Coty's Weblog

Nokia going retail

I was surprised a few weeks back when I noticed unlocked Nokia phones at CompUSA. Today I notice that Gizmodo is reporting Nokia to Open Retail Stores.

Quoting Gizmodo:

Taking a page from the Gateway and Apple playbooks, Nokia will open two U.S. stores in Chicago and New York where they will sell all the hotness that the carriers don't know how to market.

“[H]otness that the carriers don't know how to market”, indeed. I'm so tired of waiting for T-Mobile to carry decent handsets. I’m so hoping I’ll be able to pick up an E61 relatively soon and not have to wait on T-Mobile.

Of course, the coolness of having gotten an unlocked handset via channels will be gone, but such is progress.

Thinking About Tomorrow

Well, Apple is supposed to announce "fun new products" tomorrow. I really have no idea what it will be, but here's what I've been thinking I'd like:

• Expanded network TV content
• Feature-length movie content
• Intel-based Mac mini to store and play said content
• Video-capable AirPort Extreme to distribute said content

Goodness knows I love my TiVo(s), but if iTMS would add The Sopranos and Curb Your Enthusiasm, then I think I could be done with cable and TiVo. Oh, and I'd need The Daily Show and Colbert Report. At that point, I'd have all the shows I want, and I think I could do it for less than I'm paying for cable.

Emotional Rollercoaster

First, Steve announces the Intel-based MacBook Pro. Phil says Apple hasn't done anything to prevent people from loading XP. I'm excited.

Then somewhere I read that it might not be that easy since the MacBook is EFI- rather than BIOS-based. I'm down.

Then Christophe points to efibootmgr. I'm hopeful.

Then Schillling points to the XP Won't Run on Intel MacBook, iMac post on BetaNews. I'm crushed.

Then, apcmag.com says Intel Macs may boot XP after all. I'm confused.

Someone has to have the definitive answer! What (TF) is it?

Google Maps on your cell phone

A little late posting this, but in case you missed it, Google has released Local for mobile^{beta(of course)}.

Looks pretty nice. The Treo isn't supported, yet, but you can install via the Other/Generic/Advanced MIDP2 path. You'll need the WebSphere Everyplace JVM first. I've gotten it loaded on my Treo 600, and it works—sort of. I've been able to get maps of a location, but it locks up every time I try to get directions.

So, KMaps is still your best bet for Google Maps on your Treo. It is more stable, and it is doing more interesting location-based stuff, too. I've heard rumors that Ivan may have more time to devote to it soon, too, so it should be a horse race.

GoToTiVo Coming!

PVRblog reports that TiVo 7.2 will allow PC to TiVo transfer or GoToTiVo as I've referred to it previously.

I cannot wait, but apparently I will have to. Alas, I don't have 7.2, yet. When it does get here, I will be uploading video like a madman. I wonder how many Thomas the Tank Engine videos will fit on an 80-hour TiVo. (You'd need a Thomas-obsessed toddler to understand.) I might have to upgrade.

KMaps evolving

Ivan is on fire. KMaps is just getting better and better. Ivan has moved the latest version from the blog where he introduced it to a new site. Ivan has made a few fixes, and the latest KMaps is working just fine on my Treo 600. More importantly, though, Ivan has really started showing the location-based services that KMaps is enabling. IMO, this is bigger than the maps component. The maps are an enabler, but ultimately it is going to be the traffic reports, the restaurant reviews, the parking assistance, etc.

I need to look around to see what is happening on other mobile platforms in this space. I know about dodgeball, but that is pretty different. I'm sure there must be similar things out there for Symbian, etc.

KMaps - Google Maps on the go on Treo

Ivan Mitrovic (with whom I had the pleasure of working at my last job) has made my day.

I love Google Maps. Who doesn't? I love my Treo. (I wish it were a 650, but I still love it.) Alas, the Treo browser is far from being able to handle the rather ingenious JavaScript used to make Google Maps work. (Hopefully mobile device makers realize they are going to need to address this JavaScript weakness soon.) To get around this limitation, Ivan has created KMaps, a Java application that uses the Google Maps API to give you a great mapping experience on your Treo.

If you have a Treo, get it. (Ivan tested on his 650, but it is working on my 600, as well.) If you have another mobile device (Nokia Series 60 and many others), you might try Mobile GMaps. It works on a Treo, too, but it requires access to a image conversion server that isn't required by KMaps.

Thanks, Ivan!

Build it and I would buy

Using his Treo 650, PalmVNC, and Paul Guyot's Einstein emulator, stevenf mocks up my dream phone/PDA:

I retired my MessagePad 110 a long time ago. It was orphaned. It was too big compared with a Palm. If I'd had a 2000 or 2100 rather than a 110, things might have been different. I know a number of people still carrying those around, and I can understand why. In many ways, there has not been a PDA to date that compares.

The picture above shows the thing that I loved most: the infinitely scrolling note pad. I've yet to find an equivalent app. for a modern PDA that matched it. I could take ink notes, draw diagrams (and have my lines cleaned up), recognize post hoc, etc. Every note got an automatic time/date stamp and could be categorized. A new note was but a horizontal line away.

If only…

Listening to AvH and Udell Talk About TiVo HME

Though I've blogged about TiVo a good bit, including a post about their Strangberry acquisition, I failed to blog about the release of the fruits (sorry) of that acquisition: TiVo's Home Media Engine. That was not at all because I wasn't excited about its release. I downloaded the HME SDK shortly after it came out and have hacked around in it a bit. (Nothing much, but some useful hacks for my use.) It is cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes from developers more dedicated than I.

Anyway, I've also had a podcast of an interview between Arthur van Hoff and John Udell on HME in my queue for a long time. I'm listening to it now, and it is pretty informative. I've learned are that what I called "GoToTiVo" TiVo calls "TiVoToComeBack". I like my name better. I also found it interesting that AvH mentions Google Video Search as something that could be integrated with TiVo via HME. One of my first thoughts with GVS was how nice it would be to be able to link from GVS results to video that I might have on my TiVo. Looks as if I might get that.

Jon makes a good effort at pressing AvH on going beyond what he is comfortable revealing. Good stuff.

WSTD?

What should TiVo do?

I think Om Malik probably got this ball rolling with his How To Save TiVo? post. It was picked up by Fred, who got a call about the CEO position, which got him thinking in his Whither Tivo? post. Fred’s not taking it (too bad) and doesn’t know who would want it. I’m pretty sure they won’t be calling me, but I’ll add my two cents to the conversation.

Upgrade to Model 2

I don’t know what the split between model 1 and model 2 TiVos is, but if there is as big an installed base of model 1s out there as I think, then TiVo really needs to make a push for getting existing customers to upgrade. The model 1 TiVos don’t support the features that are going to be critical for the next steps, so they need to be replaced.

Roll out new model with built-in Ethernet and WiFi. They shouldn’t be options any longer. Get 802.11g really working, too.

GoToTiVo

Roll out GoToTiVo. Not TiVoToGo. That is already here. I don’t know how successful it has been, but it doesn’t appeal much to me, whereas GoToTiVo would. What is GoToTiVo? It is the feature that lets me playback video from my computer on my TiVo. It might be home videos. It might be video that I’ve downloaded via BitTorrent. It might be some video that someone sent me via e-mail. (Maybe there should even be a special e-mail box for my TiVo, but that will require some sort of authentication to prevent spam, etc. We’ll save that for later.)

SDK Demos for Everyone

Let everyone see the SDK. I’ve been playing with it, and it is cool. The demo apps. are cool. However, the average user isn’t going to want to run an SDK demo app. on their PC (or Mac—everything works just fine on a Mac) to see it. Put some demos on a public server and let people see them who aren’t going to develop. Leave the backdoor sequence in if you want, but take any other barriers out of the way. People need to see what is coming so they can tell their friends&mdashjust like they told them about TiVo in the first place.

CableCARD

Get CableCARD support out now. Forget making people wait until 2006 for an HDTV/CableCARD combo. The biggest annoyance I have with my TiVo is that it doesn’t always change channels correctly via IR. I’d buy a CableCARD-enabled TiVo in a heartbeat, but don’t make be wait until 2006. Then I might not.