From Ordinary Dad to Martin Scorsese

As a 70s child, I have a good deal of round-edged photos that are stuck in between card board and dirty, wax-ish "stuff" that's supposed to preserve pictures (when in reality all it's doing is sealing those precious memories to the cardboard stronger than superglue ever could).

Every so often, I'll look through those photos and see how hideous the outfits were back in the 70s. If I had a dollar for every out of control collar I wore from the ages of 2-8, I would have been a millionaire.

When I look at the collection, I quickly come to the realization that the collection is more like a bunch of bookmarks from my life, i.e. quality over quantity. I attribute that to two reasons: one, my parents were never ones to carry around a camera; and two, technology wasn't what it is today. Polaroids were the Twitter of photography back then.

That leads me to the point of this post.

From the first poop, to the first time they eat peas, to the first time you take them to Fenway Park or walk them down the isle, today's technology makes it very easy for parents to catalog every bit of their kids lives. You can tell from my arsenal of toys that I've done just that with my two kids (girls, five and two):

• Canon Vixia HF10 (high def, flash-drive based video camera.


• Two Canon 30Ds and a variety of lenses (long, imaged stabilized, prime, wide angle, etc.)


• Canon G9


• Mobile devices: Blackberry Storm and iPhone


• Macbook Pro


• Storage: over two terabytes of storage for family stuff

With all this technology and being able to shoot and record just about every second of my kids lives, there are no excuses to miss a thing. I'm able to stream live to the internet via my iPhone and Blackberry to Qik, which is then sent to Twitter and to Facebook. I can post photos to Flickr, videos to YouTube, create DVDs for the family to watch, etc. I've pretty much cataloged every major, semi-major, funny, unintentional moment that my kids have been a part. I've been sticking some sort of recording device in their face since the time the doctor brought them into this world.

Today's tech gadgets make is SO easy for parents to create, produce and share content. These gadgets turn the least tech saavy dad into the next Martin Scorsese. Aim, shoot, download, post and share. That's pretty much the process (with a few minor technical details in between).

The best part of it all is that I love doing it. Not only am I producing high quality images and high def video, I'm creating a treasure chest of memories that my kids will have for their rest of their lives (less any major computer crashes, drive failures, etc. - back-up is a post for another day).

Will my kids appreciate it when they have families of their own? I hope so because I'm having fun doing it. I just hope that they won't mind five cargo loads of external hard drives dropped off at their door step someday.

Some of my favorite memories:

Read more!

The yearning begins: New Apple iPhone (concept?)

My interest is piqued to say the least:

Read more!

Making Memories

GeoTagged, [N42.41296, E71.02939]

I realize that someday my girls will get to a time in their lives that hanging out with dad won't be the optimal thing they want to do on a Sunday.

Today isn't one of those days thankfully. Read more!

Thoughts On The Newspaper Business

While enjoying a quiet Sunday morning with my girls, I fired up the ole MacBook Pro to see what NetNewsWire snatched off the Interwebs. I came across a post over at the Healthcare Economist that outlines the reasons why we still need newspapers.

I've been thinking about this topic for some time now, specifically around two topics: why they are still relevant and what business opportunity they are missing.

Why Newspapers Are Still Relevant

I strongly believe that newspapers are still relevant purely on the fact that the world needs investigative journalism. Big business, politicians and the like, all need to be dragged on the carpet every once and while. The "gotcha" factor is what makes people go out of their way to buy a magazine, newspaper, Tivo the news, etc. We love the drama. We love when criminals and white collar crooks get nailed to the wall. We need folks policing the police, as the Healthcare Economist writes.

Investigative journalism is a form of reporting that brings out the best of writers talents. It's a true story telling format. You have to set up the background. Lay out the issue that is impacting a certain group, audience, culture, etc. Point the finger at who is at fault. And finally, report the feedback of those who are getting the short end of the stick.

Breaking news isn't made for print any more. The Interwebs have taken care of that. The longer, thought-provolking, "gotcha" articles are what make print outlets relevant (whether advertiser buy into that is another story).

Last point I want to make is that newspapers (and long lead print pus) bring credibility to their reporting. I'm more apt to trust what I'm reading in the Globe than I am to trust what I read on a blog - even blogs that are "reputable", have an audience, etc. While blogs are a relevant source for news, they just don't bring the street cred as a brand such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post, for example. The proof in the pudding comes in the form of discussions with clients and new business prospects. They all want media coverage and they all want to be in the top tier papers. A blog hit on Mashable is great, but a story in the Wall Street Journal will have a better chance of driving sales inquiries.

For newspapers to continue to be relevant, they need to really step their game up in terms of their business model.

Advertisers aren't buying ads any more. The masses are online. Video and mobile is where it's at. Those two mediums provide THE best opportunity for newspapers to make money.

Newspapers need to create more video content. I'm not talking about simple voice overs on pictures, but in-depth reporting that is accompanied by supporting print coverage. The video can be wrapped around advertisements and include breaks in the segment with ads - similar to what networks are doing now with popular shows. Additionally, papers need to do a better job in packaging their content so their website compliments the paper/magazine. Make very piece of reporting part of a package that makes interested readers engage both via print and online. This will help avoid the, "I don't buy the newspaper because I can just read it online" thing.

Mobile is the Great Frontier

Another great opportunity for news outlets is mobile. For example, look at the iPhone 3.0 OS announcement last week. The OS will enable app developers to sell content with apps, versus solely through iTunes.

How can this translate into a revenue generator? Well, first off, each news outlet should invest in creating an on-device app, not just a mobile version of their website. Using the Apple Store model, news outlets can offer their app for $.99. Within the app, they will be able to sell advertising space as well as additional content for users. For example, if the Boston Globe had a mobile app, they would could offer exclusive content for an additional, one time fee or some sort of monthly fee - all reasonably priced based on the threshold of mobile consumers. I would pay for things like exclusive videos, inside reviews to new technology, archived articles, etc.

What news outlets need to do is interact more with their consumers. Find out what content they really want and determine the purchase threshold I eluded to.

News outlets just aren't acting quick enough. Where's the urgency? Is it too late? Some will say yes. I say no. The mobile and video opportunities are just two examples. These alone won't save the sinking ship, obviously. Just a small piece of the larger revenue generating pie for a service that's important to consumers, whether we like it or not.

Time is running out.

Photo Credit: Just.Luc

Read more!

BB Storm takes bite out of Apple

Funny video, but not reality. Trust me. I know. I have both devices.

Read more!

QIK: Focus Group for BB Storm and iPhone

Read more!

iPhone icon Manipulation via iTunes

Too bad this is just a concept, but it TOTALLY makes sense to be able to manipulate your iPhone icons through iTunes.

Read more!

Blackberry Storm review

My passion for technology is well document on this blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. For those that read this blog, you know that I've been itching for the iPhone since it came out. I'm on VZW and my work email isn't supported by the iPhone so when the Blackberry Storm came out, I instantly wanted to get it.

However, I held out because first generation devices are typically buggy. A few people in the office got the Storm before I did and I took every opportunity I could to mess around with theirs - try and get a feel for it.

Here are my first reactions, likes, dislikes, etc. since being a Storm owner for three days now.

On first glance, the device is a sharp looking piece of equipment. It's sleek, cutting edge in terms of design. It's a little heavier than my Blackberry Curve, but that was ok because I don't like flimsy feeling-type gadgets.

Here are some other bulleted thoughts:

1. I was very hesitant at first about the keyboard. I have an iPod touch and it took me quite some time to get used to clicking a screen versus hitting buttons. I have big hands and clumsy thumbs. I mastered the Curve and was banging emails out in seconds. I read all the reviews on the Storm and that was the biggest issue with it. Hardcore BB users would not like it because it wasn't as easy to type with. However, after reading some real user reviews, the sense was that you had train your thumbs to manipulate the keyboard. After three days, I've become pretty fast in typing - not as quick as with the Curve, but getting better as the usage rolls along.
   
   
2. Another complaint about the Storm is the navigation. Users liked the track ball and said that you could get to whatever app you needed quickly. I agree that you have to take a couple more steps to get to what you want to open/use on the Storm. However, the customization is great on the Storm, giving you the opportunity to create folders and put frequently-used apps on the home screen. You could do this on the Curve, but in my experience, it's much easier to do on the Storm.
   
   
3. I love the idea of an application center on the Storm. I'm hoping that the volume of apps becomes as deep as what's available for the iPhone/iPod Touch. It's a great concept and one that has great potential.
   
   
4. Flipping back and forth to items on the Storm is as easy as holding down the menu key and switching via a Mac Dock-like function. Lots of folks complained that you can't get to what you need to use on the Storm without clicking a few times. That's not entirely true with the use of the switch app functionality (also available on other BB devices, but not has easy to trigger as it is on the Storm).
   
   
5. The screen is also a source for contention with some users. You see, the touch screen is actually one big button. You actually have to "click" the screen into order to type and select applications. There are two other functions to the screen. One is the moving, scrolling, zooming functions - all the stuff you need to read email and browse the web. Secondly, there's a mid-touch-type function that allows you to scroll through points of text. It's a half click or sorts that allows you to edit text and scroll side to side, top to bottom in emails and documents.
   
   
6. The camera on the phone is decent, not great, but does what it needs to do. The quality of the pictures, on a scale of one to 10, is about a six. It's good in situation when the light is ample. The flash, in dark situation, sometimes can be too powerful - a problem I experienced on the Curve as well.
   

Overall, I find the Storm to be exactly how I expected - a Blackberry at heart with cool functionality, great graphics capabilities, more multi-media options and the ability to view the web in full versus in a mobile version.

I'm glad I made the switch and am looking forward to the next generation of Blackberry's with touch screen capabilities, unless, of course, the iPhone comes to Verizon and it supports Lotus Notes.

;) Read more!

Blackberry Storm reviews

If you're a gadget geek, you have to love Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal. The guy gives it to you straight. No BS. No company marketing spin. The guy just understands who these devices work, what flaws they have, what's great about them and how they stack up against the competition.

All the rage today and tomorrow will be about the Blackberry Storm. My fawning over it has been documented here (just as much as my fawning over the iPhone).

Here's what Walt has to say about the BB Storm:


Two other reviews that should be checked out if you're in the market for this device is Hiawatha Bray's of the Boston Globe and the USA Today review. Read more!

So maybe I won't get an iPhone

Cruising around the interwebs this morning and trolling through my RSS reader and I've been reading a lot of chatter about the Blackberry Storm 9530. If the iPhone does come to Verizon AND it can handle my Lotus Notes email, this might be a tough decision. Of course, this will be a self-funded item (non-work related) so I'm hoping that the costs are relatively decent so it doesn't kill the wallet. Rumors of the storm are in the $200 range without a new contract. We'll see about that.

November is the launch date so either I am an early adopter OR I wait to see what MacWorld brings to the Verizon line-up (read: potentially the iPhone).

In the meantime, check out this promo video.

Read more!

Simple explanation as to why the iPhone matters

Most of my readers, twitter followers, family members, people I work with, etc. all know that I'm itching to get an iPhone. I've covered the reasons. I know that the device has revolutionized mobile devices, but here's an explanation as to why the iPhone really matters. It's a technical reason, but explained in a consumer-ish way by Wall Street Journal columnist and media tech God, Walter Mossberg:

Read more!

iPhones soon to be attacked by ads

How long is going to be before pop-ups start infiltrating our mobile web-browsing, especially with all the iPhone hype.

This news confirms that we'll be under attack on the mobile device as much as we are on the browser.

Once the you know what hits the fan with mobile pop-up ads, it'll give birth to another market opportunity - mobile pop-up ad blockers. The real race, IMHO is the mobile browser. I've yet to use one that I am in love with. The Blackberry browser is ok. I've also used the "Internet Browser" that comes with the BB. Each of them, however, leave me feeling a bit shafted like I'm not getting a full experience.

However, when I browse the web on my iPod Touch, it's a different ball game - this, in itself, fuels my iPhone obsession.

Regardless, this is a tech war (ad technology vs. anti-ad technology vs. browser capability) that is really still in it's infancy stages. It'll take some time before the real battle lines are drawn. Read more!

Google Chat for iTouch as well?

Trolling through the old Google Reader this a.m. and saw this post about Google Chat being available for the iPhone.

Anyone have an indication that it's also available on the iPod Touch? Everything launched for the iPhone has typically worked on the iTouch.

My iPhone obsession continues. Read more!

Blackberry Thunder or iPhone?

This sounds very intriguing.

The Thunder, exclusive to Verizon, sounds like a nice device, but for me, it's still all about the iPhone and having full work functionality. The issue I'm facing is the fact that I'm with Verizon AND work uses Lotus Notes.

For a self-proclaimed tech geek, this doesn't sit well. Read more!

Blackberry vs iPhone

So the peeps over at RIMarkable questioned why the masses thought the iPhone was going to corner the business pro market over the blackberry. While it might not be happening immediately, it will happen. Here's why.

First off, apple has just started to roll out enterprise usage for the iPhone. It's going to take a bit of time before it is widely available for enterprise use.

With that said, if all things were equal, here's why the iPhone would come out on top.

- User interface for one. It's very simple to use and the functionality is very smooth. Blackberry's are a bit chunky and extremely buggy.

- iPhones are more open to third party apps, including a slew of free web apps. Blackberry's have apps but for the most part you have to pay for them. Then you have to ensure you have the appropriate device pending the piece of software you want to buy. For example, IM+ doesn't work on my BB Pearl.

Yea, that's right, I said Pearl. I own a BB. I don't have an iPhone. I'm on the VZW network so in essence, it's impractical for me to own an iPhone. This leads me to my final point.

Blackberry's are available through just about any cell provider. iPhones are just available through AT&T. If the was available on VZW and it was able to be used with lotus notes, I'd be all over it.

Simply put, it's just going to take some time before the iPhone takes over. Read more!

Braveheat-type clash featuring Apple and RIM

I'm a tech geek. I love the gadgets. I use a Blackberry (RIM, research in motion). I want an iPhone but need Blackberry corporate email capabilities. Will the two over converge?

Probably not. However, they will be battling over the same customers though.

VS.

Read more!