Shelly Palmer

Megabits in a Megabyte — Shelly Palmer

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:01:19 +0000

Today’s most interesting stories in technology, media and entertainment:

Sony just revealed its new PlayStation Move motion controller. The new controller is similar to the Wii controller in that it moves seamlessly with the user, with Sony calling it an “extension of your body.” The Move uses the PlayStation Eye camera to sync the gamers motions to the screen, and will be available by the end of 2010.

ARM microprocessing company recently stated that the iPad will have at least 50 competitors this year. One will be Dell’s Mini 5, a color touch-screen tablet that may feature Amazon Kindle compatibility. In addition, new screen shots show that the Android-based device will include an Amazon MP3 player and instant access to the Amazon’s digital music, video and book store.

Harmonix announced that Rock Band 3 will be available in-stores before the holiday season. The latest version of the popular gaming franchise is expected to be available on all major gaming platforms, and may let users import tracks from previous versions.

Today’s Video — Megabits in a Megabyte

If you are having trouble viewing our video player, view on YouTube.

How To Use Google Profiles — Shelly Palmer

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:15:36 +0000

Today’s most interesting stories in technology, media and entertainment:

Sony is coming late to the 3DTV party, but they think the new technology will account for 10% of their television business. This is a big gamble, since, at the moment, there is no consumer demand. However, Sony does have a secret 3D weapon. They are planning to modify their PS3 video game consoles to work with their new 3DTV sets. Gamers could easily drive 10% of future TV sales.

Facebook is hoping on the location sharing bandwagon. The social network announced that it intends to introduce a new location sharing tool in April. While users may worry about their privacy on FB, the company insists that it has been testing the service for over a year and that the location-based apps will not alarm privacy advocates. We’ll see!

Major League Baseball just released a new mobile app called, MLB At Bat. The app will give users access to every tidbit and stat they desire, as well as live audio streaming for $14.99. While the app is a great deal, it will cost you more than $100 more to view games live on your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android-based phone. Will you pay? Of course you will, MLB has a complete monopoly on the content.

Today’s Video — How To Use Google Profiles

If you are having trouble viewing our video player, view on YouTube.

Cool Websites — Shelly Palmer

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:08:14 +0000

Today’s most interesting stories in technology, media and entertainment:

CBS is launching a new March Madness iPhone app that will stream live college basketball games. The app, which will cost $9.99, will bring all the action from the NCAA tournament to the iPhone through streaming video, streaming radio broadcasts and push alerts. The innovative streaming application will only transmit games over the 3G network.

Google is developing a new set-top box that will bring search to the television. Expected to launch through a deal with the Dish Network, TV Search will allow users to search both content on the satellite network and the web, helping to merge both mediums.

HP is set to bring a new tablet called the Slate to the market. The Slate, which will compete directly with the iPad, will run on Windows 7 and, unlike the iPad, will be Flash compatible, which means “a full web browsing experience in the palm of your hand.” While the Slate could have been released over two years ago, recent developments in technology now make the Slate a more economical, affordable and practical mobile option.

A new deal between Verizon Wireless and the NFL will bring more football games to more viewers. The 4-year, $720 million deal frees the RedZone, an NFL channel that broadcasts every NFL game, from being exclusively available to satellite customers. The ground breaking deal will also make NFL games available on mobile phones for the first time.

Today’s Video — Cool websites

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Shelly Palmer: Understanding ISO for Digital Camera

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:59:49 +0000

Today’s most interesting stories in technology, media and entertainment:

Beware if your Twitter friends start tweeting diet advice at you. Some hackers are sending direct messages and tweets saying “I lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks!” and “Check out this diet I tried, it works!.” If you get a message, do not click it. Seriously.

It looks like the first iPad will hit stores on April 3rd, but you can start pre-ordering them this Friday. One bit of news, the Wifi-only version will not support iPhone tethering, a feature many iPhone users were hoping to take advantage of. Oh well, the iPads are coming.

Disney and Cablevision came to terms about 15 minutes into the Oscar telecast Sunday night ending the blackout and restoring most of the show and all of WABC and WPVI TV’s signals to Cablevision. Will this type of TV hardball happen in other cities between other TV stations and cable companies? You can count on it!

Today’s Video — Understanding ISO for Digital Camera

If you are having trouble viewing our video player, view on YouTube.

Droid Doesn’t — Things I Hate About My Verizon Droid

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:12:09 +0000

Author’s Note: Droid fans, you are going to hate this article and, more importantly, you are going to want to write me a nasty emails telling me how “uneducated” I am about the Droid App Store and how there is an app that solves every one of my problems. Here’s a news flash. I know. Here’s some news for you — normal people who buy phones will expect the stock applications for features like txt, email and contact management to work perfectly as delivered. Apps, in the minds of normal, non-tech people, are for additional features, NOT core functionality. It is with the general consumer in mind that I write the following:

I’ve had my Verizon Droid since the phone debuted in November of 2009. I replaced my fully functional, absolutely-perfect-for-a-business-guy, BlackBerry Curve. As many of you know, I carry an iPhone 3GS, which does everything “except” work as a phone, so, my first priority for the Droid was that it work as a mobile telephone.

I am happy to report that the Droid is a pretty good phone, has a serviceable speakerphone and good Bluetooth connectivity. However, after three months of trying to love it, I am giving up and going back to a BlackBerry, here’s why: first, the lack of a physical button to answer a call creates some very ergonomically awkward situations in the real world.

To answer a Droid call you must slide a virtual button from side to side. This is relatively easy inside, where it’s dry and the lighting is artificial. Outside on a cold or rainy day, the cool factor goes away instantly. On a bright sunny day, you can’t see the screen. On a cold day, you have to take your gloves off to answer. To be fair, this is the case with any phone that uses a pure touch screen, but it becomes a real issue in the real world.

Now, unlike the iPhone, the Droid can run more than one app at a time. This sounds like a fantastic feature, and a major selling point. Unfortunately, it is very hard to turn an app off, so it doesn’t take long for the phone to become overwhelmed. How big of a problem is this? The number one downloaded app in the Droid app store is “Advanced Task Killer” an app you must use dozens of times a day to kill apps that are slowing down your phone.

Speaking of slow, displaying or responding to a txt message can take 10 or 15 seconds. And basic apps like your contacts, email or txt message client freeze, lock up or just crash constantly. The number of gestures required to answer a txt message is on the border of insane. First you must turn the phone on, unlock it with the slider, then either press the txt app menu icon or try to slide down the status bar — another impossibly annoying design failure — then, you have to wait for the txt window to populate, then decide which keyboard you want to use to answer. On an iPhone or bberry, the phone just wakes up with the message displayed and you’re ready to respond. On a Droid, you can’t carry on a txt convo with one-minute delays between txts, because the process will simply drive you over the edge. The fix, elongate the time the screen stays active. Easy … as long as you have a handful of extra batteries. In practice, it is not possible.

Just to continue the rant, and I know this is a rant, Google is a less emotionally satisfying experience on the Droid than on my iPhone or my old BlackBerry. I don’t understand why this is, but the Google apps for iPhone rock and the Google apps for mobile, which I use on my bberry, makes a BlackBerry a mini computer. On the Droid, not so much.

I could go on and on, suffice it to say … I gave the Verizon Droid a good ol’ college try, and after three months, I’m done! I cannot think of a situation where I would recommend the Droid over a current model Blackberry Curve or Tour. As for it being an iPhone killer … not any time soon.

Shelly Palmer: The Socio-Techno Divide

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:33:59 +0000

Today’s most interesting stories in technology, media and entertainment:

The Apple App Censors are out in force. The latest group of apps to be banned — WiFi locators. Last week it was apps with overtly sexual content, today WiFi finders, what will they ban next week? Only Apple knows for sure.

And, while Apple is busy app burning, Sony is getting ready to launch some new app phones that will play PSP games and, a couple of new tablet/eReader products. They’re even getting serious about the Sony version of an App Store, temporarily named Sony Online Service. Don’t let the name fool you, Sony is going right after Apple.

Not to be outdone, Verizon is getting ready to introduce two new Microsoft branded phones, maybe as early as this summer. These are the first phones to be marketed under the Microsoft name. What’s next … a Google, Microsoft throwdown at a Verizon store near you.

Today’s Video — The Socio-Techno Divide

If you are having trouble viewing our video player, view on YouTube.

Shelly Palmer: Cool & Useful Websites

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:30:22 +0000

Today’s most interesting stories in technology, media and entertainment:

Amazon is selling music downloads a day early and way cheaper then Apple. Price war? Nope. Apple is trying to use its considerable clout to get the record labels to rethink their super-consumer-friendly promotional relationship with Amazon. Who will win? Right now, you — some albums sell for as little as $2.99 on Amazon.com.

In other Apple news, Steve Jobs is in talks with Hollywood studios about hosting movies in the Apple Cloud. If a deal is reached, iTunes users would be able to remotely store movies and music on Apple’s servers, giving them access to entertainment anywhere. Wondering why? Think WiFi and iPad.

In a decision that will all but kill Real Networks, it will be forced to stop selling its RealDVD burning software. If you remember, Hollywood studios immediately sued Real Networks about RealDVD. The industry considered it a piracy-enabling tool. Winner, Hollywood! Except for the dozens of other ways you can pirate a movie.

Today’s Video — Cool & Useful Websites

If you are having trouble viewing our video player, view on YouTube.

ACM Mid-Atlantic Conference

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:53:32 +0000

5/14/2010
ACM Mid-Atlantic Conference
Shelly Palmer - Keynote
(New Brunswick, NJ)

MIT Media Lab

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:33:43 +0000

3/24/2010
MIT Media Lab
(Private Workshop)
Shelly Palmer - Panelist
(Cambridge, MA)

#140Conf

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:17:34 +0000

4/20/2010
#140Conf
Shelly Palmer - Speaker
(New York, NY)