (if you don’t, stop reading ;)). I came across the Sonos system when visiting a friends’ house a while back (thanks for infecting me Dirk) and I was immediately impressed with the quality and responsiveness of the system.
Ever since I have given away my thousands of CD’s a couple of years ago and started buying digital, I have tried to access my digital music in the living room via Windows XP and Vista Mediacenters (not a great interface for large libraries, needs a PC to be always on) , Xbox (too noisy) and an Apple TV (could only sync 40 gigabytes to hard disk). I have a 280 GB collection so I was never quite satisfied with all of those solutions.
The Sonos solution
The Sonos system consists of a remote control unit and one Read on…
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Author: Jeroen Verkroost - Category: Tools, Music, Hardware - 1,905 readers - Comment (5)
7 May, 2008
According to the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, Apple has chosen to start testing the new iPhone together with partner T-Mobile in Austria “very soon”, although it is not exactly clear when and by how many users.
Personally I think the iPhone is a cool device, but I never really wanted the current version because the internet functionality is just too slow, making it pretty much useless outdoors (unless you want to impress random strangers in bars). This new ‘3G’ iPhone model however, will connect to the internet at a speed that puts a smile on your face.
Phat version :)
According to the well-informed technology gossip blog Engadget, the new iPhone will be Read on…
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28 March, 2007
Ten tijde van het nieuws over de iPhone was de introductie van de (eerder al aangekondigde) Apple TV wat ondergesneeuwd geraakt, maar nu is ie er dan toch. Een Apple TV is geen TV scherm, maar een soort Mac Mini met een hdmi-uitgang en wifi. Een mooi apparaatje, zoals we gewend zijn van Apple is de presentatie perfect verzorgd van de verpakking tot de hardware zelf. De losse boekjes zijn netjes weggemoffeld in een soort parelmoer plastic zakje, en de nodige snoeren ontbreken geheel, dus dat is ook lekker opgeruimd.
Moet je zo’n ding hebben?
OK, er is niets innovatiefs aan een Mac Mini met wat AV aansluitingen en iTunes. Ik heb geen Read on…
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10 January, 2007
Op Macworld, de jaarlijkse grote Apple show heeft Steve Jobs in zijn keynote speech de opvolger van de iPod gepresenteerd: de Apple iPhone. Apple heeft er meer dan twee jaar over gedaan om dit apparaat te perfectioneren, omdat het de opvolger van de iPod moet worden; de iPod, die het bedrijf Apple uit een diep dal hielp, is in zijn vijfde generatie wel ongeveer uitontwikkeld. Apple had dus behoefte aan een even innovatieve opvolger om de opmars voort te zetten. Het is de iPhone geworden, een revolutionair apparaat dat functies combineert van een smart phone, de iPod, een digitale camera en een Palmtop. En dat dan met een widescreen display van 9 centimeter en een zeer innovatieve interface. Het enige wat ik er nog op mis is ondersteuning voor mobiele TV.
De telefoon die meedenkt.
“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes Read on…
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31 March, 2006
Erik-Jan Gelink, schrijver van het boek Gekte.com en marketeer bij UPC Nederland, gaf deze week een prima inleidende presentatie bij het Immovator Crossmedia Cafe. De presentatie is heel geschikt om uit te leggen waar het naartoe gaat met TV, vooral aan diegenen die er niet elke dag mee bezig zijn. Inmiddels staat de presentatie online. Ook te vinden via zijn persoonlijke weblog, dat de moeite van het lezen zeker waard is.
Overigens plaatst Erik-Jan zelf een soort disclaimer over het tempo waarin dit allemaal gaat plaatsvinden. “Een kanttekening is dat dit soort ontwikkelingen langzamer gaan dan de innovators denken. Voordat de massa in Nederland op een actieve manier met zijn of haar beeldbuis omgaat, zijn we een flink aantal jaren verder. Maar de mogelijkheden zijn veelbelovend!”
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Author: Jeroen Verkroost - Category: IPTV, Cable TV, Hardware - 1,050 readers - Comment
24 March, 2006
Een Apple telefoon en een Apple abonnement zijn inderdaad in aantocht, zo bleek gisteren. Zoals uw blogger vorig jaar al vaststelde op deze plek is Apple bij uitstek in de positie om in de mobiele markt te stappen. “Een combinatie abonnement, mobieltje en een iPod die op elkaar zijn afgestemd en met elkaar communiceren levert Apple een verdubbeling op van de hardware omzet (apple verkoopt nu 2 apparaten) en een stevige, directe band met de klant. De iTunes muziekwinkel kan weer als marketinginstrument ingezet worden, de marge komt uit de hardware en datadiensten”
Mobile Me MVNO
5 januari was al de term ‘Mobile Me’ in de Verenigde Staten wettig gedeponeerd. In de omschrijving staat dat de term gebruikt zal worden voor een breed scala producten, services en diensten, zoals muziek, games, video, e-mail, antivirussoftware, beveiligingsapplicaties, zoekmachines en zelfs helpdesks. Hiermee wordt Apple een vooral op services en dataverkeer gerichte Mobiele Virtuele Network Operator (MVNO).
Onderdelen besteld
Deze week heeft een manager van BenQ in een interview met een Australisch tijdschrift gezegd dat de iPhone binnen de industrie geen geheim meer is en zeker op de markt zal verschijnen. Volgens de manager zijn al een aantal van de Taiwanese leveranciers van BenQ benaderd om onderdelen voor Apples telefoon te leveren. BenQ zal zelf geen rol gaan spelen in de productie.
Lancering ‘06 - ‘07
Analisten zijn verdeeld over de termijn waarop het apparaat te verwachten is. Als vroegste introductiedatum wordt eind 2006 genoemd. Aangezien de hardware in bestelling is zal het merk waarschijnlijk wel binnen een jaar gelanceerd worden. De “Newton Phone” die afgebeeld is bij dit artikel is overigens geen officieel Apple design.
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