While I find some of the people in this trailer to be a little more than “off”, I think overall this looks really cool. I guess that makes me a MacHead.

written by Tyler Regas

Now that all the fanbois are out in force, the image gallerys are starting to get pimped. I’ll start with one from Italian blog, setteB.it, who actually got inside the Moscone Center and snapped some useless shots. I seriously doubt there’s any secret gear in the shrouded-in-mystery Apple booth, anyway. Next up is a small series from Mac|Life editor, Roberto Baldwin. He’s funny. In this set we get to see the architectural side of Engadget, which kind of makes the Moscone Center look like street sets in the Beeb’s The Avengers. MacNN has a few of the Italian’s images and some of their own? Gizmodo doesn’t have anything, but here’s an interesting rant from Brian Lam defending their prank using TV-B-Gone clickers at CES 2008.

[Editorial side note: Brian, all of the failures of the press you mention are valid and true, yet what Gizmodo did was wrong, and its irresponsible of Gizmodo to compare the two. Secretly slinking around CES and turning off TVs to satisfy your juvenile need for attention is merely an expression of a lack of maturity, not journalism. Your thinking is flawed if you believe that you are delivering news to the consumer at the same time you are railing against big business. It is the mere existence of these corporations that create what your site requires to exist. That's not pandering or being bought out. Its just news. I've been doing this for no profit for 7 years now. I get review samples here and then, but have never been offered a trip, yet getting gear or taking a flight will not change my opinions. That's what is behind integrity, not the ability to prank TVs at CES. -Ed.]

written by Tyler Regas

While I don’t normally pair up the terms “Fun” and “Microsoft”, Gates does have a sense of humor and has a fondness for rendering that to video. Since this recent keynote was his last one, he had another funny video whipped up, and this one is entertaining. Trifilms produced it, so its on their site as a promotional video for their services. Take a gander.

written by Tyler Regas

Okay. I’m not sure what they’re thinking, that Nokia, but they can’t possibly believe that Jobs & Co. would be galled into joining Nokia’s OVI media portal project just because they do it in public. Understand here that I’m not against the idea. I would be thrilled by the prospect that Apple would open up its DRM and widen the field. Sure, Apple would lose UI control of 3rd party DMPs, but it would gain a significantly stronger grasp on the DMP market as well as a vastly improved “Feel Good” factor. It would be like Microsoft’s PlaysForSure initiative, except it would work.

written by Tyler Regas

If you were looking for some new games you could play at work, stop looking! Ok, for reals. PocketMac creators, Information Appliance Associates, is getting into games, namely ones designed for adults to help relieve the stress of the work-a-day. While they are offering no-brainers like Tic-Tac-Toe and Hangman, they are also offering their take on Mahjongg, called Taiwan Tiles. While they have pre-formed tilesets, they also offer an innovative random tileset generator. They also offer a cute little title called Lunar Mines where you use a spotlight to freak out moonmen intent on shutting down mining operations. Tic-Tac-Toe is US$9.95 while the others are US$19.95 and they are available now exclusively for the Mac.

written by Tyler Regas

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. PodCastingNews has published its annual list of iCrap, a list of the worst in iPod accessories. Heed the list well when choosing gifts for the holidays. Also keep in mind that some of the items are not for younger audiences. For some more questionable product griping, also take a look at Popular Mechanics list of the 10 worst gadgets of 2007. They’re both a real hoot.

UPDATE: Engadget found an abusive little device you can use to torture your fish with an iPod. I can’t even begin to imagine.

written by Tyler Regas \\ tags: fun, ipod, news

I was scanning the headlines at MacWorld and I found this article. It references a report made by Arbor Networks ASERT team, who seem to have it bad for Apple for some reason, which states that the iPhone will be a major security target in ‘08. Its odd that I couldn’t find the report MacWorld was referring to, but hey. Those guys are on the ball. Right? I’m reading a short blog entry at ASERT’s own site and they reference a report from Symantec [!] which discusses security trends for 2008 (talk about the pot calling the kettle black, then slapping the stove). Here’s a snippet from the report where they discuss Google’s Android project:

“In contrast, Apple’s iPhone has currently taken a reverse model approach where third-party on-device applications are not allowed, preventing the vast majority of malicious code for the average user—those that haven’t unlocked their phone.”

Wow! That makes sense. Of course, I generally don’t go to the company whose entire business is invested in selling security products to get my security news. Apparently Arbor Networks does, though. I can’t help but think that someone, somewhere read something the wrong way. Personally, I tend to take things as they come and not freak out because someone told me to… or in this case, someone told someone else something, reversed it, mixed up the attribution, and then didn’t give proper attribution.

Hmmm…

written by Tyler Regas \\ tags: iphone, mobile, news, security

Yes. Sold to Specialty Equity, CompUSSR is going to be shut down and liquidated. If you’re expecting a rash of fantastic Fire Sale-like deals, though, don’t get too excited. Gordon Brother Group, the owners of Specialty Equity, is known to hold off on steep discount deals until the 11th hour. Combine that with the fact that there are only 103 active stores, very few of which are in major metropolitan areas (check your city) and you’re not going to find much.

Two of the possible reasons behind this collapse are Apple and the market. Apple now holds anywhere from 15-20% of laptop sales and the Halo Effect (not the game) from its very, very significant iPod/iPhone business combined with Microsoft spectacular failure with Windows Vista (Blista?) have been driving upgraders to Apple’s online and retail stores better than any slick Apple advertising campaign.

Second, the market has been evolving for years and that includes people’s decreasing need for a monolithic brick & mortar establishment. Like cars, computers are being built better and, despite Microsoft’s claims that people need Vista, XP is a solid platform with proven tools and support and companies like Dell and HP are building better machines based on a wide range of improved technologies. Tie all of this together with low system prices, a drive towards portable and all-in-one systems, and it wasn’t hard to see coming.

written by Tyler Regas \\ tags: business, news

Wow. At least Clinton was caught with a human being! Anyway, I just thought I’d offer well wishes to all Dojo readers in the U.S. who are celebrating Thanksgiving. This is a truly American holiday as its not directly related to any specific religious sect. We simply give thanks for what we have and how hard it was to get it.

Sure, we stole this country from the natives, we stole Hawaii from their sovereign king, and we’ve perpetrated a wide range of other human rights abuses and outright crimes, but hey! We’re here, right? So, let’s give thanks to George W. Bush for all of the wonderful things he has given us and the strong and positive legacy he will have left us when he leaves office next year. Joy to the world, everyone!

written by Tyler Regas \\ tags: bush, cigars, clinton, head, holidays, lorena bobbit, thanksgiving, turkey